Can somebody please tell me the correct speed rating for Royal Lounge tyres. I have been told in the past that they should be T rated but my local tyre fitter said that they seem unsuitable for a Townie and that they should be at least H rated. Also I am currently running on 195/70x14 but I want to go wider. What are the widdest tyres that I can fit? Will 215/60x14 be ok?

- (#10521) Bill, 14 Sep 03 9:12

The 2WDs are rated only for 195's.
Of course you can fit wider, but why do you want to?
I would imagine that 215's would fit on the rims - I had 205's on 13x5J rims once (different car - standard was 155!), and I think these are 6J rims so they should fit!?
The wider tyres won't give you any real advantage, but will stress the steering a bit, may make it a bit heavier. The lower profile will be less absorbent and therefore a rougher ride - some people already complain about that!


As to the rating, it should be on a sticker which is usually on the inside of the driver's door frame - In Aus this sticker MUST be put on for the vehicle to be complianced, but that may not be the same in the UK.
Mine is a 4X4 so won't be relevant.

One other thing to keep in mind is that fitting non spec tyres can affect your insurance - check with them before you do it.

Dave.

- (#10522) Dave W, 14 Sep 03 20:34

Hi Bill
The tyres fitted to my Royal Lounge are 205/70R14 93H. At the spring 2003 Ace jam, I looked at other tyres and found that of the ten or so buses there, nearly all of them had different sized tyres.

The most crucial factor for Townace tyres is the load index rather than speed index. You will need a load index of 93-95 at least, because of the weight on each front wheel. Speed rating T or H will do the job. T rating has a maximum speed of 118 MPH, whilst the H rating has a maximum speed of 130 MPH.
Unless you have a very long downhill run with a fierce tail wind, and nerves of steal, you probably wont get near either maximum speed. Check out this web site. It contains details of load index numbers and speed ratings. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/general/speed.htm

As for changing the size of the tyre, go to this page, it will tell you what difference the new tyre will have on your speedometer readings.
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

Hope that helps
dave Bright (Bournemouth)

- (#10523) dave Bright, 15 Sep 03 2:21