Do Wider Tyres Equal More Comfort? VW California Campervan Tyre Test!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.ย. 2022
- We test wider and lower profile tyres on our VW California to see if they are more comfortable than the standard ones it was supplied with. Do you think they'll be more comfortable?
When we bought our latest T6.1 VW California we were expecting to get the same smooth quiet ride that we had on our T6 California, but no, it was harsh and noisy. In this video we test our T6.1 standard fit 215/60/17 tyres against a set of 235/55/17 tyres to see how noticeable the difference is. Could it really be that wider and lower profile tyres of the same diameter could be more comfortable?
Let's take a look!
Let us know in the comments below what tyres you're running and if you've seen the same as we have in the video.
Keep a look out for our other new videos coming to the channel soon and a BIG thank you to all of our wonderful subscribers - we have been blown away by how many of you are now following what we are doing. We can’t wait to share more content with you.
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Have fitted a set of 235/55/17 Michelin Crossclimates as a result of your video. What a difference! A much smoother and quieter ride. Thank you for the recommendation
Just ordered our t6.1 and have been binging on your videos. Great channel, guys, thanks a lot!
By sheer chance we went for 235s, 17’.
I had a phone call with the dealer and asked him “what’s the difference between the 215s and 235?
He told me that they’re very similar, maybe the 215s are better suited for the winter…
So I told him “OK you decide…“ He ordered the 235s.
After seeing this video we’re glad he did!
Grazie per questo video!
Ciao!
Great! I'd agree that the 215 probably is slightly better in winter and maybe gives very slightly better MPG but really the ride comfort on the 235 is SO much better! Congrats on the order!
Another great video, thank you both again. I love these films, and the camera quality is brilliant!
You asked about 18 inch wheels... I have a Beach with 18 inch Palmerstons, from the factory, and you wouldnt believe how smooth the ride is.
I'm in Lancashire, and just took Mum and Dad, both 90 years young, to my sisters in Cumbria (nr. Whitehaven) 120 miles. So, 50% motorway, 50% A and B roads.
Beautiful ride, it felt like an expensive car not a van, Mum and Dad even commented on the ride, and they have a Honda Jazz, with all the extras.
My other van is a Kombi, with the Devonports, and the tyres you tested, its great too on all surfaces, but not a patch on the Cali with the 18 inch factory fitted Palmerstons.
If you can, just try some, before you invest in your new tyres, your wheels and tyres will still have a good value if you sell them, and you could use the funds against some 18's.
The Palmerstons also look bloomin' stunning!
Apologies, that was longer than anticipated.
Happy Travels
Love the Palmerstons, should have really bought them on the new van really. Thanks for the info on the ride comfort, that sounds great!
Thanks guys very helpful vid. Nice to hear what the extra air volume does with 235/55 vs 215/60. I reckon 235/60 would be even even better as far as less harshness goes because because more air volume (apparently these make the speedo more accurate than stock).
I'm running 255x45x18s with coilovers - so, just slightly lowered. Very comfortable ride / handling and fill the arches nicely without going OTT! 👍
Nice. Which coilovers out of interest?
Paul - Thanks for responding. Are you in the USA and where did you purchase your VW Ocean? Is it a diesel? Wear do you get parts and accessories?
I owned a ‘73 VW van with a Z-bed top vent and screened louvered awning side window and wanna get back into VW camping.
Thank you again
Tom T
Hey Guys, I've got a similar T6.1 4 motion December 2021 but with 18s .
The ride wasn't great from new, so have changed the suspension to a full coil over set up with Bilstein B14 Komfort , absolute game changer.
Really need to have a proper go in one with coilovers. Just need to keep saving... a lot... !
hi, great video. What tyres did you settle on?
I’m running 255/45 Goodyear Eagles on a Supermetal Cell 18” wheel, on my T6.1, been excellent so far and wearing well.
