Tires - 1st week on 235/45/18 - would 245/45/18's fit?

Not enjoying the ride on my 2012 SEL with 300 miles on it. every bounce/crack/bump/crevice is a horrible driving experience behind the wheel

It has the Bridgestone Turanza EL400's on it.

By going up to a 245 this would gain me more sidewall/better ride.. but the question I have is - would it fit??? and If I move up, I would be looking at a different tire.

OR

Would going down to 17"s be a good idea?? Thoughts? Thanks

It will fit as long as the rim is wide enough I think. Theoretically both should fit on the same width wheel. However it isn't much of a change.

It's about a half inch in height or a quarter inch in sidewall. Is that going to do anything? FWIW, I had Turanza EL's on an old Altima, crappy tires. Better than the stock 17 tires though, lord how they are loud on rough surfaces.

You'll get a better ride by lowering tire pressure by 4psi than changing the size by that amount and using the same tire.

Tire tread and compound will affect the ride far more than size and pressure. Get a good tire in stock size. I like Tirerack's user review ratings as a general guideline. The EL400 is 4.7, Hankook 5.0. I'd try the Conti DWS, General G-max AS-03, or Kumho Ecsta 4X as good values with top performance and comfort. If you feel better, Michelin has a couple good (expensive) tires as well.

I'll trade ya!!!

But that is my plan also...

TDIMikeMN said:

Not enjoying the ride on my 2012 SEL with 300 miles on it. every bounce/crack/bump/crevice is a horrible driving experience behind the wheel
It has the Bridgestone Turanza EL400's on it.

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Have you checked the tire pressures? When we took delivery of our SEL (same Turanza tires) I had much the same reaction. Turned out the tire pressures were all about 38psi. Lowered them all to 33psi as recommended and the ride improved hugely.
At the correct tire pressure I really don't think the Passat has a poor ride; in fact far from it!

skip Hankook! They are noisy and harsh.

TomB said:

skip Hankook! They are noisy and harsh.

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YES!!!
Yes, that is what I have... Booooooooooo! Lol

To give a quick update...

As it turns out, each tire had 50-52 PSI direct from the factory (no wonder it did not ride correct).. GEESH!!

Anyway I lowered to 33 PSI and then also had a local shop fill the tires with dry nitrogen (for those that have not ever tried this, I have used it on every vehicle for the past 10-12 years. It is a set it and forget it item).


Thanks to all those that responded.

Forgot to add.. the driving/handeling has improved 100%.

Dont forget that normal atmosphere is something like 75% nitrogen anyway.

rotts4u said:

Dont forget that normal atmosphere is something like 75% nitrogen anyway.

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Nitrogen is used because it doesn't have moisture issues like regular air, and is less likely to seep through the rubber. It is the moisture content in regular air that attributes to a lot of the fluctuations in tire pressure due to temp.

While I do believe in the advantages, it is not worth the cost for a street car...


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