Having buyers remorse about 235/45ZR-17 tires, need some answers quick!

[dankykev04]

Hi everyone, I'm pretty new to this forum. I have a 2004 325Ci sport pkg and it came with the contisport 225/45R17s. I recently blew the entire back right tire, the whole sidewall basically exploded after 15,000 miles, not too good. So I went to buy new tires, and kinda got suckered into buying 235/45ZR-17 Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s. The guy said the PS2s are the best tires they have on the market and that the 235s are wider and more beefy looking. I totally overlooked the fact that the sidewall ratio was the same therefore the tire is noticeably bigger now. My car sits about 1/4-1/2 of an inch higher and I don't know if I like it.

Does anybody know the advantages to having the 235/45ZR-17's instead of the stock 225s? It does fill in the fenders a little more, but I can't help feeling like I downgraded the car. Somebody help me out and tell me I'm just paranoid and I made the right decision!!!

Kevin.

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

The only advantage is that you travel go further per mile registered on your odometer.

Otherwise, steering response is worse than it should be, acceleration is slower than it should be, and braking is likewise affected.

Would I worry about it? No. Was it dumb of you not to pay ANY attention? Extremely so.

[Andy]

Well, the good news is… is that the PS2s are a great tire!! They are awesome in the dry and they perform extremely well in the rain. They are 10x better then your old Contis.

The bad news is… yes, the tires are a bit taller, which will not only look odd, but will also change your gearing a bit, which will result in slower acceleration and the speedometer will be off slightly. If you can live with that until the tires wear out, I say do that, and then make sure you get the correct tire size on your next purchase.

However, it were me, I’d put the tires up for sale on eBay and try to recoop as much money back out of them as you can, and then purchase a nice set of 245/40/17 PS2s (or whichever tire size/brand you’d prefer… that fit, of course ;) ). … but then again, I’m extremely anal about my tires, so I may not be the best one to answer your question.

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

Well, the good news is… is that the PS2s are a great tire!! They are awesome in the dry and they perform extremely well in the rain. They are 10x better then your old Contis.

The bad news is… yes, the tires are a bit taller, which will not only look odd, but will also change your gearing a bit, which will result in slower acceleration and the speedometer will be off slightly. If you can live with that until the tires wear out, I say do that, and then make sure you get the correct tire size on your next purchase.

However, it were me, I’d put the tires up for sale on eBay and try to recoop as much money back out of them as you can, and then purchase a nice set of 245/40/17 PS2s (or whichever tire size/brand you’d prefer… that fit, of course ;) ). … but then again, I’m extremely anal about my tires, so I may not be the best one to answer your question.
Andy, even I wouldn't do that, and I go through tires even faster than you do.

[James]

well, i thank you for all the advice, but you've all officially made me feel even worse about this purchase. im 18 years old and barely able to afford these tires and just spent over half of my college tuition bank acct for this. i just purchased the tire yesterday, is there any way i could take them back and demand that I was sold something that I didnt know I was buying? Im just as obsessive abt my tires as the next guy, I really just didnt know they were going to be so much bigger. This kinda sucks
I think taking them back isn't much of an option since you'd have to get them unmounted and new tires remounted, though the eBay idea isn't bad if it REALLY bothers you.

I don't think it's THAT big of a deal. So you messed something up, lesson learned. Keep the tires as they are for the life of the tire and then try not to make the same mistake twice.

Buyers remorce is a bitch, but as far as mistakes go it could have been a lot worse. Some minor irritation until they wear out in a year or so. Don't sweat it man.

James.

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

depends on where you bought them.

many reputable tire shops will honor a 30 day/500 or so mile satisfaction guarantee from the manufacturer. and it was sill of you to spend $1100 on a set of tires you could barely afford. There are plenty of MUCH cheaper alternatives that offer 95% of what you get with the PS2. They're the best street tires, but that doesn't mean you should compromise your fiscal position for them.

[dankykev04]

will having the BEST tires even do any good now that my car is slower and less responsive with those massive beasts on there? i mean the main point is that i spent alot of money and now its not really worth the extra money if it made my car worse, ya know?

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

you'd get aroudn a track faster with those than you would with the Contis.

[James]

will having the BEST tires even do any good now that my car is slower and less responsive with those massive beasts on there? i mean the main point is that i spent alot of money and now its not really worth the extra money if it made my car worse, ya know?
I would take Nick325's advice and check on the return policy. If they are willing to deal then it's all a moot point and you can put this nightmare behind you :thumbup:.

James.

[wag-zhp]

Kevin, I would also recommend that you go back to where you bought them and ask to have them replaced with the correct size. You should expect to pay any difference in price and possibly even have to pay for the mount and balance, but a good shop should only charge for a more expensive tire. If the shop is unwilling to work with you, I would just live with the tires and caulk it up as a learning experience. The difference in diameter isn't huge, and the sidewall flex should only be a little noticeable. However, the PS2 is a much better tire than the one you replaced, and even with the incorrect fitment, it should offer far superior performance.

