Should my Passat CC have different size tyres? so confused!
Should my Passat CC have different size tyres? so confused!
Author
Discussion

kingimi

Original Poster:

22 posts

122 months

Saturday 16th June 2018
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Hi everyone, hope somebody can help.

I purchased a VW Passat CC 2009, 2 weeks ago from a independent car dealer. It has 54k mileage and also has all the spec I needed. The only issue I have had with it was it was pulling to the left as soon as I got on the motorway. Due to work I could not take the car back to them until a week later and by then it was pulling much stronger than before. To cut a long story short they did the tracking for me, but a few days later it was pulling again so I opted to take it to a garage of my choice. They concluded there wasn't any suspension or Axel issues with the car and the previous alignment was just not done correctly on rear wheels. After having the adjustments done, I drove on the motorway and even though the car was much better, it is still pulling to the left.

After eliminating tracking and suspension issues out the only thing I suspect is the tyres and I am hoping somebody can help.

The tyres are as follows
Front offside Contisport 235/40r18 - decent amount of tread left
Front nearside Continental 235/40r18 - decent tread left
Rear offside Bridgestone 245/18 - decent to low tread
Rear nearside Random budget name 245/18 decent to low tread

The thing I don't understand is should the tyre sizes be different? and could this be causing the pulling?
Also with 4 completely different tyre brands and tread patterns, could this be causing the pulling?

Thanks in advance for any help or advice it will be appreciated.

I just don't want to risk spending £300-£400 on brand new tyres on the car if they are not the issue.
Thanks again.

randomeddy

1,631 posts

167 months

Sunday 17th June 2018
quotequote all
How bad is it pulling to the left? Don't all cars have this built in just in case the driver falls asleep.

kingimi

Original Poster:

22 posts

122 months

Sunday 17th June 2018
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It is definitely pulling more than it is supposed to.

Drive Blind

5,783 posts

207 months

Sunday 17th June 2018
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no idea if the tyre sizes should be the same or different,

but yes, in my experience getting a car mixed with different brands, tread depths and unknown history can cause the issues you are experiencing.

I would find out what size they should be first.
Do you have the handbook?
Are sizes and pressures detailed inside the fuel flap?
Any for sale on autotrader with good detail pics showing tyre sizes ?


silentbrown

10,958 posts

146 months

Sunday 17th June 2018
quotequote all
235/40 18" sounds the right size for front and back.

245/40 or 245/35 would probably be fine on the back, but would likely count as a modification for insurance purposes.

Mismatched tyre sizes front to back wouldn't cause the pulling, (but I'd look to get them changed soon, particularly if you have a chinese ditchfinder fitted on one side)



Tall_Blk

377 posts

221 months

Sunday 17th June 2018
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No.

I’ve own two of these including my current drive and all tyres should be the same size. This includes the full siize spare tyre

Jaybmw

325 posts

111 months

Sunday 17th June 2018
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Is the car lowered? Even a smidge ? Tramlining is a bh on some cars

kingimi

Original Poster:

22 posts

122 months

Monday 18th June 2018
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Thanks guys and no it hasn't been lowered. Getting tyres changed today and will keep you updated.

kingimi

Original Poster:

22 posts

122 months

Monday 18th June 2018
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Thanks guys and no it hasn't been lowered. Getting tyres changed today and will keep you updated.

catso

16,505 posts

297 months

Monday 18th June 2018
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Seems a bit odd that a front wheel drive car would have wider rears? Even if it's 4wd I doubt it would be of any use - my S4 has the same size front & rear tyres and I would think only a powerful RWD car should (maybe) have such a setup.

Drive Blind

5,783 posts

207 months

Monday 18th June 2018
quotequote all
seems either the dealer or the previous owner didn't want to spend money on it so just stuck on any old tyres they could find

kingimi

Original Poster:

22 posts

122 months

Monday 18th June 2018
quotequote all
Yep this is what looks to be the case but since I have mentioned the issue to the dealer they have been very keen to get it sorted for me so they are paying for the replacement tyres today.

Drive Blind

5,783 posts

207 months

Monday 18th June 2018
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result thumbup

kingimi

Original Poster:

22 posts

122 months

Tuesday 19th June 2018
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Thanks for responding people you have all been a great help and hopefully this post will help anyone else facing similar problems. The car feels a lot better and is now quiet straight, can't say its 100% perfect but it is good enough not to notice any pull without really trying to look for it. The problem was solved by changing the 2 rear tyres to brand new ones. Fingers crossed it will be ok for atleast a while now.

Kell

1,708 posts

238 months

Wednesday 20th June 2018
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Pleased you've got this sorted, but am surprised that it made such a difference on the rears.

When I was younger, I had a front tyre changed on my then car (XR2). It seemed kind of fine, under normal driving, but under hard acceleration it would pull one way, and under braking would pull dramatically the other way.

I've since always put new tyres on the rear of a car (best practice anyway) and always replaced them in matched pairs if if meant the wear was too uneven.