Used car sold with the wrong tyre size

Sern

Hi all,

Just want to get some advise on this issue...

Last year we bought a ford fiesta titanium from one of UK's biggest chained car dealer..

We have only found earlier this year when we took the car to Costco to get some new tyres as one has worn out.. the costco garage worker point out that we had the wrong size tyre fitted on all four.. as we do motorway driving daily and the weather condition was bad during that time.. we decided to get four new tyres which costed around £300..

the original tyre fitted on was the "185/50 R16 85V P306 Three-A"

the new ones we got is Michelin Pilot Sport 3 ( 195/45 R16 84V)

Just wondering what's the best way to go about it as we ideally would like to go back and claim the cost of the tyres back? but which direction should I take ? as a health and safety issue as the wrong tyre size is clearly not suitable?
Any authority/organisation I could contact to help ?

Any advise is greatly appreciated

chunkytfg

The difference would have been so negligable I really wouldn't worry about it.

After a quick google at tyre sizes it seems the first came with multiple wheels sizes from 14'' to 18''. In 16'' like yours you had a choice between 195/50 or 195/45 tyres. Although it seems the 195/50 is more common across the ranges than 195/45.

regardless though the difference between the 2 official sizes and the size you had really isn't worth worrying about.

chunkytfg

Which year and engine model Fiesta is it?

Aylesbury_Duck

How bad was the accident driving on the wrong tyres caused? Much damage caused?

You haven’t been driving your family around in it, have you?

AdrianC

The difference between 185/50 and 195/45 is 10mm in nominal treadwidth, and the difference between 50% of 185mm and 45% of 195mm in sidewall height - 4.75mm. That sidewall height difference is less than the tread wear between a new tyre and one that's still got some way to go before being bald.

There was clearly no issue with the extra width, in terms of fitment. Nothing fouled on full lock or normal suspension travel, right?

84 load rating is 500kg/tyre, 85 is 515kg. What max axle weights does the VIN plate on the car state? Halve those to see the max tyre loading. I suspect it'll be a lot less than the tyre rating.

Both are the same speed rating - V = 149mph.

All that happened is that the "wrong" tyres gave you a tiny bit more cornering grip in return for a tiny bit more suspension harshness...

chunkytfg

AdrianC wrote: »

The difference between 185/50 and 195/45 is 10mm in nominal treadwidth, and the difference between 50% of 185mm and 45% of 195mm in sidewall height - 4.75mm. That sidewall height difference is less than the tread wear between a new tyre and one that's still got some way to go before being bald.

There was clearly no issue with the extra width, in terms of fitment. Nothing fouled on full lock or normal suspension travel, right?

84 load rating is 500kg/tyre, 85 is 515kg. What max axle weights does the VIN plate on the car state? Halve those to see the max tyre loading. I suspect it'll be a lot less than the tyre rating.

Both are the same speed rating - V = 149mph.

All that happened is that the "wrong" tyres gave you a tiny bit more cornering grip in return for a tiny bit more suspension harshness...

My googling suggested 82 or 84 was the recommended so deaf not a overloaded tyre and technically the 'correct' ones they've had fitted are not actually correct:o

wgl2014

What does the handbook show as being suitable sizes?

Tokk

ThreeA are basically "ditchfinders" - bargain basement tyres.

For the fun of it, have a little look and see if the size they fitted just happened to be cheaper than the correct size would've been...
Logically, if I see ditchfinders on a car I see a previous owner who was focused on cost, and if you're focused on cost over quality, why not fit the wrong size if it's cheaper and it'll work?

Previous motor the dealer fitted them because the MOT had done returned advisories (on the decent, but worn, tyres that were on when I test drove it) - I'd already factored in replacing the worn ones, and the cheapies fitted by the dealer were concerning in the wet and were ditched (pun) within a couple of hundred miles.
If I bought a car knowing they were on, I'd be budgeting for replacement asap (and checking the service history especially carefully!)

NBLondon

Sern wrote: »

the original tyre fitted on was the "185/50 R16 85V P306 Three-A"

the new ones we got is Michelin Pilot Sport 3 ( 195/45 R16 84V)
<snip>
Any authority/organisation I could contact to help ?

Any advise is greatly appreciated

You could go back to the dealer and ask them for the cost of replacement tyres. And they will laugh in your face. You could slag them off all over social media if you have enough followers to make an impact.

Michelins are what Ford would have fitted in the first place - so has the car done enough miles to warrant replacement tyres? If no - maybe that's an extra worry. If yes - then as tokk suggests - the previous owner took a cheap option. Nowt to do with the dealer unless they were so worn at tine of sale as to make the car unroadworthy. Which you presumably would have noticed as soon as you drove it on a wet motorway.

Chalk it up to experience.

DoaM

OP doesn't say whether they bought the Fiesta from the dealer New or Used. As the ditchfinders were on the car when bought then that suggests Used and the dealer either didn't spot it or didn't care. ("one of UK's biggest chained car dealer" suggests either AC or EH - neither of which would care if the car had the wrong size or ditchfinder tyres).

molerat

What does the handbook state ? What sizes are on the sticker in the door ? It looks like you have now got the sporty option instead of the standard. Most tyre retailer web sites want to fit the wrong tyres to my car. Don't believe everything a tyre fitter tells you. I used to put 195/50 rather than 185/55 as it was one of the options and was a lot cheaper. At no time were any children / kittens / bunnies in danger due to the tyre size.