New Tyres... Extra Load?

Malt_Vinegar

Malt_Vinegar

Malt_Vinegar

Don
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So, the chap at the national tyrecentre place has told me over the phone that the following tyre:
Dunlop SP SPORT 01 MFS (205/55/16) is unsuitable for my Renault Megane Estate as hey are not extra-load.
He also stated that the Dunlop SP Fast Response which i can get for a similar price have the same problem..

He states that my insurance may be invalid if i fit these? I tried to call my insurance company, but the broker said they did not know. They only had said the "correct" tyres must be fitted?!

I am just going through the manual now, but cannot see extra load mentioned anywhere...

Is the bloke leading me on a merry dance to sell me a more expensive tyre, should i just get all four fitted for £300, or look somewhere else?
 
What is the load index required in your manual and what is the load index of that tyre? (RF or XL)
 
Brilliant info :) Thanks Dr!

I just actually got off the phone to a Renault dealer, and they have stated catagorically, that extra load are not needed, and the bloke is talking rubbish!
 
Would I be right in thinking XL tyres have stiffer sidewalls and therefore might make handling appear less agile?
 
My Honda had XL tyres fitted and I've always fitted XL tyres but I remember asking here and Fox responded saying to look in the door jam and see what it states there, no mention of XL so I've always fitted standard tyres ever since.
 
XL tyres make the car feel more 'pointy' and direct from steering inputs as there's a lot less flex or squish in the sidewall of the tyre so the car turns instantly rather than waiting for the side wall to deform then turning.

All the Honda DC5 boys run XL tyres despite the car weighing 1180KG, it just gives far better handling. But in a regular family car go with normal tyres as renault suggest.
 
Load Index number is for sidewall flex, XL is for higher tyre pressures.

A car that runs extra loads needs higher tyre pressures to compensate (see your door jam) and an XL tyre is designed to run with these higher pressures.

If you run an XL tyre at low load pressures you achieve Zero, doesn't surprise me the DC5 boys swear by them :)
 
Dr Who said:
Load Index number is for sidewall flex, XL is for higher tyre pressures.

A car that runs extra loads needs higher tyre pressures to compensate (see your door jam) and an XL tyre is designed to run with these higher pressures.

If you run an XL tyre at low load pressures you achieve Zero, doesn't surprise me the DC5 boys swear by them :)
Click to expand...

:D

Normally the XL denominator is paired with a higher load rating anyway, so there's a part truth in the XL tyres being more pointy.

I think the OP's first mistake was listening to kwikfit.
 
We checked this the other day, its all about the load rating, e.g. the 88, 92, etc number that forms part of the Tyre spec...

You take your cars maximum gross fully ladern capacity, and work out the Max weight for each Tyre (really Ned to know the front to back weight distribution as a starting point), once you know the Max load, there is a table that shows you what load rating you need to ensure your three are not overloaded when sticking to the cars designed weight limits...

See here, http://www.blackcircles.com/general/load-rating remember this is per corner, and weight distribution/Max gross weight fully laden needs to be used, I'm sure insurance companies would be interested if you wwhere fully laden and had a blow out, what rating your tyres where!
 
Last edited:
jon- said:
:D

Normally the XL denominator is paired with a higher load rating anyway, so there's a part truth in the XL tyres being more pointy.

I think the OP's first mistake was listening to kwikfit.
Click to expand...

Yup often true, however, XL tyres are not normally designed with sporty tread patterns, they are workhorse tyres as a rule. You would generally be better off looking for more sport oriented tread patterns and a high load index :)
 
Dr Who said:
Yup often true, however, XL tyres are not normally designed with sporty tread patterns
Click to expand...

It seems things are changing, and XL is now being worn as a badge of awesomeness. Scroll down to the listed sizes:

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/The-Michelin-Pilot-Super-Sport-has-arrived.htm
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/Continental-ContiSportContact-5-Launched.htm

There's a lot of XL sizes in the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2, they're just missed off the article on tyrereviews. (225/45 R17 92Y XL, 225/40 R18 92Y XL etc)
 
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