[Narkdup]

I’m gonna change my 15” Fissions to 16” Hairpins ( the best looking Wheel in the range) on my 25IS. I know a 16” fits the 25 ok but can I fit the standard 205x16 or go to 195x16 tyres ? The reason I ask is I’ve read so many threads from people who say 205’s fit fine no issues and some say they can rub on full lock. I can fit them and test the theory but would appreciate some feed back prior to getting them refurbished and new tyres fitted.

 

[YasmineGotham]

205's will rub, the mg zr had spacers on the tie rods, they will only rub on full lock, so you can either not use full lock, or fit a mg zr steering rack or use 195 tyres, they will fit but are not the correct size.

 

[Man in the Car]

The 25Gti was fitted with the 16" Hairpins and had slightly lower profile 205/45/16 tyres on them - another possible alternative to the ZR standard 205/50/16 which would avoid rubbage?

 

[Narkdup]

Thanx for your reply’s, I’ve seen them on the Gti but the lower profile would make sense 🤔 you only use full lock at tight manoeuvring speed so it’s not an issue to back off if you feel a rub so this is probably down to cost and availability of tyres. Im also not worried about harsher ride from lower profile’s it’s about the looks 😎 it’s also important I keep the car standard with some subtle upgrades so steering rack stays. I’ll shop around for tyres see what’s what.
I’m gonna go for silver sparkle on the wheels I think this would compliment the platinum silver of the car which has a nice sparkle to it also I have to say I think mg/rover did some nice colours on the whole with some quality about them.

 

[Narkdup]

Also does anyone know what original tyre make were fitted by the factory ?

 

[Man in the Car]

..... you only use full lock at tight manoeuvring speed so it’s not an issue to back off if you feel a rub so this is probably down to cost and availability of tyres. ...

Tyres fouling against the bodywork will also be likely to give rise to fail at MOT test time (classed as a 'Major'!) - I have always understood that this can be mitigated by fitting smooth 'rubbing pads' to the bodywork to give a smooth contact and avoid damage to the tyre wall, but I have no experience of what exactly may be involved.

Also does anyone know what original tyre make were fitted by the factory ?

I am not sure about the GTi, but the ZR and ZS (fitted with both 16" and 17" alloys) were initially factory fitted with Michelin Pilot Primacy, and then from sometime in 2004, were fitted with Continental Sport Contact 2.

 

[Narkdup]

I don’t like primacy’s designed primarily for fuel efficiency & wear but conti’s are decent and they do them in 205.45.16 🤔 so my options as I see it are: 1. Try the wheels/tyres I have on the front and see any rub points. 2.fit 2 of the 45 profiles and check, theses can always be moved to the back axle. 3. try some 195.45.16 on the front and maybe leaving the 205’s on the back. There’s plenty of cars that have a lot wider wheels on the rear axle so long as it’s a pair and 10mm is negligible although I’m not sure if this will alter the handling characteristics so maybe not. As soon as it warms up a bit I’ll be on the case 😁
Thank you👍

 

[Man in the Car]

I don’t like primacy’s designed primarily for fuel efficiency & wear

The factory fit for the ZR/ZS was Michelin Pilot Primacy. These are not the same as the current tyres sold by Michelin who now use the 'Pilot' and 'Primacy' names for different ranges of tyres. The current Michelin Pilot Sport are the nearest to the original Pilot Primacy, but have a tread pattern rather more akin to the Conti Sport Contact rather than the factory fit Michelins.

The biggest drawback with the Michelins is their eye-watering price tag; but with tyres more than anything else, it really is the case that you get exactly what you pay for.

I switched to using mid-range Avon ZZs as my mileage didn't justify the cost for the Michelins (they would have almost certainly needed changing due to perishing long before they would have been worn out). Sadly, Avon stopped making car tyres in the UK and dropped the road going ZZ from their range - I tried the Serbian manufactured Avon ZV last time around, but they are a very mediocre tyre compared to the ZZ (but about the same price: budget tyre for mid-range money - shan't make that mistake again!)

 

[Narkdup]

Interestingly I found a thread on here with you in a few years ago on the same subject of Hairpins on a R25 and you confirmed 205/45/16 were fitted to the Gti so a lower profile than a ZR. This will be the way I go me thinks, so keeping a factory size used on the 25. If they still rub I will probably fit some 3mm spacers on all four wheels which will give clearance. I used Pilot Sports on my Octavia VRS and like them but they are expensive and wear quickly so may opt for Continental Sport 2 as they are competitively priced at the moment. I have Avon’s on my Honda Civic ep2 and they are most impressive in wet or dry an underestimated tyre. If I still have issues come mot time I can pop my Fissions back on, they sit on new Bridgestone’s and are in good shape. Weirdly enough when I replaced my Pilot sports I used Vredestein Sports which surpassed the Michelin’s especially in the wet so with that in mind I fitted Vredestien winter tyres to my Audi Quattro and they overheated and disintegrated within 5k miles with a constant smell of burning rubber. What I have learnt about tyres is they perform very differently on different cars. When I have concluded my wheel change I’ll report on here to help anyone else.