OEM tyre is stretched as designed?
Discussion
My father visited me a while ago and as soon as I saw his car I said “wtf is up with your rear tyres”? They were basically “stretched” across the rim as per the “style” where people put an under width tyre on a rim. The sidewalls visibly angle inwards, leaving the rim very exposed:
He explained to me that he bought a couple of new tyres recently for the rears. He used to have Michelin CrossClimate 2 tyres all round, but the version 2 tyres had been superseded by the V3 tyre. BlackCircles, who he bought the from, said the V3 were the direct replacement for the V2.
There is a MASSIVE difference between how the 2 versions sit on the alloys. The V2 look perfectly normal, but the V3 are visibly narrower.
At this point I’m sure you’re thinking he’s bought the wrong tyres. That’s what I assumed. We then undertook a big check just to make sure everything was correct. You’ll have to take my word for it that the alloys are all the same size, designed for 235/35 R20. That’s what all the tyres are marked as.
Since he’s gone back home he’s had the front and rear tyres off and put a tape measure across them:
CrossClimate V2, width of the tread is pretty much 225mm as expected:
CrossClimate V3, hard to place the measure on the tread because it’s so rounded. My dad overhung the left edge by about 20mm, the comparable width of the tread is about 190-195mm:
The V3 tyres just look completely wrong on the alloy. I can’t believe that something marked 225 comes up a minimum of 30mm short on the actual width. The contact on the rim edge looks like it might break free under hard loads/cornering. It’s on a Jag XF which must be more than 2 tons and my dad goes to Europe regularly where he drives “briskly”.
He contacted the garage who fitted them on behalf of BlackCircles. They said they just fitted the tyres delivered by BlackCircles, nothing to do with them.
He’s contacted BlackCircles, who’ve responded with a non-answer just describing what the tyre measurements mean, that there can be variations between even notionally similar tyres, and they think everything is ok.
He’s contacted Michelin, but no response so far. The pictures of the V3 on their website look nothing like the ones on his car, the website pictures look like the tyre width matches the alloy width.
He doesn’t want to drive on these tyres. My take is to pressurise Michelin to pass comment whether the think the tyres are correct or not. If no response, or if they think they’re ok, then maybe pursue BlackCircles for something not sold as described?
I can’t believe a tyre sold and marked as 225 can be so much narrower such that it looks as if it has to be stretched to fit a same size alloy?
Or am I wrong?
He explained to me that he bought a couple of new tyres recently for the rears. He used to have Michelin CrossClimate 2 tyres all round, but the version 2 tyres had been superseded by the V3 tyre. BlackCircles, who he bought the from, said the V3 were the direct replacement for the V2.
There is a MASSIVE difference between how the 2 versions sit on the alloys. The V2 look perfectly normal, but the V3 are visibly narrower.
At this point I’m sure you’re thinking he’s bought the wrong tyres. That’s what I assumed. We then undertook a big check just to make sure everything was correct. You’ll have to take my word for it that the alloys are all the same size, designed for 235/35 R20. That’s what all the tyres are marked as.
Since he’s gone back home he’s had the front and rear tyres off and put a tape measure across them:
CrossClimate V2, width of the tread is pretty much 225mm as expected:
CrossClimate V3, hard to place the measure on the tread because it’s so rounded. My dad overhung the left edge by about 20mm, the comparable width of the tread is about 190-195mm:
The V3 tyres just look completely wrong on the alloy. I can’t believe that something marked 225 comes up a minimum of 30mm short on the actual width. The contact on the rim edge looks like it might break free under hard loads/cornering. It’s on a Jag XF which must be more than 2 tons and my dad goes to Europe regularly where he drives “briskly”.
He contacted the garage who fitted them on behalf of BlackCircles. They said they just fitted the tyres delivered by BlackCircles, nothing to do with them.
He’s contacted BlackCircles, who’ve responded with a non-answer just describing what the tyre measurements mean, that there can be variations between even notionally similar tyres, and they think everything is ok.
