Just replaced my 500X Cross Plus front tyres at 14,300 Miles.

Tyres being replaced: Michelin Pilot Sport 3 - 225/45 R18 91V

New Tyres: Nexen NFERA 225/45 ZR18 95Y

The new Nexens cost me £170 the pair and have rim protectors.

Initial report/feeling/etc is good. Similar noise, similar dry grip and driver feedback.

Guess I'll have to wait till winter to assess their winter performance.

s130 said:

Just replaced my 500X Cross Plus front tyres at 14,300 Miles.



Tyres being replaced: Michelin Pilot Sport 3 - 225/45 R18 91V



New Tyres: Nexen NFERA 225/45 ZR18 95Y



The new Nexens cost me £170 the pair and have rim protectors.



Initial report/feeling/etc is good. Similar noise, similar dry grip and driver feedback.



Guess I'll have to wait till winter to assess their winter performance.

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Front tyre wear seems to be much higher than rears. Rears done 30,000 and still have more tread than the 12,000 mile fronts.

Where did you get them from?
Cheapest I’ve been able to find them is £107 each fitted and balanced.

Is it generally a good idea to have different front and rear tires? With thread patterns being different and all?

Why not change the front tires from position with the rear tires after 6500 miles ?
That way you can drive longer with the tires.

Goodcoin said:

Is it generally a good idea to have different front and rear tires? With thread patterns being different and all?

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Ideally they should be a matched pair left to right. Front to rears should be OK if different

Red Ruby said:

Where did you get them from?
Cheapest I’ve been able to find them is £107 each fitted and balanced.

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OUCH.

Got mine for Tyreshops, Hedge End, Southampton. As far as I know all the tyres places in the area are comparable in price.

Try:

https://www.ctyres.co.uk/index.php?width=225&height=45&rim=18&action=fitted

then find an outlet near to you.

Yes front wear is much higher than for the rears.

I remember going back quite a few years a rule of thumb for a Fiat front wheel drive car was 24K front 50K+ rear.

Not had that sort of performance for quite a few years.

My wear at 14K miles will probably be higher than most because 3K miles of that is from towing a 1000kg caravan.

s130 said:

Yes front wear is much higher than for the rears.

I remember going back quite a few years a rule of thumb for a Fiat front wheel drive car was 24K front 50K+ rear.

Not had that sort of performance for quite a few years.

My wear at 14K miles will probably be higher than most because 3K miles of that is from towing a 1000kg caravan.

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I'm also highly impressed with front brake wear, only 10% worn after 30,000 miles. Brilliant IMHO [emoji106]

In my experience, modern low profile tyres wear more quickly than the higher profile ones that used to be fitted. Having said that, my 1.4 MA still had about 4mm of tread depth on the front ar 14500m when I bought it (Goodyear F1 45 section). I swapped front to rear to even things out as I prefer to have a matching set all round, but there shouldn't be any issues using different makes front and rear.

Alan, it may be worth getting a second opinion on your front pads, or having a look yourself. Front pads normally last 25-35000 miles, your reported wear rate is suspiciously low.

My fronts are coming up for replacement, in fact the front tyres are on the wear limits when I checked this morning. Car is a 2016 and has done 24k. The rears have loads of life left, I will swap them round and buy a new set for the rear.

On the topic of tyres, I did look at getting some Kumhos for the rear at £99 a piece although after the weather we had this winter I was tempted by the Michelin cross climate+ but at £175 a piece I’m struggling to commit to them. Am I right in thinking that these tyres would wear out in no time due to the soft compound in them for winter use?

Cameron, we have a set of Cross-Climates on my wife's Suzuki SX4 S-Cross - that's a small 2WD SUV a bit longer than the 500X. In 10,000 miles the front tyres have only lost about 2mm of tread depth, so I am predicting 20,000 plus miles if we don't swap front-rear. A friend who has them on his Saab reports similar low wear, which ties in with Michelin's claim that they last well. In addition, they gave a small reduction in noise, and improved the ride slightly. During the March snow, the difference between driving the Suzuki and the 500X (in All Weather mode) was like night and day - much more traction and grip with the Cross-Climates.
The Goodyears on my 500X will be about due for replacement come the autumn, and I will be biting the bullet and splashing out on a set of Cross-Climates.
Incidentally, it would be very unwise to fit less than 4 at a time, due to mismatch of grip when it's cold/icy.

