Which tyres for 20” Supermetal wheels?

Good afternoon.

I am replacing my VW supplied 18” alloys with 20” Suoermetal Trident alloys that I recently purchased.

Have been doing some research and have narrowed down tyres four options. Some of the posts on this forum have helped me arrive at this decision:

Prices are fitted, 275/40/20. All 106.

Premium

1. Michelin Latitude Sport 3 - £175 per tyre

2. Bridgestone Turanza T005 - £147 per tyre

Mid range

3. Avon ZX7 - £146 per tyre

4. Yokohama Advan Sport V105 - £137 per tyre

Any views / experience would be appreciated.

Many thanks,

Graham
 
Last edited:
Good afternoon.

I am replacing my VW supplied 18” alloys with 20” Suoermetal Trident alloys that I recently purchased.

Have been doing some research and have narrowed down tyres four options. Some of the posts on this forum have helped me arrive at this decision:

Prices are fitted, 275/40/20. All 106.

Premium

1. Michelin Latitude Sport 3 - £175 per tyre

2. Bridgestone Turanza T005 - £147 per tyre

Mid range

3. Avon ZX7 - £146 per tyre

4. Yokohama Advan Sport V105 - £137 per tyre

Any views / experience would be appreciated.

Many thanks,

Graham
Hi Graham,

275/40/20 is my current tyre size.... have you looked at the Black Circles website? When it’s time for me to replace my tyres I’m looking at the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 SUV.... I know that @BognorMotors and other forum members swear by them (I also know that Oli @BognorMotors doesn’t like the 275/40 oversize tyre and prefers to fit 275/35).... they get good fuel efficiency, wet grip and noise level rating.... do consider the noise level with a wheel/tyre of that size as you might notice a big difference with your step up from 18 to 20 inch. Hope this helps. :thumbsup:

Cheers, Matt
 
Hi Graham,

275/40/20 is my current tyre size.... have you looked at the Black Circles website? When it’s time for me to replace my tyres I’m looking at the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 SUV.... I know that @BognorMotors and other forum members swear by them (I also know that Oli @BognorMotors doesn’t like the 275/40 oversize tyre and prefers to fit 275/35).... they get good fuel efficiency, wet grip and noise level rating.... do consider the noise level with a wheel/tyre of that size as you might notice a big difference with your step up from 18 to 20 inch. Hope this helps. :thumbsup:

Cheers, Matt
Good evening Matt.

Many thanks for your reply.

My van is a T28 and the flavour of opinion on the forum appears to suggest 275/35 as the best option.

I prefer 275/40 based upon appearance and a bit more protection for the wheel / ride.

If there is a compelling technical reason for going for 275/35 then I will opt for that.

I have checked the website ‘Will they fit’ and there is no difference between the two except the 275/40 is slightly taller.

I have thought about the Goodyear and will re-visit that as an option.

Regards,

Graham
 
As Chris says. And also when lowering they won’t rub. If you want a bigger sidewall go for a 265/40.
 
What's the width of the Supermetal Tridents rims? and the offset?
 
Okay, so just from first principles...

  • The 18" wheels from VW are 8" wide, at an offset of 50mm, and run 255mm width tyres.
  • The 20" wheels are 9" wide, which is 25mm wider, and are offset out towards the wheel arches by 5mm. So an equivalent wide tyre for these rims would be 255mm + 25mm = 280mm (255 is wide-ish on an 8" rim), so 275 would appear with flat to stretched sidewalls.
It bugs me when people might read these threads and think that 20" wheels are all alike and need the same tyre, without considering the width, particularly staggered e.g. 8.5" fronts + 10" rears. I'm on 8.5J x 20" all round and the advice above would be different.
 
Good evening Matt.

Many thanks for your reply.

My van is a T28 and the flavour of opinion on the forum appears to suggest 275/35 as the best option.

I prefer 275/40 based upon appearance and a bit more protection for the wheel / ride.

If there is a compelling technical reason for going for 275/35 then I will opt for that.

I have checked the website ‘Will they fit’ and there is no difference between the two except the 275/40 is slightly taller.

I have thought about the Goodyear and will re-visit that as an option.

Regards,

Graham
Good evening Graham,

My van is also a T28. If you prefer the look of the 275/40 then absolutely go for that.... like you say it gives you more rubber/sidewall for rim protection and ride comfort.... the only thing to bear in mind, as @ChrisR has said above (compelling technical reason) is that your speedo will be reading under your actual speed.... I just allow for around five miles under (65 in a 70 for example).

Cheers, Matt :thumbsup:
 
Okay, so just from first principles...

  • The 18" wheels from VW are 8" wide, at an offset of 50mm, and run 255mm width tyres.
  • The 20" wheels are 9" wide, which is 25mm wider, and are offset out towards the wheel arches by 5mm. So an equivalent wide tyre for these rims would be 255mm + 25mm = 280mm (255 is wide-ish on an 8" rim), so 275 would appear with flat to stretched sidewalls.
It bugs me when people might read these threads and think that 20" wheels are all alike and need the same tyre, without considering the width, particularly staggered e.g. 8.5" fronts + 10" rears. I'm on 8.5J x 20" all round and the advice above would be different.
What advice would be different?
 
What advice would be different?
The wheel width is half an inch smaller = 267.5mm, using the same maths as above. So a 275mm tyre will overhang the rims and is not a good fit. Hence it's 255, or 265, with appropriate profiles to make those widths work.

A 10" rim would be 305mm at a wide setting, using the same maths, so a 275mm will be square to stretched. So you'd be looking to a 285 or higher for a wide tyre to protect the rim from the kerb.

Plenty of tables online e.g. Tire width for a wheel/rim size chart although they tend to be conservative. VW run 255 on an 8" rim, which I've used as a starting point, as it's common to be one step wider.
 
On a T32 + 20" Wheels. Does anyone have a preference or are using the following tyre sizes that seem to be better suited for all season use ?
I understand that the normal preference is to fit 265/40 for summer tyres.
@The Van Cave
@BognorMotors

265/50
255/50
265/45
255/45
 
TBF the Uk market isn’t very well supported with all season and winter tyres. It’s usually what’s available. We run Goodyears and Vredestein presently for our winters dependant on size for our hire vehicles and own vehicles.
 
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