How long to wait before using new tyres?

[Zardo]

Compared to my old 6 year old tyres (~ 1 mm deep), the new ones have a rather poor grip in the dry, it feels almost like snow tyres.

In the wet, it's the opposite: I experienced recently some aquaplaning issues, because of this I had to reduce velocity to 120 km/h in the rain (otherwise, 160 km/h had never been a problem with 175/65 R 14). So that's why I finally decided to buy a set of new tyres via internet, they sort of came almost directly from the manufacturer.

Now to my question: the new tyres feel still a bit insecure after 600 km. I have the impression the high profile of the tyre sort of "wobbles away" in corners, it's also very easy to do the steering (this is uncanny, I have a feeling like going on snow).

Is this because the high profile and new tyre make the tyre more resilient, whereas low profile of my old tyres and tyre age made them stiffer?

How long should one wait before using new tyres for the first time, like letting them "age" in the cellar like some good wine?

Zardo

 

[dave]

they could be a harder compound, that would make them bad in the wet

 

[toad101]

the reason your old tyres had more grip in dry they were practicly slicks and had a lot of road contact, I wouldn't have waited 6years before changing tyres as the rubber degrades with time and become hard and brittle

 

[Hellcat]

Doesn't come hard and brittle if it's being used often enough.

Around 1mm of tread is a bit low! Under 2mm is on the risky side of sensible.

Not sure I'd want to be doing 160kmph often on 175/65R14 tyres. I'd want to go to 185/60R14 or move to a 195/50R15 with new rims.

 

[Zardo]

Doesn't come hard and brittle if it's being used often enough.

Not sure I'd want to be doing 160kmph often on 175/65R14 tyres. I'd want to go to 185/60R14 or move to a 195/50R15 with new rims.

This is on german autobahn only. It's going straight, straight, straight...

By the way, do you believe in this nitrogen stuff? They say filling the tyres up with pure nitrogen (instead of 80% nitrogen as in air) will increases tyre lifetime (tyres are supposed to stay more elastic for a longer time).

 

[Hellcat]

Regardless of cornering - I'd be wanting a harder ride and the ability to get out the way if something happened.

The nitrogen thing certainly lines the wallets of the gas companies better than filling your tyres with free air... Your tyres will probably wear out before they start to crack.

 

[hmallett]

Around 1mm of tread is a bit low!

It's also very illegal. At least here in the UK - I'm sure it would be in Germany too.
H

 

[wotnowarninglight]

1.6 Stilo fronts at 3mm felt insecure and the flashing of the traction control warning light made me think I was in a disco when pushing on... hey but its your life Schumi! Whereabouts in Germany are from / do you live in Zardo?

 

[Zardo]

Actually, my point was that in the dry, the new tyres feel MORE insecure than the old ones with only ~ 1 mm profile on them... The old ones felt VERY good in the dry.

I felt nevertheless obliged to put the old ones off duty since they started to feel insecure in the rain at higher speeds - and for insurance reasons if someone else would cause an accident.

Profile in the middle was about 2 mm but at the outer sides ~1 mm. When I passed my theoretical driving exam, minimum profile was 1 mm, but they have since increased that value to 1,6 mm I believe.

There are some countries which are incredibly severe, I've heard that in Austria snow tyres go off duty when they reach 5-6 mm. In Germany, it's 2 mm. So it appears there's lots of profits to make if one travels to Austria buying truck loads of throw-away snow tyres with 5 mm profile on them and using them for 2 more seasons... avoiding Austria, off course.

Zardo

 

[dave]

ah what you call profile we call tread depth.
we call tyre wall measurement profile,

 

[spuda101]

mine only last a cuple of months

 

[faster4_tec]

the less tread on your tyres, the better they grip in the dry.

however when it gets damp, you want little contact area (therefore higher pressure upon that area, and aids grip), and deep water draining tread.

even with new tyres on teh front of my car I can controllaly aquaplane it thru this shicane near me under the speed limit, quite easily, wouldn't try it with worn tyres, I'd probably crash

 

[Renegade_8]

New tyres need a few miles to wear off the release compound from the mould, usually 50 to 100 will see that off. You may need to experiment with pressures to get them to feel right, from the description they sound over inflated but whatever you do dont run below recomended safer to be .2 of a bar over. However if you spend more on tyres you get better grip and more miles plus more informative steering, what brands came off and went on? I'm thinking of names like Goodyear or Conti here which can be 3 or 4X the budget ones. I think the time limit on tyres is due to UV light damage, the Firestones on the B which lives in the garage (99% of the time so no UV)were changed after 8 years and no sign of cracking or brittleness and still handled fine, I just wore them out mostly sliding the tail on the throttle.
ps aquaplaning is a wedge of water building up that lifts the wheel off the road, the only answer is deep enough channels to drain it away = lots of tread depth.

 

[Dunc Uno Turbo]

i remember getting a set of yoko's fitted to the UT at a tyre garage. he said "make sure u go steady at the mo as they'll be greasey and take a few miles for it to wear off" so i left leaving the biggest black 'number 11' uve seen out the garage and down the road, soon got them bedded in lol

Dunc

 

[Stu DemonD]

he said "make sure u go steady at the mo as they'll be greasey and take a few miles for it to wear off"

My local tyre dealership also warns me of that as well - although I don't burn off in quite that style

 

[Stephan1]

this must be plonkers corner ageing your tyre's for better grip pmsl if you want better grip then buy better tyre's and leave this space for serious car problem's this might sound nasty but i have read most of the thread's and i have to say alot of you fiat owner's havent got a clue about car mechanic's and ask such silly question's about car's it's unreal :bang:

 

[Stu DemonD]

this must be plonkers corner ageing your tyre's for better grip pmsl if you want better grip then buy better tyre's and leave this space for serious car problem's this might sound nasty but i have read most of the thread's and i have to say alot of you fiat owner's havent got a clue about car mechanic's and ask such silly question's about car's it's unreal :bang:

Thanks for that cracking input how to make friends in an instant.

This is a forum, chill out - everyone has their opinions, no one is forcing you to read it, or agree with everything that is being said.

 

[serin]

isnt this an owners help forum?

for owners who dont know this stuff, to ask and find out?

 

[Virmin]

Gentlemen please...