Hi guys. Just acquired a set of 16vt alloys for a 20v n/a project, there currently in the body shop been re-furnished.

I'm just wondering about my tyre size options, could I go from 205/50/16's to 225/45/16's as on my 20vt or is that too wide for the 16vt rimm?

Cheers.

The 16VT 16" alloys are 6.5J wide so IMHO 225/45 will be a bit too big. I would be tempted to try 215/45 ( size fitted on Plus alloys).

Thanks for the info/advice, I suspected the 16vt wheels wouldn't have been as wide, so thanks for clearing that up, I'll look into 215's and see what I can get hold of and compare costs.

Cheers.

205/50-16s on my n/a 100% corrects the speedo error when comparing with a GPS measurement. The 215/45 will be about half way between the original 205/50-15s and the 205/50-16s.

Thanks for the info on the Speedo, I'll bare it in mind, Tbh I'll probably just stick to the 205's, was purely antithetical, and the fact I also have a few sets of 225's. But never mind 205's it is.

Cheers guys

Just wanted to resuscitate this question. I have an NA, and running 17" rims, fitted with 215/40/17. I wanted some Continental sport contact 5s, and they only make them in 215/45/17

That would be 6.6% bigger than the original 205/50/15s, and 3.4% bigger than what I have now.

Apart from the speedo, would this be a problem? Is the ABS affected in any way? They should be no problem in the wheel wells, I am guessing, as they would be about the same as the Turbo standard fitment.

Thanks for any ideas

The circumference of 215/45/17s are nominally 2.25% bigger than the 205/50-16s. The 205/50-16 dimensions for me are the limit as the speedo would under-read with any larger tyres making the car illegal.

You could go 205/45 which is 0.8% too big or 205/40 which is between the 205/50-15 and the 205/50-16.

Thanks Neil - I hadn't thought about the legality! I have been running the 17" for about 8 years....

I have Yoko Paradas, which are a little noisy. The Conti are meant to be better, and they are cheaper!

My car is an NA, so the speedo would be calibrated differently (presumably). What I have now are about 3% too big - is there a limit to what is allowable?

He lives in Germany so the authorities are known to be anal about cars and regulations I am no UK law expert but in 10 years of driving on UK roads I haven't came across a single person who would question the size of my tires.

I used to run 215/45/17 tyres and it was fine. It definitely depends on your alloys' ET and how they go into the wheel arch under load. Front wasn't rubbing and rear wasn't rubbing either (with correct size spacers).

ABS will work fine as this is measured from all the teeth on the outer CV joint (44 teeth)

Yes the German authorities are rather anal, but it does mean that the majority of customisations are actually relatively safe as they have to be inspected and approved.

You also have to remember that the 20V started of with 205/50-15 tyres. 205/50-16s are a fair bit bigger but allowed even by the Germans. However, they are on the limit from the speedo point of view. 215/45-17 are even bigger, so getting quite a way away from the original 20V spec.

The bigger and heavier the wheel/tyre combo, the more performance you lose. There is not much extra grip or handling to be had though by going wider. On a 20V, 205/40-17s would probably be the better choice.

Agree about no extra grip between 215 and 205 tyre but the reason why I went for 215/45/17 is comfort 205/40/17 will be a massive loss of comfort over 215/45/17 - been there, done that. Correct tire sizes for our coops for 17" rims are either 205/45 or 215/40

For a 20VT, yes, but not really for a 20V.

Thanks for all the replies. I did wonder whether Germany was more strict, but I would rather stick with a size nearer the original. However, all the tests seem to put the Contis at the top of the pile, and they are not available in my current 215/40/17. As you say, the offsets etc will have an impact.

I guess I could move the older Paradas to the front, and the bigger Contis at the back would be OK. The better ride would be good, and also the standard tyre dimensions for the 20v look a little small in the arches.

I agree that the 15" wheels on the 20V never really looked right. I have a set of 16" 20VT wheels for the summer tyres and it looks a lot better. 17" would look better still, but here it would mean a TÜV check and certification which I was not willing to bother about. The 205/50-16s are in the car's "passport" already so absolutely no hassles when the wheels are also factory fit for the type of car.

I think the TUV would be enough to put me off the bigger wheels. They do look better, but don't help the ride!

I have 16" Eagle F1s and find the ride is similar to the 15" original wheels. The cars inherent crashiness over bumps improved dramatically after adding a strut brace, just about the only customization worth mentioning I have made to mine. Do you have one on yours?

No, I don't. It is one of those things that I have been meaning to do. I didn't think of it as improving the ride, but that would be great.

UPDATE: (and to resuscitate the thread yet again...) the 215/45/17s were fitted (used Halfords in Swindon, as they were close to work - rubbish!) I wanted to put the new tires on the rear, and move the old rears up front, but that seemed to cause confusion. So I was worried the bigger tires would cause speedo errors. However, at 30 to 60 mph (all I did on the way home) the speedo is now bang on according to my gps. It is a little off at 20 mph. Either my speedo is rubbish, or it is designed to give a conservative figure.