In another thread the subject of tyre noise etc. came up and it set me thinking. I own a Mazda 7 seater MPV.
The tyres supplied are Bridgestone Turanza ER30 - 215/60/R16 95H. I must admit I've never gone out to buy a specific brand of tyre for a specific reason but I'm wondering:
a) if these tyres are good/bad/ indifferent and
b) what I should consider replacing them with when the time comes.
My driving is almost all urban with some motorway (currently about 5k pa). I'm not into high speeds and my main concerns are grip, safety, durability, noise, efficiency and price (not necessarily in that order).
Anyone got any thoughts as to what'd best suit my car or where I'd find out? I don't have a local friendly tyre specialist who I know I can trust.
Thanks.
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Micheldever Tyres in Hampshire for advice and good prices and HJ recommends them.
I know they are a long way from you but I had a friend who needed a new set of boots for his Jag and he saved himself £200 on the local prices for the same tyres less the cost of a trip from Sussex and lunch for him and the wife while the job was done.
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Should have added
Telephone Number is 01962 774437 or website www.micheldever.co.uk
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Goodyear F1-GS D3 are meant to be the current #1 tyre, they've won a few magazine comparision tests and are not outrageously expensive. If you want to stick with Bridgestone the latest SO-3 tyres have a good reputation, if not quite up to standard of the legendary SO-2. :-)
I can also recommend Micheldever Tyres. The only downside is they are very busy, so you have a bit of a wait even with their half dozen or so tyre bays, but you can pass the time eyeing up all the swish cars in the queue.
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I have Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3. They are a high performance tyre designed for high performance cars, so massive overkill for my Mondeo.
But I wanted the best wet tyre I could buy. You never know when you might go over a crest on a Motorway to find a queue of traffic in front of you and if that ever happens I want the best possible rubber ;)
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Got Bridgestones fitted to the Vectra. They grip well, they're not at all noisy. Coming up to 14,000 miles and the front ones still have 3 or 4 mm of tread left on them. The rears are as good as new. No idea of price as I'm still on the original ones fitted to the car.
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Got 25k, 25k, 30k respectively out of the first three sets on my Mondeo, all Conti Sport Contact. Now got Bridgstone Potenza's and they are showing signs of wear after approx 3k miles.
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Got 25k, 25k, 30k respectively out of the first three sets on my Mondeo, all Conti Sport Contact. Now got Bridgstone Potenza's and they are showing signs of wear after approx 3k miles.
I had Bridgestone Potenza SO2As, at £125 each, on my Mondeo, they were very grippy, wet and dry, but the fronts only lasted 7K miles. They wore out on the edges as if the pressures were down but I check tyre pressures every week, as I always have, and they were at the Ford recommeded pressure. Weak sidewalls IMHO. The rears were wearing more on the edges as well so when I changed them to the front (new tyres on the back) I upped the pressures by 3 p.s.i. and they seem to be wearing more even now.
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I upped the pressures by 3 p.s.i. and they seem to be wearing more even now. >>
I run my Mondeo at higher pressures than recomended, normally 39/35, recomended is 36/33 front/rear. Fronts wear evenly, rear wear the outside edge though in general last slightly longer than the fronts. The steering can be made to feel even sharper than normal by toeing out the fronts slightly however this results in the inside edges getting scrubbed which, if left, would lower life considerably.
Alignment is key to front tyre wear, I cant remember the last time I had wheels aligned (tracking) I have done it myself for years by the way the car drives along with regular monitoring of tyre wear, I reckon I get better than average mileage out of tyres this way.
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I'm favouring uniroyal tyres at the moment. The Rainsport and R540s they do are fantastic. Great in the wet, pretty good in the dry. The R540s have been on 2 years and have 6mm of tread left so each 1mm seems to last me about 3500 miles. I've just bought a set of rainsports for the skyline and they have transformed it from being a total nightmare in the wet to just mildly scary :-)
teabelly
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VM, at 5k miles per year, by the time you come round to change tyres we will be all be driving round on levitation pads!
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Strange that nobody seems to favour Michelin tyres. I have found that the Pilot Premacy provide a quiet and comfortable ride, in addition to having good wear qualities.
My brother has said much the same since fitting them to his Volvo.
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Must confess I rate the Michelin Pilot Sports about the Conti Sport Contact for noise, grip and tyre life. If Micheldever is a bit of a trip, remember that Protyre are the same company. Vman, your nearest is at Slough.
www.protyre.co.uk/slough.html
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Anyone know anywhere cheap in the N E Midlands that could be recommended?
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Anyone know anywhere cheap in the N E Midlands that could be recommended?
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Seems like nobody else in this forum lives in the E Midlands.
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>> Anyone know anywhere cheap in the N E Midlands that could >> be recommended? >> Seems like nobody else in this forum lives in the E Midlands.
I used to live in Leicester and used a cheap and cheerful independent, not far from the Holiday Inn on Richard the III road. It was also accessable from Vaughns Way.
I can't remember the name though.
H
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Ha, ha, ha,....
The thing is they weren't new when I got the car so it may not be quite as long as that. My mileage is creeping up as the kids get older and I reckon I'll need them within the next year - probably around the time your Laguna will need a new clutch, gearbox, wiring loom or something :)
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I personally recommend Toyos - I have them on my Xsara at the moment and they're incredibly sticky. Had to do a rather hurried stop on the M6 the other day and the ABS didn't even trigger on a damp road. They're quiet, and I got them for 200 quid for all four wheels.
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Sorry, not checked in for a couple of days but thanks for the advice all.
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Goodyear Eagle NCT 5.
Quiet, good roadholding, and long life.
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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On the subject of tyre choices, does anyone know anything at all about Kleber tyres? (My last vehicle came with them)
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does anyone know anything at all about Kleber tyres?
www.tyres-online.co.uk/tyretest/kleber.asp
"Kleber tyres are made by Michelin and are their budget range."
www.ansamotors.com/index.html
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Micheldever has a branch (or franchise) in Enfield just south of Jct 25 M25 on the A10. It's called Protyre and I've never seen a queue although I call in during the week.
Douglas
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Yes tyro, Kleibers are the creme de la creme of tractor tyres.
I have had them on several tractors and have been very pleased with them.
I even had Kleibers on my old Sierra and found them OK.
But I definately recommend Pirelli P7s.
In the East Midlands go to Costco in Derby for Michelins.
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