Sounds great 👍
Our wagon is fitted with 215/65/16 Bridgestone summertires from the factory. Smooth on straight road, and even on bumpy roads it feels smooth. But can be a bit blurry, in corners. We have some very shitty roads in Denmark, so i did not want bigger wheels on. I want more rubber to help adjusting all the weirdness in the road! If it makes sense.
My wife and i, really enjoying your hint's and tips. Thank's alot. Proud owners of a 6.1 CaliOc_22
Makes perfect sense if the roads are really bad.
Interesting observations.
We have Bridgestone 215 65 16 at 48psi.
The ride is ok being slightly more compliant then the 17" wheel.
It can average 48mpg on the motorway with the 150ps engine
I'll keep smiling as I don't think there is a wider profile replacement although the The Michelin Agilis CrossClimate or Yokohama Geolandar might be tempting if I go dirty.
Nice! We have a Cali on order and optioned on the 235/55 R17 All-Season tires. Hoping we get the right tires from the factory unlike what happened to you
I'm sure it will all be fine now - we just got really caught up in the supply chain issues I think.
Very interesting. We’ve got the same rims but not sure about the tyres. We live the look of them but the more classic wheels you’ve tried out are fine too, just not that exclusive looking. We have a lot of rattling too but with the all weather tyres. We have to have a closer look as well. 🧐🚐👨👩👦🐕
Worth a good look - we are very surprised how much difference these have made.
Our 2021 COAST was provided with standard 215/60R17 with DURAVIS R660 BRIDG . I confess be dissapointed by Design compared to Optional wheels , particularly Black ones provided with EDITION model on French Market . Well , after 1 year and around 21 000 miles ( Cali is my Full time vehicle ) , i'm finally pretty happy regarding balance between comfort ( including acoustic ) and efficiency . Also lifetime appears very good at the moment , i only evaluate Cross Climate in future
I have to say that we ran the same woodstocks on our 22 cali until last week. Took the plunge and changed them out for VW 18s on 255s. Best move ever, so much nicer and highly recommended. We've got the indium as well, so it also looks amazing. Save the money on 235 tyres alone, and swap out wheels as well. Then you can sell the woodstocks with tyres on. Makes it cheaper. Good luck.
Sounds great! Which VW wheels did you go for?
@@CampervanTime the black gloss 10 spokes. Only a little more expensive than generic aftermarket ones. Best of all they're still genuine VW kit so no potential arguments with warrenty claims etc. The wheels out slightly wider so it fits the arches better as well. I can fire over a pic if you want.
Ahh yes I know the ones. VERY nice...
Ours are 255/45/18 no issues at all, 2016 T6 T30. Have managed 48-49 mpg at 60 mph on motorway but average around 42-45 in general
That's great economy!
Hello
looking to get some levelling blocks just like to know which ones you have or recommend, I also agree with one of the post about the van looking better with those wheels on, its the ones I have on mine, I also stoped at The unicorn hotel excellent place to stop, I had one of the best breakfast ever would definitely recommend if you go back there, thanks for the video on that.
Great stuff! We have the Thule ones, I think they are Thule part 307617. They are small enough to pack but big enough to be safe and offer good height if you need it. We use them a lot!
235/55/r18 here, with lowered coilover. comfy till potholes 😅
I have a 4motion 6.1 Ocean with the sort pack 18” wheels. I had the suspension changed to coilovers as soon as I got it. I find the ride fine and nicer than the BMW X3 M Sport that it replaced
Which coilovers did you go for?
@@CampervanTime ST-XA (a = rebound adjustable). Supplied and fitted by Bognor Motors. I’d highly recommend both. The transformation of the drive is significant. I also had the gearbox software updated at the same time to pretty much eliminate the hesitation when pulling away and stops it trying to get into top gear ASAP. Let me know if you want any more details
Personally I think the Devonports look a lot better than the Woodstock wheels anyway. Win win.
