Hi all going to get a new set of T1rs soon as I have mixed budget tyres on all corners
What size can got on the 16 inch rims I have 205/50/16 on them at the moment .
Can I go for a wider tyre say a 215 size ?
And are the proxies the best choice for the £70.00 per corner mark.
Thanks

Stick to the manufacturer's recommended size. For your budget you can't beat Toyo T1-R, Or alternatively Falken FK-452 are a really good price. I'd pay the extra for the Toyo's, and that's coming from somebody who has the Falkens all round. If you have a fetish for wider tyres and throwing money away, get a set of Plus alloys (225/45/16) and pay nearly £30 more per corner for the same tyre

Thanks pinin.
Looks like the toyo then , didn't know that the plus wheels are a wider set, i was having a look at the demon tweeks website and the street legal semi slicks look like a nice addition (summer use ) way past my budget though.

Pat,

I use Michelin Pilot Sport 3 on 215/45/16 90v, on my 330bhp Plus and find they are a better handling tyre than the 89w load rating especially for the front(stronger side wall and same size as Nigel use's I believe)

Toyo T1r are absolute shit in anything but warm dry weather Yes they are a decent budget tyre BUT trust me once you have used Conti's and Michelin you will feel just how bad T1rs really are!!

I wouldnt go higher than 215 on standard turbo wheels

Ian

a 225/45 and 215/45 both 16 have higher or lower side height than common 205/50 ?

Well simple man maths here for calculating the height of the sidewall :

225/45 = 101.25mm
215/45 = 96.75mm
205/50 = 102.5mm

Plus wheels are the same width as 20VT

How does that work then? Seriously, I though /45 meant they were "this big" /50 meant they were "this big" etc? I didn't realise it vaied with the width.

/45 is an aspect ratio not just a wall height. 225/45/16 has a wall height 45% of 225.

Some tyres, usually race tyres will not have the aspect ratio but the overall diameter listed (including the rim)

The /45 or /50 is the aspect ratio - it is the sidewall height, expressed as a percentage of the width of the tyre.

So - a 205/50 will have a sidewall height of 102.5mm. A 225/45 will have a sidewall height of 101.25mm. This is why you can use either size on a Coupe wheel.

BTW, the Plus wheel is no wider than the stock 20vt wheel - you can use either tyre size on all wheels

Finally, to (re) open the can of worms, wider tyres don't give any more grip than narrower tyres, so you should go for the tyre that's the best value (although its often the case that wider tyres are cheaper than the 205/50, as its not a common size)

True, I went for 145 width and the grip was the same!
Could hardly believe it.

So can I put 205/50 on my plus?

yes

Great! That's saved me £

So true about Premium tyres, once you try Continental or Michelin you wont want anything else. The feedback, the feel, the grip in dry and wet, the braking and usually quiet too. The contis are the best tyre ive ever had.
Someone said to me once, yeahn but the speed limit is only 70mph, couldnt believe what I was hearing......thats not what its about.

What is a sensible width for Coupe alloys? Can 215s fit easily, or even 225s?

Pluses and VT6s are 225 standard.

The 225s on my VT6 make a load more noise than the 205s on my 20VT, and also tramline a lot more.

still not hearing what is best ...... i have TR1's and in the wet they are a joke what i think patrickstar is after is worse and best depending on driving conditions .... like me i live in south Manchester were we have gills and if you are from down south a tyre that will be great in the dry and float the car in a flood

It all depends on your budget!!

I have Michelin Pilot Sport 3 in 215/45/16 with a 90v load and speed rating on my plus wheels with 330Bhp and they are absolutely fantastic in all conditions even with the power I have.

I have in the past tried,

Kumha Ecsta Sport 225/45/16 = Good in dry rubbish in damp and cold.

Toyo T-1r's 225/45/16= As above no real difference between them.

Conti Sport Cont 2 225/45/16= Excellent all round tyre would highly reccomend.

