I ran mine with Hankook Optimo 4S all-season tyres. They count as proper snowflake marked winter tyres but you can leave them on all year round.
Guys,
15K miles in and I might be looking at a change of tires . I've still got the original Continental ECO Contact EPs . Has anyone discovered anything better / cheaper / safer / more interesting ?
Why are you needing to change your tyres so soon? 15k miles is nothing.
I've put about 24k miles on my tyres (on a 500) and they're only down to about 4-5mm of tread. I'll probably get rid of them at 2.5mm or so.
Tbh I wouldn't go for all seaon tyres, jack of all trades, master of none as a friend who works for Continental would say. They're not fantastic in the summer and will have a less grip than a summer tyre, and they won't perform as well in snow and certainly not as well on ice as a proper winter tyre. If you're really that bothered about winter performance you'll buy proper winter tyres.
It's a DERV compared to your petrol
Also it's a Panda and I suspect the bloke in the factory who's supposed to set the tracking on Pandas just spends all day looking at jazz mags instead.
Why are you needing to change your tyres so soon? 15k miles is nothing.
I've put about 24k miles on my tyres (on a 500) and they're only down to about 4-5mm of tread. I'll probably get rid of them at 2.5mm or so.
Tbh I wouldn't go for all seaon tyres, jack of all trades, master of none as a friend who works for Continental would say. They're not fantastic in the summer and will have a less grip than a summer tyre, and they won't perform as well in snow and certainly not as well on ice as a proper winter tyre. If you're really that bothered about winter performance you'll buy proper winter tyres.
I've got uneven wear on the front tires..possibly a combination of not being inflated often enough and a life of speed bumps...
Speed bumps contribute to putting your tracking slightly out though. Had mine re-set when I had new front tyres.
It's a Panda MJ, not a sports car so I had a cheap brand (£70 for 2 'Hero' tyres). ANY new tyre is better than a knackered old one despite having legal tread depth. The old ones (Nexen) had almost no grip, wheelspin at the slightest dampness.
Speed bumps contribute to putting your tracking slightly out though. Had mine re-set when I had new front tyres.
It takes a lot to put the tracking out. It's not like the track rod ends just move themselves. Either something bends or some bush has to give somewhere or the ride height settles..On that basis so do pot holes, or any slight imperfection in the road. I know clouting your wheels does set tracking off, and perhaps hitting humps at silly speeds, but going over them sensibly shouldn't.
Of course anything is better than a worn out one in the wet, but be it Hero or Nexen, they'll be ****e compared to a proper top or mid range tyre.
I don't agree. I've been driving since 1983 in everything from Minis to Lotus and TVRs, and the overall quality of tyres has moved on immensely. They all have to be made to a certain standard of manufacture. Undoubtedly there is an advantage in the 'top brands' and of course they want you to believe that but, as I said, I doubt many people would notice when it's not on a sports car. the advent of ABS and traction control has led drivers to expect too much from their cars in my opinion.
You want a s***e tyre, try driving a 180 hp Lotus Excel SE on remoulds that a previous owner thought would be 'saving money.' Talk about understeer, my god.....