Tyres! the dreaded choice and often not as good as one hoped.

Let us see what tyres you Croma drivers have, your views and experiences etc.

No preferred format, just what you have, information you know, and of course your comments.

Two sets of tyres for me so far. First set were Goodyear NCT 5, generally fine, did 16,000 miles on them (sold with average 4mm tread left) but were quite noisy and changed them because I changed the wheels. Second set were Michelin Primacy, did 27,000 miles but two are at the limit and the other two have about 3mm left. Prone to the Vectra 'drone' due to small tread blocks at the shoulder.

Current tyres are Bridgestone Potenzas, seem OK so far. The car also had Potenzas when I bought it but they were near the limit at 14,000 miles due to the dreaded rear wheel alignment issues so it wasn't possible to get an accurate judgement.

Probably fit Dunlops or Continentals next as they've given good service in the past.

HTH.

Kumoh somethings on Bunny's Croma - they seem ok.

s130 said:

Tyres! the dreaded choice and often not as good as one hoped ...

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Nice one s130 ...

I've a potential list somewhere - will dig-it-out later.

Currently on 225/45R18 95Y Conti ContactSport3 (previous owner's selection) & now done 14K mls. Plenty meat remaining on centre blocks - but some noticeable wear on shoulder sipes.

Will folks advise if they've tried alternative fits e.g. 235/45R18 & alternative load/speed ratings. (My Croma docs show evidence of Kumho 91 load - but swiftly replaced for some reason).

.

Tyre-wall data check - Conti SportContact3 marked “225/45ZR18 95W” XL, with “LM4F” indicating they’re out of the Uniroyal-Englebert Reifen GmbH plant in Aachen.

I’m not one for pushing-the-envelope on tyre performance – but I reckon there’s not many that come close to these in the dry or wet. Although the trade-off is arguably noise & life-span - and maybe fuel economy could be better, given these weigh only 23 lbs. But l’ll leave-it-with-you whether you prefer to go with `testimonials’ or `tests’ on tyres.

My potential replacement list excludes the premier league clubs (Bridgestone-Firestone, Continental, Goodyear-Dunlop, Michelin, & Pirelli) as I took the decision some few years back to go with mid-range tyres. Basically then, looking at …

Avon ZZ3 95Y XL (24.7 lbs)
Falken FK452 95Y XL (25.3 lbs)
Kumho KU31 Ecsta Sport 91Y? (25 lbs)
Hankook K110 V12 EVO 95Y XL (xx lbs)
Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta 95Y XL (xx lbs)

… anyone running these?

-------------------------
55 Prestigio 1.9/16v 150 (225/45ZR18 95W XL)

(I do around 12K miles per year of which approx 3000 is towing a caravan)

All wheels - From New: Bridgestone Turanza ER300 - 215/50 R 17 91W - Cost £140

These original spec tyres were very good IMHO. Driveability, handling (wet & dry) pretty good. Also quiet running tyres which is what you want with a performance touring car like the Croma. No real issues with the tyres. Only problem was the Croma rear suspension setup/tracking problems that caused the rears to wear out in 11,500 miles!

Rear - From 11,500 to 40000 miles : Kumho Ecsta Sport KU31 - 215/50ZR17 95W XL - Cost £84
Decided to try these because of the rear suspension issues and did not want to wreck another set of expensive Bridestones. Full four wheel alignment done.

These tyres, only on the back did not upset the handling (wet or dry) and initially started off with no obvious tyre noise increase. As mileage increased the tyre treads started the feather (wedge shaped) and thus became noisier.

Front - From 23,500 to 40000 miles: Kumho Ecsta Sport KU31 - 215/50ZR17 95W XL - Cost £88

With Kumho all round the handling of the car became Very very good. Sharp turn in and abililty to really throw the car around in the wet or dry. Downside is that after a few thousand miles were added to the front tyres they became noisy and this, coupled with the rear tyre noise became far more noticeable. Not unbearable but you know it is there and this may upset some people.

The other problem I have with Kumho on the front is that despite two attempts by the tyre shop to balance them I was getting a very very slight shimmering/virbration at around 73 to 77 mph. This would change with road surface and camber. When the tyres are loaded in a bend then the shimmering stops.

Current tyre tread depths are 4mm front and back. Based on wear rates I got/expect the following: (based on 6.4 mm of usable tread)

Bridgestone Front : 23,500 miles (3671 miles / mm)
Bridestone Rear : unknown

Kumho Front: 26400 miles (4125 miles / mm)
Kumho Rear: 45600 miles (7125 miles / mm)

Current tyres are Hankook V12 EVO 18". Very very good - quiet and go round corners, have never slipped despite a few hair-raising moments (not the fault of the tyres, usually BMWs trying to kill me). These were about £90 each when on offer from www.camskill.co.uk.

The fronts are approaching done after 20k miles. As it happens, I ordered my replacements last week, and they arrived today. They are Forceum Hexa and cost (drum roll...) £55 inc VAT each (now gone up to £57.52 though) + £5 delivery for the two.

I'm sure the brand snobs will turn their noses up, but they look very impressive. DOT, ISO, E and In Metro (?) marked. They also have a nice thick rim protector. They'll be going on the car whenever the old ones get to their indicator bumps.

Manufacturer: www.eptyres.com
Supplier: http://www.tyretraders.com/tyreInformation.aspx?ItemID=FRC22545R1895YHEXA

I'll take some photos if anyone's interested.

