Rider haggard

Now 86, I regard my Mercedes A150 Classic SE 5Dr BlueEfficiency as my last car. It is a pleasure to drive, and on motorways it is fine, but on poor country roads the ride is very hard indeed, and my wife complains! We only do 5,000 miles a year, and most are short trips on poor country roads. I am told that different tyres might improve things.

The fitted tyres are Solus KH15 185/65 R15 88T, and I keep them at the recommended pressures of 32/38. Would different tyres really help, and if so which would you recommend? Alternatively, would driving on lower pressures help? (The existing tyres have only done 8,000 miles and as I don't drive hard they would probably see me through to the end of my motoring, so a change would be costly.)

Asked on 22 April 2011 by CT, Lymington

Answered by Honest John
You are already on the smallest wheels and deepest profile tyres that this car can take, so changing the tyre size won't help. You could try running them at slightly lower pressures, say 30 in the front and 34 in the back. If you have not checked the pressures since the winter, and they are filled with air rather than pure nitrogen, then the pressures will have actually risen slightly in the higher ambient temperatures.
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