Tyres which last about a week
 

Now please don’t take this as an invitation to deliver a lecture around the topics of “You get what you pay for” (you frequently don’t, in my experience), “Buy cheapo tyres and expect to crash” etc etc. My little TF nearly killed me a few weeks ago, when it did a 180 on a gentle bend on a damp road, threw me up a steep bank, stood on its tail and nearly flipped over backwards, and that was on expensive Continentals.


Get to the point, Roger… OK, over the (many) years, I've had all sorts of tyres fitted to all kinds of cars, from a NAUGHTY WORD-NAUGHTY WORD-NAUGHTY WORD-NAUGHTY WORD- little Daihatsu to a couple of M3’s. I’m now in my 10th year of Rover 75 ownership, and had a lot of tyres which have lasted a much shorter time than I expect.


Most recently, I’ve had budget “Landsail” tyres fitted to the rear wheels – and, after about 12,000 miles, there’s very little meat left on them. They might make 20,000. Wear on the n/s tyre is somewhat uneven, so the car will be booked in for 4 wheel alignment when I get a chance – but the o/s one is very even, but still worn maybe ¾ of the way down.


Note these are the rear tyres, which I’d expect to last forever – and that, as I’m getting on a bit now, I chug around very gently in the old bus.


When I pick budget tyres, I look at the EU A-B-C rating, and Landsail were pretty good. I also read various review sites, Pistonheads etc, and again people seemed to reckon they were fine – yet here we are, not long to replace them again.


I can’t seen any reason why a gently-driven front-wheel-drive car should eat rear tyres, so does anybody have any recommendations for tyres which will last a bit?

My brother has a TF and says that the car is supposedly very sensitive to tyres. I find it hard to believe, but might be due to mid engined layout?

Also a rear drive car can be "tail happy". A previous 325 tds I had stepped out with me doing no more than 25MPH as I went over a wet drain cover. I got straight 5.9s from the onlookers as I contained the four wheel drift! :DThis was due to low tread and afterwards with new tyres was good as gold.

The recommended tyre was a Goodyear that is now out of production, so the best option now seems to be the Toyo.

Regarding the tyre choice for our cars, I have had Uniroyal RS3 and they are wearing as yours has. Someone will correct me if I am wrong, but I think all modern tyres are softer and wear more if they are quieter and better in the wet. If you go for a dodgier handling tyre it might last longer, but you will find the hedgerows are your friend! :duh:

If I read it correctly tyre manufacturers self certificate their tyres, just like VW did. We all know how that ended up. :D

I think you take tyre ratings with a pinch of salt and go for a reasonable brand at a a reasonable price.

I like to hope the more established brands than a "Chung Li" or "Rip more" will test their tyres more fairly and be a better comparison. :getmecoat:

Brand is for the most part irrelevant now days thanks to eu laws.

What is key is season type.

You cna have the most expensive Michelin tyres in the world, but if they are summer tyres and your on an ice road they will be nigh on useless.

Same with a alpine tyre in summer, wears uneven due to how quick it heats up.

Personnelly I've two sets of rims now for my 75s I've winter alpine tyres which is fit at this time of year or if I'm off to Austria, and rest of the time even summer I try to look at a hard wearing rain tyre.

We don't really need summer tyres here in the UK, and an all season will satisfy 75% of daily drivers. Obviously if you want better tyres that's up to you.

I've driven on Bridgestone, Hankook, Kumho, Michelin (and built Michelin tyres for a while before being laid off) and I tell you straight, day to day Kumho or Hankook all season tyres are ideal. Personally would never have a set of Michelin on my cars now, complete rip off for what they actually are and offer.

If anyone is pushing that hard they don't grip then your likely driving harder than you should be on the road anyways and need a word with yourself.

I've also bought a 75 with land sails on it, it was on hairpins wearing 225 45 18 land sail winter lander. Excellent winter grip in rain and slush for the money. In fact I must get another set ordered.

I have had tyres from that company I told you about (kerrs) , I forget what they were called, but lost grip in the wet quite easily. But didn't wear. I swapped them front to rear after 18 months and ultimately changed them after 2 and a half years with 22000 miles on them. They were level and still had around 3mm tread front and slightly more on the rear. They did the tracking at the same time, all 4 wheels needed some adjustment.

2018 I replaced the tyres for zeta alventi (I think), and whilst they are wearing quicker at around 12000 miles, they are only half way down. But more importantly the grip is shockingly better. Still wearing level. Again they did the tracking at fitment, however only charged half price as they only adjusted one corner the slightest amount.

