Technical Tyre recommendations please

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Technical Tyre recommendations please

jrkitching

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Morning all

At 79000 miles, it's finally time to buy the second set of replacement tyres for the Panda. Currently running Michelin E3B, which replaced the original Conti ecocontact3's. The Michelin's were a bit quieter, and just possibly better for fuel economy, but much longer lasting. The first change was at 35000, so the Michelins have lasted 44,000 miles - a 25% improvement.

Question is, what now? The Michelins are still available, but the most expensive of the options and there are alternatives with (at least according to the label) better economy and noise performance. Priorities are noise performance, fuel economy and lifespan, in that order; handling and wet weather performance interest me not at all. Conti's are out of the running as experience has shown the Michelin's are slightly better and last a lot longer for not much more money.

Shortlist would appear to be the following (most expensive first) prices are from blackcircles and don't include fitting (tyres are the standard 155/80R13's):

Michelin E3B - £38.93
Falken Ecorun - £34.94
Dunlop streetresponse 2 - £30.95
Toyo nanoenergy3 - £27.44

Thoughts please folks? Comments particularly welcome from anyone who's used any of the last 3 on the Panda.

Also any recommendations for a decent independent tyre fitting company in the Bournemouth area please?
 
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I have Michelin Energy Saver + on all four wheels. They were fitted to the Panda last summer based on the experience of my old Yaris, which did 45000 miles on a set of these tyres over three years and was still at 3.5mm tread when I sold the car. They seem to grip reasonably well, are quiet, and give good economy.
 
I'd stick with the Michelins... I have the same as yours and find them excellent all round.
 
I've got some Vredestein on the front, quiet and grip well. Much better than the Continental's that came off.

Just put some Semperit (owned by Continental) on the rear. They are also quieter than the Contis they replaced, and seem to be gripping well too. Please with both.
 
I use the Dunlop Streetresponse2 and have no complaints about them.

I don't get the mileage from my tyres that you do but that's mainly because I can't keep the tracking true on the diesel panda the the fronts scrub out in about 20k or so.

Will try and find my records to confirm the mileage.

They are quiet, grip well and I still get good mpg.

When I last checked I think the tyre label gives them the best rating in all categories.
 
We use Dunlop SR2s as well, and no complaints so far.
With the state of the roads in Norfolk the main benefits over the Michelins or Contis is that they are usually 1/3 cheaper, despite being very close in terms of noise, economy and wear.
Round here tyres do take a lot of a battering from potholes which does seem to kill some budget brand tyres quite quickly but the SR2s seem to be lasting well so far.
 
Horses for courses.

Round here, the roads are a succession of potholes joined by random bits of tarmac. Narrow lanes, edged with uneven stone walks play havoc with sidewalls.Budget tyres are the norm because damage is frequent.

If you are in an area where hazards are few, and drive defensively, then go for the Michelins again. Excellent all-rounders.
 
Thanks to all who responded.

Went for the Michelin energys again, Dunlop streetresponse2 would have been my second choice. Labelling would indeed suggest the latter are better on paper, but I drive much more frequently on tarmac and stayed with what I know works well.

Found a discount code for £20 off any 4 michelins & so got what I thought was a reasonable deal; £189.02 for the 4 fully fitted - though I did just take the wheels to the tyre centre to minimise the collateral damage potential. They put 2 guys on the job as soon as I arrived (one to fit, one to balance), so I was in & out in less than 15mins (y).

PM me if you want the discount code (valid until 31/10/17).
 
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The Michelin's are number 1 but if you're on a budget try Barum from Tyre Shopper. They're a high mileage tyre so would give you the same length of service to the Michelin's.
 
I've currently got 4 Toyo nano energy 3 tyres on my 1.1. (155/80/13) When I bought it the car had 1 original conti, 2 firestones and a Mohawk (at around ~25000miles). I kept the mismatched tyres, but rotated them sensibly and when they wore out (around 50000 if I remember correctly)I replaced them with 4 Uniroyal rain experts which lasted well tread wise but ended up with sidewall bulges from potholes and got replaced my the nanos at around 75000 miles. The nanos seem to be doing ok, but wearing fairly quickly (4mm on front after 10000) although they only had 6mm to start with according to the manufacturer. When put on they had a tendency to squeal on fast turns and I sometimes find they lack initial grip in the wet. I'll probably replace them with the same, or try Yokohama Blue earth, whichever is cheaper on black-circles at the time of replacement.


I've not noticed any difference overall between any of the tyres in grip/noise/fuel consumption or performance (with the exception of the Toyos occasionally spinning in the wet). This might just be me being oblivious. For the ~£40 difference if you were happy with the E3Bs you might as well stick with them, cheaper than replacing tyres if you really don't like them, or putting up with tyres you find you don't like.
 
Slightly different response from me. Mine came with factory alloys from new with 165 Contis which were ok, but having had the same make on Focus 1.6s I wasn't as impressed with those on the Panda, so at 35,000 miles I made the switch to another make which, sadly, I can't remember,but these also lasted around 35,000 miles before changing to Chinese made Avons which are 175X65 R14s. The front pair lasted around 32,000 miles and I replaced those with Dutch made Vredesteins which seem very good in the wet, arguably better than in the dry.

But the rears are still the Avons with plenty of tread on them. So they seem to have done about 47,000 miles so far.
 
I realise this is too late for the OP, but I went for the Dunlops when replacing the fronts on my Eco 1.1 - based on the rating and decent price through tyre shopper.
 
I have a 2009 1.1 eco, I decided to replace the 155/80/13 tyres with the bigger size 175/70/13 same rolling diameter. I fitted Falken Sincera ecoruns, total cost £160 fitted, I got fed up of the skinny tyres, done about a thousand miles on the new tyres, well pleased, they are quiet and the car handles a lot better, feels planted on the road with good grip and less understeer.
 
If you put none OEM fitment tyres on, you should inform your insurance company. I am renewing my insurance today. I use to be just asked if the car had been modified. This time there was an added question about the tyres and wheels.

Michelin fitment guide recommends a different rim for the 175

First two are original figment, last two are aftermarket options.


155R13 79T :165/65R14 79T :175/70R13 78T :175/60R15 77H
5Bx13 ET41 :5Jx14 ET38 :5Jx13 ET38 :5.5Jx15 ET35
 

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175/70/13 are the perfect replacement, no problem at all with the rim size, and no problems with insurance.

I cannot post the link, but if you look way back into the forum there are lots of replies and people who have changed from the skinnies, and found 175s to be far better.
 
ts best to inform your insurance company
As i said above, there is no problem, meaning i have informed them and no extra charge!
I have not enough posts to show a link to all the earlier posts regarding the 175s if you search you will see all the replies, there is no problem fitting the 175s to my steel rims, they are wide enough.
 
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