What tyres

Teresa

Teresa

Social Secretary
European-Union
Hi. I have read the definitive tyre thread, but am none the wiser.
Could anyone tell me what tyres I should have on my 1.4 sport please? It has standard 17 inch sport wheels. At the moment it has 215 on the front and 205 on the rear. They are all pretty old and perished and I just want new ones. My last experience of trying to buy tyres for my 1.6 wasnt great as I ordered the ones online that were meant to be correct and the garage refused to fit them as they were adamant they were incorrect (I did get refunded by the online place as the ones I ordered were correct according to their info).
Also @steve_c - can you recommend a decent tyre place in Norwich please?
Thank you
 
I am running 205/40/r17 on mine all around, budget tires as i am not... gentle to them. I think it is the standard size for the (9spoke was it) rims.
 
As indicated, 205/40 is the OEM standard for the RS4 17" wheels. A common alternative which I have on my car (standard suspension) and a friend has on his (sport suspension) is to use 205/45. Its the same width but a bit extra sidewall to give a bit of extra comfort. Its also a common size as its a standard on some new MINI models. Neither of us have any rubbing issues with the slightly larger diameter that I am aware of. The difference in size also pretty much corrects the over read on the speedo so its bang on.

I have also seen a car that had 215 width on the back with sport suspension. I don't know why that was as the owner had recently bought the car and those were the tires that were on it. The fronts were a different size altogether! They looked wrong as the extra width made the side wall bulge out to compensate for the difference in width between the rim and tread. They also were rubbing so I would not recommend going any wider than 205.

Some people go the other way and fit narrower tires for that "stretched look". Each to their own, I'm not a fan of that myself. My recommendation is 205/40 if you want to stick OEM and 205/45 if you want a bit more comfort.

regards

Andrew
 
Particularly if you are intending to get premium tyres, you should give seious consideration to dropping to a smaller size of wheel first. The 17" sport wheels look superb of course, but they are heavy, uncomfortable and notoriously prone to buckling.

The standard 16" SE six-spoke wheels are very durable, as of course are the 15" pepperpots; both will give a more comfortable ride than what you have now.

I don't have a particularly good source of tyres in Norwich I'm afraid. I've shopped online for two particular tyre types, and then gone with the cheapest local option. Formula One Autocentre on Barn Road have done a decent job of supplying and fitting my tyres, but I've declined any service beyond the basic fitting, and definitely not allowed them to adjust my tracking despite their claim that it was pretty much essential!

JSF 4x4 on Spar Road have the full Hunter system and it's worth booking yourself in there if you need to have your wheels correctly aligned.
 
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We have 205/45r17 (Toyo Proxies) on our sport alloys. They rub on full lock. Not a fan of the Toyos in the wet. Also not a fan of the (nice looking) sport alloys, 16" alloys are my preferred option for looks, pepperpots for comfort and economy.
 
Thank you everyone. I didn't think about using 16 inch ones - I have a set of those in my shed as I had them on 1.6. However I changed those as had a nightmare trying to find out what tyres I should have and ended up just buying new wheels with tyres already on as it was simpler!
Thanks again ?
 
Teresa said:
Thank you everyone. I didn't think about using 16 inch ones - I have a set of those in my shed as I had them on 1.6. However I changed those as had a nightmare trying to find out what tyres I should have and ended up just buying new wheels with tyres already on as it was simpler!
Thanks again ?
Click to expand...

If you have 6J 16" rims, 195/50 is the widest tyre you can fit, and (assuming the tyres you currently have are 40 profile) would be between the two sizes in height.

Buying your tyres from the same company that fits them makes disputes over compatibility far less likely since they don't want to lose the profit from the sale.
 
steve_c said:
If you have 6J 16" rims, 195/50 is the widest tyre you can fit, and (assuming the tyres you currently have are 40 profile) would be between the two sizes in height.

Buying your tyres from the same company that fits them makes disputes over compatibility far less likely since they don't want to lose the profit from the sale.
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Thank you. I may have to arrange to show you them Steve as I must admit that I don't understand much of that. Employment law I'm fine with - tyre size numbering arrangements, not so much!
 
