Have I been shafted? (tyre replacement offered by the fitter)

AdrianC

brampty said:

The car initially came with XL tyres, yes (it's a 2L A3 TDI).

Unless they were the tyres it left the factory with, all bets are off as to whether they're "right".

I guess it can do about 130mph, but that does not interest me, because you can only drive up to 70 anyway!

That's rather missing the point, though.

Both V and W are way in excess of the speed limit, but if you put S-rated/112mph tyres on, and they failed in a way that suggested inadequate specification was a factor, you would find your insurer being rather less than sympathetic.

I'm more concerned about fuel economy, hence my initial concern regarding C rating and A rating.

It is not going to be anything remotely meaningful.

Additionally, I was told that XL tyres are better against potholes and things like that.

The single most effective improvement to pothole resilience would be changing from 45 profile tyres on 17" rims to the alternative fitment 205/55 16s shown on your pressure sticker...

If you hit any kind of serious pothole with 45s, you're going to find that the rim is as likely to bend as the sidewall itself get damaged. And, yes, you would also find the 55-profile 16" would be a damn sight more comfortable, too.

The car itself can have non-XL tyres though, as per the inside of the car

There y'go - the manufacturer says 91 is sufficient. They also say H speed rating (130mph) is adequate - but they acknowledge you aren't going to get that without M+S rated tyres. So, out of interest, what are the max axle weights on the VIN plate?

clive0510

last tyres I had fitted was at blackcircles.com. they search for the nearest stockist with the correct size and make. I paid for them on line. went along there on saturday morning,its only 2 miles from here. they checked the tracking for me while it was on the ramp,no charge. all done and finished less than a hour. excellent.

mattyprice4004

brampty said:

I guess it can do about 130mph, but that does not interest me, because you can only drive up to 70 anyway! 

To be fair, I get why that doesn't interest you - but you have to consider that some people like myself go to Germany fairly regularly and you can do a heck of a lot more there. 
Not a problem for you - but if you sold the car before the next set of tyres it could be lethal for the next owner.