Tyres Going one size down

[xantiagreen]

Xantia 110 hdi 2001 hatchback

Hi, Would there be any problems with changing from 205/60/15's to 195/65/15's all round, only reason the tyres are cheaper and easier to get hold of part worn. Is there any problems I would suffer fron the suspension, fuel economy.
I owned a 2.0 16v SX xantia nd they were on 195/65/15's can't understand why they changed to an awkward size.

Thanks in advance..

[Stewart(oily)]

Mine came with a set of both, currently using the 205s
have 195s as fallback

[Peter.N.]

They are pretty well interchangeable, some cars come specified with either according to the model, the '65s' will ride better.

Peter

[Old-Guy]

If the handbook specifies that either tyre size can be fitted on your particular model, then no problem. If the handbook specifies the 205s ONLY, then strictly speaking you need to tell your insurer that you have 'modified' the car (from the standard spec.). Some insurance companies will exploit any deviation from the standard spec. (or any other possible cause in the pages of small print) to invalidate a claim, whether or not the 'modification has any relevance to the claim. Been there.

[xantiagreen]

Found xantia handbook and it says all mark 2 vehicles estate/saloon ride on 185/6515"s apart from V6, 110 hdi and
estate turbo d which ride 205/60/15"s. The only mark 2 saloon interchangeable to either sizes is the saloon turbo d for some reason, but no mention of a 195/65/15 tyre. b

[KP]

There are plenty of cheap part worn 20'5s around to be had and some quite good as well

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1X-PAIR-205-6 ... 3385af4752" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For what they are they are some good cheap tyres on that link and with the UK weather as it is i'm already on the lookout for a set for an XM as well to make up for the lack of 4wd

[Mandrake]

Personally I wouldn't go down to 195/65/15 or 185/65/15 as the loss in grip for braking and cornering is quite large, especially cornering. Ok if you're a Sunday driver but if you like to chuck your car through the corners you won't appreciate a change from 205 down to 185.

I've driven Xantia's with 185/65/14, 185/65/15, 195/65/15 (yes, 195/65/15 was one of the standard sizes on early S1 Xantias) and 205/60/15.

My 1997 S1 VSX (Hydractive 2) Xantia came with 185/65/15 tyres and it felt undershod to me around the corners, I later changed that car to 205/60/15 all round and the improvement in cornering grip and handling was massive.

205/60/15 is the sweet spot for ride/handling balance for the Xantia IMHO.

[Citroenmad]

As far as I am aware 195/65/15 was never a standard fit on a Xantia. It was either 185/65/15 if on steels or smaller petrol engines and 205/60/15 on the cars with alloys and larger engines.

195/65/15 is a common size on the XM and earlier C5s but not on Xantias.

I would stick with the correct size personally but if you do change it is worth telling your insurance as they can find any excuse not to pay out.

[VertVega]

As far as I am aware 195/65/15 was never a standard fit on a Xantia. It was either 185/65/15 if on steels ...

That's correct. My Xantia MK2 2.0 16V petrol had tire sized specified as 185/65/15 88H in car documents. The price of a tyre set was economical compared to current size in C5 II which is 215/55/16 93W

Usually the load index is neglected or underestimated. I think that should also be checked while buying tyres.

It would be best to check from car documents ot the door sticker. Here is Xantia door sticker from my prev. car showing the tyre size:

[Mandrake]

As far as I am aware 195/65/15 was never a standard fit on a Xantia. It was either 185/65/15 if on steels or smaller petrol engines and 205/60/15 on the cars with alloys and larger engines.

195/65/15 is a common size on the XM and earlier C5s but not on Xantias.

195/65/15 was definitely one of the standard sizes. It might depend on country though. In NZ my Dad's 1994 2.0i SX had 195/65/15 on alloys and the size was clearly printed on the door shut tyre pressure card. If it wasn't half a world away I'd take a picture as evidence for the skeptics.

Mums 1993 1.9TD SX had 185/65/14 on steel rims, and my 1997 2.0i VSX came with 185/65/15 on alloy rims, both of those were the original sizes printed on the door shut card.

The recommended tyre pressures for all three cars on the door shut card were quite different too!