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Technical 100HP tyre life

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Technical 100HP tyre life

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babbo umbro

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Had the Goodyears swapped back/front this morning (several longish trips coming in the next week and in early preparation for Italy trip in mid-April). 12,900 miles since October 2008; some additional wear on inside shoulder but not too pronounced and I'm quite pleased with the rate of wear - better than Pirellis on the Cinquecento Sporting for example - as I could have left it a thousand or two more before the swap which would give a mileage of, say, 28,000 for a complete set. Mileage is a rather strange mix of Devon lanes and motorway/autoroute/autostrada. I don't corner on the doorhandles but I do push on, though I never "dry steer", which I'm sure kills tyres. I intend to fit a complete set of whatever seems best when the "new" fronts are worn - looks like Vredesteins at the moment - update in June 2011.
 
That's not bad, especially when you look at what other people have been getting. I measured mine at 8000 miles at they had about 6mm left IIRC, and the fronts were very similar to the rears. I did some calculations at the time and estimated that they would probably do just over 20k before needing to be replaced. I'm not sure how reliable the numbers will be though as the wear depends on so many things.

I don't dry steer either. I wouldn't expect it to wear the tyres too much, but I'm just guessing. I would worry far more about the stress it would put on the steering components.
 
Advanced Driver said:
I measured mine at 8000 miles at they had about 6mm left IIRC, and the fronts were very similar to the rears.
Click to expand...

My fronts still had a fair few mm of tread left when they were replaced....It was the inner shoulder (around the very edge where the tread meets the wall) that was bald as a coot....

Make sure you keep an eye on this area as the tread can look nice and even (both my sets have) and it's hard to spot without it on full lock....

:D
 
ThisBitterPill said:
My fronts still had a fair few mm of tread left when they were replaced....It was the inner shoulder (around the very edge where the tread meets the wall) that was bald as a coot....
Click to expand...

Ah, I must admit that I measured in the centre of the tyre, although the wear did look even all over. I also looked at the edge that you mention over the weekend, and it looks very healthy.
 
My favourite garage man (Gordon at Mid-Devon Motors - great proprietor/mechanic) had a look at the fronts in particular when they were off the car and was quite impressed as he reckons all the sportier suspension setups screw up the inside shoulder these days. I'm sure power steering is a major factor, quite apart from the dry steering - just not necessary on such small cars, they put power steering in them and then have to set up the suspension with extreme castor angles to produce sufficient self-centring and a modicum of weight, I'd far sooner have slightly heavier steering and some genuine feel to it. (Incidentally, I let Gordon have a thrash in the 100HP after I'd had it for a couple of months and he reckoned it's a really good little car, reminiscent of a (real) Mini Cooper S, and only lacking twenty or thirty horsepower to be a really great one.)
 
babbo umbro said:
My favourite garage man (Gordon at Mid-Devon Motors - great proprietor/mechanic) had a look at the fronts in particular when they were off the car and was quite impressed as he reckons all the sportier suspension setups screw up the inside shoulder these days. I'm sure power steering is a major factor, quite apart from the dry steering - just not necessary on such small cars, they put power steering in them and then have to set up the suspension with extreme castor angles to produce sufficient self-centring and a modicum of weight, I'd far sooner have slightly heavier steering and some genuine feel to it. (Incidentally, I let Gordon have a thrash in the 100HP after I'd had it for a couple of months and he reckoned it's a really good little car, reminiscent of a (real) Mini Cooper S, and only lacking twenty or thirty horsepower to be a really great one.)
Click to expand...

If he is comparing the handling of a real mini against a new panda, then there is no comparison IMO..............

Ming
 
ycming said:
If he is comparing the handling of a real mini against a new panda, then there is no comparison IMO..............

Ming
Click to expand...

Yes - it was the general feel of the car, compromise between handling and comfort and so on, in the context of other cars then and now.
 
My car has done almost 60k and the rears are just about legal. However, the fronts have already been replaced twice and are now down to about 3mm. Being a tutition vehicle, it does thousands of manoeuvres and while dry-steering is not allowed, my students are trying to keep the speed as low as possible.

Has anyone tried anything different to the OE Goodyear Eagle F1's?
 
ThisBitterPill said:
My fronts still had a fair few mm of tread left when they were replaced....It was the inner shoulder (around the very edge where the tread meets the wall) that was bald as a coot....

