Technical What do you all think about this post.
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Technical What do you all think about this post.
I'd stick with original
ET and width rim for the car
If you keep it within the same model range, insurance will be easier
Fiat panda 100hp
6.5J x 15 ET30 195/45 R15
5.5J x 14 ET32 185/55 R14
Spare
4.00B x 15 ET 35 125/70 R15
Fiat panda 4x4
5.5J x 14 165/70 R14
Spare
4.00B x 14 135/80 R14
Climbing
5.5J x 14 185/65 R14
5.5J x 14 165/70 R14
Spare
4.00B x 14 135/80 R14
Cross
5.5J x 14 185/65 R14
Spare
4.00B x 14 135/80 R14
6J x 15 175/65 R15
Spare
4.00B x15 125/80 R15
Emotion
5Jx14 165/65 R14
Spare
4.50B x 13 135/80 13
Active. Actual, dynamic
5B x 13 ET41 155/80 R13
5J x 14 ET38 165/60 R14
Spare
4.50B x 13 135/80 13
ET and width rim for the car
If you keep it within the same model range, insurance will be easier
Fiat panda 100hp
6.5J x 15 ET30 195/45 R15
5.5J x 14 ET32 185/55 R14
Spare
4.00B x 15 ET 35 125/70 R15
Fiat panda 4x4
5.5J x 14 165/70 R14
Spare
4.00B x 14 135/80 R14
Climbing
5.5J x 14 185/65 R14
5.5J x 14 165/70 R14
Spare
4.00B x 14 135/80 R14
Cross
5.5J x 14 185/65 R14
Spare
4.00B x 14 135/80 R14
6J x 15 175/65 R15
Spare
4.00B x15 125/80 R15
Emotion
5Jx14 165/65 R14
Spare
4.50B x 13 135/80 13
Active. Actual, dynamic
5B x 13 ET41 155/80 R13
5J x 14 ET38 165/60 R14
Spare
4.50B x 13 135/80 13
So would I.
Apart from the potential insurance implications, 155/80x13 tyres will give you least possible wear on the steering and suspension components, as well as the best fuel economy.
When you start messing about with non standard fitments there's a whole host of things you need to take into account, not least of which being the legality and insurance implications. If visually obvious you also need to think about the fact it will be likely to attract the attention of the "boys in blue" - insurance companies are especially "twitchy" about this sort of thing because, in their eyes, it identifies you as a high risk "boy racer", and don't forget you need to inform them of ANY non standard additions to the vehicle or they can just walk away from you in the case of an accident.
Invariably when doing this sort of thing people go for a wider tyre in the assumption it will give better grip/roadholding - check very carefully that the wider tyre doesn't foul the wheel arch when the suspension is compressed and also that it clears the inner wing on full lock and over the full range of movement of the suspension. In practice the gains are likely to be marginal and may be worse in the wet and especially in slippery conditions. To see worthwhile gains you need to use a rim of the correct width and may need to alter the suspension. Expect stuff like rubber bushings and ball joints to wear out more quickly too.
Personally I don't think it's worth it unless you're going the whole hog and carrying out other modifications like enhancing the brakes, upgrading the suspension and/or increasing power output.
Invariably when doing this sort of thing people go for a wider tyre in the assumption it will give better grip/roadholding - check very carefully that the wider tyre doesn't foul the wheel arch when the suspension is compressed and also that it clears the inner wing on full lock and over the full range of movement of the suspension. In practice the gains are likely to be marginal and may be worse in the wet and especially in slippery conditions. To see worthwhile gains you need to use a rim of the correct width and may need to alter the suspension. Expect stuff like rubber bushings and ball joints to wear out more quickly too.
Personally I don't think it's worth it unless you're going the whole hog and carrying out other modifications like enhancing the brakes, upgrading the suspension and/or increasing power output.
OP
OP
Thanks
It's just that when I got it a couple of months ago the front tyres looked like new.
Now the offside one has worn down badly on the inside edge and the cords are just starting to show.
The outside edge is starting to go also and the nearside tyre the is also going the same way.
When I saw the post I thought this would be a good way to get round the rubbish understeer and tyre wearing.
I replaced the top bearing mounts and drop links last week I as t was groaning and making all sorts of noises when turning lock to lock.
The noises have gone now.
It's just that when I got it a couple of months ago the front tyres looked like new.
Now the offside one has worn down badly on the inside edge and the cords are just starting to show.
The outside edge is starting to go also and the nearside tyre the is also going the same way.
When I saw the post I thought this would be a good way to get round the rubbish understeer and tyre wearing.
I replaced the top bearing mounts and drop links last week I as t was groaning and making all sorts of noises when turning lock to lock.
The noises have gone now.
OP
OP
Thank you I will stick with original size.
Am I reading the right
The outer edge of both front tyres are wearing
As in the the alignment is out or wear in the steering and/or suspenstion
The outer edge of both front tyres are wearing
As in the the alignment is out or wear in the steering and/or suspenstion
Gosh! So it's gone through that tyre in just a couple of months? How many miles covered?
I'd guess that whoever owned it before you - or the dealer you bought it from? - took one look at the front tyres that were on it, saw they were badly worn and simply fitted new ones without doing anything about it.
