96P 8v Gti tyre sizes

[Dave80s]

Hi all, this is my first post, I have just purchased a 96P Gti 8v and very nice it is too.
It was quite cheap so it has some niggling faults - I think I will be on here a lot!

The purpose of this post is to ask you what the standard tyre size of my wheels should be.

They are the 9 spoke 15" alloys with 205/50/15 tyres, is it possible to change to 195/50/15? Because the 205's rub the inner arch on full lock and the steering feels quite heavy.

Also 195/50/15 is a lot cheaper and I need 4 new tyres. e.g I have seen Goodyear Eagle F1s for £35 on mytyres. The best 205 price I could find was Toyo 610's at £41

What advice can you give me? Anyone done this swap?

[sarge]

The standard size is 205/50/15. The factory GTI rims wear this size rubber - my 97 8v for instance although they don't rub the arches on either steering lock. Does your car have lowered suspension?

[vwagain]

I'm surprised they rub as I'm running 215 17" rubber without any rubbing at all!!!!!

Stu

[Dave80s]

I had a good look yesterday and the inner arch had come loose and was rubbing against the tyre - I have fixed it by cable tying it back and the rubbing has stopped.

The car has the standard 9 spoke Gti wheels, do you reckon I should stick to 205/50/15 then?

[Bazzer]

The car has the standard 9 spoke Gti wheels, do you reckon I should stick to 205/50/15 then?

Yep.

I've heard insurance companies will not pay out in the event of an accident if you deviate from the original spec of the tyres....

[yellowgti]

I'm surprised they rub as I'm running 215 17" rubber without any rubbing at all!!!!!

Stu

i had 17's on 215/17's and when youve got people in the back or take a corner sharp they would rub and grind like mad!, you must have just been lucky with you arches ;-)

[Dave80s]

p.s. I have standard suspension.

Gonna go for Toyo R610 in 205/50/15 size at £39 each from black circles. Cheapest half decent tyre I could find.
 
They are only H rated but that will do me as I only use the car for the daily commute.

[vwagain]

I'm surprised they rub as I'm running 215 17" rubber without any rubbing at all!!!!!

Stu

i had 17's on 215/17's and when youve got people in the back or take a corner sharp they would rub and grind like mad!, you must have just been lucky with you arches ;-)

Alright, you got me there :embarassed: They do rub at the back under extreme load.  What i should have said was, the fronts dont rub at all under any load. In my defence,  Dave80s question was about rubbing at the front, not the back

Stu

[8vgti]

p.s. I have standard suspension.

Gonna go for Toyo R610 in 205/50/15 size at £39 each from black circles. Cheapest half decent tyre I could find.
 
They are only H rated but that will do me as I only use the car for the daily commute.

Worth having a look on www.mytyres.co.uk as they are usually cheaper than black circle and the price you see on mytyres includes p+p, whereas on BC they add about £10 for two tyres if you choose mail order. Toyo Proxies are a good tyre, either the run out T1-S or the replacement T1-R. Unless you can find a nice friendly fitter most places (local to me anyway) charge about £10-15 per tyre for fitting

[Dave80s]

Just got a call from blackcircles - they haven't got any Toyo R610 left!  No wonder they were cheap, they don't make 'em any more.

All they could offer me were Toyo Proxes T1-S at £10 each more. (£48). Postage is £9.50 for all 4 tyres on top.

Mytyres have Toyo T1-R at £47 each inc postage.

Mytyres also have Kuhmo KU31 for £40, I thought that these may be more of a budget tyre than the Toyo's, what do you all think?

These prices are all exclusive of fitting. It is £12.50 ish a corner for fitting with blackcircles and mytyres, so I will just use a local tyre fitter.

Has anyone else got a recommendation?