Tyre size advice. Is this legal?
- Thread starter Speirs
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Caporegime
I'm not sure it'd be illegal, otherwise using your space saver or smaller spare would be illegal.
Stupid though.
Stupid though.
Associate
Not illegal but I'd get one of them changed to match the other
Associate
Off topic but they're fitting 235 tyres to a Corsa nowadays? 
How do you mean match the other?
Make and tread type or size wise?
Would there be any major problems leaving them as they are?
I just don't know why they put a 235 / 45r17 on in the first place when the roper size for the car is 215 / 45R17?
Associate
As in the same tyre size.id say 215s all round
Associate
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both.
235/45/17 is a wider tyre than 215/45/17, but more worrying, it's also a bigger diameter tyre too - technically it's 643mm diameter and the 215 is 625mm. So it's effectively constantly tilted and turning towards the smaller tyre. this is bad. v bad.
as for make/tread/model - ideally they should match on the same axle. Certainly if one is asymmetrical and the other not - easiest way is to make them the same.
Associate
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also, i think it's a MOT fail to have different sized tyres on the same axle. so, yup, it's potentially illegal
http://www.ukmot.com/manual/4.1/Tread-Pattern-Breadth-and-Depth
http://www.ukmot.com/manual/4.1/Tread-Pattern-Breadth-and-Depth
It passed it's MOT just before I bought it so it isn't illegal as Mickcas says.
Soldato
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left/right should match, you can have mis-matched front/rear but on the same axle it should be the same.
if it were me i'd change them, derek's reply is spot on in this regard, remember your tyres are the only bit of your car that contacts the ground so its worth having the proper rubber on there.
if it were me i'd change them, derek's reply is spot on in this regard, remember your tyres are the only bit of your car that contacts the ground so its worth having the proper rubber on there.
Soldato
lol, it passed an MOT so it must be legal...... like a garage has never passed a car thats a bit dodgy.....
Soldato
I would be more concerned that in an accident the mismatch may become an issue of road worthiness or a reason to invalidate the insurance. Just not a good idea basically.
The MOT manual is available online and it's fairly clear to me it'll fail especially on a steered or driven axle.
The MOT manual is available online and it's fairly clear to me it'll fail especially on a steered or driven axle.
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Was just about to say the same thing.
I suspect the previous owner was buying part worns, and that was the only sized tyre that was available at the time.
EDIT: I'd be surprised if even the cowboys at Kwik Fit would fit different sized tyres on the same axle.
Associate
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so, it passed its mot despite obviously breaching the mot guidelines (as I linked above)... It just suggests how thorough that mot test center was... (unless it was something convenient like the mot was tested by the same garage you bought the car from). I still maintain it's potentially illegal and certainly unsafe. I'm not 100% sure it's illegal, as obviously spacesavers (or some spare tyres) won't match across the same axle, so I'm unsure if there's a get out clause for emergency use and limited speeds (spacesavers are usually max 50miles and 50mph - but a non matching spare, no idea).
https://tyres.theaa.com/tyre-advice/tyre-law/ AA states:
thus I think it's illegal - certainly, there's more evidence pointing towards it being so than not. Bottom line, get it sorted before you need to argue the case to someone
Associate
Apologies, I may have been wrong then, you can have different profile front to back but I see these are both front tyres. Either way I'd get another 215/45 in there and call it a day.
Soldato
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yeah, a lot of rwd cars (bmw, merc, etc) have different width/diameter rears to the front. The spare tyre will be the same as either the front or the back, so will be fine on its matching axle, but will be wonky on the other axle - this is where I get confused with the law, as they've sold a car with a spare tyre that will potentially make the car a mot fail/"unroadworthy" if used on 1 of the axles.