[Scotes]

I agree with checking with the shop that you bought them from to see if they will exchange them for the correct size. If we're talking a couple of days I think they would do so but I would not go the route of saying "because they look ugly" but that they are the wrong size for the car. Depending on how long you've had them on the car if they said no you -could- be a #$% about it and complain to the BBB claiming they misled you and sold you the wrong size tire for your car.

[Elwood]

The difference in sizes isn't _that_ big. 25.3"dia vs 25"dia stock. That's a ride height of +0.15. Circumference difference of only 1.4%. Granted most alternate tire sizes go smaller, not bigger.

http://www.powerdog.com/tiresize.cgi (http://www.powerdog.com/tiresize.cgi)

[dankykev04]

well you'll all be happy to know that i replaced the tires with stock sized 225/45/17 PS2s and it was actually 75 bucks cheaper. Discount Tire understood why I didnt want the bigger ones and they did it at no extra charge for me. NIGHTMARE OVER TIME TO RIP UP THE TRACK WITH THESE PS2s!!!!!!

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

Congrats!

[Scotes]

:thumbup:

[Elwood]

well you'll all be happy to know that i replaced the tires with stock sized 225/45/17 PS2s and it was actually 75 bucks cheaper. Discount Tire understood why I didnt want the bigger ones and they did it at no extra charge for me. NIGHTMARE OVER TIME TO RIP UP THE TRACK WITH THESE PS2s!!!!!!
Could have got 235/40r17 for the track! :eek:



**patiently waits for Andy to tell him 285/xxxxx will fit for track use** :p

[Kaz]

The difference in sizes isn't _that_ big. 25.3"dia vs 25"dia stock. That's a ride height of +0.15. Circumference difference of only 1.4%. Granted most alternate tire sizes go smaller, not bigger.

http://www.powerdog.com/tiresize.cgi (http://www.powerdog.com/tiresize.cgi)

I agree. My 235/40/18s are even taller.

[James]

well you'll all be happy to know that i replaced the tires with stock sized 225/45/17 PS2s and it was actually 75 bucks cheaper. Discount Tire understood why I didnt want the bigger ones and they did it at no extra charge for me. NIGHTMARE OVER TIME TO RIP UP THE TRACK WITH THESE PS2s!!!!!!
Glad it worked out for ya man. :D

James.

[Andy]

**patiently waits for Andy to tell him 285/xxxxx will fit for track use** :p
:rofl: ;)


Kevin,
I'm glad to hear you got all that straightened out!! :thumbup:

For future reference (and maybe for your next set)… 245/40/17s will fit all the way around and IMO is the optimal 17” tire size for our cars. If you plan to track your car a lot, you may want to think about a set of those for your next set. …just be ready to shell out the $$$. :)

[dankykev04]

thanks for all the advice everyone! andy thanks for the info on the 245/40s, as of now i am SUPERBLY impressed with the 225/45/17 PS2s but on my next set, which will probably be in about 8-10 months since i drive the absolute crap out of my car, im hopefully going to be getting 19" rims along with it, any reccomendations for 19s all the way around? i was thinking staggered and maybe something like a 255/40/19 in the back and then maybe a 245/40/19 in the front. are those the best sizes?

[Andy]

thanks for all the advice everyone! andy thanks for the info on the 245/40s, as of now i am SUPERBLY impressed with the 225/45/17 PS2s but on my next set, which will probably be in about 8-10 months since i drive the absolute crap out of my car, im hopefully going to be getting 19" rims along with it, any reccomendations for 19s all the way around? i was thinking staggered and maybe something like a 255/40/19 in the back and then maybe a 245/40/19 in the front. are those the best sizes?

Kevin, you REALLY need to pay attention to tire sizes or you’re going to get yourself in the same mess you were just in. Do you realize that 255/40/19s or 245/40/19s are WAAAAAAAY too tall for your car. They’re over an inch taller then the last set you had problems with. I would first recommend that you study tire sizes and learn how the size affects the height, then learn the correct tire height range for your car (which is 24.7” to 25.2”). Either that or just stick with OEM tire sizes.

Start here…
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=Michelin&model=Pilot+Sport+PS2

If you’re looking for performance then you want to stick with either 17” or 18” wheels. 19” wheels are pure bling and waaaay too heavy, you’re going to hurt your performance (acceleration, braking and handling). Remember lighter is better.

[dankykev04]

if i were to get 19s, i would look no further than DINAN. your right, those other tires would be way to big for my car haha thanks for lettin me know. i just think the 17 sport rims are a little wimpy.