Tyre size help

Serj · 31 Mar 2006 at 12:53

I've decided on buying some new Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's for my car, but i'm unsure as to what size i should get. The alloys are 16". I currently have 225/40, but i found the handling suffered after changing from 205/50 (on 15" rims though).

My maximum budget is about £280. For around this price from MyTyres i can get 215/40, i think the handling would improve with this but i'd be worried about excessive tramlining and an even more bumpy ride. They do 195/45 for about £240 all in, which would leave me with some change. However, these are "XL" tyres, what does that mean exactly?

Would the 195/45's be ok or would they cause any additional problems? Thanks in advance and apologies for an exceptionally boring thread

Scuzi · 31 Mar 2006 at 13:03

You really should fit the standard manufacturer recommended size of tyres to your car, otherwise it can cause complications such as an inaccurate speedo. There is also a minefield of issues regarding insurance if you have a crash.

If you car came with 205/50/R16, then fit those.

Firestar_3x · 31 Mar 2006 at 13:04

Personally i would stick with the original tyre size for the car, moving from 225 / 40 to 215 / 40 will change the diameter so effect your speedo, not sure how far off original it will be?

Mark

saitrix · 31 Mar 2006 at 13:13

Speedo will read 1.4% too slow, so say like when your speedo says 60mph you will accually be doing 60.8mph.

TONY · 31 Mar 2006 at 13:48

Firestar_3x said:
Personally i would stick with the original tyre size for the car, moving from 225 / 40 to 215 / 40 will change the diameter so effect your speedo, not sure how far off original it will be?

Mark

It will not change the diameter only the width of the tyre.

saitrix · 31 Mar 2006 at 14:03

TONY said:
It will not change the diameter only the width of the tyre.

It does change the diameter very slightly, like i said above, by 1.4% so really nothing.

PardonTheWait · 31 Mar 2006 at 14:12

TONY said:
It will not change the diameter only the width of the tyre.

It'll change the diameter too, because the profile is a percentage of the width of the tyre, not a measurement in units.

lordrobs · 31 Mar 2006 at 14:14

I think a few people are missing the fact that he's gone from 15 to 16" wheels so can't use the original tyre size!

What don't you like about the handling as it is now?

EDIT- personally I'd be looking to change the profile and not the width if you are looking to change the handling characteristics.

PardonTheWait · 31 Mar 2006 at 14:15

I didn't read the thread properly *blushes*

saitrix · 31 Mar 2006 at 14:22

Thanks lordrobs, i didnt either!

Having a look on a tyre calculator, a very close match is the 205/45/R16 compared to the 205/50/R15. Of course same width so no problems with scraping. The diameter is 4.9mm more so not that much. Your speedo will read 0.8% too slow, that means that if your speedo says 60mph you are doing 60.5mph.

The 225/40/R16's are quite a bit thinner then the standard tyres for the car. So probably not the best size to have.

Dandle · 31 Mar 2006 at 15:24

Serj said:
However, these are "XL" tyres, what does that mean exactly?

XL means extra load. Some cars specify these should be fitted due to the weight/performance of the car. I think all GSD3s are XL though so it doesnt matter.