Teresa said:
Thank you. I may have to arrange to show you them Steve as I must admit that I don't understand much of that. Employment law I'm fine with - tyre size numbering arrangements, not so much!
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Always happy to call round and check the wheels over for you of course Teresa.

Tyre sizes sound complicated, but are actually very simple:

What does tyre size mean? And how to read it on the tyre sidewall

To the untrained eye, the side wall of a tyre can look like a meaningless set of numbers, letters and symbols.
www.uniroyal-tyres.com www.uniroyal-tyres.com

Wheel sizes not quite that simple, but this guide will help you out:

How to read the wheel markings? » Oponeo.co.uk

Find out what markings can be present on the wheel. Read about wheel collar types.
www.oponeo.co.uk www.oponeo.co.uk
 
@Teresa This site helps to visualise the different sizes and shows the impact changes would make to your speedo:
tiresize.com

Tire Size Comparison

Tire size comparison the easy way. Use our tire size comparison calculator to compare diameter, width, sidewall, circumference and revolutions per mile.
tiresize.com tiresize.com
 
piggy backing this post - since i like comfort and I'll require new front tires soon thanks to Halfords, if i put on 205/45/r17 and keep 205/40/r17 on the rear, i wouldn't expect this to cause problems or look too out of place but will MOT man be outraged at such mismatch?
 
Think that would only be a problem if you had two different sizes across the same axle. Plenty of big sporty stuff has larger width rear tyres, where matching the original front height with a lower profile sidewall is only an approximation. So I don't see an issue with a slight sidewall difference front to back.
 
I wonder if the ABS system might take exception, I think it was Pinkythelabrat who had this problem.

Andy
 
Andrew said:
I wonder if the ABS system might take exception, I think it was Pinkythelabrat who had this problem.
Andy
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Not if it's got rear drums, surely ... ABS only on the front?
But definitely a good shout if it's an FSI or a '90 ?
 
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Un4tural said:
piggy backing this post - since i like comfort and I'll require new front tires soon thanks to Halfords, if i put on 205/45/r17 and keep 205/40/r17 on the rear, i wouldn't expect this to cause problems or look too out of place but will MOT man be outraged at such mismatch?
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@Un4tural I cant answer your question about the MOT, but new tyres should always be fitted to the rear axle; there are a couple of threads about this already :)

Andrew

PS a friend has just bought a Zenos E10R which comes with different sized wheels at the rear compared with the front
 
Is the guidance about fitting new (or best two) tyres to the rear based on rear wheel drive transmission? I'll stick with best tyres on the front axle for front wheel drive, traction, braking and steering is more critical than rear wheel tasks (imo). Mac.
 
Andrew said:
I wonder if the ABS system might take exception, I think it was Pinkythelabrat who had this problem.

Andy
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Not thought about the ABS - it is a TDI 90 with discs at the back I've got. Then again members have mentioned having A2s with 205/45 in rear and 205/40 front.

andrewparkeruk said:
@Un4tural I cant answer your question about the MOT, but new tyres should always be fitted to the rear axle; there are a couple of threads about this already :)

Andrew

PS a friend has just bought a Zenos E10R which comes with different sized wheels at the rear compared with the front
Click to expand...

I can always swap them around which i'll likely need to do due to rubbing - my problem is i went to halfrauds for alignment - got new tyres and after alignment camber is even worse than it was - inside of both front tires is going bald while outside edge is as new.

I am mostly concerned if it'll be alright to have 2 front and 2 rear tires slightly different (205/45 and 205/40) if 205/45 doesn't rub i'll grab second two next year when the tires inevitably wear out. I am grad i at least didn't go for expensive rubber as i'd have to be replacing them half year in due to Halfords re-alignment jobbie.

@PlasticMac there are a few posts about importance of rear tires - to everyone their own but i doubt i'll see much difference in summer with similar grade tires front and back.
 
PlasticMac said:
Is the guidance about fitting new (or best two) tyres to the rear based on rear wheel drive transmission? I'll stick with best tyres on the front axle for front wheel drive, traction, braking and steering is more critical than rear wheel tasks (imo). Mac.
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Tyres perform best at the front after they have been broken in by running at the rear. So swapping the wheels round each time you buy a pair of new tyres makes best use of the rubber, regardless of whether your car is front or rear drive.
People who run different sizes front and rear forgo that advantage of course.
 
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