Tires: Alternate Rim & Tire Size, 14 inch rims, 2005 toyota echo

Question
Question; My wife bought a 2005 Toyota Echo Sedan B package with P185/60R15 tires. The ride is great but there is definitely less room between the tire and the wheel wells than with a smaller rim/tire. She wants me to buy new rims and snow tires. The basic model Echo sedan comes with P175/65R14 tires and I would like to know if I can buy 14" rims and snow tires for her car? The dealer said they wern't sure because it would depend on the brake discs and parts. If the brake parts were larger with the 15" rims/tires on the Option B package, then potentially the 14" inch rims might be a problem. For reasons of cost difference and space for slush between the tire and the wheel wells, I would like to buy rims and winter tires to the same size spec as the 14" basic model tires and rims. Can I do this?

Answer
Don,

No you can't.  The load capacity of the 15" tires is higher, so you'll want to use a P185/65R14, which is essentailly the same diameter.  That assumes there is room for the brake parts, which might be a problem, but the best person to ask that question is a Toyota dealer and he might be reluctant to give you a solid answer as there is an unwritten rule that changing tire sizes voids the vehicle warranty.

Hope this helps.