Technical Tyres : your experience with different brands please

[ChrisMClark]

Re: tyre dilemma

Just changed mine to Uniroyals at £83 a corner. Prior to this I had Federal S595's on. £37 a corner. The federals outperformed the Uniroyals and the Michelin 7000's I had on when I bought the car. More expensive does not necessarily mean better performance.

I've got the Fed SS595 on now, and they're superb. Phil had posted me a link to where you can get them for about £40-£50 each I believe, but can't find it right now. If I find it I'll post it up, unless he gets here and does it for me

Oh Phil........

 

[Ivor_Biggun]

Re: tyre dilemma

What were the problems you found with the conti's Lobster ?
I've got a JTD with Conti-sport Contact 2's on and use the car excessively (mostly motorway) for work and found them to be quieter than most Bridgestone's I've had (admittedly on my last car) and seem to perform well in the wet and under braking. When i bought the car it had Avon's but they were well worn down and as such haven't really got anything to benchmark them against, I'd just like to know what the issue's were so i can keep an eye out

Also i think the asymmetrical "straight" groove look very nice on the Stilo, sad i know if you buy an Italian car it's generally for the looks and not the electrics

 

[ABZSTILO]

Re: tyre dilemma

Tyre size has not been mentioned but...

Not entirely accurate, although size specifically wasn't mentioned the fact that Big Black Stilo mentions he's running steel wheels would suggest to me that he's running standard 15" wheels and would need 195 65 15 H tyres

The site Phil mentioned elsewhere was http://www.tyresite.com/ they might not be found on there but I'd urge you to look for Vredesteins elsewhere if you can

I had a set of Continentals on a Focus hire car (which I was bombing around in for a month) and they were shocking in the wet but OK in the dry.

 

[Luciel]

Re: tyre dilemma

Continentals are usually quite good. Just goes to show that not everything works well on every car.

Try www.blackcircles.com they are cheap and you get them fitted locally.

I know what you mean i had always been told that they where decent, so when i got it, i though, hmm at least it´s decent tyres but it just goes all over the place, SPECIALLY in wet weather, very skiddy.

 

[LoBsTeR]

Re: tyre dilemma

What were the problems you found with the conti's Lobster ?

I was referring to Luciel's quote above me. I always liked continentals. Never had them on my Stilo, but my missus has them on her Corsa and they are excellent.

 

[Ivor_Biggun]

Re: tyre dilemma

Humm strange that people seem to think they are shocking in the wet, i was going down the M61 in terential rain the other week and was quite pleased with them, possibly Conti have changed thier tread pattern recently (the tyres are only a few months old) or maybe i'm docile and don't notice handling issues

they are the 16" 205's on the std Alloys, car is a 52, and yes i have ahd the odd problem, gotta love a car that can have the drive shaft drop out on the m'way Even with all it's faults it's a great car for crusing.

 

[Big Black Stilo]

Re: tyre dilemma

well, i went for johnny no brands. actually they are called Apollo something or other really naff sounding.

To be honest not too bad, drove in wet and dry and it just showed how knackered the bridgestones were. The only grumble i have is noise. They aint overly noisy but there is a slight noise there over 40 that doesnt increase pass this speed that wasnt there on the dunlops and bridge stones, but for £30 a corner i cant moan.

I went for them because of a few reasons.

i) every place i rang up said the mileage and type of driving I doesnt warrant spending a lot of money on

ii) i have to spend a lot of money at the end of this month and the more i can save the better

iii) most of the family dont bother with named brand tyres on their motors, same with my mates- even ones with alloys

iv)Curiosity got the better of me to see the difference!

v)im tight

lets see how long they last.

Oh while i were there, the owner/fitter mentioned about tracking on stilos being horrendously out most of the time, even though dealers say its right, but the car is still likely to wear tyres anyway, and the 17" alloy ones are the worst

Also found out that the most expensive tyre size on the stilo is 16" for some bizzare reason- its just the way the market is!