Use 225/70 16s on our T6.1 on very rough dirt and paved roads in outback Australia. Gives an amazingly smooth ride, even with 50 psi. Some of the credit goes to the Hankook AT2 Dynapro tyres used. Have found them to be excellent on and off road.
Thanks for sharing
unfortunately, my cali t5 does not have that size on the suitable tyre list, 17" is the smaller wheel i can put on
@@TheMMcorp … 235/65 17” are another tyre commonly used size that fits without other modifications.
We have 255/45 R18’s. They inflate to 45 psi when loaded up. We’ve often thought on really rough country roads that the overall suspension could be softer, but then you would not want a softer ride on ‘normal’ roads - that would maybe induce motion sickness etc. I think the 18’s we have are a good enough ride, and as for mpg we can’t complain, with 40 ish on most medium to long journeys when loaded. The real test will be winter, as I’m not expecting massive grip (we have a FWD setup).
I can see us going 18s and coilovers in due course. I’m sure you’ll be fine in winter, it’s all down to tyre selection then 👍
We will see how much we travel in the winter. Previously on a big Audi we fitted proper winter tyres and they were great. Just had a tyre shop swap them over November and March. Certainly extended the life of the summer tyres. Kept the winters for 3 seasons, and then sold them for £180!
Tyre size surely affected the drive but surely wider tyre doesnt make the ride more quiet. Its about different tyre mixture/build/thread pattern.
I find that Michelin Crossclimates in whatever size are the quietest, most comfortable tyres I have ever used. They are expensive, but I would thoroughly recommend them. They're so quiet that their ability in inclement weather becomes a bonus rather than their primary attribute
Hi Guys, I have a 2020 t6.1 204 dsg highline kombi camper from van haven, I have a swamper camper van with bilsten b6 comfort suspension with eibach 60 mm lift kit on a comfort spring ,I have 17 BF goodridge k02s tyres and it drives absolutely fantastic. The van is so comfortable it's crazy. I have just got back from Germany after doing 2 thousand miles in one week and it is such a brilliant ride . I would suggest that you get someone to let you drive a van with this suspension and tyre set up as I think you will be pleasantly surprised just how go they ride .I've have my van 3 months now and have just covered 5,000 miles in that time and the swamper suspension was the best option I could have ever gone for . It looks and drives amazing 👍 if you want to have a drive of my van your more than welcome to give it a go
My mistake ,my vans not a 2020 its a 2022 t6.1 👍
Sounds fantastic! I must admit we always couldn't believe how well our old Disco 3 drove and rode on General Grabber AT3s - considering the tyre size and tread pattern it was fantastic.
When I was in Germany just over 2 weeks ago I even took my van out on the nurburgring, for a big old bus on off road tyres it was a pleasant surprise to experience just how good these tyres really are ..
I love the sportmaxx for how quiet they are. I put them on my last car after a fair bit of research. Very quiet and excellent braking in the wet. They wore out faster though. Worth it.
I have 18 sportlines with 255/45/18 on my t6 their quit smooth and quite
Nice - love the sportlines...
Our 6.1 came with the same wheels and tyres as you guys have; i guess it is perhaps down to supply issues. I was disappointed with the ride so I dropped the pressure down to 45psi and this gives a smoother, less bumpy ride. I don’t measure fuel consumption judiciously and rarely use motorways/Dual carriageways but I achieved if I remember correctly about 46 or 48 mph @ 50mph using cruise control on a motorway from London to Devon. We tend to trundle along in the van hence I have a 150 and obviously no 4wd. Can’t compare with a previous California as it is our first. We are still on low miles so not sure about wear but they are even across the width at present but we rarely carry passengers and travel light and slow, afraid I am too tight to dump unworn tyres but will rereview wheels and tyres when these are worn out. Ever thought about reviewing the Grand California? We like the size of the 6.1 but making the bed is a drag,we are going to look at sleeping bags at the Nec. Best wishes.
