Viano Tyre Sizes

[dahamsta]

I have a Viano on 17" Merc alloys, but the tyres are a non-standard size, 235/55/17. 225 seems to be the norm.

Any Viano owners know if these would have been fitted by the previous owner for better ride or handling, or if it was just the owner buying what was available cheap?

(I own a Volvo 850 turbo, which comes on 205/45/17, however a good number of people run them on 215s for the reasons above. I'm just wondering if this is the same thing.)

 

[BTB 500]

Yup 225/55 is the correct size. 235/55 gives a bigger rolling radius and will cause the speedo (and odometer) to under-read by nearly 2%.

No idea why the previous owner would have done this, as you say they may have been offered a very good deal on 235s.

 

[dahamsta]

Thanks. I'm not really concerned by the rolling radius, we always use GPS to calculate an offset, I'm really just wondering if anyone has run on 235s and noticed a difference in ride or handling, before I commit to a standard size.

 

[BTB 500]

235 is only a tiny increase in sidewall compared to 225 (4%). Sidewall stiffness will vary from one make/model of tyre to another anyway, even for the same size.