VW T6 heavy steering fix: switch to staggered 20-inch tyres

The Problem

T6 owners fitting 275/40/20 tyres all round on 9J front and 10J rear wheels were experiencing stiff, unresponsive steering and accelerated centre-tread wear from running the wide tyre at too high a pressure for its width. The instinct was to run a matching set front and rear for simplicity, which is what caused the problem. Be aware this applies to the staggered factory/aftermarket setup; wheel offsets and VW-approved tyre fitment lists differ between the T6.0 (2015–2019) and T6.1 (2019–present) generations, so the same wheel/tyre combination may not be approved for both — confirm against the fitment list for your specific generation.

Solution

1. Identify your generation first: T6.0 (2015–2019) and T6.1 (2019–present) have different wheel offsets and VW-approved tyre fitment lists, so verify this staggered setup is approved for your specific T6 (confirm this applies to your T6 generation before ordering).
2. Confirm your wheel widths: if fronts are 9J and rears are 10J, you have the staggered setup that needs different tyre sizes per axle.
3. Fit 245/45/20 tyres on the front 9J wheels and keep 275/40/20 tyres on the rear 10J wheels.
   • Rolling radius between 245/45/20 and 275/40/20 is near-identical, so the speedometer error is negligible.
4. Set tyre pressures to VW's specified figures, NOT a figure derived from one owner's tread-wear observation. Check the tyre pressure placard on the driver's B-pillar/door sticker or the owner's handbook for the correct front and rear pressures for your load condition (verify against the T6 door sticker or handbook before setting). As a guide, one owner reported that running 275s at around 40 psi caused centre-tread wear, suggesting their pressure was too high for that tyre width — but treat the placard values as definitive, as pressures are safety-relevant and vary by generation, load and axle.
5. Book a four-wheel alignment check after fitting the new fronts.
   • Changing front tyre width alters the scrub radius and any existing alignment figures will no longer be valid.