Tyres - how often?

[waynne]

Feeling tyred? Tread carefully.... - sorry just needed an excuse to get this pun in.

On to the real reason for this thread:- How often do you change your tyres? Do you change them all or just the worn ones? Do you swap tyres regularly to even out the wear? Do you have a problem with mixing brands on the same axle? (It like 20 questions isn't it?)

[trooper]

On Mondeo i tend to change the 2 front tyres if one is worn and the same with the back. I tend to stick wih the same brand of tyre.
On trooper i just change the worn tyre simply cause the tyres are soooo expensive.

[kemo]

i change tyres only when they need changing on the yank as at £210 each for rears and £180 for fronts not cheap. and trooper try these for off road tyres

http://www.bronco4x4.com/rangeViewer.asp?categoryID=86

[trooper]

Thanks Kemo, good prices, especially compared to the £140 at kwikfit!!!!

[fingers]

My rears depend on how many burnouts I do (I'd like to add These do not happen on public roads at all, even at cruises) and my fronts seem to be lasting forever. I don't know how much my fronts are as I have never replaced them, they shouldn't be much as they are only 205/60R15. The rears are 265/50R15 and only cost around £60 each, so they're not too bad to replace as long as you can find someone who can supply them . I want to change the fronts at some point so they have raised white lettering to match the rear.

[HDi fun]

I've stopped using directional tyres as it makes the swapping round process so time consuming. I used to use Bridgestone Potenza but am running Continental Premium Contact 2 all round which are assymetric in design. These are very very grippy but I'm down to about 4mm tread on the front after 8000 miles so not sure about lifebut at £70 each all in it's good value for a premium brand 205/60 15 V tyre.

I do check them regularly (weekly) for cuts stones pressure etc.

Can anyone recommend a decent tyre at a lower price?

[waynne]

Have you looked at the Dunlop SP Sports? They are quite cheap for my car, not sure about in your size, and actually lasted longer than Pirelli P6000's and did much better grip wise in muddy terrain than the P6000's.

[HDi fun]

I had SP Sport 200's on the Nissan, and they worked well. 01's seem impressive.

I've hit the point that I might even consider the likes of Kumho, Hankook and Viking - what I really want is a considered opinion by people who actually drive their cars. Maybe chance of a new topic?

I suppose I'm asking the impossible - max grip, min noise and infinite life!!!

[waynne]

Originally Posted by HDi fun

I had SP Sport 200's on the Nissan, and they worked well. 01's seem impressive.

I've hit the point that I might even consider the likes of Kumho, Hankook and Viking - what I really want is a considered opinion by people who actually drive their cars. Maybe chance of a new topic?

I suppose I'm asking the impossible - max grip, min noise and infinite life!!!

Thats what we all want from a tyre!

I think a new thread would be a good idea - feel free to start things rolling or PM me if you'd like me to add a a Poll to it (I'll need a list of the tyres for the poll though) . I'll leave it up to you either to put the new thread in Polls or General car chat. I know our last thread was all about brand name tyres so a 'budget tyre' survey would be good.

[Freddie]

Came home ot these today..



STIIIICKY!!!

Had a nightmare getting them balanced correctly.. The company I use is very reputable in the area, was a bit surprised I encountered any problems.

They fitted, balanced and aligned the wheels (the alightment was 4mm out apparently), but on the way home I got some really bad vibrations through the steering wheel at 60MPH+.. At first I thought I was imagining it, one second it would be fine, and then as the road changed direction the wheel would start shaking from side to side, moving 2cm either way...

I automatically knew it was a balance problem, I took it all the way back (quite far!), they said the same thing. When they came to take the wheels off, they all denied it was their fault that the balancing weights had been put on wrong. Apparently it was the apprentice, who'd gone home.. I thought fair enough, these things happen.. Drive off and it does the same again... They all scratch their heads, then try the back wheels on the front - re balance and it seems fine now. I'm very confused!


What a waste of an afternoon and 1/4 of a tank of petrol!