Wheel Size

[kevinm9991]

I recently changed my the wheels on my 2004 bog standard Avensis T2 D4d. Originally I had the standard steel wheels shod with 205/55R16 Pirelli P6000.

And to be honest they were great, handling was really responsive and precise.

In the meantime I bought a perfect set of original toyota 17" 7 spoke alloys from a scrapped 2004 T4/TSpirit avensis. I put them on with some Goodyear eagle F1 (205/50R17) and despite the lower profile, bigger wheel and presumably grippier tyre, it seems to have ruined the cars handling completely.

Steering response is much slower and feels more "floaty" than before. on the plus side it does seem a bit more comfortable.

Has anyone else changed from the 16" to the 17" and if so did you get a similar reaction?

I'm not sure if its the new wheel size or the change in tyre brand?

Any help would be appreciated

[Bibbs]

You've changed three things.

1. Alloy size, now you have more unsprung mass and less tyre wall.

2. Change tyre make will give different compression and heat/grip.

3. Tyre pressures. Have you adjusted the pressures to match the specs of the new tyres?

The extra mass will stunt your acceleration/braking, it will also give more tram lining on truck ruts and numb the turn in.

Have you looked at the specs of the tyres, I *think* F1's will need more heat in them, but will grip better than the P6000's, and give you more communication as to when they'll lose traction (you'll need to research), but that is down to ..

Tyre pressure, add a few more PSI into the tyres and it'll firm up the side walls. And give more communication. But then comfort will suffer.

Have you also checked where your tyres are wearing? As you should drive it hard and then check the wear on the tyre shoulders to see if your are over/under inflating your tyres.

[Parts-King]

I'm not an expert but I think that wheel should have a 215/40/17 profile tyre on it, makes it a wider and lower ratio, firmer ride but probably better handling

I'm sure one of our tyre experts will be along shortly to shoot me down in flames :D:

Kingo

[Hati]

I'm not an expert but I think that wheel should have a 215/40/17 profile tyre on it, makes it a wider and lower ratio, firmer ride but probably better handling

I'm sure one of our tyre experts will be along shortly to shoot me down in flames :D:

Kingo

That's too small for a T25 Avensis. The original 17" wheel size is 215/50/17. If you put a 215/40/17, you speedo is showing way too much speed. And i don't think that 215/40/17 even has the load capability that a T25 needs.

Some tires are with softer frame and some with a harder frame. Expample Bridgestone RE050A has a harder frame.

[t-spiritpete]

I recently changed my the wheels on my 2004 bog standard Avensis T2 D4d. Originally I had the standard steel wheels shod with 205/55R16 Pirelli P6000.

And to be honest they were great, handling was really responsive and precise.

In the meantime I bought a perfect set of original toyota 17" 7 spoke alloys from a scrapped 2004 T4/TSpirit avensis. I put them on with some Goodyear eagle F1 (205/50R17) and despite the lower profile, bigger wheel and presumably grippier tyre, it seems to have ruined the cars handling completely.

Steering response is much slower and feels more "floaty" than before. on the plus side it does seem a bit more comfortable.

Has anyone else changed from the 16" to the 17" and if so did you get a similar reaction?

I'm not sure if its the new wheel size or the change in tyre brand?

Any help would be appreciated

Hi mate i have 2.2 D4d T-Spirit with original 17" alloys and 215/50R17 and it holds the road very well, does tramline a little but they do need 36 psi all round in them to work well.

Regards Pete.

[kevinm9991]

Hi all,

thanks for that.

Firstly, I made a mistgake in original message, my new wheel size is 215/50R17 not 205.

I changes the tyre pressure to 36psi from 32, It has improved a little, however the handling is still miles off the respnsiveness of the steel wheels.

Next time, I might try Pirellis again on the new wheel size and see if that makes a difference.

This is proof I suppose that bigger is not always better,

[Hati]

When have you last checked wheel alignment? If those are of, even a litle, it's not good to drive.

[MW0ELC]

I'm sure the Owners Handbook says that changing from standard steel to larger / wider alloy wheels may lead to the handling suffering....I could be wrong ........!!

Les

[dark andrew]

I've had both 17" and 16" on my 05 Avensis and I noticed some differences. With the same make/model of tyre (Goodyear Excellence) I found that the 17" lower profile gave crisper handling but the 16" with a higher profile gave a slightly quieter and softer ride. In the end I chose to keep the 16". By the way, the older - pre face lift T25 (03 - 06) had 45 profile tyres fitted (Dunlop SP3000a) while the post face lift (06 - 08) had slighty higher profile (50) Goodyear NCT5 tyres fitted. I tried 50 profile tyres on my 17" wheels and found that if I went over a bump or dip in the road then the tyre would rub on the suspension components (so I changed them back to 45s) - I guess that when they face-lifted the car in 06 they also made some subtle changes to the suspension.

[Hati]

By the way, the older - pre face lift T25 (03 - 06) had 45 profile tyres fitted (Dunlop SP3000a) while the post face lift (06 - 08) had slighty higher profile (50) Goodyear NCT5 tyres fitted. I tried 50 profile tyres on my 17" wheels and found that if I went over a bump or dip in the road then the tyre would rub on the suspension components (so I changed them back to 45s) - I guess that when they face-lifted the car in 06 they also made some subtle changes to the suspension.

Pre facelift ones also had 50 profile 17" from the factory.