NeilR, some folks smarter than me helped a lot. Thank you all for your contributions.

 

I have these 16” wheels on mine. I was going to get 18s to improve the handling and style. But then I drove the car for a while and thought, ‘It’s the perfect balance between handling, performance and comfort. Why fix it if it ain’t broke?’

So sometime in the next week or two I too will take the advice here on tyre choice and get a new set of tyres for my original 16” five-spokes. All four wheels are in good nick but all four tyres have perished on the outer sidewalks. Sun damage, in the UK! Who would have thought it?

 

Apart from aesthetics, bigger wheels enable the application of shallower sidewalls which can help steering response. They usually go hand in hand with a wider tyre that can be a bit more stable under braking but the big hitter most people ignore is that the bigger wheel/tyre combination usually needs a higher-grade tyre because that is all that is available at the bigger sizes so we can't compare apples with apples but touring vs sports. A wider tyre doesn't necessarily give more grip. The weight on the tyre is the same, so it is the contact patch shape change that we notice, changing the handling characteristics, usually not for the better, with a narrower, more sudden transition between grip and slip.

A 225/55-16 tyre isn't exactly small and modern cars are in the main over-tyred. The problem that I think you might find is that many of the latest tyres aren't being produced in this size anymore: Of the models that I have seen good recent reviews only following are available in this size:

• Hankook Ventus Prime4 K135 FSL
• Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance
• MICHELIN Primacy 4 XL FSL
• Bridgestone Turanza T 005

The Hankook is the cheapest, most recent, performance wise as good or better than the others apart for some the eco characteristics. Hard to ignore: https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/...-Tyre-Test.htm

The slightly sportier models seem to only be available in bigger or more popular sizes.

 

I'm wondering why you seem to have deep knowledge of tyres. Perhaps you are in the trade. Anyway, our friend Sporton from Scotland is changing tyres but not wheels. Sensible. As for me, I like the aesthetics of the 18" Melbourne. I know I will get them eventually, so I decided not to torture myself for months until its 'justified'.

 

Yes, but the problem with lower profile tyres is the change in shock absorption. This leads to wheels being more prone to pothole damage and less comfort. If I wanted to go on track days, low profile would be the way to go, but for use as a regular driver 16” works fine for me. I even quite like the old-fashioned ‘more tyre, less wheel’ look on some classic style cars. It looks authentic.

 

No, not in the trade but quite regularly have to keep track of what to buy next (5 cars and 10 sets of tyres currently). Always been one to work objectively, read a lot, absorb information and compare what I buy with that information I collect. I like good stuff but I also like to not waste money. Also tyre purchases are always a bit tricky as personal tests are near impossible and historical data is fast out of date as new products hit the market. If I'm going to take third party recommendations, then I would rather it came from recent objective tests done by drivers who can string near identical laps on the limit all day than some blokes like me on the internet pottering around safely on public roads. We might not drive on the limit too often but the better tyre should provide a greater margin for error when something does go wrong. Also, the test results highlight any comparative weaknesses, helping us to be more aware when we might be approaching a limit.

I have been doing a lot of research lately as I wanted something new on the XKR. I was resigned to the ubiquitous and apparently all-round excellent Michelin PS4S even at their premium prices but the latest Continental Sport Contact 7 has started getting even better reviews, is comfortably cheaper and what swayed it for me was that the Contis kept getting mentioned as being particularly good in the response/handling/feel areas where as the Michelin is technically excellent but a bit less direct. I'm pleased with the Contis - they have transformed the feel of my XKR. Such a big jump in feel from a change of tyres (previously Dunlop), I've never experienced before.

In general, reviews of my purchases seem to match my experience, hence confirmation that the average of these sort of reviews is a reliable guide. A single test result might not be so convincing but is probably still better than "seems pretty good to me" comments from some users about pretty average tyres.