I'm looking for new tyres for my Nissan Primera 1998 - previously had Michelin ENERGY E3A which is very good in the wet - there's also one called Michelin Energy Saver, more expensive Previously had Dunlop which wore out quickly and didn't grip particularly well.....anyone have recommendations/experiences?
stick with michelin, you can't really do better in overall terms. There is
20 per cent off a set of four at Costco at present.
I put four Michelin MXTs on a Fiesta about 10 years ago. When I sold the car the tyres had done nearly 40k, and they hardly looked worn...
Michelin, are great tyres, IMHO.
tox
P10 and P11 Primeras are super sensitive to front tyre selection, I've had some duff choices so I now stick to what I know works well and safely, Continentals.
Continental PremiumContact2's work very well on my 97 Primera, it's difficult to find much difference between wet and dry grip, fronts last about 20k to 2.5mm, rears 36k, but Michelins are usually best for low wear rate. I've not seen any tyre tests where Michelins do particularly well in the wet but there again they don't test with a Primera and different cars suit different tyres I reckon. I know for sure though that the Contis are a huge step up in grip wet and dry and no worse for wear than from the following (on a Primera)...
Dunlop Sport SP200... turn into banana skins at the limit in the wet, fast wear rate, very noisy. Lasted 15k front. Goodyear NCTx (forget the number).... so-so, plodding performance, less grip in the dry than Contis in the wet, predictable though, less noisy than Dunlops but still louder than Contis. Lasted 20k front. Tigar ? can't remember the name but although cheap it wasn't their cheapest. About as good as the Goodyears I'd say. Lasted 20k front. Uniroyal Rallye 540... not bad grip all round but not really suited to a Primera, terrible understeer and don't inspire confidence. Very quiet and smooth drive, soaks up bumps like no other due to very soft sidewalls. Lasted 25k front.
On to the Contis... Continental PremiumContacts (i.e. the first version)....Total transformation of the car, total confidence now in the wet. Lasted 19k. Not as quiet as the Uniroyals but OK. Continental PremiumContact2. Great grip as earlier version, last 20k, main difference to earlier version is that it is now moderately quiet (for a Primera). Almost forgot, I had a short period on Continental's energy saving EcoContacts which were on my P11 when I bought it. They were fine all round, just not quite as good as the more expensive PremiumContacts. No idea how they wear.
My only experience with Michelins was with Pilot Exaltos on a very nice handling 1999 Hyundai Coupe. They were replaced by Continental PremiumContact2's and the Contis were better, holding noticeably more speed on bends before starting to scrabble a bit, wet and dry. Quieter as well. The Michelins last quite a bit longer though, not sure by how much, and gave a perfectly good performance all round that most people would be very happy with.
The only other make of tyre that I would like to try is Vredestein, they always do so well in tests, but every time I've rung up tyre fitters for quotes they never seem to want to sell the damn things.
Had Conti Eco 3's on the Capper and had all hell on trying to get that to go sideways deliberately and they seemed to wear well.
When I get new tyres, it mostly depends on what's on offer by the tyrefitter, though I avoid so called budget tyres. Michelins are god, but expensive. Firestones wear well, Dunlops are quiet. I now have Pirelli 6000? excellent.
I assume you where aiming for good there, or do you just *really* love Michelins :)
MattF
My Danish sometimes interfere. I've seen a British car registrations with the letters: GUD, so he must be somewhere around?
I've got them all round on my Mondeo now - seem to be good, were better than most in the snow and have stuck well at speed in the dry too. Can't vouch for wear yet but I haven't noticed any...
I had them before. Seemed to wear out in no time.
Can't vouch for the noise either, with a Powerflow exhaust on it ;-)
I had Vredestein Hi-Tracs on when we lived in Wales. Made a huge difference on wet leafy country hills, and seemed to be good all rounders. As you say, they don't seem to be that widely available, even though they always do well in road tests. Maybe they don't offer such a high kickback (sorry, profit margin).
Costco is expensive for tyres and their employees are NOT insured to drive your vehicle - so do not allow them to collect it from a position in the car park or move it! You would be best looking at TyreShopper - you can choose your tyres and then have them fitted at your local National Tyres with no more to pay. Everything is included in the price. I went for Goodyear and 4 of them were £240 inclusive of balancing, fitting and binning the old ones. The same tyres would have been another £30 EACH if I had bought them from National Tyres. I prefer tyres that are good in the wet. Most drivers will never drive to such a standard that dry" grip is ever used to the full. Maybe in their heads, but not in practice!
My Costco has a certificate of vehicle insurance on prominent display in the waiting area.
Their prices are the fitted price including valve, balance, old tyre disposal and nitrogen filling and VAT, I find them cheap, quick, friendly, safe and convenient. I probably buy a couple of dozen tyres a year from them, both for my customers and myself every now and again. They also often have a special such as the present one for an extra 20 percent off a set of four.
Next time I go I will grab some prices, any particular sizes anyone is after?
Mrcheerful
That would make their business illegal, any tyre fitters is effectivly uninsured for for damaging your car, they have to pay up themselves.
That has been my experience as well. My friendly local garage does not even bother to compete, esp. given my preference for Michelin. The only time they let me down was when they could not source the exotic size the Almera takes, in which case I went with (and would do so again)
Kostas p.s.: Excellent posting, Steve, many thanks.
etyres.co.uk might be a good bet... mobile tyre fitting service that comes to you. If it's in a tyre they fitted, puncture repair is free, if not it's
15 quid. You pay upfront for a new tyre which they'll fit if the puncture is not fixable (similar fitted prices to TyreShopper/Black Circles), otherwise they refund the charge.I felt rather bad after the guy spent half an hour fixing my puncture and they got paid precisely nothing (except a cup of tea). Ah well, if that's how they run their business I'm not complaining...
Theo
Thanks for the tip! One of the problems with blackcircles was that I could not find a fitter in their list that would do it on a Sat or evening, which meant mega-hassle.
Kostas
I replaced "Michelin Primacy"s with "Firestone TZ200 FuelSaver"s on my 97 Honda Accord.
Similarly low road noise and level of grip, cheaper, and marginally better fuel economy*.
Al Reynolds
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