20" Tyre Advice - sizing / brand / pressure

Some interesting chat, thanks all. Decent tyre brands available at 255/40 with a 101 load rating which I believe is good up to and including T30? That is a more appropriate width for a 8.5" wheel too. The error is -3.5% which isn't quite as good as a 275/35 (-2%) but a better width and increased profile so worth considering. Still keep coming back to the 275/35 option though...and wishing I could get 255/35 with a decent load rating!

Lots of complaints re tyre wear tho. Maybe it is worth sticking with cheap brands and replacing little and often - opens up the 255/35 option with PowerTrac's CityRacing tyre whoever the hell they are haha!!
 
korkykat said:
These are marked up XL xtra load rating.
Click to expand...

So are the 235-40-18, 95XL tyres I've just bought for my Scirocco, but that doesn't mean they are load rated to support anything heavier than a car.

According to my tyre pressure sticker, the 'lightest' tyre for my T30 is a 102.
 
If it helps anyone, when I search for tyres on Black Circles and the like, I look in the SUV / 4x4 section which contains many more higher load rated tyres.
 
huw169 said:
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.
Click to expand...
@huw169 Like you I have 8.5 inch fronts and 10 inch rears, but 275/40 all round (that’s what was on when I bought it).
My tyres state ‘standard fit 9.5j rim’, so just wondered what your 245/45 standard fit reads? The reason I’m asking is like you I’m looking to change my front tyres to better fit the rims also?

Cheers, :thumbsup:
 
T6ARF said:
@huw169 Like you I have 8.5 inch fronts and 10 inch rears, but 275/40 all round (that’s what was on when I bought it).
My tyres state ‘standard fit 9.5j rim’, so just wondered what your 245/45 standard fit reads? The reason I’m asking is like you I’m looking to change my front tyres to better fit the rims also?

Cheers, :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
@T6ARF
Standard fit for 245 is 8j, and 9.5j for the 275 as you say.
In my opinion, they both give a good profile relative to the rims I have, and not overly bulbous. It’s also an even look front to back. I can’t stand the bulbous ‘hot air balloon’ shape on a tyre, especially if it’s only the fronts.

769BF97C-7F8C-4328-A585-5661E84B3CB8.jpeg

2342E1CD-D469-4BFD-9B0E-3F66F88D1C06.jpeg
 
huw169 said:
@T6ARF
Standard fit for 245 is 8j, and 9.5j for the 275 as you say.
In my opinion, they both give a good profile relative to the rims I have, and not overly bulbous. It’s also an even look front to back. I can’t stand the bulbous ‘hot air balloon’ shape on a tyre, especially if it’s only the fronts.

View attachment 90598

View attachment 90599
Click to expand...
That’s spot on then relative to the rims.... if 245 is standard fit on an 8j rim and 275 is standard fit on a 9.5j rim, both front and rear should have the same amount of stretch on a wheel 0.5 inch bigger than the ‘standard fit’! Cheers @huw169 :thumbsup:
 
Does anyone know why the min load rating for a T30 is 102 when the maths at this link suggests it should be 101? All discussions elsewhere say 102 but whenever the maths is worked out it comes out as 101.

The rims I've got are 8.5 so 275 is a bit wide.

I can get 265/40 R20 at a 104 load rating but I'd prefer the narrower 255/40 R20s but the highest load rating available is 101.

How do MoT centres / insurers etc work out the correct load rating when assessing if you're legal as presumably the tyre data plate in the van doesn't cover 20" wheels and the load ratings on it vary by tyre size.

Thanks and sorry to resurrect this thread!
 
It’s your axel weight plate that is important. In engine bay behind air filter box. Max axel weight devided by 2. :thumbsup:
 
Thanks Huw.

My van is away until next week so I'll check the plate in the engine bay then but I'm pretty sure that would allow a 101 load rating:

1610kg / 2 = 805kg and 101 covers up to 825kg.

But everyone says I need 102. I don't get it.

Thanks re 245/45 but it still gives too large a tyre diameter. If only I could get a 245/45 in the correct load rating...
 
Simon66 said:
Thanks Huw.

My van is away until next week so I'll check the plate in the engine bay then but I'm pretty sure that would allow a 101 load rating:

1610kg / 2 = 805kg and 101 covers up to 825kg.

But everyone says I need 102. I don't get it.

Thanks re 245/45 but it still gives too large a tyre diameter. If only I could get a 245/45 in the correct load rating...
Click to expand...
101 is enough to satisfy your axle weights, so go for 101.

Did you mean "if only I could get a 245/40 in the correct load rating"? If so, yes you can. There's only 1 option, but Nankang do a 245/40 R20 that is load rated at 103. It's a rare beast and only available as a Nankang AS-2+. There aren't any in stock anywhere, the next batch are due into the UK next week but are all taken on back order. Next ones after that are due on 10th December.
 
Yeah I did mean 245/40...thanks!

I think if can make 255/40 101 work on a know brand / premium tyre I think I’ll go with that rather than hunt down the Nankangs.

I’ll double check the axle weights in the engine bay next week and go from there.

Thanks Chris.
 
Simon66 said:
Yeah I did mean 245/40...thanks!

I think if can make 255/40 101 work on a know brand / premium tyre I think I’ll go with that rather than hunt down the Nankangs.

I’ll double check the axle weights in the engine bay next week and go from there.

Thanks Chris.
Click to expand...
It's a real shame other manufacturers don't make a higher load rated tyre in a 245/40. It's the perfect tyre for many applications on these vans. If Nankang can do it, surely others can. I can only assume that the overall market demand isn't big enough.
 
Yeah agreed - real shame for the Transporter market.

The other option for me is 275/35 but I think that’s just too wide for an 8.5” alloy unless you think otherwise?
 
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