Hello all, last December I traded my truck in on a very nice 2018 RVR or Outlander Sport SE with 4x4. And now that its getting into the spring and summer seasons i wanted to get some appropriate tires.




I found a used set of rims with tires that I bought and they fit on the vehicle and it looks pretty nice, my only concern is that maybe they are too small? I tried them out and they drive smooth and make less noise than the original tires that it came with... But now the tire pressure light has switched on even though the tires have appropriate air pressure. So the Oringal wheels were 215/70/r16.. the ones that I found and have tried out are 205/50/r17.

I would like to hear the opinions of knowlegable people that could tell me if this would be an tire to have on or not.. i just want to know if anything serious could happen if I used them on a day to day basis for the summer?

 

The tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) operates in your vehicle by using sensors built in special valves that must communicate at RF frequency with the ECU. These sensors must be coded to the ECU to properly (by the dealer) report the tire pressure. Your current set up has two problems in this regard:
1. Your 205/50/17 tires are most likely not even equipped with the proper sensors,
2. Even if they were their IDs must be programmed into the ECU.

The tire diameter of the new tire is significantly smaller than that of in the stock configuration (637 mm vs 707 mm). Your speedometer will be off (when going 60 mph it will show 54 mph). Besides of those, provided the offset of your wheels are around 46 mm you may use these tires although they are far from "appropriate". However, if the new set has wheels with significantly different offset I would not mount them. You can mount 215/65/70, 225/60/17 tires on your 17 " wheels without changing the suspension geometry (provided again that they have offsets of 46 mm or close). If you want your TPMS system to operate properly, you need to purchase sensors and have them programmed in your ETACS ECU by the dealership with a MUT III device. Your model year allows 8 IDs (summer and winter sets) to be stored in the ECU. Older models, like mine can only store 5 IDs, so for me it would require two programming sessions to pay for every year (in the fall and in the spring).
As to TPMS, you may deactivate it entirely by programming the ETACS and you do not have to worry about sensors any more. I wish to remind you that even if you have operational TPMS it is your responsibility to check your tire pressures, just like even if you have back up camera you must watch your surrounding. In other words these nannies do not lift any legal responsibility off you as the driver. If you have and RVR you must live in Canada. Canadian laws do not mandate TPMS,while US laws mandate any new vehicle sold after 2007 be equipped with such system but unless one has to take the car for state inspection the operation of those items are not regulated (if I am correct). Your mileage may vary so check your state laws if you live in the States. The dealer cannot deactivate TPMS based on both legal and technical limitations (MUT III does not have an option of making TPMS absent).
Search in this forum and in the OUTLANDER SPORT/RVR FORUM for ETACS options.
There has been a new option presented recently as an alternative for ETACS Decoder but I am not positive it can deactivate TPMS as it is apparently using MUT coding
Free replacement for ETACS Decoder
Despite the warning at the beginning of the thread below, if you know what you are doing the DIAGBOX/ACTIA combination is a tried and true option for ETACS programming (although no good for gen III full size Outlanders): The key is not to experiment and just follow the instructions religiously. The same applies to ETACS Decoder as well. People, who do not read the user manuals before they start using new devices should stay away from any of these programming options.
ETACS option customization

 

On my UK Citroen C-Crosser, the two tyre (tire) options were 215/70/16 or 225/55/18. I have the latter on mine and I think they look awesome. So these wheels would fit, the only downside is that in the UK TPMS is not a legal requirement yet as it is for our North American cousins, but just for info, the 18" wheels sit really nice in the wheel well and the Citroen design of the wheel is 'sharp' (OK I might be biased).

Main reason for suggesting is that 225/55/18 should give you same geometry and speedo readings as your 215/17/16. The ride on the 55 walled tyre (tire) is also very comfortable, but I think anything 50 or more would be comfortabl. My last car ran 225/45/17 as a replacement for 195/65/15 and the ride was harsher on the 45 profile tyre (tire).

If you're taking the car off-road at all, I understand the higher profile tyres can give better traction as the tyre (tire) wall flexes more than a lower profile tyre (tire)

HTH