TrevC said:

Cameron, we have a set of Cross-Climates on my wife's Suzuki SX4 S-Cross - that's a small 2WD SUV a bit longer than the 500X. In 10,000 miles the front tyres have only lost about 2mm of tread depth, so I am predicting 20,000 plus miles if we don't swap front-rear. A friend who has them on his Saab reports similar low wear, which ties in with Michelin's claim that they last well. In addition, they gave a small reduction in noise, and improved the ride slightly. During the March snow, the difference between driving the Suzuki and the 500X (in All Weather mode) was like night and day - much more traction and grip with the Cross-Climates.
The Goodyears on my 500X will be about due for replacement come the autumn, and I will be biting the bullet and splashing out on a set of Cross-Climates.
Incidentally, it would be very unwise to fit less than 4 at a time, due to mismatch of grip when it's cold/icy.

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Thanks for the info. I’m struggling justifying that sort of cash on some tyres but I guess you get what you pay for!

TrevC said:

Alan, it may be worth getting a second opinion on your front pads, or having a look yourself. Front pads normally last 25-35000 miles, your reported wear rate is suspiciously low.

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The MOT Tester wrote down 9-10mm remaining (10% worn). I just stuck my finger through a gap in the rims and I'd say that there is almost a finger's thickness left, so probably not too far off the MOT man's figure

Cameron1590 said:

My fronts are coming up for replacement, in fact the front tyres are on the wear limits when I checked this morning. Car is a 2016 and has done 24k. The rears have loads of life left, I will swap them round and buy a new set for the rear.

On the topic of tyres, I did look at getting some Kumhos for the rear at £99 a piece although after the weather we had this winter I was tempted by the Michelin cross climate+ but at £175 a piece I’m struggling to commit to them. Am I right in thinking that these tyres would wear out in no time due to the soft compound in them for winter use?

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I had Winter tyres on a previous (French) car when I lived at altitude in France and they wore no quicker than normal tyres, although I did take them off April-November. I've now got Kumhos on the front of my 2.0 MJ 4x4 and they're wearing just fine, 15,000 miles in and 4mm of tread left.

If so, that's impressive! I'd still be inclined to have a look at the thickness of friction material, without the backing plate. I think the minimum is normally around 3mm.
The reason I am cautious is that a few years ago I had a service carried out by the supplying dealer on my MX5. They advised the front pads were 80% worn. I bought new pads (not from them) and when I came to fit them, the worn ones had 6mm of friction material, the brand new (geniune Mazda) ones 7mm!
I realise your dealer is obviously not touting for business like my Mazda lot were.
Cameron, I agree the Michelins are pricey, obviously an individual decision. Decent summer tyres would be just as good for most of the year, and we don't get snow that often in the south. I plan on keeping my car for a few years, and would like to tweak the road noise and bumps down a bit, so that's why I plan to go for some. I'll keep an eye out for special offers over the summer!

What's even more impressive is that it's auto, less engine braking. The next service is due in 6 months, by that time the car will be about 35,000 miles and 3 1/2 years old, so I'll probably get discs and pads replaced anyway. After that mileage I can hardly resent the expense

Alanw47 said:

I had Winter tyres on a previous (French) car when I lived at altitude in France and they wore no quicker than normal tyres, although I did take them off April-November. I've now got Kumhos on the front of my 2.0 MJ 4x4 and they're wearing just fine, 15,000 miles in and 4mm of tread left.

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Interesting, which kumhos did you go for? How do you find the handling and road noise?

Cameron1590 said:

Interesting, which kumhos did you go for? How do you find the handling and road noise?

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I opted for the Kumho Ecsta LE which worked out at just over £100 per corner for the 18" size, inc balancing, valves, fitting and disposal of old tyres.

Handling is at least equal to the Bridgestone OEM tyre and road noise slightly less IMO. Tyre wear on the fronts seems a bit better than the Bridgestones, but they've been great on the back