Hello
Ive got a Volvo V50 and a Vectra Hatchback
Both have 17" alloy wheels
Volvo tyre size = 205/50 R17
Vectra tyre size = 215/50 R17
These tyres are not a common size (which was a suprise to me) - people are advising to go with a 225/45 R17 tyre instead as they are cheaper and a lot more common
I've found a great website:
www.chris-longhurst.com/carbibles/tyre_bible.html
Has anone else changed their tyre size at replacement?
Is changing the tyre size a safe thing to do?
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Had an oddity on Saturday BiL's 330d (my old one). A well known National chain fitted a pair of Mich. Pilots (for a very competative price) but they were W rated instead of the OE V rated. I found the above site to try and discover the answer whether they will make a difference or not as Hector says very interesting but didn't really answer the question... !
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Wider tyres may foul the wheel arch on full lock, dealer could advise, if fitting different size and / or speed rating then advise your insurer.
225/45 R17 is similar rolling ratio to 205/50 R17 however 215/50 R17 (Vectra) is slightly larger diameter.
Reckon both sizes should be easy to get, my Mondeo has 205/50 17's, I got Bridgestones for £90 each.
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The further through the alphabet the letter is, the higher the speed rating.
So W is a higher speed rating than V, so there's no problem.
--
I read often, only post occasionally
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The further through the alphabet the letter is, the higher the speed rating. So W is a higher speed rating than V, so there's no problem.
Not neccesarily no problem, depends on other factors, e.g. load rating for one. A higher speed rated tyre could have a lower load rating. The mk3 mondeo 205/50/17 tyres have to be "extra load" rated due to the size of the car. A smaller chavmobile could have the same size wheels and tyres but could have a lower load rating. You must make sure the load rating is at least the same as OEM tyres.
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>> The further through the alphabet the letter is, the higher the >> speed rating. >> >> So W is a higher speed rating than V, so there's >> no problem. >> Not neccesarily no problem, depends on other factors, e.g. load rating for one. A higher speed rated tyre could have a lower load rating. The mk3 mondeo 205/50/17 tyres have to be "extra load" rated due to the size of the car. A smaller chavmobile could have the same size wheels and tyres but could have a lower load rating. You must make sure the load rating is at least the same as OEM tyres.
I have a Mondeo on 205/50-17 tyres, the load rating of the OEM tyres was 91, I checked before replacing the tyres and was advised that 89 rated tyres are fine.
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The load rating for tyres is easily "googleable" it's the maximum weight a tyre is expected to carry, look in your handbook for the maximum weight of the vehicle and divide by four, or maximum axle weight and divide by two, this will determine the lowest load-rated tyre you can run.
As for the speed rating, as long as they match or exceed the official maximum speed of the car then they are legal. The only exception here is winter tyres *, which is why you usually have to inform your insurers when you fit them as most winter tyres are rated around 110mph. (*and obviously space-saver spare tyres)
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Isn't changing the tyre size a modification? In which case you have to declare it to your insurer etc.
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I've found that this tyre size calculator is the best, and I have been to the CarBibles site too, and found it a little inaccurate.
www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
You can input a number of sizes and it will give you a table comparing them all, or just compare two sizes, and it gives a visual comparison (side and end view) too.
I went from 205/55-16 tyres to 225/50-16 and it showed the rolling radius to be within 1%. It's also useful if you're wanting to gear a car up or down by changing tyre sizes.
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I would check what other size tyres are fitted to other variants of the car. My fil has one of the first of the current saab 9-3's which came with a 215/xx 17 - cant remember the profile prob 50 - but later cars had more common sizes. I queried why the difference and found that the dealer was able to reprogram the ecu to reglect the use of the different sized tyre (so that the speedo retained the same acuracy)
Also different brands of nominally the same size are often different sizes in reality.
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Changing Car Tyres can't be a modification ... (can it?)
Same Manufacturer's Wheels, different brand of tyres that are suited to the wheel (17") - Tyre manufacturer confirms a 225/45/R17 will fit.
Vauxhall actually list 225/45/R17 as an alternative to 215/50 R17 in their handbook
That's a bit like putting halfords antifreeze in your car rather than Volvo antifreeze.
What does anyone else think?
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How could it NOT be a modification?
Fair play, if a size is listed in the owners manual as an alternative, then *perhaps* you're OK. If you've just chosen some other size, unlisted, then certainly you've just changed a vital and safety critical part of the car & it is no longer as specified by the manufacturer. This is different from fitting a different *make* of component; that is OK, so long as the alternative manufacturer's item meets the spec.
