Tyre load rating, can someone please have a look?

[GHW]

Hi All,

I don't have access to my car atm. If someone could do me a favour and check the fuel lid for the minimum tyre rating on your R36 wagon I would be very appreciative.
I'm thinking VW has gone with some bizarre non-standard rating which means wheel/tyre upgrade isn't possible on this car

[Lance B]

Hi All,

I don't have access to my car atm. If someone could do me a favour and check the fuel lid for the minimum tyre rating on your R36 wagon I would be very appreciative.
I'm thinking VW has gone with some bizarre non-standard rating which means wheel/tyre upgrade isn't possible on this car

The Speed/Load rating is 95Y for the 18" rims.

Interestingly, the placard also states a rating for 17" rims and that is 94W.

I would suggest that you would need 95Y tyres if you want to get bigger diameter rims.

[GHW]

Thanks Lance, just had confirm from VW that this thing needs 95Y and I'm livid
I can't even go for a decent looking wheel and have to stick to the rubbish looking stockers because no tyre manufacturer makes a 95Y rated 19"
(no point in changing the 18's they're simply too small for this car and it's a waste of money) AAAARRRRGHHHH VW you suck!

[KWICKS]

What size do you need the tyre to be in 19"?

Pirelli has these 245/40ZR19 (98Y) PZERO CORSA DIREZIONALE as well as these 235/40ZR19 (96Y) P ZERO NERO and these in 20" 255/35ZR20 97Y PZERO DIREZIONALE

And that is just one website?

Trying Bridgestone, Bridgestone RE050 and I find these(255/40R19) 255 40 19 100Y and these RE050A's Bridgestone RE050A (245/40R19) 98Y

Falken Fk452 will be cheaper here in 245/35 ZR20 95Y XL and 245/40 ZR19 98Y XL

Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 comes in 245/40 ZR19 98Y here

[brad]

Kumho also do quite a few 19" sizes that are 95Y or greater.

More info please OP? I'm sure you aren't the only Passat owner that has legally gone to 19" rims.

[Lance B]

Thanks Lance, just had confirm from VW that this thing needs 95Y and I'm livid
I can't even go for a decent looking wheel and have to stick to the rubbish looking stockers because no tyre manufacturer makes a 95Y rated 19"
(no point in changing the 18's they're simply too small for this car and it's a waste of money) AAAARRRRGHHHH VW you suck!

Are you sure you're not getting confused in believing that you need *exactly* 95Y rather than the fact that you can use *anything above* 95Y, in otherwords, you can use 96Y, 97Y, 98Y etc. The speed/load rating must be *minimum* of 95Y, not *must be exactly* 95Y.

As other's have pointed out, there are a few tyres available that *are* 95Y and also some that are higher rated. The one's that I can see that should fit - hopefully without rubbing depending on the offset used - and have very similar circumference (for speedo accuracy) are the:
P ZERO NERO 235/40ZR19 (96Y)

[gead]

feel the c&i love...ghw, you owe vw an apology

[GHW]

No apology necessary,

I really appreciate the suggestions (and believe me, I've done the research)

All of the tyres mentioned take me outside the legal limit in Qld which is no more than +15mm.

To obtain the closest rolling dia it has to be a 235/35/19 95 (or above) a 40 profile puts me over or bigger width doesn't work out either due to the oddball load rated tyre VW chose e.g 255/30/19 is 16mm (1mm above legal and therefore illegal)

No manufacturer that anyone is aware of has a 19" with a equal to or better than 95Y rating / correct rolling dia combo and the vehicle was only adr'd with the 18's on it in mind, no upgrades (not even from VW, I asked - which is stupid as it defeats the purpose of them wanting to close out the possibility of aftermarket upgrades)

It appears my only option is to go a 20" rim with a 245/30ZR20 95Y to comply (9.8mm extra dia and correct complianced load rating)

[team_v]

I had a look on Carbonblack and i cannot find a 19" tyre with your required specs that has a rating over 95.

Your only other option it seems is to source some from overseas (tirerack.com) which will prove to be fairly similar in price as sourcing them here, or to go with the 20" option which will cost more for tyres and wheels and will compromise ride quality.

[Rocket36]

18 inch rims on the R36 are definitely big enough! You wouldn't want any less profile tyres than the stock 18's come with, unless you want to compromise handling. Lower profile = worse handling (unless you want lack of grip). If you want better handling, simply pump up the tyres to their higher load setting and spend the dollars on suspension modifications.

Unless all you want to go for is the looks associated with a bigger rim of course, because then handling doesn't matter. But even then, the 18's on the whole R range, R32, R36 and R50 all suit the car perfectly. If you don't like them or don't like the look, then don't buy the car to start with.

[Steve]

But even then, the 18's on the whole R range, R32, R36 and R50 all suit the car perfectly.

The R50 has twenty one inch wheels - they're HUGE!

[brad]

All of the tyres mentioned take me outside the legal limit in Qld which is no more than +15mm.

To obtain the closest rolling dia it has to be a 235/35/19 95 (or above) a 40 profile puts me over or bigger width doesn't work out either due to the oddball load rated tyre VW chose e.g 255/30/19 is 16mm (1mm above legal and therefore illegal)

OK, so are you basing your calculation of the diameter on the measured diameter of the tyre or on a calculation based on the nominal size written on the sidewall (235/35x19)?

As your next step, you need to find the tyres that are close (using calculation of nominal size) then get in touch with the manufacturer and find out the actual diameter. I have seen tyres of the same nominal size that have varied in diameter or width by 20mm (from different manufacturers.

Also, if the placard gives a 17" rim option with 94Y then you can go +2" on that & get away with a 94Y (which may be of no help whatsoever)

[Rocket36]

The R50 has twenty one inch wheels - they're HUGE!

Yup they are huge - but so is the profile. The rolling diameter is massive!

[GHW]

OK, so are you basing your calculation of the diameter on the measured diameter of the tyre or on a calculation based on the nominal size written on the sidewall (235/35x19)?

As your next step, you need to find the tyres that are close (using calculation of nominal size) then get in touch with the manufacturer and find out the actual diameter. I have seen tyres of the same nominal size that have varied in diameter or width by 20mm (from different manufacturers.

Also, if the placard gives a 17" rim option with 94Y then you can go +2" on that & get away with a 94Y (which may be of no help whatsoever)

No you're probably right, this could be of some help. I'm just not sure whether the Qld transport stipulation takes into account the differences from one manufacturer to another or just uses a chart as they differ heaps as you've said. If it's based on actual measurement I might still be o.k to find the "smallest" 255/35/19 I can? I'll keep looking into it as I don't really want 20's if I can avoid it, not the roads I travel on anyway.
Does anyone know anyone who's actually changed their factory wheels on an R36? (to anything bigger than 18's)

[GHW]

ooops, and in answer to original question, I phoned a number of retailers then confirmed with a metric conversion table on a website.