tyres - 215/45/17 vs 225/45/17

t00m

Another tyre thread!! Just wondering if you would notice much difference in the aforementioned tyres....I know the handling would be better on the 225's and would possibly look a bit better...but would either be noticeable and worth the price difference? Putting them on a golf mkIV

Anan1

What's the correct wheel/tyre size for the car?

Balfa

There've been lots of threads about this. I'd say don't do it.

For starters, it won't look better, because the tyre will look awkward from behind, and it'll be taller, too, which most people tend to think is not as desirable as low profile tyres, but that's just appearance, which is subjective.

It won't necessarily handle better, either. Again, being taller, there's more sidewall to flex.

Being taller, it will effectively lengthen your gears, meaning you won't have as much effective power and you'll accelerate slower. Would also put more strain on clutch and other transmission parts.

Being taller, it'll alter the accuracy of your speedo and odo.

Non-factory sizes will lower your car's appeal in the second-hand market.

Bigger tires = you pay more out of pocket for something with negligable to negative net gain. Why bother?

Finally, most of the above points are negligable anyway.

If you're not sure if you'd notice a difference, that means you won't notice a difference :P

Don't do it.

t00m

theres 15" tyres on atm...think they're the standard ones that come with it...

Are ya saying dont put either on or just dont bother with the 225's and go with the 215's?
thanks!

Anan1

t00m wrote: »

theres 15" tyres on atm...think they're the standard ones that come with it...

Are ya saying dont put either on or just dont bother with the 225's and go with the 215's?
thanks!

The suspension of your car will be set up to work with the wheels & tyres that came with the car. If you really want to fit bigger wheels (and I wouldn't), then you need to

a.) Make sure that the overall diameter of the new wheels & tyres is the same as that of the old ones.

and

b.) Make sure that the new, wider, tyres won't foul anything even on full lock.

Bluefoam

t00m wrote: »

theres 15" tyres on atm...think they're the standard ones that come with it...

Are ya saying dont put either on or just dont bother with the 225's and go with the 215's?
thanks!

Are you just planning to fit new tyres or new wheels & tyres? The latter would be a better option :rolleyes:

Saab Ed

OP. . .you say that bigger tyres will improve the handling. Nothing further from the truth might be the case. Larger tyres might not work with the set up of your suspension geometery and the worst case scenario would be that you would increase grip to a point but that at the limit that grip might just evaporate. More grip and better handling are often confussed as the same thing but they're not. Sometimes you can improve your handling just by buying a better quality of tyre and not have to increase your tyre size at all. Also wide tyres in the wet actualy offer less grip ( especaily if you dont get the suspension set up to match your new tyre size ) because the water now has to be pushed a greater distance to escape from the centre of the tyre and allow the flat surface of the tyre contact with the road. Just look at rally cars in the snow, they put on the narrowist tyre the can so as the snow doesnt get trapped between the tyre and the road resulting in a loss of grip.....sorry if i bored you. Choose carefully.;)

Balfa

Balfa wrote: »

Bigger tires = you pay more out of pocket for something with negligable to negative net gain. Why bother?

Don't do it.

It depends on the car really. A friend of mine changed from 215-50-R16 to 255-45-R17 on a powerful rear wheel drive car(no traction control) and the difference is massive in grip of the line and cornering and the back end is much more stable.

In the OP's case though I would say there wouldn't be any noticeable difference between 215 and 225.

t00m

I've got 17" alloys to be put on and am just looking for tyres now aswel...
Based on whats been said (correct me if wrong) i should go with 215's.
(although in the first place maybe shouldnt be putting bigger tryes on anyways! - unless getting the suspension revamped aswell)...

Does that about sum it up?!
Cheers for the replies guys!

Anan1

You need to work out the diameter of the existing wheels/tyres first!

furtzy

Anan1 wrote: »

You need to work out the diameter of the existing wheels/tyres first!

+1

this calculator does it for you

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

shows how much your speedo would be out.

t00m

diameter 24.6 for both (current tyres - 175/70/15....new tyres 215/45/17)
.1% speed difference...
so all good??

t00m

btw its a second hand car - current tyres are not stock tyres...no idea if the suspension is set up correctly for them...

Anan1

Have a look in the handbook, it'll tell you what wheel/tyre sizes were originally on the car.

t00m

cool...i'll have a look this evening...
if overall diameters are different what would this mean for the car?

Anan1

At best, it would mess with the performance of the car and the speedo reading, at worst the new wheels/tyres might foul the bodywork.

furtzy

t00m wrote: »

cool...i'll have a look this evening...
if overall diameters are different what would this mean for the car?

speedo will be out....handling compromised and possible tyre rubbing

EPM

Presuming Mk IV diesel or Mk V Golf with original sizes like that. There's loads of them running on 225/45/17 just fine. You could get that size as an option on the Mk V anyway which in reality was probably dealer fiitted. I reckon you'll be fine

su_dios

Nobody has seemed to mention this yet in the thread.


*The sizes you need will depend on the width of the alloy you are fitting.*

I have 18x8" on mine and 225 sits flush with the rim offering no protection.
215 would be a stretch which isn't advised, and 235 a slight overhang but I know there are rubbing issues there due to lowering.

You need to keep within the right size as you have checked in the calculator.
You should also check the weight of the alloys as this will have a big effect on the performance of the car. 17"s should be fine but if they're replicas check this out first, especially if the car is anything under 100bhp.

Golfs have wide arches so you shouldn't have rubbing on 225's.
If you're in Dublin I would recommend www.alloy-wheels.ie up by Blanchardstown. I've dealt with them a good bit and they're more helpful than most franchise places.

GigaByte

t00m wrote: »

diameter 24.6 for both (current tyres - 175/70/15....new tyres 215/45/17)
.1% speed difference...
so all good??

your 0-100 is going to be slower as well with the wider tyres

t00m

its a mk IV 1.4 (75bhp i think)...
I'd say the originals would have been your standard 15"'s (will confirm this evening)...
I doubt there'd be tyre rubbing as already mentioned wide arches on the golf..
Speedo you could judge yourself i guess (doubt there would be that much difference?)
So biggest things I reckon would be the handling and performance lost with the weight/wider tyres...the handling i guess you could get used to?? (correct me if wrong?)...would the performance loss be noticeable??
I think they're replicas but dont think they're that heavy compared to normal tyres already on!
Its kinda of a weigh up between performance and looks (17" look sweet on a golf I personally think!)....
advise if im completely wrong!! No idea really about tyres!!