Hi All,
Just trying to decide on some new front tyres for my Xantia (15 inch alloy rims) and over here at least there aren't that many choices of Michelin available (supposedly due to many of the other types not liking our harsh chip surface roads) and its come down to choosing between Energy MXV8 or Energy XM1. (I'm leaning towards the latter)
Its a Hydractive 2 model and I'm a somewhat "spirited" driver around corners, so I've worn both shoulders on both front tyres in only a few months, although they are only el-cheapo (brand name never heard of before) 185/65's that were on the car when I got it and were resonably worn already, so they weren't great tyres to begin with.
I don't think 185's have enough rubber area for spirited cornering on a Xantia, (especially a Hydractive 2) and in my experience on previous cars I find manufacturers usually fit tires that are one to two sizes too small from "optimal" on their midrange models, so I want to bump them up to 195 or 205.
My Dad's Xantia has 195/60/R15 on the front and even that small increase makes a very large improvement to the grip at the front - much more neutral handling with almost no understeer.
Originally I was thinking of 205/55 but 55's arent available on the XM1, and the MXV8 is somewhat expensive and also has a very rounded shoulder profile which I don't like. (The 205 MXV8 has the same effective contact width as the 195 XM1 because of this difference in shoulder profile)
So I'm now trying to weigh up 195/60/R15 vs 205/60/R15 in the XM1.
My main concern is, is 205/60 going to be too big for a Xantia that came with 185's ? In terms of wheel arch clearance etc ? Did models like the petrol turbo that came with 205/60 standard have any differences in the wheel arch to allow for it ?
Will it make the steering too heavy ? (My steering is already quite a bit heavier than my Dad's Xantia, for reasons unknown, despite having smaller tires than his 195/60's)
What about tyre scrubbing during full lock turns, which is a bit of a problem on Xantia's to begin with due to the McPherson strut geometry, I assume a wider tyre will only make this worse ? (But if so, is that a cause for concern ?)
As far as gearing goes, will a 1% difference in diameter make any noticable difference in gearing and acceration ? The diameters of the tires are:
185/65/R15 - 621mm
195/60/R15 - 615mm
205/60/R15 - 627mm
So the 195 gives me a 1% reduction in diameter compared to standard, while the 205 gives me a 1% increase. Either way, not enough to worry about for gearing ? (1% speedo accuracy difference is better than the likely speedo accuracy too)
What I'm basically looking for is significantly more grip than I have now, especially in cornering, and have a tire that will hopefully last longer without wearing on the edges from cornering, but at the same time I don't want a harsh ride...grip in the wet is also important to me too, as the crappy tyres on the front at the moment have next to no grip in the wet...
One last question, if I leave the 185/65/R15's on the back for now (both of which have good tread depth) will having tyres two sizes bigger on the front cause any risk of biasing the car into oversteer ?
Any comments before I take the plunge ?
(Especially from people that have tried any of the above tyres, or have tried changing between different sizes)
Regards,
Simon
Just trying to decide on some new front tyres for my Xantia (15 inch alloy rims) and over here at least there aren't that many choices of Michelin available (supposedly due to many of the other types not liking our harsh chip surface roads) and its come down to choosing between Energy MXV8 or Energy XM1. (I'm leaning towards the latter)
Its a Hydractive 2 model and I'm a somewhat "spirited" driver around corners, so I've worn both shoulders on both front tyres in only a few months, although they are only el-cheapo (brand name never heard of before) 185/65's that were on the car when I got it and were resonably worn already, so they weren't great tyres to begin with.
I don't think 185's have enough rubber area for spirited cornering on a Xantia, (especially a Hydractive 2) and in my experience on previous cars I find manufacturers usually fit tires that are one to two sizes too small from "optimal" on their midrange models, so I want to bump them up to 195 or 205.
My Dad's Xantia has 195/60/R15 on the front and even that small increase makes a very large improvement to the grip at the front - much more neutral handling with almost no understeer.
Originally I was thinking of 205/55 but 55's arent available on the XM1, and the MXV8 is somewhat expensive and also has a very rounded shoulder profile which I don't like. (The 205 MXV8 has the same effective contact width as the 195 XM1 because of this difference in shoulder profile)
So I'm now trying to weigh up 195/60/R15 vs 205/60/R15 in the XM1.
My main concern is, is 205/60 going to be too big for a Xantia that came with 185's ? In terms of wheel arch clearance etc ? Did models like the petrol turbo that came with 205/60 standard have any differences in the wheel arch to allow for it ?
Will it make the steering too heavy ? (My steering is already quite a bit heavier than my Dad's Xantia, for reasons unknown, despite having smaller tires than his 195/60's)
What about tyre scrubbing during full lock turns, which is a bit of a problem on Xantia's to begin with due to the McPherson strut geometry, I assume a wider tyre will only make this worse ? (But if so, is that a cause for concern ?)
As far as gearing goes, will a 1% difference in diameter make any noticable difference in gearing and acceration ? The diameters of the tires are:
185/65/R15 - 621mm
195/60/R15 - 615mm
205/60/R15 - 627mm
So the 195 gives me a 1% reduction in diameter compared to standard, while the 205 gives me a 1% increase. Either way, not enough to worry about for gearing ? (1% speedo accuracy difference is better than the likely speedo accuracy too)
What I'm basically looking for is significantly more grip than I have now, especially in cornering, and have a tire that will hopefully last longer without wearing on the edges from cornering, but at the same time I don't want a harsh ride...grip in the wet is also important to me too, as the crappy tyres on the front at the moment have next to no grip in the wet...
One last question, if I leave the 185/65/R15's on the back for now (both of which have good tread depth) will having tyres two sizes bigger on the front cause any risk of biasing the car into oversteer ?
Any comments before I take the plunge ?
Regards,
Simon
Certainly I wouldn't pay a cent extra just for the Michelin name.
