20" Tyre Advice - sizing / brand / pressure

[Sharpe]

What about 255/40/20

 

[BognorMotors]

Ok. So the search function will help you here - has been debated many a time.

We go with 275/35 on a 9”, which is also the approved size. Looks good and works well with a 9”. On a t32 we go with 265/40

No tyre wall will help you with potholes.

Tyres pressure we have extensively researched and tested and work well between 36-40. I run my van and all vans I sell/modify at 36 and this seems to be the perfect combo. Unless you carry lots of weight then run nearer 40

 

[Simon66]

Me again...cheers Oli!! Yeah I did search but nothing succinct came up immediately so I just posted...sorry!

Great that you agree re 275/35 tho!

 

[BognorMotors]

No worries.
HTH

 

[Dave F]

I’m looking to change as well so would be interested to see what you go for.
i was thinking of 275/40/20 but also seen that a set for sale on the forum has 255/45/20.
I also need to decide on which wheels to go for as I want them to sit flush.
There is almost to much info to take in and my head is spinning

 

[Simon66]

I've ordered the wheels and they come with some cheapy 275/40/20 tyres - was only £190 extra on top of the alloys on their own. I plan to run them for a bit and to experiment with tyre pressures to make sure I'm happy before I put some 275/35/20 Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2s on there when the bank balance has recovered from the van conversion. I would prefer to run 255/35/20s but no decent brands make that size with the correct load rating. I do still worry that 275 is a bit wide for an 8.5" wheel but the guy I'm ordering from runs them as such and says he doesn't have any issues - again I'll see how I get on with the tyres the wheels come with. But yeah there are a lot of variables - I found wheels harder than speccing my camper conversion!

 

[Dave F]

Chris R just message me saying the same thing about them being a bit to wide for a 8.5 he would put them on a 10 rim.
He has recommended a 265/40 for a 8.5 or 9 rim.
It’s an absolute brain spinner with so many different options.

 

[The Van Cave]

I do prefer the 265 width on a narrower rim, but the 275/35 is what VW recommend because it’s closer to OEM size on circumference. It’s always a balancing act between looks, practicality and load rating!

 

[The Van Cave]

You can also get a 245/40 load rated to 103 for 20” rims, but only from one manufacturer and only if you can find stock! They look the business though. Sit nice on the rim and very close to OEM circumference.

Just to help confuse things further!

 

[Simon66]

Just wait until you finally decide and then start worrying about tyre pressures ha! Yeah if I can get something narrower with the right load rating I may well go for it given the wheel width. Gonna see how I get on with the 275/40s first as for a £190 for 4 tyres why not eh?

 

[Dave F]

What wheels did you go for and do you have a picture of them.

 

[Simon66]

I got these direct from the distributor WheelWorx. You can view the details at this website though which says they're 9" wide but according to the guy who designed them they're 8.5" so I'm gonna believe him! Also available in black with silver tips.

 

[Dave F]

They look nice I will have a look at there website. Thanks

 

[korkykat]

Much chat on tyre size but I remain none the wiser as to the best tyre size to go for.

I'm looking at some 20" ET40 9J wheels...

255/35/20 are perfect in terms of circumference vs. speedo etc but impossible to get correct load rated tyres unless you go with some total rotters
265/35/20 is only 1% error but the same load rating issue applies
265/40/20 almost a 5% error but nobody seems to mention them
275/40/20 is what most people seem to go with but that's over a 5% speedo error and 275 is pretty wide for a 9" wheel
275/35/20 is only a 2% error but concerns remain over the 35% profile vs potholes etc although I'm told that's what VW fit to their 20x9 wheels despite the excess tyre width

Then you need to consider a standard speedo already over-reads so the above errors may actually correct that. Plus tread wear from 8mm to 1.6mm...!

I'm probably gonna go with 275/35/20 but will go with some shitters first so I can experiment with tyre pressures and won't mind binning them off if the low profile is too uncomfortable. I can then upgrade to some decent tyres once I think I'm happy.

Speaking of tyre pressures...I see everything from 36 to 48psi. Will probably open that can of worms at a later date and accept it depends on your van. Mine will be a heavyish camper doing long motorway journeys so I guess slightly higher pressures for fuel economy may be better but happy to be corrected.

And I haven't even decided how much to lower by yet...feedback welcome as ever!

Infinity Ecomax 255/35 R20 97Y XL (Extra Load)

I have these Infinity Tyres on my Van. These are pretty hard wearing, easy to source and look good. Some good reviews as well.

As you will find out, T6's are notorious for wearing out tyres. These tyres are available, and the price is affordable.

CT Tyres

CT Tyres are able to offer over 100 different brands at the most competitive prices, ready for fast and free delivery directly to our customers or to a fitter chosen by the customer! With over 100,000 tyres on our website, we are sure that you will find what you need!

www.cttyres.co

 

[Jlo]

Infinity Ecomax 255/35 R20 97Y XL (Extra Load)

I have these Infinity Tyres on my Van. These are pretty hard wearing, easy to source and look good. Some good reviews as well.

As you will find out, T6's are notorious for wearing out tyres. These tyres are available, and the price is affordable.

CT Tyres

CT Tyres are able to offer over 100 different brands at the most competitive prices, ready for fast and free delivery directly to our customers or to a fitter chosen by the customer! With over 100,000 tyres on our website, we are sure that you will find what you need!

www.cttyres.co

On what van? 97 load rating!

 

[Markgf]

Infinity Ecomax 255/35 R20 97Y XL (Extra Load)

I have these Infinity Tyres on my Van. These are pretty hard wearing, easy to source and look good. Some good reviews as well.

As you will find out, T6's are notorious for wearing out tyres. These tyres are available, and the price is affordable.

CT Tyres

CT Tyres are able to offer over 100 different brands at the most competitive prices, ready for fast and free delivery directly to our customers or to a fitter chosen by the customer! With over 100,000 tyres on our website, we are sure that you will find what you need!

www.cttyres.co

Have you got a T26??

 

[dubber36]

275/35/20 is only a 2% error but concerns remain over the 35% profile vs potholes etc

I've just done some sums as a comparison on tyre profiles. All things being equal, a 275-35-20 tyre has a profile height of 96.25mm. A 225-45-17 (which many would consider a pretty regular, un-compromising tyre for a hatchback or saloon car) has a profile height of 101.25mm. 5mm difference, so about the same as you'd wear out on a new tyre down to 3mm tread.

35% profile may seem pretty harsh for a commercial vehicle, but as the sums show, it's not really all that extreme with such a wide tyre.

 

[Village]

fixed this for you

Infinity Ecomax 255/35 R20 97Y XL (Extra Load)

........

As you will find out .... these tyres are illegal, but the price is affordable.

 

[huw169]

275 on a 10” rim is perfect.
Therefore 10”-8.5” is 1.5”. Which is 38mm.
275-38 is 235. I use 245’s on the front as I’m T32.

Overly wide tyres give a strange turn in delay. The wider they are relative to the rim, the worse it gets, and handling degrades generally.
My advise is put the tyre on that matches the rim width best.

245/45 is almost bang on to 275/40 for rolling diameter, although a little bigger than stock.

 

[Tsixty]

275/40/20 on my T32 currently no issues on 9J wheels. Speedo seems absolutely bang on, the underread just seems to have compensated the built in overread. I may go 265/40/20 next time around.