215/55R17, Tyre loads 94 vs 98XL load tyres?

[cirian75]

Should be picking up a Vitara on Saturday

Its on Conti EcoContact's 6 which is not a well regarded tyres.

Size is 215/55R17 with a 94 load rating

Now the choices at 94 are OK but limited

But when you go to 98XL load

Good sporty tyres like the Pilot Sport 5's are available

So wondering what are the issues of going to 98XL vs 94 as in tyre pleasures, ride and comfort.

[MustangGT]

Vitara and 'sporty' do not really go together.

Why not go for a good quality 4 season tyre?

[Huzzah]

My wife's carc is on continental eco contact 5s. Absolutely fine, I wouldn't be changing them unless they really needed it.

[Scrump]

I have heard that XL rated tyres with a higher load rating must have stiffer sidewalls and hence give a harsher ride. I have also heard that this is a load of rubbish.

Over the years I have changed tyres to/from XL load ratings and not noticed anything adverse, although in each case I changed to a different brand of tyre so not able to do a fair comparison.

If the tyres you want are only available in XL then get them would be my advice.

[cirian75]

Huzzah said:

My wife's carc is on continental eco contact 5s. Absolutely fine, I wouldn't be changing them unless they really needed it.

The EcoContact 6 is regarded as very poor in the wet and dangerous in aquaplaning

Hence my desire to change them.

The older 5 is a better tyre.

Edited by cirian75 on Tuesday 26th August 12:16

[mmm-five]

If aquaplaning resistance is that important, then the Continental AllSeasonContact 2 (or the Pirelli All Season SF3) has a 20kmh higher float speed than the Michelin PS5...but it really depends on exact sizes, as a 30 profile tyre may perform better/worse than a squidgy 55 profile tyre.





But to answer your question, there'll be no harm going to a higher load rating tyre...other than maybe comfort/acoustics.

Edited by mmm-five on Tuesday 26th August 12:41

[leef44]

cirian75 said:

Should be picking up a Vitara on Saturday

Its on Conti EcoContact's 6 which is not a well regarded tyres.

Size is 215/55R17 with a 94 load rating

Now the choices at 94 are OK but limited

But when you go to 98XL load

Good sporty tyres like the Pilot Sport 5's are available

So wondering what are the issues of going to 98XL vs 94 as in tyre pleasures, ride and comfort.

I have a Vitara. The ride is a bit bumpy so I wouldn't put XL tyres on them which have stiffer walls.

I put ContiPremium Contact 94V on mine and I wouldn't want the ride to be any bumpier. I've been using them for 3 years now and am happy with them.

Although I bought it from a Suzuki dealership who put new cheap tyres on them, I found the cheap tyres felt like the car was slipping on ice all the time so I replaced them straight away. The ContiPremium have been good in the wet.

[cirian75]

leef44 said:

cirian75 said:

Should be picking up a Vitara on Saturday

Its on Conti EcoContact's 6 which is not a well regarded tyres.

Size is 215/55R17 with a 94 load rating

Now the choices at 94 are OK but limited

But when you go to 98XL load

Good sporty tyres like the Pilot Sport 5's are available

So wondering what are the issues of going to 98XL vs 94 as in tyre pleasures, ride and comfort.

I have a Vitara. The ride is a bit bumpy so I wouldn't put XL tyres on them which have stiffer walls.

I put ContiPremium Contact 94V on mine and I wouldn't want the ride to be any bumpier. I've been using them for 3 years now and am happy with them.

Although I bought it from a Suzuki dealership who put new cheap tyres on them, I found the cheap tyres felt like the car was slipping on ice all the time so I replaced them straight away. The ContiPremium have been good in the wet.

Which version? 7 seems to be latest

[leef44]

cirian75 said:

leef44 said:

cirian75 said:

Should be picking up a Vitara on Saturday

Its on Conti EcoContact's 6 which is not a well regarded tyres.

Size is 215/55R17 with a 94 load rating

Now the choices at 94 are OK but limited

But when you go to 98XL load

Good sporty tyres like the Pilot Sport 5's are available

So wondering what are the issues of going to 98XL vs 94 as in tyre pleasures, ride and comfort.

I have a Vitara. The ride is a bit bumpy so I wouldn't put XL tyres on them which have stiffer walls.

I put ContiPremium Contact 94V on mine and I wouldn't want the ride to be any bumpier. I've been using them for 3 years now and am happy with them.

Although I bought it from a Suzuki dealership who put new cheap tyres on them, I found the cheap tyres felt like the car was slipping on ice all the time so I replaced them straight away. The ContiPremium have been good in the wet.

Which version? 7 seems to be latest

Conti6

[cirian75]

Well MOT advisory makes it plain is new black round things time.

Still debating

Continental Premium contact 7 in the official spec of 215/55R17 94V

Or the higher speed and load rated

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 in 215/55R17 98Y XL

And yes, I do drive cars that are not meant to be sporty, in a fastish manner., its part of the fun.

[stevieturbo]

I would prefer the PS5...

However, I do have Premium Contact's that I use on one of my VX220, and to be fair they are pretty damn good for a tyre that claims nothing sporty in the name. I've 6's at the front and 7's at the rear, but that's only because they did not do 7's in the size I needed at the front.

Older video with the 6 and PS5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqXQgBdqVqI

7, albeit against different tyres

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiHP5kpoooU

When they're done or at some point I'll probably get some Michelins though if sizes permit.

[Smint]

Interesting from the two charts above that all season tyres perform better in straight aquaplaning tests than standard summer tyres, as anyone who looks at the typical tread patterns would have thought, modern summer tyres have treads which are more or less straight grooves around the circumference with nowhere for water to be dispersed sideways.

I'd always run all seasons where possible, our Forester XT runs the same size with the Vredestein Quatrac Pros on it have performed as all previous versions of Quatrac on previous family cars, without fault and really quiet.