Without seeing the car I'd say you've got some suspension problems to sort out. Very unlikely top mounts would cause this or drop links, much more likely suspension arm ball joints or rubber bushes, maybe track rod ends? Jack it up - safely please, ie using stands etc - and give the front wheels a really good vigorous tug and waggle about. Look carefully at the rubber bushes and let us know what you find.
OP
OP
Sorry my mistake, the inside edge is wearing down quite a lot.
In not sure if that is normal on these cars as I haven't had one before.
The outer edge is wearing a bit, but nowhere near as much as the inside edge.
The car has recently had new wishbones fitted and there isn't any visible play in the bushes or any wear in the bottom balljoints.
I do throw it around corners a bit though as it is quite nippy and fun to drive. I replaced the top mounts and drop links last week as previously mentioned as the steering was making a lot of unwanted noises.
OP
OP
I have done that and they're is absolutely no movement either way in any of the components or knocking and the steering wheel is in line with no pulling in either direction.
They might just be crap tyres as there isn't 1 tyre on the car that is a match to to any others
So, it's got new wishbones. First thing to check then is that the toe is set correctly. If it is and there's nothing really obvious visually wrong (ie. the wheel doesn't look as if it's lying at a strange angle etc) then the next step would probably be to get it on a full aligning bench - like a Hunter bench - and check all the angles.
OP
OP
I've done just shy of 4000 miles since I've had it and can't remember how much they were worn from the start so they may have already been going and not really picked up on it.
I will get the alignment checked and see if it is out.
Im guessing that it doesn't help having tyres of different makes and manufacturing on all the axles.
I Like to have a matching set or at the least a matching pair on each axle.
OP
OP
OP
OP
I did replace both rear shocks at the same time as one had the top bush insert pull out of the rubber mounting and the other side wasn't far behind so that may have had some affect on the overall steering and alignment of the car.
What's the date code on the tyres
This one is late 2018
This one is late 2018
Misaligned front suspension will wear the rear unevenly
But in my experience it never happens the other way round
OP
OP
I will look tomorrow as its pitch black outside and my car is a couple of hundred yards away in the marina carpark.
I also have high wear on all four shoulders of my front 155/80 R13 tyres - recent lower arms, tracking checked. I also tried raising the pressures to 32psi.
There have been a few threads on here about high tyre wear, seems 169 Pandas can be strangely heavy on tyres.
I have to admit, I'd been thinking of doing the same as OP - 165 or 175 section tyres on 13" steels - and I'm not at all into modding my cars.
Maybe @AILURUS LAPIS could advise if there are any MOT issues with their 175s?
To keep it within original spec, you could swap for a set of 14" rims with 165/60 tyres. I wonder - do posh Pandas with their wider alloys suffer as much shoulder wear?
Maybe it's just the price we have to pay for having all that fun chucking them around country lanes - it's still putting a smile on my face
But the extreme wear on @New fiat user 's car suggests something's wrong. 'Rubbish understeer' doesn't sound right either.
If it's had lots of new front suspension bits, hopefully a decent set of boots and correctly aligned wheels will sort it out for you.
There have been a few threads on here about high tyre wear, seems 169 Pandas can be strangely heavy on tyres.
I have to admit, I'd been thinking of doing the same as OP - 165 or 175 section tyres on 13" steels - and I'm not at all into modding my cars.
Maybe @AILURUS LAPIS could advise if there are any MOT issues with their 175s?
To keep it within original spec, you could swap for a set of 14" rims with 165/60 tyres. I wonder - do posh Pandas with their wider alloys suffer as much shoulder wear?
Maybe it's just the price we have to pay for having all that fun chucking them around country lanes - it's still putting a smile on my face
But the extreme wear on @New fiat user 's car suggests something's wrong. 'Rubbish understeer' doesn't sound right either.
If it's had lots of new front suspension bits, hopefully a decent set of boots and correctly aligned wheels will sort it out for you.
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When I bought the Panda new in 2009 the choice was 155 80 13's on steels or 175 65 14's on alloys for £450.00 extra.
So I stuck with the 13 inch steels, but with 12 miles on the clock swapped all the tyres to 175 70 13 including the full size spare.
These fit on the existing rims, are not over sized for the rims or car as 175's were an option.
If you look at the car you would not notice anything about the tyres that look out of place. Want a Photo?
Never even been mentioned at any MOT or service since new.
I have run 175 70 13 summer tyres, winter tyres and am now just on all season tyres all year round.
With Panda's front tyres can wear the inside edge quicker and the rears the outside edge quicker.
The tyres / car runs better with a higher pressure which also cuts the edge wear down a lot.
I rotate the tyres twice a year both side to side and / or front to back.
I do check the alignment twice a year when I rotate the tyres.
I also run a little toe in, just 2 minutes total.
Front wishbones were replaced at 8 years / 99 k miles.
Rear shock absorber bushes were replaced with Powerflex polybush ones.
The car has a lot less understeer than a Panda running 155's all round.
The car has more grip than I have the £a$$s to drive it at, wet or dry.
Good tyres also help here.
I have a 1.3 Multijet Diesel and MPG at last fill up in August this year was 68.1.
I live in North Dorset which is a rural area and the car is now over 134K miles.
There were people on this forum back in 2009 complaining of understeer on a Diesel with 155's on the car.
Best mod I have done to the car.
Thanks. Ailurus Lapis
