Change from 215's to 205's

peteb2

I'm pretty sure its probably been asked a few times. But...... I have a 2009 1.6 petrol Mondeo Estate. Its on 215/55/16's. The 205's are a damn bit cheaper than the 215's. Would I notice much of a difference in the ride?

And i need to replace two tyres. Is it possible to change two to the narrower one now? :P

Superwofy

The 1.6 120bhp Mondeo Estate was offered with either 16 or 17 inch wheels. Tire sizes were 205/55R16 and 215/50R17 respectively (according to wheel-size.com).

Technically the tires you have now are incorrect since they're 10mm wider than stock. That being said, it makes virtually no difference.

colm_mcm

Mondeos came with 215/55/16 tyres. Yours aren't incorrect.
You wouldn't really notice the difference though, but there will be a slight difference in sidewall height as well as the obvious width difference.
If I was going down the road of putting 205s on I'd put the 205s on the front and replace the back ones with 205s once they wear.

CiniO

Does such change need to be mentioned to insurer?

colm_mcm

CiniO wrote: »

Does such change need to be mentioned to insurer?

In this case I don't think it does as the smaller size is also OE

I know in other European countries you will fail an nct (equivelant) if your tyres are a different size to what came on the car day 1

Superwofy

colm_mcm wrote: »

Mondeos came with 215/55/16 tyres. Yours aren't incorrect.
You wouldn't really notice the difference though, but there will be a slight difference in sidewall height as well as the obvious width difference.
If I was going down the road of putting 205s on I'd put the 205s on the front and replace the back ones with 205s once they wear.

Can you back this up? All the information I can obtain suggest otherwise. The 2.0 petrol is the only one I can see was offered with 215's (on 16 rims).

The sidewall difference is 2.75mm. Don't think you'd notice that.

colm_mcm

I know from real life. You could look at autotrader.co.uk at used Mondeos and you'll see what tyres they have.

Example

Superwofy

colm_mcm wrote: »

I know from real life. You could look at autotrader.co.uk at used Mondeos and you'll see what tyres they have.

Example

Is that not the diesel tho?

I took your advice and looked at autotrader. I found several 1.6 petrol ones with 215's and one with 205's. But who's to say those are the original tyres?

Either way, we're arguing over nothing. OP, would be perfectly ok using either tire size.

colm_mcm

Would be an odd move to change to a more expensive size.

Superwofy

colm_mcm wrote: »

Would be an odd move to change to a more expensive size.

Many people think wider tire = better grip/traction. A 10mm increase in nominal width does not translate to a 10mm increase in contact patch width. Not to mention that the increased rotational inertia increases transmission loss (again, by a tiny amount).

The car I was referring to was a 2014 Mondeo 1.6 estate with 2164 miles. Odds are those are the original tyres. The ones fitted to it are made by Continental. I'll admit that I don't know if that's Ford's OEM supplier.

colm_mcm

Who knows what they fitted to newer ones, but I know for sure that some of them (like the ops) came with 215s

The one you're talking about is a base spec run-out Graphite spec which I'm assuming had 205s to get lower emissions for company car drivers in the UK

http://www.perrys.co.uk/car-news/tech-spec/ford-mondeo-1-6-graphite-5dr-hatchback-tech-spec/

Mc Love

My mondeo has 235's was looking to change but couldn't find any other info on moving to a lower range

peteb2

Superwofy wrote: »

Can you back this up? All the information I can obtain suggest otherwise. The 2.0 petrol is the only one I can see was offered with 215's (on 16 rims).

The sidewall difference is 2.75mm. Don't think you'd notice that.

The Ford plate on the inside of my door with tyre pressure notes 205/55/16 as a valid size,

Noccy_Mondy

The early mk4's had 215 55 r16 tyres. That's what I've seen on them all, and that's what was on my 16" rims.

Mc Love

Noccy_Mondy wrote: »

The early mk4's had 215 55 r16 tyres. That's what I've seen on them all, and that's what was on my 16" rims.

Probably doesn't suit the 18s so