I have noticed that on my Panda with standard 155/80 R 13 tyres they are not very 'grippy' especially in these winter conditions. When setting off at roundabouts I notice the wheels spin and struggle to grip when the road is greasy. It's only 60bhp but it sometimes can't get the power down! Also the other night I was slowing down from the M62 on the slip road and there is a cattle grid at the bottom, I crossed it (whilst braking I admit) and the front end lost grip on the metal bars and made it go sideways a little. This never used to happen on my Punto 1.2 with 165/70R14 tyres.
Does anyone think that 155 is a bit feeble for modern motoring or perhaps the standard Continentals are not that hot?
I know that some of you will have Eleganza or models with optional 14 inch alloys with 165/65 tyres, would these be worth upgrading to?
I'm not a 'boy racer' but drive enthusiastically and never experienced any lack of grip situations on previous cars and it doesn't feel too clever.
There is a theory that narrower tyres grip better due to more pressure per square inch of tread area, ie the weight spread across wider tyres conversely decreases grip but I am willing to give it a try! By the way they are spot on the right pressures, I always check them regularly.
There are plenty of Punto mkII alloy sets on E-Bay for about £200 which would accept 165/65 14 or even 185/60 14 tyres that sound a better buy than going down to the main Fiat dealer and forking out £350 for the official alloys. Can you use the standard wheel bolts that come with steel wheels also?

Ta

If you get the Punto 14" alloys, yes you can use the standard wheel bolts. But the offset might be slightly out....You could check by finding out the mk2 Puntos offset (someone on here should know the exact figure). Then you could find out the exact Panda offset- it should be stamped round the back of your existing wheels somewhere saying ET**. If theyre the same or similiar they should fit.

I think 155/80 tyres are way too thin and tall, even for a small car like the Panda (Unless driving in snow ) Definately a better idea to get slightly wider wheels

not sure about the panda bolts, but as a comparason, the uno steelies bolts were slightly shorter than the bolts for the 13" alloys, and a lot shorter then the ones from team dynamics for the 15's

i beleive fiat still have a promo running for alloys with tyres, might be worth looking into at a local dealer...can't remember the prices

i like the standard 14's that come on the panda, but mrs t is besotted by the 17" "claws".......i feel trouble brewing...

I had optional 165 alloys with they were fine 155 too skinny for a weighty diesel engine,
got a 1.2 after when i stopped doing miles & fitted steel 175 from a fiat 500 they gave plenty of grip and stayed within body work about as wide as i would want to go. Still have them if you are interested.

Sixteen years ago

16 years

155/80R13 or 165/65R14

both fine

But give a different character to the car

personally I prefer the 155 comfort and snow vs 165 dry handling, looks and ease of finding replacements

steel vs alloy

I prefer steel. I dont have to be as careful as to how or where I park. Although alloy is no big deal except to keep looking Good

It was the “ Still have them if you are interested” bit that amused me.

Might be worth checking the age of existing tyres as it might just be that they are old and hard and then consider your choice of tyre brand.

You do get what you pay for when it comes to tyres

?2021 prize for thread revival.?

Thread revival or not, pepperpopt steels are not expensive and you can choose a width to suit your needs - subject to the correct ET (offset) of course. They look good painted a pale silver and they dont go 50p shape like alloys.