Load rating & 19's on the passat / R36. Who's legal??

**Nico76** · 17-10-2012, 10:32 AM

This has been touched on in other threads, but as I'm looking to upgrade to 19's soon I need a lirttle clarity re: load rating...

I've spoken to a few tyre places as well as multiple VW dealers & VW Australia & have gotten mixed reports as to legal requirements for load rating. Some say it must be equal or greater to standard LR, others say the larger the tyre the lower the LR needs to be?!

The standard 18's on the R36 have a LR of 95. At this point I'm assuming that the LR on 19" tyres needs to be 95 or greater, however I can't find any tyres that fit this criteria?! So, my questions are...

1. Do 19" tyres need to be LR 95 or greater?
2. What tyres are you guys using on your 19's & what is the lead rating?
3. Where'd you get your tyres & what did they cost?

Cheers.

**Lance B** · 17-10-2012, 10:53 AM

Originally Posted by Nico76

This has been touched on in other threads, but as I'm looking to upgrade to 19's soon I need a lirttle clarity re: load rating...

I've spoken to a few tyre places as well as multiple VW dealers & VW Australia & have gotten mixed reports as to legal requirements for load rating. Some say it must be equal or greater to standard LR, others say the larger the tyre the lower the LR needs to be?!

The standard 18's on the R36 have a LR of 95. At this point I'm assuming that the LR on 19" tyres needs to be 95 or greater, however I can't find any tyres that fit this criteria?! So, my questions are...

1. Do 19" tyres need to be LR 95 or greater?
2. What tyres are you guys using on your 19's & what is the lead rating?
3. Where'd you get your tyres & what did they cost?

Cheers.

It's an interesting conundrum. The interesting thing is that the 17" rimmed tyres for the latest V6 Passats (same motor) are load rated at 94W yet the 18's are supposed to be 95W, so your theory from some advisers that larger tyres require lower ratings may be correct. However, how low can they actually be as they are supposed to still take the load, ie total mass of the vehicle, at the speed indicated with a fudge factor thrown in, ie they need to have a rating of the total mass plus some for safety. Your local RTA should be able to advise, but knowing them, they don't like anything that isn't standard and they know less than they make out that they do.

Basically, it comes down to insurance and what the insurance companies will actually insure in case of a major accident.

**MJW** · 17-10-2012, 11:05 AM

I was nearly certain that the latest V6 Passats (B7) only have 18in rims & 17in was not an option.

Originally Posted by Lance B

It's an interesting conundrum. The interesting thing is that the 17" rimmed tyres for the latest V6 Passats (same motor) are load rated at 94W yet the 18's are supposed to be 95W, so your theory from some advisers that larger tyres require lower ratings may be correct. However, how low can they actually be as they are supposed to still take the load, ie total mass of the vehicle, at the speed indicated with a fudge factor thrown in, ie they need to have a rating of the total mass plus some for safety. Your local RTA should be able to advise, but knowing them, they don't like anything that isn't standard and they know less than they make out that they do.

Basically, it comes down to insurance and what the insurance companies will actually insure in case of a major accident.

**Perun** · 17-10-2012, 11:06 AM

Actually this is really a simple issue. Your tyre placard should have this info. It will state something to the extent that this vehicle is not to be fitted with tyres which have a load rating less than XX. You will often find that the vehicle was fitted with tyres which have a higher load rating than required.

Since I don't have access to a Passat, if you post a pic of your placard I will probably be able to give you a definitive answer.

**Diesel_vert** · 17-10-2012, 02:55 PM

The following tyre fitments have been homologated (approved for factory fitment):

235/45 R17 97W XL
235/40 R18 95Y XL
235/35 R19 91Y XL

...

The following tyre fitments are for special Continental Sport Contact 3 "ContiSeal" mobility tyres only:

235/45 R17 94W
235/40 R18 95W XL
235/35 R19 91Y XL

...

235/35 R19 91Y XL tyres were available as a factory option in Europe.

Only the above tyre sizes (with their respective load index and speed symbols) have been tested by VW.

Do not stray from the above specifications (follow to the letter) if you want to minimise your liability.
However, it's okay to fit a tyre with a higher load index/speed symbol, barring any fitment issues.

The above information applies for the Passat R36 models only.

**Lance B** · 17-10-2012, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by MJW

I was nearly certain that the latest V6 Passats (B7) only have 18in rims & 17in was not an option.

All the V6 Passats are all fitted with 18" rims, yes, but the tyre placard does list the 17" option. I also think the R36 still has the 17" rim and tyre option listed on their tyre placard as well.

**Nico76** · 17-10-2012, 03:31 PM

[QUOTE=Diesel_vert;871071]The following tyre fitments have been homologated (approved for factory fitment):

235/45 R17 97W XL
235/40 R18 95Y XL
235/35 R19 91Y XL

QUOTE]

Where did you get this info from? My placcard only has 17 & 18" specs?!

I was wanting to fit 245/35 R19 93Y - Do you reckon this would be ok?

**Diesel_vert** · 17-10-2012, 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by Nico76

Where did you get this info from? My placcard only has 17 & 18" specs?!

The workshop manual.

In addition, the German brochure also lists 235/35 R19 tyres as a factory option.

Originally Posted by Nico76

I was wanting to fit 245/35 R19 93Y - Do you reckon this would be ok?

Yes, they are fine (as long as they don't rub).

Even though 235/35 R19 91Y XL is a manufacturer approved fitment and is a closer match to 235/40 R18 in terms of rolling circumference, I think 245/35 R19 93Y XL provides a bit more breathing room, in terms of load capacity.