Road tyres: standard sizes, the 175 front problem and what owners fit

Standard sizes and the original tyre

The original tyre on both ends was the Bridgestone Potenza RE040; the 175/55R17 front is no longer available. In 2015 one owner passed on what he said was the answer from Bridgestone: the correct original tyres for the 2.2 and the turbo are the RE040BZ (a car-specific compound), 175/55R17 81W at the front and 225/45R17 90W at the rear, and he gave date codes for current and old stock. That is a single post and we haven't checked it, so ask the tyre supplier if it matters to you.

The rear size is easy: there is a wide choice. In 2015 an owner quoted about £94 each for Bridgestone RE050s, and others were running RE040s or RE050s there.

The front tyre problem

• The original is gone. The standard-fit Bridgestone RE040 in 175/55R17 can no longer be bought. Until then owners said it was the only tyre in the size worth having, and in 2019 one said another maker (Achilles) listed one cheaply. Treat any old-stock offer with caution (see below).
• Price. About £137 each in 2015 and £175 each in 2017, though that owner thought it a lot for a car that had done 500 miles in four years.
• How it got here. Through 2017 there was a dispute over whether it was discontinued. One owner called that a myth, saying it was made sporadically, and another said the originals were still made in 2014 with the pattern code changed for new tyre regulations. That is now out of date, as the tyre is no longer available.
• Old stock. Even when they were available, owners worried about old rubber. If you are offered a used or old-stock 175/55R17, check the date code on the sidewall and don't fit tyres that are many years old.

The 195/45R17 swap: now the practical route

With the original size gone, 195/45R17 is the front size to look for on standard wheels, and many owners were already running it. One calculation from 2025: it is about 2 to 3% smaller in overall diameter than the original, and since the 4-channel ABS was designed for a 195/50R16 front (see the ABS guide) the difference to that is only about 1%, so it is fine. 195/50R17 would be an almost exact match, but the owner said nobody makes it. Dropping to 195/40 makes the car smaller still, so most owners stayed with 45.

Owner reports of 195/45R17 fronts on the standard rims:

• One said Hankook V12s in that size were the best thing he had done to the car. Another said Continental ContiSportContact 3s "can't be beaten".
• One owner ran them for years, with Goodyear Eagle F1s for seven years, before changing to ContiSportContact 5s. He felt the Bridgestone compound was a little hard for a light rear-wheel-drive car. Another found the F1 slightly wider and that it tramlined a bit compared with the narrower original.
• One owner in 2025 runs ContiSportContact 5s (195/45R17 81W front, 225/45R17 91W MO rear) on the standard wheels for road and track and says they are fine.
• Nankang NS-2R in 195/45R17 is described as one of the very few tyres that will fit the original front rim. One owner fitted a set in 2017. One owner who tried them on 16/17 wheels said they went off badly over winter and weren't good in the wet. See the track tyre guide.

The rim width warning

In 2017 an owner asked the tyre makers. Hankook said its 195/45R17 isn't suitable for a 5.5J rim and needs a minimum of 6J, with 6.5J preferred, referring to the European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation (ETRTO) recommendations. Continental's technical sheet also gives 6J as the minimum for 195/45R17. He pointed out that using a tyre outside the maker's specification could have implications for insurance liability. Other owners run the combination without trouble.

One owner who tried 195/45R17 Goodyear F1s on wider 7J front rims later felt that the standard setup handled better with less understeer, and said he wouldn't push to a 205. Another owner said a 205/45 won't sit well on the original 5.5J front. In the past the answer was to fit a set of original rear wheels on the front with thin spacers (he suggested about 5 mm) to stop rubbing on the chassis at full lock. Another owner called 205 the largest before bodywork fouling. That was said in 2025 about 17s.

Which road tyre?

• The wet matters most. In 2015 several daily drivers said to buy the best wet tyre, since it is so often wet. A Bridgestone Potenza S001 was praised in the wet, and one owner fitted a second set.
• 2025 suggestions from owners for mainly road use: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 or 5, or the newer Continentals. One owner ran Continental PremiumContact 6 and 7 front and rear because they didn't make a 7 in 16 inch, and found them very good in the wet. Test results on a tyre review channel were suggested.
• Don't fit track tyres for the road. In 2015 two owners said you can't get enough heat into A048s, R888s or ZZRs on the road to gain anything, and that the driving needed to heat them would be dangerous. Semi slicks wear faster and are poor in the wet. For a car that only goes out in the dry, any summer tyre will be fine, they said.
• Heat. A 2025 owner said these cars are lighter than most, so tyres take longer to warm up and don't react the same way.
• Mixing makes front and rear. One experienced racer said tyres of a similar type from different makers are fine front to rear as long as you accept the car will feel different, but he wouldn't put slicks on one axle and road tyres on the other.
• Availability. In 2025 an owner said Toyo had pulled out of the UK and the R888 was getting harder to find. We haven't checked.
• Winter. One owner said the parts list shows 15 inch wheels for winter tyres. We haven't seen that list.

Pressures are in the tyre pressures guide. For other wheels see aftermarket wheel options.