What size tyres on 17 inch Sport Rims

[limawhiskey]

Recently bought a set of 17" Sport Alloys and am wondering which tyres to put on it.
I know that the standard size is 235/45/17 but I've seen 235/55/17 tyres on a Peugeot 407 Estate and they looked OK (not worried about the speedo difference).
My Estate is an SE model so hasn't got the 15mm lowered suspension. I'm also concerned about the ride quality if I go for the 45 profile as I've heard the Sport's can be a bit harsh.
Currently have 215/55/16 tyres on SE wheels - am I the only one who thinks the S alloys are better than the SE ones? Going to refurb the SE alloys when I change them and lose the diamond cut look for good.

[xenon]

Don't go for the 235/55/17's as they are way too big in diameter. Works out at 47mm bigger in diameter and may possibly catch the wheel arch.
A lower profile tyre may give a slightly harsher ride but the reference to the 'Sport' is probably more applicable to the suspension on the sport edition rather than the tyres.

[gamichea]

I don't find the 235/45/17s on my Sport harsh. They sound harsher over big imperfections but I find the ride very good even on the sports suspension and bearing in mind they are extra load tyres (standard spec.) and therefore have stiffer than normal sidewalls.

My car came on Pirelli P Zero Rossos. The fronts were shot after 15k and they tended to whine and were nothing special. They were replaced with Michelin Primacy HPs which were much better in every way and generated just a faint rumble. They lasted 20k and I have just replaced them with Goodyear Eagle F1 Assymetrics which seem at least as good as the Primacys in every respect. They have some good reviews on the internet and performed very well in Autocar's latest tyre tests.

With both the Rossos and the Primacys I found the tyres wore quicker in the centre than at the edges. When changed with tread centre down to 2mm the tread edges were 3 - 4mm. That is symptomatic of overinflation but I was running at VW's recommended pressure of 2.6 bar. Towards the end of the Primacys' life I tried reducing pressure to 2.4bar, probably too late to see any possible improvement. I detected no change in driving characteristics at the lower pressure.

On the Goodyear internet site pressures are given for their tyres by tyre type and size for specific vehicles. For 235/45/17 Assymetrics on the Passat their recommended front pressure is just 2.2bar. I said nothing to the fitter but that's what he put in and the car drives fine. Can't help but wonder what wear pattern I'd have got running the Primacys at 2.2bar. I've not found any other tyre manufacturer that gives out pressures at this level of detail on the 'net. If you use the facility on the Kwikfit site and the like they just give you the VW blanket standard.

The Assymetrics were £123 a corner all in. Primacys are now around £150. 235/45/17 XL Assymetrics come in Y rating only which does not matter as it is superior to the standard Passat requirement of W.

For those of you for whom its important Assymetrics have rim protectors whilst Primacys do not.

[xenon]

I don't find the 235/45/17s on my Sport harsh. They sound harsher over big imperfections but I find the ride very good even on the sports suspension and bearing in mind they are extra load tyres (standard spec.) and therefore have stiffer than normal sidewalls.

My car came on Pirelli P Zero Rossos. The fronts were shot after 15k and they tended to whine and were nothing special. They were replaced with Michelin Primacy HPs which were much better in every way and generated just a faint rumble. They lasted 20k and I have just replaced them with Goodyear Eagle F1 Assymetrics which seem at least as good as the Primacys in every respect. They have some good reviews on the internet and performed very well in Autocar's latest tyre tests.

With both the Rossos and the Primacys I found the tyres wore quicker in the centre than at the edges. When changed with tread centre down to 2mm the tread edges were 3 - 4mm. That is symptomatic of overinflation but I was running at VW's recommended pressure of 2.6 bar. Towards the end of the Primacys' life I tried reducing pressure to 2.4bar, probably too late to see any possible improvement. I detected no change in driving characteristics at the lower pressure.

On the Goodyear internet site pressures are given for their tyres by tyre type and size for specific vehicles. For 235/45/17 Assymetrics on the Passat their recommended front pressure is just 2.2bar. I said nothing to the fitter but that's what he put in and the car drives fine. Can't help but wonder what wear pattern I'd have got running the Primacys at 2.2bar. I've not found any other tyre manufacturer that gives out pressures at this level of detail on the 'net. If you use the facility on the Kwikfit site and the like they just give you the VW blanket standard.

The Assymetrics were £123 a corner all in. Primacys are now around £150. 235/45/17 XL Assymetrics come in Y rating only which does not matter as it is superior to the standard Passat requirement of W.

For those of you for whom its important Assymetrics have rim protectors whilst Primacys do not.

I have an A4 1.8 T Sport with the same size tyres. I'm running Falkens at the moment (can't remember which ones) and they too are wearing slightly more in the centre than the outside Pressure is 2.2 bar all round (as specified by Audi). I will probably need to replace the fronts in the next few months. Was looking at the Pirelli P Zero Rossos or Conti Sport Contact 3. Having read what you've said about the Pirelli's I'm not so sure about them now.

[dieseljames]

The calculator on this website (http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html) is quite good for showing you the difference in tyre sizes and the effect on speed.