Styling 17" Alloys / Tyres?

[Energy]

Hi, does anyone know which size tyres I will need for 17" alloys?

205/45/17 or 205/40/17? 40 is lower profile?

Worth it to spend a bit more on the brand or will economy tyres be good enough for normal driving conditions? I mean I'm not racing it or anything but I want them to last...

Economy are the cheapest, then Sunitrac, Nankang, Sunny, Falken, Toyo, Pirelli. Falken are £100 more than the economy, I was thinking about getting those.. worth it?

I have a Grande 1.4 Active Sport.

I will be telling my insurance company, Admiral. They don't seem to mind modifications, when I checked online the difference was only £20. I just ticked yes for "Any modifications?" and added alloy wheels (non standard). Does anyone know if they will ask me the exact details about the alloys/tyres? Does the size make any difference to the insurance?

Thanks in advance.

 

[dirky90]

guessing your first car?

the tyre numbers give; the width of the tyre, the wall height (as a percentage of the width), and then the diameter of wheel is is meant to fit.

so 205/45/17 is 205mm width .....

naturally 40 is a lower profile than 45, this will slightly affect the readout of your speedo.

a better tyre will stop you quicker so your call on if that is worth it or not.
as for brands of tyres just look at reviews and opinions of the specific brand and model.

as for insurance best to call them with modifications to make sure everything has been stated how they want etc.

rob

 

[dirky90]

oh and what width are the alloys you are looking at? 6.5j or 7j

rob

 

[Energy]

Thanks for the info dirky.

Yes, I used to drive my mum's car for a few years but this is my first car, on my own insurance.

They are 7j I think (it says 7x17"), for Grande Punto.

I think I'm gonna go for 205/45/17 Kumho tyres... 45s wont affect the speedo right?

 

[dirky90]

45s are stock on the grande sporting, if the outer diameter is the same then their will be no chance in the speedo. There are online calculators to show you percentage differences. the gp over reads by about 10 percent iirc so a bigger tyre than stock will bring you closer to the truth. i run 215 45s

Rob

 

[jgriff1980]

cheaper tires are normally noisy aswell not a problem but annoying on motorways. I have kumhos on my sporting. Noisier than the bridgstones from the factory but half the price. Think i paid 80quid each a few months ago

 

[Lal B3N]

I would go for a 40 profile. Much better options in the size and much cheaper even for the top brands. 45 profile is not a mega common size so prices are a fair bit more.

 

[dirky90]

go for 215 40s???

 

[StiloNero]

i use, 225/45