 

[Stilatos]

Re: tyre dilemma

I am already on my 2nd set of good year eagle f1's and going for my third. Great tire, especially when warmed up have amazing grip, wear is a bit of an issue if you drive on the edge. my first set lasted only 18,000 klm but boy did i put them to use. my second set now lasted me about 30,000 klm. Its also a very good rain tire. i want to get the new eagle f1 assymetric but the smallest size available is 17 inch.

 

[Argonought]

Re: Tyres....

I think Dogspod has missed the boat though Lobster

They offer a reasonable fitting price on the assumption you buy the tyres from them.

I nearly went for one of those all in tyre deals on the net but rang around and got a better deal locally (and nearer for fitting too )

 

[ChrisMClark]

Re: Tyres....

Where abouts Argo? Wouldn't be Tyreland down commercial road would it?

 

[Argonought]

Re: Tyres....

Where abouts Argo? Wouldn't be Tyreland down commercial road would it?

Spot on

 

[Dogspods]

Re: Tyres....

I think Dogspods has missed the boat though Lobster

You're missing the point guys, I've done the phoning around and the net search and the cheapest I could find was £130 per tyre fitted. I can buy the tyres myself (225/40/18 Toyo Proxes 4's) for £78 each, but I can't find anyone local willing to fit them for me.

I've tried MyTyres but their fitting station wanted £15 per tyre plus and additional £16 for each on top due to my alloys!

 

[ChrisMClark]

Re: Tyres....

Lifetime guaranteed exhausts?! is this worth a trip to dorset?!

Yeah! Just for the back roads if nothing else!

Tyreland's website. You can always ring them and ask about the guarantee and tyre prices.

 

[ABZSTILO]

Re: Fiat Stilo tyres change for first time

I've had a few issues with tyre wear after about 12k miles on the front. I have since had my car set up as best it can be - but be warned, even with that done the bushes often wear prematurely in the front suspension arms (you might find that mentioned as a precautionary note on your MOT).

If that happens then the arms need to be replaced so obviously you do both at the same time and get it all set up perfectly - but with next to naff all adjustment in the system you might wish to think about improving the standard suspension which, I've found with the Eibach set up on my car, has reduced the amount of front tyre wear. Possibly the firmer set up reduces the amount of 'scrub' you egt with the soft standard suspension.


Then there's camber bolts...... oh the list is endless

 

[Ffoxy]

Re: Recommended Tyres

Take a look at Sumo's £50 a corner for 205/45/17's for my GPS and they grip real good!

 

[Citizen Smith]

Re: Recommended Tyres

I have always had Goodyear Eagle F1's on my Abarth in 215/45/R17 form and wouldn't have anything else TBH, as they are excellent in all weathers and always given plenty of grip throughout.

Check out www.ctyres.co.uk for more.

 

[auto_blanco]

Re: Recommended Tyres

I like Falken ZE512s or Federal SS595s, had both in 17 inch size and both are excellent tyres.

 

[coyotes_uk]

Re: Recommended Tyres

Id definatly recommend Vredestein, I have some Sportrac 3's on all corners and they look and handle amazingly! The size your after I think you could get the Ultrac's or even the Ultrac Sessantas maybe!?

 

[pieandapint]

Re: Recommended Tyres

I've got Avon ZZ3's on mine (205/55 R16 91W) and I'm very impressed with them. Got the fronts fitted for about £60 a corner and the backs a little later at £50! £220 for a set of new shoes.

The ZZ3's are the manufacturers OE tyre for Bentley, Morgan, Rolls Royce, TVR... the list goes on.

I though if Bentley are using them they must be alright!

I've had them on my car for about 10 months now and they've performed flawlessly. I've never once lost grip. Plus the tread pattern is quite nice (haha!).

Edit: forgot to mention that they also come with those rim protecting flanges too

Dave

 

[adamcot]

Re: Recommended Tyres

Mines got four Michelin Primacy HP's on. A tad expensive, but well worth the money and will last a while. They look nice too!!