blackpathfinder97

Just downloaded the owners manual for my 97 Pathfinder SE and it calls for P265/70R15 tires. The ones mounted are P235/75R15. What is the difference height and width wise and does this effect speedometer, odometer and gas mileage? Thanks, Rich

lewisnc100

Are you sure you don't have an XE or LE, they had stock P235/70/15 tires but the owner's manual had a misprint of P235/75/15 tires. The SEs should have P265/70/15 tires. If you have an SE you've been running almost an inch smaller than stock tire so your speedometer/odometer is about %2.5 faster than you are actually travelling.

The best way to check what tires should be on there is to look at the door jamb by your driver's door, the sticker will list the stock tires and recommended PSI.

__________________
1997 Pathfinder XE
Air Lift Air Bags, Warn Hubs

b67

It something like this : 265 is the tread width and the 70 is the height percentage of the 265 therfore:
265 * .70 = 185.5 mm sidewall
235 * .75 = 176.25 mm sidewall

I run 235 75 kuhmos on my 99 SE, the stock 265 70 dunlops handled like crap. I think they were too wide for the weight of the car. My speedo is less than 3 mph off. If you have a handheld gps its easy to check.

blackpathfinder97

b67: What do you mean by "handled like crap"? Yes, it is def an SE. Door sticker says P265/70/R15. I don't want to buy new tires and not have good handling, however I would like to have a correct speedometer and odometer reading plus I would think gas mileage should be a fraction better with the bigger rolling radius. Unless the width negates this. Any more answers or ideas out there before I spend my $. Thanks Rich

b67

When I first got the car it had the stock dunlops?/alloy rims on it. Dry pavement was ok though during motion in turns the back would jump around.
When it rained hydroplaning was very common and hitting a small bump during a moving turn would cause slight fishtailing - alomost lost control once during the rain when I hit a pothole during the rain. I thought it was a mechanical problem with the car at first.

By chance my dad had a set of wheels from another pathfinder(the stock chrome style) with no name brand tires but almost new tread. The tires were 235/75 though the handling changed drastically - the big wheels look better but no match in handling. I recently bough Kuhmo Venture HTs and the ride is even better yet. I don't know if it was the tires or some sort of placebo effect but I swear the car rides better on the smaller tires.

As for the gas mileage thing - not sure but my guess is bigger/heavier tires take more energy to roll anyway - smaller tires turn faster but easier therefore slightly faster acceleration. The difference is most likly negligable though.

Regarding the speedo/odo I'd love a solution if anyone has one, I haven't given it mmuch thought.

If you go with the big tires make sure you invest in a good brand like Michilin, Pirelli, Continental ... I found Kuhmo to be the best bang for the buck. I think the tires with the straight channels seem to perform the best.

Anyone else have any problems with the 265/70s?

BTW: What the heck is nissan thinking with the suggested tire pressure of 26psi - the tire has no 'bite' at that pressure

inanima

had a 97 SEwith stock size 265/70/16.... bought used with brand new Bridgestones on it. I thought it handled OK. It was no sportscar thats for sure, but I think that was due more to body wallow and roll from suspension settings rather than tire size. I got 16-18 mpg, about normal. Had no traction problems in wet or dry. I typically ran pressure on the hard side, 34-36psi I think.

I had a 94 pickup with stock size 235/75.15 was the biggest size you could run on the stock rims. Strangelyenough the guy who bought it from me (my mechanice) put a size bigger 30x9.5 and he gets slightly better mileage, but at a loss of power to get the bigger tires rolling.

My current 2001 SE has 255/70/16 I think...anyway tires are slightly smaller in size than my 97. Better mileage, but this is more engine difference here.

b67

Oh, did you check your spare? what size is it?

jadcock

A smaller tire, at the same diameter, should ride better theoretically because there's less mass for the shocks to control. This is why many new vehicles have aluminum knuckles and calipers (and aluminum wheels) -- to reduce unsprung weight. Typically, going from steel to aluminum wheels gets you a noticeable improvement in ride comfort.

In theory, a larger diameter wheel would give you better gas mileage, assuming the engine was strong enough to turn them efficiently. This isn't the case with Nissan trucks, and larger tires are harder to turn. So you typically end up with better gas mileage if you're running a smaller diameter tire, even if the engine does spin faster for a given speed. Inflating the tire pressures will also help with gas mileage greatly. I agree -- I don't know what Nissan was thinking with 26 psi in the tires. That's a half-assed approach to cover up a harsh ride that should have been fixed with better shock and spring settings. I've got my Michelins pumped up to 36 psi and like it there, so far. I've had it that way, off and on, for about a year. I have noticed that when I pull into my garage, and the tires pick up some dust, that the outer 3/4" of tread is still clean -- meaning that they're probably overinflated for the rims (30x9.50 tires on 6" rims). I might need to back 'em down to 32 or 33 psi and see how they wear at that pressure.

I fully recommend Michelin LTX M/S tires if you're looking for a great light truck all season tire that will bring you pretty much anywhere you would need to go. They're a long-wearing tire with great ride comfort. They're also heavily siped for great snow/ice traction. Extreme mud/off-road traction won't be as great as a dedicated A/T tire, but the ride and wear will be better than with an A/T tire also.

__________________
Jason Adcock
Always Tread Lightly!
1995 4x4 XE King Cab - 189,000 miles
1997 Cadillac Seville - 141,000 miles

blackpathfinder97

Yes, I ignored the 26psi as well. Been running 33-35 and works well. I checked the spare and it looks like the original-Bridgestone Dueler HT 689-P265/70/R15-wish I had 3 more of them to try. Looks like a nice tire. They are stamped made in Japan. Any other suggestions? Rich

b67

Yea thats the same spare I have, I thought dunlop for some reason. Its got kind of a "H" looking (my best description) tread pattern. Those are the tires that really sucked for me, though I had just a bit more than 1/8" tread left on them (which should still be fine). At least they look nice

blackpathfinder97

Went on a trip over the weekend on the interstate. Every 25 miles(per mile markers) my odometer recorded 26 and a fraction. At this rate it will register 104 miles for every 100 I travel. That computes to 4,000 miles for every 100,000. That is too many. I'll try the original size-265/70/R15's in a quality brand. Thanks, Rich