….the harder they fall

I bought a 4-year-old VW Golf from a main dealer last May. It is a 1.4GT TSI with 170bhp. I paid a good price. It had 18 inch Charleston Alloys with 225/40 Conti contact tyres. I put two new tyres on soon after due to wear, following strictly the originals, which I always do. I have now had three punctures in six months with the result that I have no confidence in this kind of low profile tyre. I have spoken to the dealer (Inchcape) suggesting that he and VW have responsibility in that they originally specified the tyres on the car that in my view are not fit for purpose. The dealer refutes my suggestion, as does VW Customer Complaints. Do you think I am being unreasonable? I like the car a lot but cannot continue with these wheels despite having four new tyres, which cost north of £600.

Asked on 1 October 2011 by DH, Fyfield

Answered by Honest John

What's fit for the billiard smooth road surfaces of most of Germany is no use for the UK. I reckon the minimum profile you need is 55, which would tend to mean 16" wheels. A few weeks ago I drove a Mondeo on 18" wheels with 45 profiles to Frankfurt and back, on which trip it was fine. But as soon as I got it onto my 'test route' between Scotch Corner and Hexham, Northumberland, it went to pieces on the bumpy bends. My bus-like Mazda 5 on 205/55 R16s is perfect on that route, soaking up the worst of it.

Tags: wheels and tyres

Similar questions

Golf returning poor fuel economy - are the new tyres to blame?

I recently replaced old "Event" tyres with new Michelin ones on my wife's 2006 Volkswagen Golf diesel. On a regular round trip of 120 miles, her on-board fuel consumption has gone from over 60mpg to below...

Can my daughter fit all-weather tyres to her 2008 Volkswagen Golf?

I own a 2008 Volkswagen Golf Sportline estate, fitted with alloy wheels and low profile tyres, which seem absolutely useless in wintry conditions. I am considering passing my car on to my daughter, who...

What's causing a droning sound from my Volskwagen Golf TDI at 70mph?

I have not long taken delivery of a 2005 Volkswagen Golf TDI 4-motion with 67,000 miles that also has a most awful droning noise at approximately 2000rpm or 68-70 mph. It's as if the vehicle shouldn't...

Related models

Volkswagen Golf (2004 - 2008)

Decent handling and comfortable on the move, impressive TSI engines, massive improvement over the previous Golf, high-economy Bluemotion models, high quality feel of interior, five-star Euro NCAP safety rating.