P.S. My full-size spare is a Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta, simply because it was the lowest-priced non-directional tyre available (required for a spare, for obvious reasons). I've never driven on it but it looks very pretty. I think it was around £130-ish.

Caravadossi said:

Nice one s130 ...
Will folks advise if they've tried alternative fits e.g. 235/45R18 & alternative load/speed ratings. (My Croma docs show evidence of Kumho 91 load - but swiftly replaced for some reason).

.

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Mine had 91's on when I bought it. I replaced the lot even though they all had tread, as it was very saggy and reluctant to go round corners. They are often cheaper, so tempting for some.

I don't know whether it's true, but it's a popular net myth that insurers may refuse cover if you have the wrong size or spec tyres fitted. It sounds feasible - the car has only ever been tested with the required tyres fitted, so you're venturing into the unknown when you mess with it. God knows what the handling's going to do with extra wide or soft tyres fitted.

Doofer said:

P.S. My full-size spare is a Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta, simply because it was the lowest-priced non-directional tyre available (required for a spare, for obvious reasons). I've never driven on it but it looks very pretty. I think it was around £130-ish.

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My Bravo's spare is a directional tyre. It means I'll have to do a lot of tyre swapping if I ever do get a puncture but I got it for free so I mustn't grumble too much!

Oh and I've the Sessanta's on the rear of the Bravo and it drives fine. Will need to get another pair and move the older ones to the front in the next few months (or get some winter tyres).

ummm........ Croma (there it's back on topic )

Doofer said:

Current tyres are Hankook V12 EVO 18" ... replacements ... Forceum Hexa ...

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Hankook K110 V12 EVO
What is the DoT plant code? T1, T7, 1G, 5M … ??

Forceum Hex
Indonesia – stable mate to Accelera
What is the DoT plant code?

Look here: http://www.etyres.co.uk/glossary-tyre-terms?term=dot-codes

and here: [ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire_code[/ame]

I can get the Hankook codes tomorrow, but for the Forceum Hexa:

DOT: 09 RR 47 (4909)

Manufacturer: PT ELANGPERDANA TYRE INDUSTRY, BOGOR, JAWA BARAT, INDONESIA

...and it was made less than 8 months ago.

Other codes:

e4 0245621-S
E4 0248430
M231-01
225/45 ZR18 95Y XL
MADE IN INDONESIA

Hellcat said:

My Bravo's spare is a directional tyre. It means I'll have to do a lot of tyre swapping if I ever do get a puncture but I got it for free so I mustn't grumble too much!
)

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I'm not sure how you'd swap them around if you have 3 left wheels and 1 right!

I couldn't find a straight answer on whether it's OK to have a directional spare. I did read somewhere that a picky MOT tester could even fail it.

I don't know how bad it would be. For the classic chevron-shaped tread, I can easily imagine it would pump water into the centre of the tread. However, the tread on the Vredestein makes no obvious sense at all - it seems to pump water into a dead end in one direction, but they clearly work.

Thanks Doofer

09 = Bogor 4909 = Wk49/2009

s130 > prefer the Golden Gate Lotus Club list thanks ...

http://www.gglotus.org/ggtech/tire-DOTnotes/tirerat.htm

.

See this:

https://www.fiatforum.com/croma/244036-lumpy-tickover-1-9-diesel-16v-croma.html?p=2550694

and this:

https://www.fiatforum.com/croma/244036-lumpy-tickover-1-9-diesel-16v-croma.html?p=2552491

s130 said:

See this:

https://www.fiatforum.com/croma/244036-lumpy-tickover-1-9-diesel-16v-croma.html?p=2550694

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Clearly some folk like to lead interesting lives on the public highway ...

The ZZR is the tyre for those seeking the ultimate in grip and handling; it's designed specially for trackday use and has the same rubber compound that Avon Tyres Racing employs in its Group N saloon car race tyres. The road-legal ZZR's predictability at the limit makes it ideal for anyone looking to get the most from their car and tyres. The ZZR is designed to give maximum grip in dry conditions but offers considerably less grip in wet conditions where caution should be exercised.

Fitting your car with a premium brand high performance tyre, such as the Avon ZZ3, will also add to your trackday pleasure, giving you greater roadholding and predictable 'breakaway' behaviour when you approach the limit of grip. Alternatively, there's the ZZR, which essentially is a race tyre you can also use to drive legally to and from the circuit.

Source: http://www.avon-tyres.co.uk/car/avon-drivers-track-days

pleased to see I have Bridgestone Turanzas on back,One with plenty of meat on it the other on the limit.Don't know if I'll replace it with like, I gather they're very expensive.

leew said:

pleased to see I have Bridgestone Turanzas on back,One with plenty of meat on it the other on the limit.Don't know if I'll replace it with like, I gather they're very expensive.

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... & the front?

Croma Dynamic? 205/55R16 91V ?
That size doesn’t look too much of a problem (from here 225/45ZR18 95W) – the boundaries between top, mid & bottom look reasonably tight. ER300 are around £70, a mid-range (say) Kumho KU31 Ecsta Sport 91V around £60, & the budget around £50.

It appears that folk could easily get stung for a poor tyre - where +£10 would provide for a good tyre. Anyone have experience of that?


Edited 2010/08/08 23:49
Just checked-out some prices on tyretraders - ER300 = £69, Kumho = £59, LingLong/Wanli = mid£50s

95Y is the required load/speed rating for 18" tyres.

Lower ratings are often cheaper, as they're not built as well as needed (no reinforced sidewall).

Will be going in on Weds to have two new Avons fitted to the front, £117 inc vat.