Roomster 3 Tyre Sizes

[richardf]

As a genuine alternative, has anyone tried snowsocks? The videos on Youtube look impressive and, for emergency snow use, at £55 pounds seem to be cheaper than new wheels and tyres for a car I may not keep for ever.

[Roomsterboy]

Wouldn't you rip those to pieces in no-time? Me, I'd prefer a good set of winter tyres anyday. My Roomster stands on 195/60-15 steelies at the moment. Goodyear UltraGrip 7's.

[Hughp]

I have 205/45/16 on my Roomster 3. I am wonder if I changed to 195/55/15 I would get a more comfortable ride on roads with pot holes etc with out loosing the handling of the 205/45/16 ? This is not something I am considering for winter only but all year round.

Looking at the above comments many talking about winter tyres. I see in May 2015 Michelin are bringing out a new tyre called: Cross Climate. There is a review of this on Honest John, appears very positive.

[Robjon]

I recently part ex'd my Scout (205/45/16) for an SE (195/55/15).

(See "Goodbye Scout 1.9TDI....... hello SE 1.2TSI DSG" thread).

 

The improvements in ride quality and noise levels are very noticeable.

I loved my Scout but I would not want another car with wide, low profile tyres.

 

I cannot comment on high-speed handling but in everyday use, I find both tyres handle equally well.

 

I found the Scout tyres cr@p in the Snow - they tended to act like skis.

The narrower SE tyres must surely be better.

[cvennall]

Having experienced both sizes, I can offer the following comments:

Firstly ride comfort is so much better on the 15's on my SE compared to the old 3. The 16's have a much stiffer sidewall and the standard suspension set-up doesn't do the ride any favours on the larger wheels.

Secondly, tyre wear is much better - I used to only get 10k miles from the fronts on the 3, whereas I have managed close to 14k out of the now worn out fronts on the SE. There may be a couple of factors in this, possibly a lighter engine in the 1.6 compared to the old 1.9 in the 3, but that is only a guess. The more supple sidewalls in the 15 May also help truce tyre wear. I'm pretty sure that my driving style hasn't changed that much and both cars Roomsters have lived their lives driving over the same roads. Given better tyre wear rates, the 15's are reducing my driving costs as well since they are a cheaper tyre..

I can't really comment on snow as I use snow tyres through the winter..

Hope this helps.

[manni]

It's strange to read this forum, because we're used in Finland that everybody are using different set of tyres in the winter.

 

I have 205/45R16 Bridgestone tires for summer and Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 studded tires for winter season. Winter tires are 195/55R15. No matter what summer tires you are using, they are dangerous in snow and ice. 

[the_raz]

It's strange to read this forum, because we're used in Finland that everybody are using different set of tyres in the winter.

 

I have 205/45R16 Bridgestone tires for summer and Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 studded tires for winter season. Winter tires are 195/55R15. No matter what summer tires you are using, they are dangerous in snow and ice. 

 

I totally agree.

 

And re load rating for tires: to my understanding the load rating (83, 87 etc) is not defined by manufacturer, but by the weight of the car. Each number represents a certain amount of weight the tire can take. As there are two wheels per axle, the load rating needs to be at least half of the max load for the heavier axle. Anything above this not needed, and if you go way over, this will have negative impact on ride comfort etc because the tires are harder.

[grafitti]

ic

 

Secondly, tyre wear is much better - I used to only get 10k miles from the fronts on the 3, whereas I have managed close to 14k out of the now worn out fronts on the SE. There may be a couple of factors in this, possibly a lighter engine in the 1.6 compared to the old 1.9 in the 3, but that is only a guess. The more supple sidewalls in the 15 May also help truce tyre wear. I'm pretty sure that my driving style hasn't changed that much and both cars Roomsters have lived their lives driving over the same roads. Given better tyre wear rates, the 15's are reducing my driving costs as well since they are a cheaper tyre..
 

Firstly ride comfort is so much better on the 15's on my SE compared to the old 3. The 16's have a much stiffer sidewall and the standard suspension set-up doesn't do the ride any favours on the larger wheels.

I have the 1.9 engine, 15 inch wheels. I did around 1/3 of my driving on motorways and the remainder on a mix of A and B roads. At the time was doing 20k miles a year, so in 2 years went through 4 pairs of tyres. I would swap the rears to the front and put the new ones on the back. Every 10k miles they needed changing, but I would get 10k on the back and another 10k on the front out of the same tyre. Probably down to 3 or 4 mm when I would replace them.

I had varying experiences with different brands though. Best were ContiSport 5s, closely followed by Uniroyals Rainsports 2 and now the improved 3, and my personal disappointment was Michelin Energy Saver Plus, which didn't hold the road all that well and were down to the 3mm mark after 10k, without going onto the rears first.

Luckily I have a company provided vehicle now so I don't get to experience the joys of a tyre change and service every 6 months anymore