Hello all,

I have a Fabia 3 1.9TDI 105bhp which is fitted with 215 x 45 x 16 tyres. As far as grip, steering and handling are concerned they are fine. However, they transmit a horrendous amount of noise into the cabin when driven on our rough potholed roads.

I would like to replace them with some higher profile tyres as this should reduce the amount of transmitted noise. I am considering 215 x 55 x 16 or 215 x 60 x 16 tyres and appreciate that these will be of a greater diameter.

I am hoping that someone will know the maximum size of tyre I can fit to my Fabia without the tyre touching the bodywork. Would either of the ones I am considering be OK please?

Any advice welcome

David

Hello all,

I have a Fabia 3 1.9TDI 105bhp which is fitted with 215 x 45 x 16 tyres. As far as grip, steering and handling are concerned they are fine. However, they transmit a horrendous amount of noise into the cabin when driven on our rough potholed roads.

I would like to replace them with some higher profile tyres as this should reduce the amount of transmitted noise. I am considering 215 x 55 x 16 or 215 x 60 x 16 tyres and appreciate that these will be of a greater diameter.

I am hoping that someone will know the maximum size of tyre I can fit to my Fabia without the tyre touching the bodywork. Would either of the ones I am considering be OK please?

Any advice welcome

David

This might help: http://www.etyres.co.uk/tyre-size-calculator.htm

I just tried it, and 195/50R16 seems to work, for example.

The rule is that you should keep the same overall diameter (amongst other things).

Mind you, a quick Google only finds V rated tyres at that size. Is V fast enough for your car?

Edited 14 January, 201214 yr by El Dingo

Hi and welcome,

think the tyre size you should have is 205/45 R16 83W. Have this size on our Fabia 1.2TSI and factory fitted with Continental PremiumContact 2; avoid these there also noisy.

If you stick to the 16" I think the Uniroyal rain tyres are popular in the 205/45 size for the Fabia. Found however that our 195/55 R15 Bridgestone LM30 winters are much quieter; might be worth considering downsizing to 15" rims/tyres as fitted to the Fabia 2 or SE, if the noise is that much of an issue.

Oh as a side note the recommended speed rating for most Fabia's fitted with 205/45 R16 tyres has recently been reduced from W to H.

TP

Hi and welcome,

think the tyre size you should have is 205/45 R16 83W. Have this size on our Fabia 1.2TSI and factory fitted with Continental PremiumContact 2; avoid these there also noisy.

If you stick to the 16" I think the Uniroyal rain tyres are popular in the 205/45 size for the Fabia. Found however that our 195/55 R15 Bridgestone LM30 winters are much quieter; might be worth considering downsizing to 15" rims/tyres as fitted to the Fabia 2 or SE, if the noise is that much of an issue.

Oh as a side note the recommended speed rating for most Fabia's fitted with 205/45 R16 tyres has recently been reduced from W to H.

TP

Thanks for the replies. Since I first posted I have been making progress.

As I had almost reached the stage of changing the car because the ride was so hard and the noise was so great, I thought I had nothing to lose by a bit of experimentation so I visited a large tyre and wheel specialist. I fancied a 205 55 R16 size so they agreed to try one on a wheel and see how they fitted in the wheelarches. The only problem was the rear nearside where the tyre touched the inner plastic mudguard. The other three corners had plenty of clearance. We thought we would try to provide sufficient space for the rear nearside. First step was to gently heat the plasic inner liner with a hot air gun until it softened a little. It was then pushed gently out of the way. However, the part of the car onto which the inner plastic guard was secured was considered too close. This was overcome by inserting a wheel spacer between the wheel and each of the rear hubs, thus moving the rear wheels out a little. The result is now that I have a car which has a beautiful cushioned ride. In addition the road noise, while still there, is hugely reduced. Indeed, it really feels a much more expensive car.

Would I do the same again? Probably not. I would, however, go for 205 50 R16 tyres which would fit easily and provide almost the same benefits.

Contisportcontact3 are supposed to be pretty quiet and came 1st in Autoexpress tyre test for quietness.It all seems subjective as one person will moan about a particular tyre while someone else will think they are best tyres on the market.

I think the Fabia's will always suffer from a certain amount of tyre noise regardless of tyre.