tyre advice please

castle96

Vauxhall Vectra 57 plate. Current (low profile )tyres are 215/50R.17 91W (what's the 91W ?)
The car is very low (for me) and the ride very harsh.
Maybe this is due to the low profile tyres ? (less air, less bounce ??)
It is time for new tyres. Can ? I fit something more 'norma', ie a 'higher' profile, or am I stuck with the low profile type, due to ? rim size.

Aside from above, has anyone ever used a Company that fits tyres at home ? This would save buying the tyres and then paying for them to be fitted. Though I wonder which way round would work out cheaper.

JB9302

Can't comment on the tyres but we have used Event Tyres last couple of years for supply and fit at home , no probs and good price , northwest based .

marlot

91 is the weight the tyre can hold.
W is the spped rating.
Both must be equal or higher than the car manufacturer states

Changing size is possible. First check your handbook to see if any alternatives are specified.

Foxy-Stoat_3

I have used Black Circles in the past.

50 profile isn't that low but you should replace with like for like so that you dont run into issues. Perhaps you have run flat tyres you can change for normals.

Am sure another forum user will comment on the 30 and 35 profile tyres you get on some M3's being very low !

Clive_Woody

JB9302 wrote: »

Can't comment on the tyres but we have used Event Tyres last couple of years for supply and fit at home , no probs and good price , northwest based .

Another vote for Event tyres, we've used them a couple of times. Great prices and good service, can't fault them.

http://www.event-tyres.co.uk/

Bit more about tyres on the link below, but I am no expert so cannot advise whether a change will improve ride but from my basic knowledge low profile will not be as 'comfortable' as big bouncy tyres.

http://www.goodyear.eu/uk_en/all-about-tires/understand-your-tire/reading-your-tire/#load-index

molerat

215 is not very wide for a 17. A slightly taller profile, 55, would go down to a 195 width which I can not find as an available size. If you want a softer ride you are going to have to go to a smaller wheel size.

OddballJamie

You're pretty much stuck with those size tyres on 17, you can change the circumference by upto 2.5% but you wont notice that.

If you fit larger tyres, your speedo will be out and possible arch and wheel turning problems.

You could drop down to 16" (maybe even 15" if they with clear the brakes) alloys with a higher profile, this is what I do in the winter and there's a noticeable difference over bumps.

Which spec is the car as I believe the SRi's had stiffer lower suspension so this is something you could change, they also had firmer seats.

forgotmyname

91 is the load rating. 91 = 615kg

W is the speed rating. W= 168mph sometimes they are cheaper than V rated (150mph)

Lower profile tyres have a stiffer sidewall. Less of it to give when you hit a bump.

Which way is cheaper? My local tyre place are cheaper than the internet prices. Blackcircles and Mytyres etc etc..

Strider590

castle96 wrote: »

Vauxhall Vectra 57 plate. Current (low profile )tyres are 215/50R.17 91W (what's the 91W ?)
The car is very low (for me) and the ride very harsh.
Maybe this is due to the low profile tyres ? (less air, less bounce ??)
It is time for new tyres. Can ? I fit something more 'norma', ie a 'higher' profile, or am I stuck with the low profile type, due to ? rim size.

Aside from above, has anyone ever used a Company that fits tyres at home ? This would save buying the tyres and then paying for them to be fitted. Though I wonder which way round would work out cheaper.

Is it SRI trim spec? or are the wheels/tyres aftermarket?

In standard SRI spec, the suspension is only lower (15mm to be exact), the ride is no harsher than any other Vectra.

One thing that does cause harsh ride in the Vectra is that the rear shocks only last about 40'000 miles (less if not from VX), after which it starts to feel like it's bouncing all over the road. Rear passengers usually comment on how harsh the ride feels, but it's actually just bouncing with every minor bump.

Inner_Zone

castle96 wrote: »

Vauxhall Vectra 57 plate. Current (low profile )tyres are 215/50R.17 91W (what's the 91W ?)
The car is very low (for me) and the ride very harsh.
Maybe this is due to the low profile tyres ? (less air, less bounce ??)
It is time for new tyres. Can ? I fit something more 'norma', ie a 'higher' profile, or am I stuck with the low profile type, due to ? rim size.

Aside from above, has anyone ever used a Company that fits tyres at home ? This would save buying the tyres and then paying for them to be fitted. Though I wonder which way round would work out cheaper.

Which model?

I have an 2008 Elite estate with lowered sports suspension and had a 2007 Sri estate with the same suspension before. The Elite is currently on 18" wheels, will be 17 " for winter tyres and the SRi had 17" summer and winter never noticed any issue you describe with either size wheels.

225/45/17 is the usual replacement as they are more widely available and therefore cheaper but lower profile. 215/50/17 and 225/45/17 are the only 17" types listed for summer use.

For cheaper tyres order from Europe, Openeo or Pneus and find a local independent fitter.

Melchizadek

you could stick a 205/55 on which would give an 1.5% dia increase which is fine as each rim can take 3 and sometimes 4 tyre widths....but check your rim width it'll say something like 6.5J or 7j or 7.5J...to check which profiles you can use check the 'Toyo.co.uk' site and click on tyre/rim selector as you don't want to undertyre it..it will make the ride even worse as there is little or no pre-flex of tyrewall against the rim lip...overtyring gives the opposite result.

The Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance has a reputation for giving a smooth ride but its sidewalls are soft so I would buy them with a higher load rating..ie. 93 or 94 instead of 91...if you decide on these