Tyres - What is the Truth?

Lum

bigjl wrote: »

You mean up to date with a flawed research study performes by Michelin.

I have read the report and it is a load of tosh.

Only relevant for inexperienced or simply poorly skilled drivers.

I don't get the reasoning for it either.

On a FWD car, the front tyres do all of the accelerating, steering AND most of the braking! The rears help a little with braking but the rest of the time they're just along for the ride.

Why would you put the crap tyres on the front? Even if you don't care about performance or handling surely you care about having better braking!

SueC_2

Lum wrote: »

I take it the EOS doesn't come with a full size spare?

If this is the case, it might be worth keeping that other Dunlop, then next time you have a badly timed puncture you can just limp it to the nearest backstreet tyre place and give them a tenner to swap it over, at least then you can drive on 4 full size good(ish) tyres while you wait for new ones to arrive.

No, it comes with one of those weirdy "don't drive at speed or any distance" tyres, which in practical terms is very little use whatsoever.

Your suggestion is brilliant, I just wish I'd thought of it a week ago. Sigh. Will definitely remember it for next time though, thanks!

SueC_2

anotherbaldrick wrote: »

I am thinking of setting up an assistance company called RENT A GRANDDAD ! for a modest fee we will accompany any vulnerable female to such places as tyre shops, prevent them being given the works, make ourselves a general pain in the rse with awkward staff and the bonus is we are beyond making untoward advances . I think ?

I think it's a great idea, so long as you can convince the vulnerable female that you also aren't out to 'do' them!

To be honest, despite how I may be coming across here, I don't really consider myself a vulnerable female - I'm a professional woman who can generally stand her ground and give as good as she gets, if not better. But I oh so nearly fell for what they were telling me last week (and this wasn't some dodgy backstreet place, it was one of the major 'reputable' nationals). I hate to think how many vulnerables really do fall for it and end up paying out money they don't need to, and possibly can't afford.

Lum

I hate those things. I'd rather drive on a fullsize tyre that's been repaired with a can of Tyre Weld, or pay £10 for a part-worn remould Linglong to drive around on for a day, than drive around on a bloody space saver!

Actually the Tyre Weld is worth considering. Wont help for a gash in the sidewall but for a more normal puncture it does a bloody good job. I know someone who drove around for a year on a tyre fixed with it though obviously the manufacturer doesn't recommend this and I wouldn't either.

If you do long distance driving often, by which I mean any distance greater than what your space saver allows, it's worth keeping a can in the boot.


Edit: Also, no such thing as a reputable national tyre chain. They're all scum with centrally-managed sales targets to meet. They'll try it on with anyone they think they can get away with, teenagers and women being the most likely victims due to a presumption of a lack of car experience.

bigjl

Lum wrote: »

I don't get the reasoning for it either.

On a FWD car, the front tyres do all of the accelerating, steering AND most of the braking! The rears help a little with braking but the rest of the time they're just along for the ride.

Why would you put the crap tyres on the front? Even if you don't care about performance or handling surely you care about having better braking!

Exactly LUM, exactly.

bigjl

The only place I trust is Elite in Rainham.

They are popular witg all those drivers in the know.

Also very good for doing proper geometry checks.

They also undercut the online places for every tyre I have checked in the last two years.

Only once have they not had my required tyre in stock, recently with the Vredesteins, they did say the Sava Intensa was OK, but where honest in that it wasn't as good as Vredestein.

I have only had one issue when my car wasn't aligned correctly, caused by a machine out of calibration, they fixed itthe next day and took the machine out of commision.
To be honest most people wouldn't have noticed the problem, the wife didn't and it was her car.

But I am a bit anal about wheel geometry. I do it every 10k normally.

Lum

For geometry a lot of places have the fancy machines which they trust blindly and end up with something stupid.

I had my Nissan aligned using the official settings on a Hunter machine (allegedly the best) and it was crap, if you turned left too hard the back end would let go, but turning right was fine.

I took it to a place called Avia Autos in Bridgend and the guy there does his alignment the old fashioned way, with plumb lines and other kit I'd not seen before. He'd never seen a car like mine before so spent the first half hour poking around underneath with a torch examining the suspension setup while asking me questions about where I use it and my driving style, completely ignored the official settings I gave him and just did it how he thought it should be.

The difference was amazing, the car handles like a much smaller car and it's very very had to make it lose traction in cornering. My tyres have worn completely evenly across the tread too!

bigjl

I had my WRX adjusted to Prodrive Geometry by Elite and it was transformed.

The Omega I had years ago had front tyre inner edge wear which was only sorted out by Elite aswell.

I think the most important thing is the operator.

Never had any issues with tyre wear since using Elite, been using them for 12 yrs now.

marlot

Autoexpress did some tyre tests which the OP may like to read

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/total_tyre_guide/259582/tyre_test_2010.html

One of the tests was wet braking from 50mph. The budget tyres, despite having a tread which made them look like a premium brand, were still doing 24mph when the continentals (the winner in this category) had stopped.

If that isn't a clear indication that its worth looking at mid-sector and premium tyres, then nothing will convince you.

King_Nothing

I've got conti sport contact 3's on my car, wouldn't put cheap tyres on my car, namely because of various braking tests, and the fact I drive my car in a spirited manner so like having a good grip on the road when I need it.