My Primera currently has a number of different tyres - 2 Nankangs at the front, and a Dunlop and Michelin on the back. The 2 front tyres need to be changed soon.
My one complaint about my car is the poor ride. Every ridge, rut and hole is transmitted right into the cabin. Of course, this is not helped by the very poor road surfaces where I live (that's another topic - clearly the Govt can't afford to spend any road taxes they collect on repairing the roads - better to spend on another outreach counsellor or diversity controller advertised in the Guardian).
Anyway, can anyone recommend a tyre which would give me a better ride quality and absorb more of those bumps before they get into the cabin?
Thanks in advance
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Just to clarify - my Primera is a 2000 model and is on standard alloy wheels. I have also just read a post from Xileno which suggests lowering tyre pressures to improve the ride. Would that help to absorb bumps and would it be OK to have tyre pressures set below the minimum recommended by the manufacturer?
Thanks
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What wheel size? 15, 16 or 17"?
If 17" then there is nothing you can do.
I have been happy with Continental PremiumContact on Primeras. Stay away from Bridgestones - good tyres by they have very hard sidewalls - ask your tyre fitter - they are hard to mount!
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do not recommend you drop the pressures. all you will achieve is seriously decreased mpg and very seriously decreased tyre life. also it may well adversely affect the cars handling. I agree that conti premium contacts are good, also worth considering is the new goodyear excellence. Goodyear claim their new oe tyre is "engineered for comfort". This new tyre cetainly seems to have a large and high quality homologation list. Most quality tyres should give you a better ride than the budget Nankangs.
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I have not experieced any problems lowering the tyres by 2 psi. Car does 56mpg come rain or shine. I have not noticed any increase in tyre wear.
How many cars out there have the correct psi? We all check our tyres weekly, don't we...
No.
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How many cars out there have the correct psi? We all check our tyres weekly, don't we... No.
Normally I do. I reckon a few engineers sat around, did some calculations, did some tests on the car, and then came up with an optimum figure for inflation pressure. That's what I set mine at because they know better than me.
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I run our Jazz with at a couple of pounds less than stated and it seems slightly less bouncy. However it's only used around town.
On any car that might be used at speed, or anything like fully loaded, I'd be very wary of dropping the pressures for fear of overheating the tyres.
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As the car you own is now of interest to me as it's a contender based on various endorsements on this site, could you let me know what engine size you own and the mpg you get out on the m'ways?
Thanks, sorry for highjacking!
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EllisP
I have the 2 litre petrol, which is quite quick. In fact, the car kind of encourages you to drive with some vigour (or that's my excuse anyway).
Irrespective of which roads I am on, I always get about 35mpg, which I guess isn't too bad.
I went for the top SE+ spec on the grounds that, second hand, it does not cost any more than any of the lower specs and is fully loaded (climate, alloys, heated/electric seats, 6cd changer, leather).
I did also consider the Sport, but was put off by the 'naff' white dials (which looked like bits of paper stuck over the instruments). But the Sport does have better seats - better side support for the legs. And presumably its ride might be even harder!
If you have any other queries, just ask.
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You can only really change the 'ride' by changing the tyre size not type. What I mean is that different brands may be noisier, grippier or less prone to tramlining, but it is usually the profile of the tyre that affects the ride.
If you are on say a 45 profile tyre (eg 205x45x17) for instance, you will probably alwys get a harsh ride on country lanes etc.
For this very reason, I try to have a car with 60 profile tyres which are not so bad. This meant not going for the model of Audi I would have liked and instead going for the lower SE spec which didn't have the 'drug-dealer' alloys with the low profile boots.
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I agree that anything below about a '60' tends to give a lumpy ride. However some brands have sidewalls that are much harder than others. This can help sharpen the handling but makes the ride more knobbly. Bridgestones have very stiff sidewalls.
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Thanks to all for your replies. I will follow up on the Continental and Goodyear tyres suggested by Aprilia and tyreexpert.
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If you post your exact tyre size and speed rating. I will be able to give you some sort of price guide and I may also be able to recommend a reputable independent fitting station in your area..........
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I've recently gone from 215/55/16 to 215/50/17 and the ride, roadholding and steering is greatly improved.
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I've recently gone from 215/55/16 to 215/50/17 and the ride, roadholding and steering is greatly improved.
This doesn't make sense. I agree the roadholding may have improved but the ride should be worse.......
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Probably because i put decent tyres on instead of the budget ones on the old wheels
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Did you change your wheels? you've changed from 16" to 17" tyres!
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I agree that anything below about a '60' tends to give a lumpy ride. However some brands have sidewalls that are much harder than others. This can help sharpen the handling but makes the ride more knobbly. Bridgestones have very stiff sidewalls.
Yes this is true, I didn't consider this at the time I wrote my earlier post.......
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