Low profile tyres are less resilient so kerbing is more likely to cause damage. Another point to bear in mind is that the wheel rim will be nearer the ground so the wheels will also be more susceptible to kerbing damage.
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L\'escargot.
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Dare I say that maybe keeping away from the kerbs would be a better idea than trying to find tyres that will withstand that kind of abuse. I know if my tyres were costing me £150 every time I touched a kerb with them I would do everything possible to keep away from the kerbs.
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Personally, I'd steer clear (excuse the pun) of any any car fitted with these nonsensical wheels/tyres. IMHO they do nothing to enhance the appearance of any car, but there again there are people out there who will substitute the standard alloys supplied with their cars, with ridiculously large alloys and correspondingly even more low profiles to achieve, what? Hard ride, tram-lining, excessive kerb damage...........................etc.
Nutters, if you ask me.
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My Vectra came out of the factory wearing 19" wheels. I've just changed the front tyres after 26000m. I don't mind the harder ride and the car looks good with them on. I never drive my car up a kerb, which protects the wheels and the tyres.
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As mentioned above, I think the best solution would be to stop driving into kerbs.
Finding another tyre supplier would be a good idea too, can't say for sure without full size details, but I bet you could get good 18" tyres for appreciably less than £150 a corner.
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>>I know if my tyres were costing me £150 every time...
Its only just dawned on me that the tyres on my Focus ST170 are 18" with a 45% profile, so I am pretty much in the same boat as Duncansand. Although I naturally keep mine away from kerbs as much as possible. I certainly don't bump them up and down kerbs whatever the circumstances and I have had no problems. Just for the record though, my tyres are Continentals which are the standard factory fitment on ST170's.
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My old boss had a Volvo V70 with 17" alloys & low profile tyres, took less then a week of ownership before needing a new Pirelli thanks to a kerb.
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Don't drive into kerbs then! Get help to park or use the near side mirror to gauge kerb positions.
Vredestein and Continental low profile tyres come with a protection strip.
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I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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Thank you very much to those who offered the kind advice of not bumping into kerbs. I must admit I hadn't thought of that - your insight is truly remarkable. Oh, and by the way, these are the standard wheels & tyres on my car. I happen to think they look very nice, but didn't actually make any consciouse choice about wheels or tyres - I just got what came with the car. If only all questions posed here were answered with such helpfull comments!
As it happens, I blame my wife, who claims it wasn't her either! So, I guess it's possible the tyres are getting damaged when going over pot-holes, but I think that is unlikely - it never happened to me before. There again, I never had a cut side-wall before - so it's a bit of a mystery. Hence, the original question - are pirelly p-zero nero's know to be particularly easy to damage?
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Duncansand wrote: "Thank you very much to those who offered the kind advice of not bumping into kerbs."
I must say I had the same thought, but I thought you had probably worked that out for yourself! But you *did* say "kerb damage" and the number of damaged wheels on the cars our office car park shows that driving into the kerb is standard method of parking for many (but probably not the users of this forum)!
I think the problem is probably road surfaces - if the tyre 'bottoms out' against the rim it could well cause a split. Tyre pressures are presumably critical on these 'rubber band' tyres.
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Duncansand wrote: "As it happens, I blame my wife"
Keeping up the kind advice theme: Don't let your wife drive the car!
I don't let my wife drive mine, and the alloys (and tyres) have remained unmarked for 2 yrs (I'll probably kerb it tomorrow!).
My wife's car has 'normal' profile tyres on steel wheels - I have to replace the nearside plastic wheel trims now and again. She just thinks it's one of those things that will happen and regards it as unavoidable, and regards the plastic trims as a consumable item. It's genuinely put me off replacing her car (a Jazz) as it now has alloy's as standard.
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My gf kerbed my front ns alloy badly about a month ago, having survived 10 months with not a mark on them.
I hadn't got it sorted, good thing really, as I did it again on Sat!! Simply wasn't paying attention while pulling over in heavy rain. Very annoying.
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Oh, and by the way, these are the standard wheels & tyres on my car. I happen to think they look very nice, but didn't actually make any consciouse choice about wheels or tyres - I just got what came with the car. If only all questions posed here were answered with such helpfull comments!
My advice about the tyres was not meant sarcastically. Even sticking with the same make and model of tyre, I'd be amazed if you couldn't beat a price of £150 a corner.
Try www.mytyres.com and www.blackcircles.co.uk as starting places.
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Personally, I'd steer clear (excuse the pun) of any any car fitted with these nonsensical wheels/tyres.
Yes I agree, why are we getting these low profile tyres/wheels rammed down our throats by the motor manufacturers. The tyres wear out like lightning, cost more and knacker the ride. I have got a significant budget to spend on my next new car, and am finding it increasing difficult to avoid being forced to have them.
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Yes I agree, why are we getting these low profile tyres/wheels rammed down our throats by the motor manufacturers.
Perhaps this is why people are buying 4x4's - kerbs don't present much of a problem to them :-)
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"My wife's car has 'normal' profile tyres on steel wheels - I have to replace the nearside plastic wheel trims now and again. She just thinks it's one of those things that will happen and regards it as unavoidable, and regards the plastic trims as a consumable item. It's genuinely put me off replacing her car (a Jazz) as it now has alloy's as standard."
Same here Bill, My wife has brought buckled steel wheels home, one was bent like a banana.
As she does not consider wheels to be part of the car ( only the interior trim) her next car WILL be on steel, even if it has alloys as standard.
We used to have a 10yr old polo and I used to pop down to the scrapyard, pick up a new (old) wheel for a fiver then put a new tyre on it.
Things have improved a lot but *wheels* are considered expendable as normal wear and tear.
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make the wife pay for a brand new wheel from the franchised dealer out of her housekeeping,
she will learn eventually. jag.
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Couldn't agree more oldgit. Apart from the dubious aesthetic 'benefit' , there's the notion that they
aid cornering precision (& grip if oversized) , well maybe true on snooker table flat race tracks,
but most non-dual carriageway roads have such uneven pock marked surfaces, that hard-riding
low-profiles actually upset the cornering composure they're supposed to enhance.
~woodbines
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">Personally ..... rant, rant .... Nutters, if you ask me.<"
Well said oldgit, but if the idiots want to waste their money on "pimping their rides" then it's a free country etc.
Of course, everyone knows that the alloy wheels so beloved of the pimps are - in fact - the wrong alloy. True lightness is achieved by the use of magnesium, otherwise the best performance is obtained by using steel wheels.
So there we have it: if you're not interested in performance, fit some tarty aluminium alloy wheels.
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