Tyre size dilemmas (again)

[clarkey1984]

Hi all, when i originally went up from my standard 15 inch wheels to my new 17's i consulted this very forum, and the general consensus seemed to be that 215/40/17 was the way to go, my original size as fitted when i got the car was 195/55/15, and i used a calculator to work out what was the nearest size in terms of rolling radius to keep the speedo accurate etc, 205/40 came out the nearest, 0.05% different in fact, but having run that size on little hatchbacks before they look like elastic bands and have such a harsh ride due to practically NO sidewall give at all, i call it the princess and the pea effect, you feel everything.

However, i was unaware at that point that my 17's are only 7 inches wide, and the 215 width rubber looks quite bulbous and a little overly wide, and its only now that they are nearing the end of their lives (top mounts gone meant the tracking was out for ages, tyre place put stupid camber on the rear, dont ask haha) i am now re thinking it.

205/45 sounded good, but as my car is low, pretty bleeding low, these would be taller than a 215/40 would be, but i have now seen that there is such a size as 195/45/17, and im thinking this will probably fit the bill, they will sit nice and flush with the rim edge if not maybe very slightly narrower (not stretched though, because that crap looks stupid and is dangerous) plus the 45 profile should add a little more comfort, and the height is near enough the same, 1.75mm different arch gap wise, so very little potential for scrubbing or anything.

The next question will be the choice of rubber, nankang NS2 look pretty good, as do hankook ventus v12, but having run them before toyo t1r proxes are also very good, so im a little stuck as to what to go for, there are obviously the chinese el cheapo's which i currently have which have been ok, but while im still on a budget now, im not on quite so much of one as i was then, ive even used remoulds and part worns in the past no bad experiences, its different when you often have your three year old son in the car though.

[3rk5]

I run Toyo Proxes T1R tires on my V40 but in different size (205/45 R16). The grip is quite good, both dry and wet. They are not the quietest tire out there but not too loud also, way quieter than the BFGoodRich tires I used last year. 45 profile still isn't very comfortable, but since you're coming from a 40, it should be a bit better.

[Antz]

I run 215/40/17s on a 17x7 and they look fine. Unless you're after this "stretch" look that all the kids do nowadays. It's not ideal.

I have 17x8s on my BMW E36 and run a 205/40/17 which seemed a good idea for clearance but the front shoulders are destroyed from hard driving on skinny tyres. Need to rethink the sizes.

I'd stick to a 215/40. It's perfectly suited for a 17x7. Even volvo uses 215s on their 17s.