I have read the tracking is the key for rear tyre wear. Particularly doing the rear first then the front.

Granted mine is a zt with 3 year old suspension, I still think the tracking could be the issue for you.

Sent from my SM-A600FN using Tapatalk

Cheers Alan – I actually had her booked in with Kerr’s a few weeks ago to get the alignment done, then crashed the TF and cancelled it as I had other priorities! I’m hoping to try again next week or so, and I’ll definitely post the results here when I do


Just as a matter of interest, last time I had her up to Mark to get something done at the front, he told me Magowan’s had tightened the wheel nuts to some massive torque, and to have a word with them. I forgot about it, thinking well, I have a breaker bar if I ever need to get a wheel off… so a couple of days ago, I tried to swap the rear wheels due to the uneven wear, and got alarmed at the pressure I was exerting even with that (and the nuts still not shifting).


I decided to get Magowan’s to re-torque them, which they did (and swapped the wheels), and to be fair didn’t attempt to charge me, though the guy was adamant that their airguns COULDN'T overtighten, as “they only go up to 95NM”. Obviously he’d never heard of faulty equipment – and anyway, that’s still about 25% too high for the Rover. Will try Kerr’s next time…

Hhmmm, didn't even know ordinary tyres were seasonal Colin :eek: is it marked on them?

Had a set of Three A P606 on the ZT for a year, wore evenly from start to finish just shy of 27000 miles.

They replaced a set of end of life Dunlop SP Sport, after I'd spent almost a grand on new clutch, flywheel, a rear suspension, and brake overhaul, exhaust etc etc for the 2018-2019 MOT prep.

I can say they were moderately noisier than the Dunlop, but were noticeably poorer in the wet in terms of braking performance, and slightly better than the SP in the dry.

Anyway onto the 2019-2020 test, I was not going to submit the ZT with a sub 3mm set of boots, so as I had another set of ratty 11 spokes fitted with a matched set of four almost new Landsail, I fitted those.

So what of the Landsail? well as only the second full set of budget tyres I've had experience of, fitted to a 75 or ZT........they are absolutely dreadful, ruin the ride compliance, unbelievably noisy on certain road surfaces, and will soon to be going the journey.

Contrary to popular belief, tyres are a prime example of you get what you pay for, the nicest I had so far are Uniroyal Rainsport 3, followed closely by Avon ZV7.

I'd like to recommend the Avon, not the cheapest not the dearest, but a better all rounder, I've yet to find.

I also have a set of winter boots, Uniroyal MS66 on Comets, they are still in the garage covered over as they did last year.......the climate in the UK, even in the North East of England, doesn't really warrant winter tyres.

Brian :D

what is 25% to high, 95nm for wheel bolts? I don't think so. wheel bolts are 125nm

macafee2

Plenty of markings, mostly ratified by eu law now. Do a Google on subject. You will be able to read tyres within a few minutes after it.

Roger,

I have been a Uniroyal groupie for 30 years now (I remember the Rallye 180 and the 280 Rain Tyres we used to put on our Sunbeam Alpine Series 5 that had their little brolly on the sidewall...then 240, 380, 550, 580, RainExperts and now RainSports) and I will always look to see what they have available and what they are developing.

Currently both the ZT-T and my Peugeot 406 are on Uniroyal Rainsport 3 and although their life is shorter than other makes of comparable cost, I find the confidence they give me about contact with the road (in the dry and especially the wet) is well worth the need to replace them more often and they are a good price.

Like Brian I have a set of alloys for the 406 with winters fitted (Nokian - a bit more tricky to find from suppliers but they have a good reputation for performance) but have yet to see a chilly enough spell this year to pop them on the car. Nice to know they are there ready if I need them.

I have a spare set of Hairpins for the ZT-T which I am going to try and either do up myself or get them stripped, blasted and coated by a local firm (as they will do a better job hopefully!) and have a set of NFera SU1 Nexens to put on as spares or sell on if I have to. They are 'A' rated wet grip (like the Uniroyals) and I did use them on the front of the ZT-T previously - they seemed to be pretty competent but I always put faith in Uniroyals.

I say perhaps consider higher load rating if going with Uniroyal for a ZT or 75 as the sidewall is really pliable and I tend to run them at a few psi higher than other stiffer tyres to try and reduce the edge wear I tend to see.

Just my thoughts.

Jonty

The old Rallye 280 - an 80's retro moment!
http://www.ityre.com/i/tyre/2801.jpg