Sounds great! Grand Cali... possibly 😉
I have same wheels and tyres on my T6 Ocean and it rides great (lowered by VW by 40mm). I get about 30mpg on a long term average if that bothers you though!
Thanks for sharing - we seem to be getting a bit better than that on ours since the tyre swap, we get about 36-38 on the motorway at 70 and 30-33 round country lanes.
Hi both, firstly apologies for not thanking you both for the sticker last year.
I bought mine with 235 x17 all weather wheels (still in the garage) but as you have seen i have swapped these for 20's and bilstein comfort coilovers. Iike the firmer ride but it does obviously highlight the rubbish roads round this way. 😉
Welcome to have a go for comparison if you like.
Thanks.
Those bilsteins seem to get really rave reviews everywhere. Really do fancy some at some point. I think 18s might be our sweet spot (with coilovers)..
@@CampervanTime happy for you to have a go, can even put 235 x 17's on for a back to back comparison.
Thanks for the kind offer, we might take you up on that in due course.
You can see the sun shades firmer on the second attempt
Thanks both for the video. Very educational. Mine came with 255- 45 R18 but I think this is standard for the 4M reading the comments above. Mines got the Dynamic Chassis control but like you I still want it to be a softer ride: Could I go wider?
We’ve previously borrowed a van that had 275 wide tyres on and it was quite a bit more noisy. The 255 tyres you have on the 18s are the standard size from the factory for those, yes. I’m surprised with your DCC that you need more comfort though. Coilovers?
@@CampervanTime how much are they? Still not collected the new one yet🙃
My t5.1 came with 16” wheels. I’m now on my second set of 18” tyres after a wheel upgrade. 235 55 R18 mitchelin crossclimate are way smoother than the same size Nokian which leads me to believe size, pressure, compound and structure are key stakeholders rather than just size. #subjectivecomment
Keep up the great work on the channel 👏👏
Thanks for your experience - I think you’re right !
we have 16 inch with low resistance get 50mpg + . nothing to compare them for comfort yet. we have some 17s but not had them fitted .
You might be surprised just how much more comfortable the 17s with the right tyres on will be... but 50mpg they will not do!
Never mind the tyre width…. Those wheels that came with your van would do my OCD head in. On one side of the van the “spokes” point backwards and on the other forwards! Never understood why they don’t make those things in left and right, actually didn’t buy an otherwise perfect car years ago for that sole reason.
Yes it is a pain. Ditto the BMW i3 - the initial model years had left and and right hand wheels so the design worked, then later model years (same wheel design) they cancelled the left hand design and just fitted right hand design all round!! Crazy!
@@CampervanTime they wouldn’t even have done anything as daft back in the old Austin Allegro factory ………I’d take it back to them and say “my van only goes around in circles as you only stuck right hand wheels on it and so it only turns left”…. That’ll learn ‘em…… and mess with their Germanic logical reasoning
Have you explored the possibility of using KONI Special Active dampers?
Not Koni specifically but we have been considering coilovers 🤔
I had the Bridgestone 235/55R17 103H tyres delivered with my T6.1 last year, and the tyres are wearing particularly well, with over 31k /kms and still loads of thread. However I have had 4 punctures in the front driver and passenger tyres. Today a centre thread area sliced off so that tyre is finished. I suspect the load of the Cali might be too much for them, that's an assumption only, anyway im going to change things up and opt for MICHELIN CROSSCLIMATE 2 235/55 R17 103Y in the hope that this all season tyre is an improvement. My local tyre shop is trying to steer me towards purchasing summer tyres as replacements. They feel all season tyres are unsuitable for our climate and road conditions, any thoughts?
Actually in the end went for Bridgestone 235/55R17 103 V all season Turanza A006 and they have turned out amazing, & very comfortable on the road with loads of grip. We have noticed that travelling over bad roads with the lower tyre pressure 40psi the Cali moves much quieter. I was advised however that as the Cali is a commercial vehicle it should be fitted with a light truck tyre especially because of the weight, so next time I will look into that.