I'd be happy to be proved wrong. It does seem so overwhelmingly obvious to me that such a change would be a declarable mod.
Tangentially related: Whether or not a modification has any effect on safety or performance is irrelevant to whether or not it has to be declared to the insurer. Just because a different trim level or version of your vehicle is sold with a different wheel/tyre, doesn't make it within specification for *your* vehicle.
Lack of debate here suggests, to me, denial. Anecdotally (ie talking to various friends about this in the past) I think a lot of drivers of modified vehicles are in denial about the need to declare mods and do not do so. Body kits, alloy wheels, different tyres, bull bars, all sorts of extra lights, etc etc.
All IMHO.
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Strowger changing tyre size is not a modification. Changing wheel size would be, however the OP has had it confirmed that the alternative tyre size will fit on his wheels properly, so there is no negative affect to the car, either safety-wise or by making it more desirable to nick.
If we carry on your thinking, would you also have to declare it to your insurance company if you switched from the original spec tyre to a same-size far eastern £10 remould? This would undoubtably have a negative effect on the safety of the car.
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H1982,
I thought I had explained this clearly, but perhaps not. The vehicle manufacturer doesn't specify a brand of tyre, a rubber compound, a manufacturing plant, etc. They specify (usually) something like: size, speed rating, load factor - and pressures.
If the ten pound remould meets the spec, it isn't a modification. If the hundred pound top-of-the-range brand-name tyre DOESN'T meet the specification, it's a modification.
Even if you make a mod that unarguably increases safety, you still have to declare it and are invariably penalized for it by higher premiums.
[An example of the above that springs to mind is the commonly-performed replacement of the useless rear brakes on a Mk 2 Golf with the superior design from a Mk 3]
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I was told the same thing about my Vectra tyres (215/50/R17). I got replacement Goodyear NCT5s for £108 each all in and was pleased with that after the usual ringing around. They had to be ordered in however as they weren't kept in stock at my usual place.
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Marc
Did you buy 215/50 R17 Goodyear NCT5's in the end? where did you buy them from for £108 all inclusive?
Cheers
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Changing tyre size IS a modification. Changing any combination of speed rating, load rating, width and / or aspect ratio may be construed as a modification therefore it is necessary to tell one's insurers.
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Yes I got the NCT5s last week. Bought them from Newbury Tyre & Exhaust Centre.
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If you are unlucky enough in Germany to get pulled in a vehicle check(quite common)and you have tyres that are not listed in log book you face a very expensive exercise in both fines for every tyre, being unable to move it till they are changed and the cost of the tyres.
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Is this true? Do you know anyone this has happened to? Handbooks can be out of date as new tyres become available. Eg alternative sizes
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Good tip. Thank you. Was looking for a list of alternatives, which this does not give, but what it does do is allow you to enter 2 alternative sizes & it shows the differnece in circ & diameter, which is good enough for me. Eg, i want 235 50 18 sized winter tyres from ebay but most are too expensive, so i tried 235 45 18, which may be more common or cheaper, & it shows the % change is acceptable. Rather smaller than bigger for snow-packing allowances
Best
WhiteMountain
Edited by transylvaniantraveller on 01/09/2012 at 12:59
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205/50 R17
205 50 17 are a very common size, got them on mine, no problems getting them. Go to a different supplier, they are telling you lies to sell stock. Any change to the manufacturers specification may invalidate your insurance. Make sure you get the correct speed rating as well, just as important as size.
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My Nissan Primera came with 215/50/17 wheels / tyres - replacement tyres were very expensive, £150+ per corner for the Michelin HP Primacy I use so to save money I switched to 205/60/16 wheels / tyres as some Primeras come with this size as standard, the tyres are much cheaper £115 per corner last time I changed, and having worn through two sets of tyres the cost of new wheels has been recovered by the saving in tyre costs (and I sold the old wheels too).
I swapped the wheels for standard Nissan wheels and I always tell my insurer of the change, never been a problem, I think they would be more concerned of a change to larger size wheels, not smaller.
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Yep - plenty of different manufacturers available - have a look at Event Mobile.
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vuaxhall agila comes with different size spare, so its ok to drive as in space saver wheels seem ok to. its ok to have different size tyres on the rear or front., at mot
put astra wheels and tyres on a corsa b and it felt better to drive
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