He’s contacted Michelin, but no response so far. The pictures of the V3 on their website look nothing like the ones on his car, the website pictures look like the tyre width matches the alloy width.
He doesn’t want to drive on these tyres. My take is to pressurise Michelin to pass comment whether the think the tyres are correct or not. If no response, or if they think they’re ok, then maybe pursue BlackCircles for something not sold as described?
I can’t believe a tyre sold and marked as 225 can be so much narrower such that it looks as if it has to be stretched to fit a same size alloy?
Or am I wrong?
This thread gets itself into a bit of tizzy about warranty, but the pictures look similar https://z4-forum.com/threads/michelin-crossclimate...
They look ridiculous. 
I wouldn't want to drive on them, certainly not on a spirited Euro trip!
I remember reading this thread a while ago, so it looks like it is a common problem with CC3s.
https://z4-forum.com/threads/michelin-crossclimate...
I wouldn't want to drive on them, certainly not on a spirited Euro trip!
I remember reading this thread a while ago, so it looks like it is a common problem with CC3s.
https://z4-forum.com/threads/michelin-crossclimate...
Your dad’s got the wrong size tyre on. Factory fit for an XF on 20s is 255/35/20.
No wonder they look stretched.
I suspect that this car is not owned from new and that at some point someone fitted the narrower tyre for some reason, maybe money. The new V3 is built with difference rubber compounds so doesn’t stretch as well or some other reason
Get the right size tyres for it please.
No wonder they look stretched.
I suspect that this car is not owned from new and that at some point someone fitted the narrower tyre for some reason, maybe money. The new V3 is built with difference rubber compounds so doesn’t stretch as well or some other reason
Get the right size tyres for it please.
Mr Tidy said:
They look ridiculous.
I wouldn't want to drive on them, certainly not on a spirited Euro trip!
I remember reading this thread a while ago, so it looks like it is a common problem with CC3s.
https://z4-forum.com/threads/michelin-crossclimate...
Thanks to you and Sheepshanks for posting this. Looks like it’s a common issue, but doesn’t look like Michelin think it’s a problem!?I wouldn't want to drive on them, certainly not on a spirited Euro trip!
I remember reading this thread a while ago, so it looks like it is a common problem with CC3s.
https://z4-forum.com/threads/michelin-crossclimate...
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
Your dad s got the wrong size tyre on. Factory fit for an XF on 20s is 255/35/20.
No wonder they look stretched.
I suspect that this car is not owned from new and that at some point someone fitted the narrower tyre for some reason, maybe money. The new V3 is built with difference rubber compounds so doesn t stretch as well or some other reason
Get the right size tyres for it please.
Sorry, I mistyped. They are indeed 255/35 R20.No wonder they look stretched.
I suspect that this car is not owned from new and that at some point someone fitted the narrower tyre for some reason, maybe money. The new V3 is built with difference rubber compounds so doesn t stretch as well or some other reason
Get the right size tyres for it please.
The CrossClimate V3 is a completely different tyre from the V2 apparently, different structure, compound and widths by the looks of it.
On the thread I posted, someone says "According to the data on TireRack the tread width of their 275/35r19 CrossClimate 3 is 8.8" (about 224mm)."
So the 235 being 190ish sounds similar.
I can't find that data on TireRack.
ETA - for 255, an actual of 195 seems too low. But they might not measure t flat across the tread.
So the 235 being 190ish sounds similar.
I can't find that data on TireRack.
ETA - for 255, an actual of 195 seems too low. But they might not measure t flat across the tread.
Edited by Sheepshanks on Saturday 29th August 22:31
Pica-Pica said:
OP. Best check the wheel rim width that the tyre is sitting on. That is probably where the mismatch is.
