Tires: upsizing tires, but not wheels?, upsizing tires, toyota corolla

Question
I have a 2003 Toyota Corolla S...and need new tires. The originals are P195/65R15 89S The tire guy told me that I can upsize to a P205/60R15 91H and showed me in the guide that says it's okay. (He said P205/65R15 would look too wide)My question is...Will this effect my speedometer and/or do damage to my wheel well? What are the positives and negatives of doing this...He said I don't need new rims to do it. The 205's are cheaper and my theory is more tire on the road, the better the handling.
Thanks

Answer
Dan,

Your vehicle came with P195/65R15 inflated to 30 psi front and rear on either 6" or 6 1/2" wheels (depending on the model year).

That means there is enough rim width to accommodate a P205/60R15.  There is also almost no effect on your speedometer.

Since the tire is wider, there is now a question of clearance in the fender well.  It is unfortunate that there isn't a book that anyone can refer to to tell how much room is in the fenderwell.  But as a general rule there is enough room for 1 or 2 increments (this situation is a width increase by one increment), so it probably will work.  

More tire on the road = better handling?  As a general rule that is true, but increasing the speed rating from S to H generally results in a better handling vehicle, and that change is larger than the result of a change in width.

Hope this helps.