Hello ffom Croatia! Mine T6.1 2022 (not California but furgon was delivered with 206 65 16 tyers. I was suspicios but hey it was standard delivery allthough in Croatia. I saw that across Germany it is sold with 215 65 16 tyres as standard as well. And I can say this configuration is realy hard. You can feel every bump on the road. Since I have to buy winter tyres fotr upcoming winter season I was thinking to get ar least 215 65 16. Maybe its going to be a litle bit comfortable thrn it us now. One thing is worryng me... Is tacho going to show different speed value then with original 205 tyres? Do you think every vans tacho is calibrated
acording to its tyres from the factory? Thank you! Best regards!
I think there are websites where you can put a tyre size in and it will tell you if it will under/over read on the speed and distance..
Think your van actually looks better with the Davenport’s fitted 😁
We like them too !
Michelin Cross Climates are the tyres you want for ride, low road noise and comfort.
Thanks for the tip. We did have Goodyear Cargo Vector 4 all seasons on our previous T6 Cali and they were great. Great wear and low noise. Good comfort too.
What did you use to video yourselves from the dash? How was it following you.... I couldn't work it out
The dash video was done with a GoPro 10, and I forgot to turn off the hypersmooth stabilisation. When you don’t turn this off you get that weird kind of effect when there is some G forces applied like going round corners !
Can you fit an even larger diameter tire on the 17” wheels? How much clearance is there? And can the speedometer be reset to the larger diameter?
Yes you can fit a larger diameter tyre, not too sure about the speedo reset for the diameter though. I'd have thought so but not sure how..
At 7:27, have you considered getting a blue wrap on the bottom half of the van?
We haven’t, but never say never !
We have 255/45/18 on our T6.1. It runs really smoothly my only issue is not being able to have a spare wheel. For us in New Zealand that could be an issue if you have more than a small puncture with no phone coverage as is often the case were we travel. Been thinking of changing back to 17 for this reason.
That would probably make sense although I'm sure I've seen some kind of spare wheel carrier (other than the underslung one) somewhere??
Would love to know if the MPG noticeably drops, great video though.
I second that. I've only got a basic transporter panel van with steel wheels and probably the smallest hardest tires which I think take 60 psi but having done 200 miles plus on motorways today I got 57mpg out it. depending on traffic I can get 60 out of it at times but having come from a ford ranger with much bigger tires at 40 odd psi the van is a real bone shaker but with the price of fuel so long as it's not affecting the life of the van I'm happy to put up with it.
We've had them on about a month now and there is probably about 1-2mpg in difference. Motorway at 70 is 38ish and country lanes is between 30-33mpg I'd say.
18” will definitely make it worse. The side wall height, flexibility and tyre pressure are the only features that make a difference. The side wall size on the 235x55 will be 129.25. (235x0.55) the 215x60 will be 129 (215x0.6). The 18” rim sidewalls have to be smaller to maintain rolling radius by around 12.7mm they are generally stiffer sidewalls as they are aimed at a more sports related handling. The tyres will be 45% profile. You can probably get a significant comfort upgrade by improving the suspension bushings. The next thing would be coilover or air suspension but much more expensive.
I do see a lot of people talking about coilovers, so suspect a set of 18s and coilovers could be on our future shopping list...
@@CampervanTime coil overs and 17s would be most comfortable but you will void any suspension related warranty. We have 5years on ours so I would not mess with that. Most coilover kits lower the vehicle with the potential issues over ground clearance. The coil overs would improve ride comfort but the 18s would worsen it so I am not sure how much, if any, better it would be.
👍👍👍
Mines are 235, by chance, I never tought this would do such differences. I'm curious: I'm surprised how often I've to change my tyres. I need to change them every ~10-12'000km. So basically, with my holidays, it's almost once every summer :(. Have you had the same experience?
