tyres illegal?

[dubster99]

Hey guys so i was a friend at the rim shop on the weekend and the bloke took a look at my tyres and wasnt happy. I bought a set of 18" mk5 r32 reps a year ago and still had tyres on them. Anyways the tyre guy said they are illegal because of load rating? the tyres are 215/35 r18. is he right? He told me to go for 225/40 r18? Thinking i want a stretched tyre so would do you guys reccomend?

[wai]

It is not just the size that is important, but the speed and load rating.

[remy]

Yeah a 40 profile on an 18" wheel sounds about right for a Golf.
Load rating can be found on a label usually behind the fuel cap cover or inside the doors. Whatever you buy it has to be within that load rating limit to be legal.

Stretched tyres are good but don't overdo it.

[dubster99]

So i can have 215/35's aslong as the load rating is correct?

[Guest001]

So i can have 215/35's aslong as the load rating is correct?

Load and speed rating

[dubster99]

So wat tyre on a 18" rim can i have to have stretched tyres? Does it depend on the lip of the rim also?

[JustCruisn]

There are a few things to look out for.

The tyre size thats the 215/35 or 205/65 width/ratio
This will affect the actual circumference of the tyre. In your case the tyre will be 9.7% smaller. You speedo will read slower than actual, expect speeding tickets.

The other thing is the load and speed. Stock tyre might be 92Y. 92 being the load and Y the speed indicator. You must meet these 2.

[JustCruisn]

Stretch will come from fitting a narrow tyre to a wide rim. 205/50-18 will keep the speedo accurate and your 18 wheel is likely to be 1.5 inches wider than a stock 16 wheel. Wheels might be 16x6.5 vs 18x8 etc

[wai]

So i can have 215/35's aslong as the load rating is correct?

If the tyre is suitable for the rims (Tyre and Rim Standards), has the correct speed and load rating, it should be acceptable. The tyre placard sets the minimum requirements.

Now some inspection stations (where you have to have annual inspections) can ask for an engineers report if the tyres are not as indicated on the placard to cover themselves, however you simply need to show that the tyre is suitable for the rims and that they have the same or better load and/or speed rating.

[wai]

Just remember that there are also limits on the increase in width and offset. The wheels/tyres fitted must also see the bumpstop (suspension and steering) be the first thing that causes contact. The tyre is also not allowed to project past the bodywork (front wheels in the straight ahead position). You can use wheel arch extensions, however there is a limit on the increase in track. No part of the wheel/tyre shall contact the bodywork or anything else on the vehicle.

Your local registration authority should have a fact sheet on this.

[dylan8]

Why 215/35/18s? Underload rated, undersized.
You need like a 91, most I know my 215/35/18s are 84 which makes me cringe its so low for our cars
No point stretching a tyre on a stock fitting wheel, will look stupid.
I'd be doing a 225/40 or 215/40, but even then 215/40 will be underload rated

[Diesel_vert]

Hey guys so i was a friend at the rim shop on the weekend and the bloke took a look at my tyres and wasnt happy. I bought a set of 18" mk5 r32 reps a year ago and still had tyres on them. Anyways the tyre guy said they are illegal because of load rating? the tyres are 215/35 r18. is he right? He told me to go for 225/40 r18? Thinking i want a stretched tyre so would do you guys reccomend?

It's not about illegality per se (for instance, it's not illegal to fit 215/35 R18 tyres to a car) but it's about being roadworthy, and hence, safe.

This is what the rules in SA say:

The tyres fitted must be suitable for the rim. The tyre retailer should
have information about matching tyres and rims. Specifications for
overall tyre diameters are listed in the Tyre and Rim Association of
Australia Standards Manual.

The replacement tyres must have a load capacity not less than the
lowest load rating specified on the tyre placard.

The speed rating of the tyres fitted to a passenger vehicle must be
at least 180 km/h ('S') when the tyre placard requires a higher
speed rating than 'S'

Source: sa.gov.au - Vehicle standards and modifications


The tyre fitment with the smallest load index you are permitted to fit on a Golf Mk4 1.6 is 175/80 R14 88H, so you need to fit a tyre with a load index of at least 88 in order for your car to remain roadworthy (though a common option was to fit 195/65 R15 91H tyres from the factory).

For reference, the Golf Mk4 R32 was fitted with 225/40 R18 88Y tyres on 7.5 J x 18 ET 38 wheels.

Note that many cars which have properly stretched tyres are probably unroadworthy (tyres too narrow, wheels too wide, or both) which is something you essentially have to be comfortable with if you are into this.

Also note that if you don't specifically need your car to be roadworthy (e.g. only used for racing, stunt, display or show purposes, or driven on private roads, etc) then you are not required to adhere strictly to the above rules.