Wheel and tyre sizes - Xantia II

[rmunns]

I have a year 2000 Xantia saloon 90Hdi. I bought the car in 2009 with only 37k miles on it. The originally-fitted Michelin tyres were still fitted.

I replaced the tyres in early 2010 for Kleber Dynaxers. I bought the same size as those already on the car - 185/65 x 15".

These replacements are now looking ready for replacement and I have looked at various websites. On some of these websites you can identify the correct tyre size by inputting the car's reg. number.

If I do this the site correctly identifies the car but says the correct tyre size is 205/60 x 15".

So which is right?

My neighbour here in France has a rough Hdi110 which he is scrapping, can I use those wheels (they are alloys) and tyres (they are 205/60 x 15")? Might there be any fouling problems with the wheels?

[xantia_v6]

205/60 will fit, as it was standard for at least Activas, V6s and HDI 110s.

Your car should have a tyre specification on the sticker in the driver's door jamb. You may have trouble at CT time if your tyres don't match the spec. It is also in the vehicle handbook.

[Dommo]

As said Xantia's came with 185 65 15 or 205 60 15 depending on the model, they all have the same rolling radius so it doesnt seem to matter.

[addo]

Roger, what wheels are on your car?

Steel wheels are wide as the widest alloys. Should you have "jantes alu" then look at the inside rim to read the actual size. Putting 205s on the narrower varieties of alloy rim results in some ballooning.

[rmunns]

On the doorjamb the label says 185/65 R15 88T.

What I am asking is will the alloy wheels fit the studs, will they foul the caliper or disc? Also, are the nuts the same? (I recall on other cars that use bolts rather than studs then different materials are used). I am asking whether or not I can fit my neighbour's wheels and tyres together. I could always then put the current (legal) steel ones on for the CT (French equivalent to MoT in UK)

I have steel wheels on the car.

[addo]

No Xantia alloys will foul on a Xantia. Early C5 wheels, although quite different in offset, will clear as well.

As to the wheel bolts, make sure that you have the correct type (as in, tapered bolts for a tapered seat or flat bolts for a flat seat) and that embedment in the hub is at least 1.5 times the thread diameter. Easy to determine this by poking a bolt through the wheel fixing hole and measuring how much sticks out the back side.

The ballooning aspect is more something you feel at greater speeds with a bit of loading.

[Xantidote]

Re-inforcing what Addo has said, and from various previous postings on FCF forum, if you get your neighbour's alloy wheels & tyres, make sure you get the wheel studs as well, as they should be different to those fitted to your steel wheels