Has anyone done plus-sizing of tyres for comfort?
I drive on some rough back roads and if the government/SANRAL get heavy handed with the tolling I may have to drive on a lot more rough back roads.
My primary goal is to improve the ride comfort as the 215/45 R17 Kumho Solus KH17 OEM tyres are flipping uncomfortable on rough roads. The Khumo's handle beautifully on smooth surfaces, have good traction, cornering, braking and wet weather performance but when pointed at potholes and "Tshwane patched roads" the vehicle feels like a bucking bronco because the side wall is way too firm.
It seems my options are:
The 50 profiles are harder to get hold of and more expensive so it seems my only options to increase side wall heights are 225/45 and 235/45.
The 225/45 only increases the sidewall by 4.5mm (between rim and ground).
The 235/45 increases the sidewall by 9mm which will probably help a lot but I'm not sure if the rims will handle the extra 20mm width or if there will be rubbing/interference problems.
I don't care about the speedo/odo error and won't go past a 5% increase in rolling circumference.
From what I read increasing the tyre width while keeping the rim width the same (wide tyre on slightly narrow rim) also helps improve comfort since the side walls will bulge out more which allows for more flex in the side walls. The downside is less cornering performance but that doesn't bother me as I drive really relaxed.
My secondary goal is to keep the tyre noise low so I'm not interested in noisy directional tyres.
Any ideas or suggestions?
Experiences with decent budget tyres like Yokohama's, Toyo's, Achilles?
I've used Hankooks before and they're pretty good but they weren't as quiet as I would have liked.
I drive on some rough back roads and if the government/SANRAL get heavy handed with the tolling I may have to drive on a lot more rough back roads.
My primary goal is to improve the ride comfort as the 215/45 R17 Kumho Solus KH17 OEM tyres are flipping uncomfortable on rough roads. The Khumo's handle beautifully on smooth surfaces, have good traction, cornering, braking and wet weather performance but when pointed at potholes and "Tshwane patched roads" the vehicle feels like a bucking bronco because the side wall is way too firm.
It seems my options are:
| Size | Dia | Radius | Radius increase | Circumference increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 215/45 R17 (OEM) | 625.3 mm | 312.6 mm | 0 mm | 0 % |
| 215/50 R17 | 646.8 mm | 323.4 mm | 10.75 mm | 3.44 % |
| 225/45 R17 | 634.3 mm | 317.15 mm | 4.5 mm | 1.44 % |
| 225/50 R17 | 656.8 mm | 328.4 mm | 15.75 mm | 5.04 % |
| 235/45 R17 | 643.3 mm | 321.65 mm | 9 mm | 2.89 % |
The 50 profiles are harder to get hold of and more expensive so it seems my only options to increase side wall heights are 225/45 and 235/45.
The 225/45 only increases the sidewall by 4.5mm (between rim and ground).
The 235/45 increases the sidewall by 9mm which will probably help a lot but I'm not sure if the rims will handle the extra 20mm width or if there will be rubbing/interference problems.
I don't care about the speedo/odo error and won't go past a 5% increase in rolling circumference.
From what I read increasing the tyre width while keeping the rim width the same (wide tyre on slightly narrow rim) also helps improve comfort since the side walls will bulge out more which allows for more flex in the side walls. The downside is less cornering performance but that doesn't bother me as I drive really relaxed.
My secondary goal is to keep the tyre noise low so I'm not interested in noisy directional tyres.
Any ideas or suggestions?
Experiences with decent budget tyres like Yokohama's, Toyo's, Achilles?
I've used Hankooks before and they're pretty good but they weren't as quiet as I would have liked.
