Hello, i am asking this on behalf of another member, he is interested in purchasing a 159 TI wagon with the 2.4 diesel, and the replacment tyre prices are horrendous, being $2,000 for 4, it seems that 235 wide - 40% aspect ratio - 19 inch, is a bit of an oddball size.
However if you go to 245 wide up from 235, there are a lot more tyres available and they are cheaper despite having more rubber, as it is what HSV Commodore's and FPC Falcon's use, [so you can't charge too much for Holdens and Fords], but you can charge more for Alfa Romeo tyres.
Has anyone one been down this path of using a 10mm wider tyre, the rolling ratio changes about 1% and the insurance company are OK about it as well.
Point is, if you fit the wider tyres, do they rub anywhere?, the 159 TI is lowered, so, it should have a tad more negative camber on the suspension, so it will tilt the tyres inward at the top away from the gaurds, but place the tyres closer to the struts.
You could always purchase your tyres, [tires, as they call them in the USA], through the Tire Rack in the USA, but i don't know what the shipping cost would be, a Mercedes owner told me a few of them get together for a bulk purchase and it costs about $50 per tyre.
The 245 wide tyre seems an easier option, Colin.
ColCol,
Just had a look at my 159 ( sedan) it looks like if you are going to have a problem , it will be with the rear wheels. Just not much extra room for wider tyres, minimal clearance with standard tyres.
It seems a pretty common choice by drivers on alfaowner (UK forums). I've not read that there's been issues, so I presume they fit without rubbing.
When I recently replaced the tyres on our car, I scouted on eBay, and found some 235/40/R19 Continental CSC3 from a couple sellers for under/about $400 each, delivered. But alas, can't see any there at the moment. So if he's in no rush, he can keep an eye out.
One of the places was International Tyre Trader. I had no issues dealing with them. The tyres were as described: brand new, fresh stock (ie: no more than a few months from manufacture), and delivered promptly via courier. He could always contact them directly.
http://stores.ebay.com.au/International-Tyre-Trader
http://www.tyretrader.com.au
He must be careful to get the 96Y spec version, if he's after Continental CSC3. They also offer a 96W version, which (strictly) doesn't meet the spec of the car/OE tyre. Again, the proper 96Y isn't listed amongst their stock, but they may be able to get them. I paid $738 a pair (in October 2013), plus delivery, then you pay for fitting and balancing.
:)
The tire rack give you a shipping quote before any money is exchanged. From memory I think you register yourself on their site. Select your tyre and go through the checkout procees. this will deem you an international sale and they will respond with an email for you to either accept or decline the shipping. It will at least give you better comparison on local v US? dont forget the exchange rate.
With tire rack, make an 'enquiry', and then you can email back/forth to determine shipping costs. They are good with communication from my experience.
So I should have mentioned earlier, it works out around US$240 per PAIR of tyres, with fast delivery by Fedex Economy (~5 business days). By the time I had a pair of CSC3 235/40R19 tyres landed, it was about US$950, which is close enough to A$500 per tyre.
Looking back, indeed I could only buy two tyres cheaply locally (from ITT), and thus sourced the other two from tire rack. At the time, I was in a relative hurry, because the car was booked in for service and wanted everything done at the same time.
:)
I've found that with US shipping (having 2 jeeps to service), it's very much a week to week proposition. Their tyres are cheap, but shipping can kill the sale.
On all the overseas tire sellers, the 245 wide tyres are cheaper and more plentiful, than the oddball size 235, you could have the 235 tyre on the car, with the car just sitting there, and because it is 5 mm wider on either side, just poke a 5 mm drill or bolt or pin, where the tyre runs close to a gaurd or strut and see how much clearance you have, Colin.
We recently fitted 245/40/19 Pirelli Cinturato P1 tyres to ours and they are perfect. There is no problem whatsoever. I got them from Kmart for $235 each, fitted and balanced. They ride much better than the Contis and Pzero Neros that were on it before and they are a thousand times quieter than the P Zeros which made it sound like the wheel bearings were shot. The 245s are used on the performance Holdens and are a lot more common. The only cars the original size fit are 159 ti and Aston Martins. It looks great with the wider tread and it is well within regulations. You would be crazy to shell out stupid money for tyres that aren't actually very good.
I was talking to a driver of a 159 TI 2.2 sedan, he is on his third set of tyres by nearly 100,000 km.
The third set he is on (after Bridgestone/Pirelli) is Nexen (i think that's how it's spelt); his opinion is they are the best wearing tyres on the car so far ... for under $200 a tyre as well.
+1 for Pirelli PZero Nero (GTs) from tirerack.com.
You are talking Alfa and Ti -- it warrants the right rubber. Goodyear Eagle F1, Continental CSC5 (in lieu of superseded CSC3) and Bridgestone Potenza are the other OEM alternatives.
I know that Achilles (and apparently Nexen) are possibilities, but ask yourself this: if your Ti was made in China rather than Italy, would you have bought it??
Why not just get the 245/40/19s like I did? There is a much greater choice of brands and they are heaps cheaper. What has warranty got to do with it?