My bad. Everything is 255 not 225 as I stated. Correct tyre for the alloy. As per the linked thread above, looks like it’s a common issue. Not sure what the resolution is…PhilboSE said:
My father visited me a while ago and as soon as I saw his car I said wtf is up with your rear tyres ? They were basically stretched across the rim as per the style where people put an under width tyre on a rim. The sidewalls visibly angle inwards, leaving the rim very exposed:
He explained to me that he bought a couple of new tyres recently for the rears. He used to have Michelin CrossClimate 2 tyres all round, but the version 2 tyres had been superseded by the V3 tyre. BlackCircles, who he bought the from, said the V3 were the direct replacement for the V2.
There is a MASSIVE difference between how the 2 versions sit on the alloys. The V2 look perfectly normal, but the V3 are visibly narrower.
At this point I m sure you re thinking he s bought the wrong tyres. That s what I assumed. We then undertook a big check just to make sure everything was correct. You ll have to take my word for it that the alloys are all the same size, designed for 235/35 R20. That s what all the tyres are marked as.
Since he s gone back home he s had the front and rear tyres off and put a tape measure across them:
CrossClimate V2, width of the tread is pretty much 225mm as expected:
The V3 tyres just look completely wrong on the alloy. I can t believe that something marked 225 comes up a minimum of 30mm short on the actual width. The contact on the rim edge looks like it might break free under hard loads/cornering. It s on a Jag XF which must be more than 2 tons and my dad goes to Europe regularly where he drives briskly .
He contacted the garage who fitted them on behalf of BlackCircles. They said they just fitted the tyres delivered by BlackCircles, nothing to do with them.
He s contacted BlackCircles, who ve responded with a non-answer just describing what the tyre measurements mean, that there can be variations between even notionally similar tyres, and they think everything is ok.
He s contacted Michelin, but no response so far. The pictures of the V3 on their website look nothing like the ones on his car, the website pictures look like the tyre width matches the alloy width.
He doesn t want to drive on these tyres. My take is to pressurise Michelin to pass comment whether the think the tyres are correct or not. If no response, or if they think they re ok, then maybe pursue BlackCircles for something not sold as described?
I can t believe a tyre sold and marked as 225 can be so much narrower such that it looks as if it has to be stretched to fit a same size alloy?
Or am I wrong?
He explained to me that he bought a couple of new tyres recently for the rears. He used to have Michelin CrossClimate 2 tyres all round, but the version 2 tyres had been superseded by the V3 tyre. BlackCircles, who he bought the from, said the V3 were the direct replacement for the V2.
There is a MASSIVE difference between how the 2 versions sit on the alloys. The V2 look perfectly normal, but the V3 are visibly narrower.
At this point I m sure you re thinking he s bought the wrong tyres. That s what I assumed. We then undertook a big check just to make sure everything was correct. You ll have to take my word for it that the alloys are all the same size, designed for 235/35 R20. That s what all the tyres are marked as.
Since he s gone back home he s had the front and rear tyres off and put a tape measure across them:
CrossClimate V2, width of the tread is pretty much 225mm as expected:
The V3 tyres just look completely wrong on the alloy. I can t believe that something marked 225 comes up a minimum of 30mm short on the actual width. The contact on the rim edge looks like it might break free under hard loads/cornering. It s on a Jag XF which must be more than 2 tons and my dad goes to Europe regularly where he drives briskly .
He contacted the garage who fitted them on behalf of BlackCircles. They said they just fitted the tyres delivered by BlackCircles, nothing to do with them.
He s contacted BlackCircles, who ve responded with a non-answer just describing what the tyre measurements mean, that there can be variations between even notionally similar tyres, and they think everything is ok.
He s contacted Michelin, but no response so far. The pictures of the V3 on their website look nothing like the ones on his car, the website pictures look like the tyre width matches the alloy width.
He doesn t want to drive on these tyres. My take is to pressurise Michelin to pass comment whether the think the tyres are correct or not. If no response, or if they think they re ok, then maybe pursue BlackCircles for something not sold as described?