Make sure you keep an eye on this area as the tread can look nice and even (both my sets have) and it's hard to spot without it on full lock....

:D
Click to expand...

Good advice, mine were exactly the same. They looked to be in great nick but the inner edge was well worn. It's difficult to spot even on full lock unless you know what you are looking for.
 
LeanMeanRacing said:
My car has done almost 60k and the rears are just about legal. However, the fronts have already been replaced twice and are now down to about 3mm. Being a tutition vehicle, it does thousands of manoeuvres and while dry-steering is not allowed, my students are trying to keep the speed as low as possible.

Has anyone tried anything different to the OE Goodyear Eagle F1's?
Click to expand...

Hope this doesn't start the new tyres on back/front debate again. (Or have I just done so?) As i noted when I started the thread, one of my reasons for doing a back/front swap is to enable me to get a complete set of whatever I replace the Goodyears with, as I'm not keen on mixing different tyres even in pairs.
 
LeanMeanRacing said:
Has anyone tried anything different to the OE Goodyear Eagle F1's?
Click to expand...

I managed 16K on the Original F1s....

I then went for a set of Toyo Proxies....They were slightly cheaper then the F1s and they managed almost the same mileage, pretty much identical grip in the dry, slightly less in the wet, bit noisier than the F1s....

Trying a set of Kumho KU31s now and they are very good so far, but only had them on for about 2K so I have no idea of wear....Again, the grip is very similar, plus they seem less prone to aquaplaning, and they are quieter than the other two....

If they're good enough for the Prodrive boys, I thought I'd give them a go....And I'm impressed so far!

:)
 
babbo umbro said:
Hope this doesn't start the new tyres on back/front debate again. (Or have I just done so?) As i noted when I started the thread, one of my reasons for doing a back/front swap is to enable me to get a complete set of whatever I replace the Goodyears with, as I'm not keen on mixing different tyres even in pairs.
Click to expand...

Not wanting to start the discussion again but all tyre manufacturers agree that the best tyres on the back is the safest option. There is absolutely no problem with mixing tyres front to back as long as the tyres are the same across the axle, anyone who tells you otherwise is merely repeating what they heard someone say down at the pub. Meanwhile with better tyres on the front that on the back you're more likely to encounter surprise oversteer in bad conditions which nobody wants.
 
LeanMeanRacing said:
My car has done almost 60k and the rears are just about legal. However, the fronts have already been replaced twice and are now down to about 3mm. Being a tutition vehicle, it does thousands of manoeuvres and while dry-steering is not allowed, my students are trying to keep the speed as low as possible.

Has anyone tried anything different to the OE Goodyear Eagle F1's?
Click to expand...

I've gone for S-Drives on the front. Still got the original F1s on the back. The S-drives have a stiffer sidewall than the F1s. I generally prefer them in all honesty.
 
306maxi said:
Not wanting to start the discussion again but all tyre manufacturers agree that the best tyres on the back is the safest option. There is absolutely no problem with mixing tyres front to back as long as the tyres are the same across the axle, anyone who tells you otherwise is merely repeating what they heard someone say down at the pub. Meanwhile with better tyres on the front that on the back you're more likely to encounter surprise oversteer in bad conditions which nobody wants.
Click to expand...

Agree with all that, and changing a pair at a time hits the bank balance less hard than going for a complete set - it's just that I like to try out different tyres and I think the best way to do it is to swap the whole set. I suppose it's just possible that putting a pair of cheap and nasties on the back while putting the old rear tyres on the front could give you much less adhesion on the back with the results you describe.
 
babbo umbro said:
Agree with all that, and changing a pair at a time hits the bank balance less hard than going for a complete set - it's just that I like to try out different tyres and I think the best way to do it is to swap the whole set. I suppose it's just possible that putting a pair of cheap and nasties on the back while putting the old rear tyres on the front could give you much less adhesion on the back with the results you describe.
Click to expand...

It's worth remembering though that the panda is anything but tail happy. Even with new S-drives on the front, bringing the rear into play takes quite an effort.
 
To be honest, no. :eek: However...

Being a tuition vehicle, the nearside wheels are prone to being kerbed [the NSF in particular]. As a result, I want to keep the alloys on their respective corners and then it limits the damage.

The rears will be replaced very soon and then the fronts in the following month. I think I might try the Khumo's if my local tyre guys can get them at the right price [the advantage of teaching their daughter to drive!].
 
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