I have read so much about Toyo T1Rs I was almost dead set on them (it was between those or Falkens). My car is at the stage where it will be back on the road next month, albeit with a chicken chaser spare wheel on. So I am taking this opportunity to get rid of the Infinity tyres that are on it ATM.

I have the chance of a new set of the above for more or less the same price as a set of T1Rs (205 50 16) from Camskill. A few questions though....

How much will the speedo be thrown out?

On standard suspension (standard body work too), will the tyres look too skinny?

Which tyre is better? The car is not used as a daily drive so the wear is not an issue. Weekend spirited use in all weathers would best describe my usage.

Which one would you buy? Comparisons welcomed, esp if you have used the 45 profile in the past.

The wheels will also look a bit small in the arches

Your speedo will be inaccurate by an additional 2mph at 60mph (on top of the 5-ish mph it will already be out)

Personally, I rate the Toyos VERY highly - I've had around twenty sets over the years and they don't complain (too much) when I put down a lot of power

Assumption
Indicated Speed (mph): 60
Standard speedo inaccuracy: 5.00%

Standard tyre size
Width (mm): 205
Profile (%): 50
Size (inches): 16
Sidewall (mm): 102.5
Actual speed at indicated 60mph: 57.0

Rolling circumference (inches): 75.6
Rolling circumference (mm): 1920.8
Diameter (inches): 24.1
Diameter (mm): 611.4

Aftermarket tyre size
Width (mm): 205
Profile (%): 45
Size (inches): 16
Sidewall (mm): 92.3
Actual speed at indicated 60mph: 54.9

Rolling circumference (inches): 73.1
Rolling circumference (mm): 1856.4
Diameter (inches): 23.3
Diameter (mm): 590.9

Trappy how much do you charge for a 225/45/17 readout

?

205/45x16 are way too small, you need to go large!

225/45x17 is what I have on at the moment, with Eibach's and Billies. Get a small amount of rubbing on the wheel arch liner on full lock but otherewise they're great, almost eliminate speedo error and fill the arches much better.

Trye OD is 634.3mm compared to 611.4mm or standard 205/50x16 (608.9mm for 225/45x16)

If and when I go back to 16's, I will try 205/55x16 or 225/50x16 but the 205/55x16 size is the cheapest size you can get

Width (mm): 225
Profile (%): 45
Size (inches): 17
Sidewall (mm): 101.3
Actual speed at indicated 60mph: 59.2
Rolling circumference (inches): 78.5
Rolling circumference (mm): 1992.7
Diameter (inches): 25.0
Diameter (mm): 634.3

The first tyres I bought were the pirelli pzero 205/45 R16
the same as yours and my experience was... what s... tyres.
Ive never used souch bad tyres don't ask me why but they didn't have anygrip. I will never buy them again. but thats what ive experienced

Great calculations but UK speedos must legally show the correct speed or overread. Most overread.

I see what you mean, I put it the wrong way around earlier and have now updated (in bold). All of the above tyres will overread, i.e. show a speed higher than you are actally travelling at.

I honestly don't think tyres big enough to correct the speedo inaccuracy of these cars, or indeed make it underread, would fit in the arches...

Well I reckon that with standard 205/50x16's at a "real" 70.0mph (by GPS) my speedo reads 74.9 which is a +7% error (maybe the error was reduced on later versions?).

205/55x16 will halve the error to 3.5% (72.5mph indicated) and 225/50x16 is similar (3.6% error, 72.5mph)

225/45x17 reduces the error to 3.1% (72.2mph) which is enough for me, I know from experience that around 635mm OD is the largest you can go, so for example 205/50x17 takes the error down to zero, but OD is 657mm. Dunno if you can even get that size though?

And of course the larger you go, the higher the car sits off the ground, by 11.5mm in my case with the 225/45x17's

But as the Yanks would say, YMMV*

* your mileage may vary

Some great feedback there guys..... as usual

Since I have just had a shed load of work done to her, I am not on great speaking terms with my wallet, so 17's are not an option yet.

The Toyo's in the standard size seem favourable on most counts - if I can still get them, if not it will be my original second choice... Falkens. No experience with either but you guys rarely get it wrong.

Cheers all.

I wouldn't have the toyos, personally. Had a set on a mondeo and they wore very very quickly.

I have toyo on my brothers st and they are great. Can't my opinion on them for the coop as i haven't used them yet.

Tyre wear has never really bothered me, I wont be using it for commuting, so my mileage wont be great. I would rather corner with confidence than put it in a ditch with the current Infinity tyres.

Looks are a big consideration too, so I think my mind has been made up.

The one thing I cant get my head around, is Pzeros are fitted to many high performance cars with strong reviews, how come this size gives poor performance? Does the tread pattern change with different sizes?

I think P Zero's are very old technology now (standard on the 20vT in 1996). I'm sure there are later updates (like Nero and Corsa) that are the better ones, but I'm possibly talking shite and can't be bothered to look for proof

Go for the Corsa or for the P zero Rosso, don't go for the nero not a good experience.