increasing the tyre width .....

[RedRobin]

I'm close to a change of front tyres... I'll be looking to change all four to Michelin Pilot Sport 2s... but I don't want to be the guinea pig with the 235s...

....I don't think you'd be the first and therefore 'the guinea pig'.

I recently spoke to Goodyear Technical about changing my Assymetrics from 225 to 235 next time around but we concluded that doing so would throw up other issues such as my suspension setup and also arch rubbing and even the increased possibility of aquaplaning. We decided that if it works (which mine does) don't mend it.

But other guys have done it and report no problems.

[animal]

My father used to test tyres for the police, and has a lot of experience in the matter - including finding out what happens when you maintain 100mph+ on a run-flat that has already blown... But thats a different story.

Although not on a Golf, I changed from Continental 215/40/17 to Goodyear 225/40/17 on my current car and it made a world of difference. The Conti's were not worn, I just hated them, they were noisey and didn't grip that well.

Wider, low profile tyres will always be more prone to aqua planing, another few mm is going to make a negligible difference. All this talk of tyre wall flex due to more rubber on the rim is not an issue if you adjsut your pressure accordingly as TT eluded too. Especially for track use. And the extra tyre wall is just more rubber when cornering hard... 

[xxx_mojo_xxx]

This is great...so just to nail this on the head...  Going to 235s doesn't cause rubbing issues in the arches, etc. ?

[tony_danza]

Having just changed from a 225/40/18 F1 assym to a 225/40/18 PS2 - one thing I have noticed is the latter is ever so slightly narrower at the shoulder, making it less inclined to rub.

However, seeing a 225 & 235 PS2 next to each other, it looked like more than 10mm to me. Something Jonny noticed before on R888s too, something like a 225 having a footprint more like 240?

Are the sizings just a rough guide??

BTW Animal - I think the sidewall deflection points was talking in extremes of stretch and oversizing.

[RedRobin]

This is great...so just to nail this on the head...  Going to 235s doesn't cause rubbing issues in the arches, etc. ?

....It depends how tight your clearances are to start with. Practical (just!) but quite tight in my case. Also the degree of movement (stiffness etc) in your suspension.

[animal]

This is great...so just to nail this on the head...  Going to 235s doesn't cause rubbing issues in the arches, etc. ?

....It depends how tight your clearances are to start with. Practical (just!) but quite tight in my case. Also the degree of movement (stiffness etc) in your suspension.

And, it would seem in some cases, the brand of tyre too.