225/40/16 tyres on standard Fab vRS - will they go?

What I'm really asking is, has anybody done it or seen it done? I think it will but would like confirmation before wasting my cash.

Anybody??? :confused:

According to this site, the standard rims aren't wide enough:

http://www.chris-longhurst.com/carbibles/index.html?menu.html&tyre_bible.html

This is a useful site, by the way, if you have any tyre questions.

Why do you want to fit wider tyres? I wouldn't recommend it: it often leads to a deterioration in handling, particularly on cars with MacPherson strut suspension.

maybe in the hope that it will give better tracton?

Was looking at 215/40's but not many people do that tyre size.

maybe in the hope that it will give better tracton?

It doesn't necessarily work like that...

MacPherson strut suspension is a compromise: the geometry isn't perfect. It doesn't naturally hold the tyre tread surface parallel to the road surface, under all conditions. Radial tyres can cope with this to a certain extent, because of the 'give' in the sidewalls.

However, if you go for a wider, lower-profile tyre, you may end up with worse handling: the car will corner on the edges of the tyres. You might get away with it, but then again you may not, particularly if the rim size isn't spot on (the rim size needs to be correct to allow the correct amount of sidewall movement).

According to this site' date=' the standard rims aren't wide enough:

[url']http://www.chris-longhurst.com/carbibles/index.html?menu.html&tyre_bible.html[/url]

This is a useful site, by the way, if you have any tyre questions.

Why do you want to fit wider tyres? I wouldn't recommend it: it often leads to a deterioration in handling, particularly on cars with MacPherson strut suspension.

Hold on - that says minimum rim width 7.0 inches for a 205/45/16 - aren't the standard vRS rims 6.5?

I've also fitted a number of different 235/40/17 tyres to a 7x17 rim on my old SX (went through rubber like a stag weekend in magaluf ) with no bother at all - better grip and improved road manners, just a bit more noise - and that site recommends a minimum 8.0 inch rim for that tire width. I know they're saying ideal sizes, but half an inch rim width can't make that much difference can it?

From the same site mentioned before:

Oversizing tyres

"If you want the fat look but don't want to go bonkers with new wheels, you can oversize the tyres on the rims usually by about 20mm (to be safe). So if your standard tyres are 185/60 R14s, you can oversize them to about 205mm. But make sure you recalculate the percentage value to keep the sidewall height the same. "

That's what I'm talking abour doing, isn't it? 225/40/16 are within 1% of the rolling radius of 205/45/16...

That's fair enough, but I reckon a 6.5" rim is getting pretty marginal for a 225 tyre, and I'd say that the tyres on the car are already pretty wide for the size of car: going too far can upset the handling.

It's not something I'd try: I really don't think there's a lot more grip to be had from the standard suspension.

That's fair enough' date=' but I reckon a 6.5" rim is getting pretty marginal for a 225 tyre, and I'd say that the tyres on the car are already pretty wide for the size of car: going too far can upset the handling.

It's not something I'd try: I really don't think there's a lot more grip to be had from the standard suspension.[/quote']

   [b]Measurements on 205/R16 45 Tyre[/b]
 Section Width:8.07 in205.00 mm 
 Rim Diameter:16 in406.40 mm
 Rim Range:7.00 to 8.5 in
 Sidewall Height:3.63 in92.25 mm 	 
 Overall Diameter:23.26 in590.9 mm	 
 Radius:8.00 in203.20 mm 		  
 Rolling Radius:11.63 in295.45 mm 			  
 Circumference:73.07 in1,856.37 mm 			 
 Revolutions in a Mile:867.07  

  [b]Measurements on 225/R16 40 Tyre[/b] 
 Section Width:8.86 in225.00 mm 
 Rim Diameter:16 in406.40 mm 
 Rim Range:7.50 to 9.0 in		  
 Sidewall Height:3.54 in90.00 mm 	 
 Overall Diameter:23.08 in586.4 mm	 
 Radius:8.00 in203.20 mm 		  
 Rolling Radius:11.54 in293.20 mm 			  
 Circumference:72.51 in1,842.23 mm 			  
 Revolutions in a Mile:873.81  

Circumference Difference:-0.57 in-14.14 mmLeaving a -0.76 % difference, roughly

But a huge problem on rim width....is the fabia really only a 6.5" rim?

If so I'll need to tweak my calculations...or is 205 45 R16 wrong as the stock wheel?

Why is there a major mix of units of measurement in tyre sizes!? That is a bit of a bodge

Rims measured in inches...miles inches, tyres mm's

Rest in mm...just added both units for completeness

But a huge problem on rim width....is the fabia really only a 6.5" rim?

If so I'll need to tweak my calculations...or is 205 45 R16 wrong as the stock wheel?

That's what I said: the rolling diameter is no problem, but the rim size is for sure.

It does look as if the standard tyres push the boundaries for the width of the rim, so to go any further would be ill-advised.

And fitting different rims can be dangerous, as aftermarket wheels can crush differently to standard wheels, which means the airbags will probably go off at the wrong time.