LRR Stupidly low profile tyres ?

[Arragonis]

Hi,

To those of you blessed with a real life and not following my uneventful 'mod' thread in Scotland, the latest news is that I have had to buy new wheels for my car because of a deep pothole on the main motorway, the M8.

Anyhow, looking at my tyres before they are moved to my new wheels I may have to replace some of them in the next few months or so. So does anyone have a recommended tyre in the 205/40vR17 size for ecomodding ?

Yes I know this is not a nice size, but I just bought wheels so no I will not be going thinner.

Oh, and I need grip, especially wet grip.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by Arragonis

So does anyone have a recommended tyre in the 205/40vR17 size for ecomodding ?
Oh, and I need grip, especially wet grip.

You haven't exactly picked the easiest of tyre sizes

Goodyear sell their Efficientgrip in that size.

But you'll be making sacrifices regarding (wet) handling with that one.
In tests they're rated from disappointing to docile .

They're OK when compared against their eco-peers - and you really get LRR tyres - but they're not for you when you expect some spirited driving.

Tough choice - I've been there too.


As far as decent tyres in that size go :
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymetric - very good wet handling, but gets poor ratings for fuel use, so it's nowhere near a LRR.
Bridgestone Potenza RE050 A - only slightly better for fuel economy, but better in the dry and a bit worse in the wet than the F1.
Michelin Pilot Sport 3 GRNX - like the Potenza but with significantly better RR.

2010 European Summer Tyre Test - tyre reviews, the online tyre guide
(not all available in your size it seems)



I can tell you what not to buy in that size : Continental Sportcontact 3.
They're like the movie: gone in 60 seconds ...
Actually in 17500 miles (front-should have been replaced 2000 miles earlier) and 40500 miles (rear)
Still legal, but getting rather skittish to drive in the wet.
In tests they sometimes get highly rated for wet performance, but not by me

Even Hägar spun them, with only 109 HP, so I expect Helga to eat them alive over tea-time.

[rmay635703]

No help but I would have bought 15" rims for a car like that, I like having lots of rubber on my tires.

That and they cost 1/4 as much

[Frank Lee]

^Back in the mid '90s the hot thing to do was plus the rims. I thought long and hard about doing that with the F150 but I decided to shop tires first.... the price differential between the 15" sizes and the larger sizes was astonishing. I knew then and there I wouldn't be doing any upsizing unless the prices for the larger diameters came down to match the 15s.

[CapriRacer]

Based on the Smithers report, it seems that going larger has small, but positive affects on RR. So can you go wider and with a higher aspect ratio? Like a 215/45R17? There may also be some more choices if you expand the range of tire sizes.

[mcrews]

arragonis, LET THEM EAT CAKE!!!!!!!

I like a man who doesn't have to 'overcompensate' and isn't afraid of a little low profile .....40s!!!!!!! you da' MAN!!!!!!

Capri racer has a good point. as you might recall, I run 255/45/18 on my Infiniti Q45 on the factory rim. the 'stock' size was 245/45/18. The taller size keeps my rpms in the 1800s at 62mph which gets me in the 27-28mpg range (epa 22)

Frank Lee is right about size. (gezzzzz) I looked at 19" and 20" rims and the tires were MUCH more expensive, especially the 19".
I'm at 27" diameter and the clearance to the bottom of the strut seat is the thickness of my pinky!!

[Arragonis]

Hi all,

yep its not a nice size. I have the wheels already because of DPO (Dreaded Previous Owner).

After my, ahem, incident requiring replacement wheels I thought I could just swap the existing tyres across - so cheapest option was the same size. Looks like the rears (useless Yokohamas, so not sorry to see them go) may need replaced.

The replacement wheels have arrived so I can't go back to plan A unfortunately.

Looks like I'll go for Rainsports for grip and just rely on higher pressures.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by Arragonis

Looks like I'll go for Rainsports for grip and just rely on higher pressures.

Despite their name, they aren't the best in the wet. Nor at the pump.

It's probably also a price issue, but in 225/45 R 17 W,Y , the Pirelli Cinturato P7 ; Dunlop SP Sport MAXX TT; Continental ContiSportContact 3; Michelin Pilot Sport PS3; Bridgestone Potenza RE050 A and Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymetric did better in the wet - and overall.


If you can get them in a size that fits the rims and satisfies the MoT, the Pirelli Cinturato P7 won the test - and its better than the Uniroyal on all accounts, especially wear, wet handling, and FE while their price is similar.

[Arragonis]

Interesting, I had P7s on my older FIAT and they didn't suit it at all, ironic when you think about it. May try them again.

The Rainsports were recommended by Briskoda as THE tyre to use for the VRS and the two on the front are much better than the Yokohama ditchfinders on before.

I shall dig a little deeper.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by Arragonis

Interesting, I had P7s on my older FIAT and they didn't suit it at all, ironic when you think about it.

Are you sure they were Cinturato P7s, as that's a recent tyre.
The straight P7 is older.

Closest you can get is 205/50/17, and that's a serious 6.5% difference.
It wouldn't be allowed here.