Another Tyre type (and insurance) question!

[(RIP) PLANK]

I hope this is in the right place, maybe we could do with a wheel and tyre section?

Anyway, with so many questions asked about tyres choices and sizes, and the fact that changing tyres and wheels size sems to be pretty common on loads of cars not just 4x4's

what do inurance companies think of this?

I know some have special insurance that allows modifications but most people have standard insuraance

So would changin tyre sizes say from a standard 235 75 15 to a 13 10 50 15 or even bigger, not even thinking about the other mods this may need affect insurance?

I know the answers willl be largely specualtive but it seems worth the a bit of discussion dont you think?

 

[richs2891]

Yes a Wheel and Tyre section would be good I think.

Re the question in regards to informing the insurance company if say change tyre size then yes should tell them.

But the complication comes in if say bought second hand and dont know the original spec of the car / 4x4 or if like many models have different tyre sizes / spec levels
Some insurance companies are more clued up than others on extras / changes to standard factory spec than others - and may load your premium or simply put a note on your insurance to the effect that say changed tyre size.
At the end of the day its your call if you choose to tell the insurance company or not.

Richard

 

[extreme-4x4]

i read somewhere, probably in one of those law things terra adds occasionally.
legally you are only allowed to increase your tyre size by 2%

i know my 35" tyres were 19% bigger.
because the bigger wheels will effect you breaking and stuff so you will
have to tell the insurance company

 

[jims-terrano]

Tell the insurance company anything and they'll charge you but don't tell them and they may not pay out if needed pretty standard stuff with every insurance policy what ever the insurance is for:doh

Jim T

 

[tezzer]

i have a modified escort cabriolet, fitted with a turbo engine, k&n filter, uprated exhaust, after market alloy wheels, and turbo brakes, i told insurance company and to my suprise no extra premium, limit milage full comp protected £180 a year, so not all insurance company's are a rip off, but you must tell them of any mods. i got a qoute before i bought the escort, if it had been silly money, i would'nt have bought it. :thumb2

 

[vatco]

Insurance companies in general are a rip off
If you tell them anything it will affect your premium and if you don't tell them it will affect any payout.

Most insurance companies rely on you not reading the small print.
Best to tell them everything including if your Aunt Maude has just had kittens and keep a record of what you have told them (even if you haven’t :sly:naughty)

Non standard tires could give an insurance company an excuse not to cover you. However, if the tires you have fitted are reasonable for your vehicle and the use you put it to then; so long as they are legal you can argue the toss and win. Same goes for wheels although a lot of companies now insist that you tell them if you have after market or otherwise non-standard wheels fitted.

Play them at their own game!
Read the fine print.
If it doesn't state specifically that you need to tell them then you don't.
Above all remember; there is always more than one truth.

If you are still unsure then call them for a quote using false details (say you intend to buy the vehicle) and talk to them about mods including tires. That way you can ask questions without putting yourself on the line. And don't forget to 141 your number first ------- Nearly all the major companies log calls and numbers these days.

A few rules I use for insurance companies

1)Always read and re-read the fine print both before and after policy issue

2)If you have mods then get an agreed valuation rather than market value

3)If you have mods make sure you have the choice of salvage rights

4)Don't have accidents that are your fault (even if they are )

5)Never let an insurance company remove your vehicle to one of their 'approved repairers' or worse to a holding pound

6)In the event of a claim always remember that THEY have to satisfy the claim you do not have to accept just because they say so.

7)Never accept the first price they quote you --- I regularly get my quotes reduced just by informing them that I have a lesser (normally about 10%) quote from a competitor and I will play that 2 or 3 times and get reduced by anything up to about 30% just for my cheek

I could go on but this is not the place

 

[lacroupade]

I could go on but this is not the place

Say what???? In that case I'm off.....!

Sadly what you've said there isn't quite true, giving the insurance company the upper hand EVERY TIME.

All contracts of insurance are, without exception, contracts of whats called 'uberrrimae fidei' (I think thats how you spell it, its been a long time since my legal studies)...literally translated it means 'utmost good faith', and what it means is that any and all relevant facts that may affect the object of the insurance (whether its a car or a person) or the contract, whenever they become known to either side, must be revealed to the other party.

I mean heres one I found out recently and which never occurred to me, but I've checked and its correct - if a woman gives birth via caeserian, she can't drive a car for six weeks after the operation - insurance will be invalid. So its a safe bet that lots of other relatively minor ops carry the same Ts and Cs....

As to the tyre thing, I've never heard anyone being charged for a reasonable mod. On the Zed forum its common to change RFTs to non-RFTs - given that the suspension is tuned to deal with the stiffer sidewalls on RFTs you'd think that would be a handling no-no but it improves the ride no end....BMW won't even issue an edict approving it (even though the top of the range M version has non-RFTs as standard) yet everyone who has advised their insurer has just been told thank you and goodnight.....no charge.

The only area of caution I think would be the fact that there might be circumstances in which significantly taller tyres could be deemed to contribute to an accident, since they obviously raise the C of G.....thats just a risk to be aware of.