I can t believe a tyre sold and marked as 225 can be so much narrower such that it looks as if it has to be stretched to fit a same size alloy?
Or am I wrong?
PhilboSE said:
Sorry, I mistyped. They are indeed 255/35 R20.
The CrossClimate V3 is a completely different tyre from the V2 apparently, different structure, compound and widths by the looks of it.
You've claimed they're 3 different sizes now. At this point how certain can you be that the correct tyre was asked for?The CrossClimate V3 is a completely different tyre from the V2 apparently, different structure, compound and widths by the looks of it.
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
Do you understand what extra load means?
Yes. All it means is that the tyre can support a higher load at a higher pressure.
Extra load is common on 2+ ton cars, and these are inflated to standard pressure. AFAIK these tyres didn’t come with instructions to inflate them beyond standard.
What do you think extra load means in the context of these tyres?
Richard-D said:
You've claimed they're 3 different sizes now. At this point how certain can you be that the correct tyre was asked for?
Because I’m typing a post with a lot of numbers on a phone, originally misremembered the 255 vs 225 when typing, and fat fingered the 235. You’ll have to take my word for it that everything is 255, ordered, delivered and fitted.
I originally accused my father of getting the wrong tyres, he got cross with me and told me very clearly what the rim sizes are and what the tyres are. They all match, 255.
PhilboSE said:
Yes.
All it means is that the tyre can support a higher load at a higher pressure.
Extra load is common on 2+ ton cars, and these are inflated to standard pressure. AFAIK these tyres didn t come with instructions to inflate them beyond standard.
What do you think extra load means in the context of these tyres?
The issue is whether XL tyres are correct for your car. XL means the tyre wall is stiffer so that might be why the tyre isn’t stretching like you want it toAll it means is that the tyre can support a higher load at a higher pressure.
Extra load is common on 2+ ton cars, and these are inflated to standard pressure. AFAIK these tyres didn t come with instructions to inflate them beyond standard.
What do you think extra load means in the context of these tyres?
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
Do you understand what extra load means?
As an owner of big sports cars with high performance tyres I these days find almost all tyres in the correct size are in fact XL tyres, engineered for SUVs, although there don't seem to be "non-XL" equivalents available to buy. XL tyres certainly work on a sports car, although the sidewalls are a bit stiff regarding ride quality.I had grown up believing the "load rating" figure on a tyre was significant, such as 88 or 91, and that tyres were correct so long as they equalled or exceeded the OEM tyre figure.
And now I find there are two aspects of how a tyre is described.
XL being about Extra Load and meaning the tire has stronger internal cords and thicker sidewalls to allow for higher inflation pressures on hefty vehicles.
Load Rating separately identifies the maximum weight to be carried by that tyre.
I was surprised to find RF doesn't mean Run-Flat but means Reinforced, so apparently the same as XL. It just happens that my run-flats were marked RF.
Regarding the tyres in this thread, the width of 235 or whatever is sidewall to sidewall but doesn't say anything about the actual width of the tread. What I really don't understand is how that tyre looks so wrong on the wheel. Is the rim protector much smaller or something?
Edited by Panamax on Saturday 29th August 22:58
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
The issue is whether XL tyres are correct for your car. XL means the tyre wall is stiffer so that might be why the tyre isn t stretching like you want it to
It’s not my car. It’s my dad’s. Google says a Jag XF should have XL tyres.He doesn’t want the tyres stretched! He wants them to look normal. However it’s becoming increasingly apparent that this may be as Michelin design them. Which seems wrong.
Panamax said:
What I really don't understand is how that tyre looks so wrong on the wheel. Is the rim protector much smaller or something?
The rim protector on the tyre is very small, but what there is, is pulled way inside the rim because the tyre is so narrow, so much so that the rim is entirely exposed.Edited by Panamax on Saturday 29th August 22:58
The CrossClimate V2s are way better in that regard, and look “normal”.
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