I then went to the Michelins and noticed far less roll in the corners and turn in was much more responsive maybe due to the higher load rating and slightly shorter side wall size.

But I do know I will never go back to 225/45/16 even with Conti's as they tend to tramline quite badly and dont seem to handle anywhere near as good as the Michelin PS3's in 215/45/16.

Hope this helps
Ian

Had a look on ebay for tyre supplers and ears motorsport not far from me do the following deals.
205/50/16 Toyo T1r 87w £288.99 x4
205/55/16 Pirelli p7 cinturato £217.95 x4
205/50/16 Kumho 87w £62.99 x1
Michelin Pilot Sport 3 in 215/45/16 £100-128 x1
205/55/16 Pirelli p6000 £100.00 x1

Looking for a Tyre around above prices with firm sidewalls ,good grip in dry conditions as i am only using the car in summer times.
If anyone knows where i can buy a set at a non middle man price Please let me know.

Thanks for all your comments
i`m starting to learn a lot more about tyres and hopefully a new set of good performing tyres will dramatically improve my coupes handling.

If you do go with those, have a look if it includes fitting and balancing.

Is this Ears in Macclesfield?

I went for 225/45 R16 simply because they look better and offer far better rim protection than 205 width. They fit fine on the standard 20vt alloys.

It WILL dramatically improve the coops handling, as long as your suspension components are in good nik.
Have a look at continental contact sport 5 too, not sure if you will find the size but worth a try, great grip in dry and wet and probably in the same cash catorgary than the Mich 3, all the best, let us know the turn out....

Be careful,

87 is not a high enough load rating for the front due to the weight well it's in the weight category but only just,

It was Fiat themselves that recommended changing to a minimum of 89

Ian

Yes ears motorsport is in macclesfield.
Ive recently done droplinks and track rod ends.
Been informed that the bushes are knackered on the wishbones so had 2
Delivered on monday so all should be good for mot in march - april time
Then I will buy a set diddnt know untill now what the 87w ment untill now son will go for a higher rating set.
Thanks again .

The "w" is fine it means the tyre is rated to 168Mph my Michelins are only "v" which is 149Mph but I dont see much past 80Mph nowadays so that part didn't really bother me.

The 87 is the load rating ie.. weight the side wall can support without problem, I think Fiat's concern was that 87 was right on the edge of the cars front axle weight so after a few thousnad miles the side wall may soften given some abuse therefore putting the front at risk?

87=1201 lbs
88=1235 lbs
89=1279 lbs
90=1300 lbs

When the coupe weights 1250-1320 depending on model and a 67% front to 33% raer weight biase you can see why they changed to a minimum of 89

A Coupe weighs around 1400kg - split roughly 1/3 to 2/3 front to rear. On this basis, there's around 466kg on the rear axle and predictably about 933kg across the front axle.

A tyre with an 87 load rating is good for 545kg, so it can't really be classed as unsuitable for a Coupe. A tyre with an 89 load rating is for weights of up to 580kg - 20% over what it needs to be.

Surely that's static though, wouldn't braking for example put more force through the tyres?

I'm only advising as to what information is published on the forum, you're a senior member Nigel so I will choose my wording carefully as not to cause offense or make it sound like I'm trying to teach you something but,

A standard 20VT weighs 1,310Kgs or 2,888Lbs and is 68% front 32% rear weight distribution, so thats 1,964Lbs across the front wheels unladen.

An 87 load rating means each tyre can hold 1,201Lbs so with an 87 load rating youve only got 7-8% leeway on a static unladen car,

Add in 4 males at 160Lbs,

The coupe then weighs 3,528Lbs at 68% front is now 2,399Lbs so on an 87 at 1,201Lbs you are only 3Lbs away from the tyres limit on the front.

I know occupants sit nearer the rear so it wouldn't really be 3Lbs but not far off it

Probably hence Fiat going to 89 load rating to give you 20% I could be wrong but it makes sense to me i have around 28% on a 90

Ian

Good points - I hadn't considered the effect of four occupants....