"Cato A. Guldberg" > schreef in bericht
...
> Dear Alfa Romeo friends,
>
> The Norwegian importer recommends 205/55 16 M+S tyres (Conti is regarded
> as the best winter tyre brand in Norway).
>
As a rule I hate Conti's but I lack any experience on winter tyres.
I wouldn't believe the importer automatically, but check the internet for
winter tyre tests and go for the best one.
Grip will be the only important factor I guess.

> I am faced with the following dilemma: Should I buy a new set of 6.5 J x
> 16 wheels, or should I put the new winter tyres on the "old" 6.5 J x 16
> wheels, and purchase a new set of 7J x 17 wheels with 215/45 17 tyres in
> the spring??

If you have plans to switch to 17", this is the moment!

> How big is the difference between 215/45 17 and 205/55 16 tyres when it
> comes to a.) road/curve behaviour b.) road behaviour in rainy weather and
> c.) comfort (suspension/road noise)??
>

Here too it is very important to check the various tyre tests.
Compare handling and braking in wet & dry, roll resistance, noise and
comfort as well as mileage.
Value the points you feel are important and make your choice.
In general I would say that the handling will improve in the dry, but will
worsten in the wet.
In respect to comfort you will go back just a little, but noise is directly
brand dependent.
I.e. Pirelli is very noisy! But I like them!
I have very good experience on my 156SW with Pirelli P7000, Dunlop SP9000
and Goodyear Eagle F1
On all my earlier Alfa's I favored Michelin's.
Rather expensive but high mileage.
You must realize that personal choice is very important with tyres.
However, when you calculate all different tyre brands per km/mile, you will
see very little difference, so go for YOUR best tyre!!

> I like sporty driving, and Norway has a lot of curvy roads to offer.
> However, I also am very fond of the firm, but not too hard suspension of
> my Alfa 156, which I think strikes the ideal balance between being
> firm/sporty and comfortable. My previous car was an Audi A3 "Ambition",
> but I chose the Alfa in favour of the new Audi A3 and the new A4 Avant.
> One of the main reasons for this (apart from the beauty of the Alfa, the
> better engine etc.) was that the sport versions of the Audis are too noisy
> and have an "Eisenbett" (iron bed) suspension quality.
>

I fully agree. It's a f**** shame Audi & BMW make their sporty suspensions
hard as a brick!
Looking at the new 147 introduced a few weeks ago, Alfa went even further to
the comfort side without loosing any points in respect of handling and
sportiness.

> Any help/advice will be greatly appreciated.
>

Your welcome!

--
Ciao from Holland
AlfistaGJ (Gert-Jan)
Alfa red 156 SW 1.8 Madeno tuned (2000) (soon: GT 2.0JTS)
Golden Montreal 1428700 (1973/4)