Hi,
In the summer, I bought a 2003 GS300, with standard 235/45/17 tyres on. My previous car was a V6 Camry running on 225/65/15, which were a lot more forgiving. I'm thinking of changing to 235/50/17. The insurance company are happy to let me do this, as long as I don't change the speed rating.
- will there be much difference in ride harshness?
- will there be much diff in noise level, ignoring the fact that new tyres are generally quieter anyway?
- will there be any noticible change in economy? I don't thrash it, but I'm not a grandad.
On the plus side, the speedo will be more accurate. I've calibrated the speedo using a GPS unit, and at an indicated 75mph, I'm actually doing 70mph. That's quite handy, cos it's easy to remember. Accordion to http://www.alloywheels.com/TyreCalc.asp, the 50 profile tyres would bring my speedo more into line with actual speed - reducing the error by about half.
On the cons side, there's a lot less choice in brands for 235/50/17.
Any comments?