No! We’ve found tyre wear really good on ours. Is yours a 4motion and how hard do you drive it?
@@CampervanTime Yes, it's a 4 motions, and I try to drive kind of chill, but I do have some mountain roads. I currently have some Conti eco-contact 5(which seems to be more expensive than the dunloop sport max). The eco-contact have a load indicator of 103, the dunlop sport max 99 no? are they still safe ? From what I've seend the recommandation seems to be 103?
We have 255/45/18 Michelin Cross Climate and 235/55/17 extreme winter tires (for Sweden/Norway winter).
We have equal ride comfort on these two tire sizes. Where the original 215/60/17 were horrible.
The Cross Climates have driven 40000 km and only halfway worn.
We have a T6.1 150 6 manual 4Motion.
Really useful info, thank you.
If you ever wanted to do a comparison video your more than welcome to use my van ,p.s love the videos keep up the great work 👍🤟
It was because of Continental tires. Continental is the worst tire I have ever used. The tires are expensive, but they feel extremely bad and the tires make a lot of noise. I decisively switched to Michelin. My other car uses Bridgestone. Still no problem, remember, horse cards must not be used！
Do you guys not have a set of steel winters? How's the ride with them?
We do, the ride is okay but not fantastic. Need to check what tyre size they are but they are also nearly worn out so need replacing anyway.
@@CampervanTimeI would be interested to know what size the steels and tyres are and how they compare. I'm about to make the same tyre size switch but I'm using 17" steels on a long wheel base T5.1. It's also lowered and rattles a lot with the 215/60 tyres!
Hey, you could have used a vibration meter app on eg an iphone to record the rides - would have been more a scientific ride ;)
Yes was racking my brain to think of a better way than just a commentary!
@@CampervanTime btw ordered the 255/45 18’‘ wheels but still need to wait until the van is going to be delivered in June 2023 🥺- so enjoying your vids until then.
Ours are 235/55 R17 that came with the van which is a T6 and the best mpg I can get on a long run is around 34.3 mpg is that bad? I am cruising at 70mph to get that.
I feel that our ride is very comfy the rears are at 41psi and the fronts are 44psi I was toying with the idea of bigger wheels and new shocks and springs but I don't really want to spend £3000 at present! We don't drive the van hard ever so if some say the van wallows a bit round corners which it does we are ok with that :)
That's a tiny bit low on the T6 I'd say but it depends if it is a 4mo or not. We had a T6 204 DSG and it did about 38 on a long motorway run at 70. We can get about the same in our T6.1 but it's a 4mo as well so extra weight etc.
@@CampervanTime It's just a standard 150bhp T6 why can't I get more than 34 mpg :(
Hmmm, that is slightly odd. We hired a 150hp T6 Cali and we got 40+ mpg out of it reasonably easily. Do you have sportline body kit on it? Might even depend on what actual tyres you have on it and what pressure you're running too.
@@CampervanTime no kit on it all and the original tyres were replaced on the mot they had only done 17,000 miles but all 4 had small tears inbetween the tread, they were replaced with brand new Falken by VW York a decent mid range tyre, the pressure stated on the van is 41 rear and 43 front so that's what they are on now.
@@andyarmitage2895Consider dropping your speed slightly - to say, 64, on the mororway. In my experience it makes no realistic difference to journey times but a significant difference to fuel consumption. Gentle acceleration is similarly beneficial
Should have got the Sports Pack.
Tell me about it! We saw a candy white T6.1 Ocean recently with the sports pack and we loved it. The wheels and black detailing are fantastic! Oh well....
@@CampervanTime we have it in Fontana Red. It’s fab
If your gonna do it - Get the 18’s 🤦🏻♂🤦🏻♂
Ha! yes, I think you might be right!
You know you want 20's.xxx
I'm not sure we could go that far... 18s maybe..
It not good to be filming whilst driving. 😮
I agree, that’s why I had my GoPro mounted to my head with a headband 😀