Tyres

PS. And what's the deal with summer versus all-season tyres in the UK?

Cheers, Rob

I'll have to check. Sounds to me a bit like one of the "cons" in the car industry. Tyres rated *way* more than the speed limit :-)

Isn't the net fun :-) Just spent some time reading about tyres, more than I'd like to know thank you! Over at

the Toyo - PROXES T1-R tyre comes out as their number one tyre. I can get these for £81.00 each on and then get them fitted locally for £20 (need two). So that's £182 compared to £257 for two Dunlop SP Sport 9000 at Kwik-Fit which might actually be for a better tyre.

BTW - what's rim protection?

Thanks, Rob.

Rob (rob_nicholson@nospam_unforgettable.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Tyres don't just go in a straight line. The speed rating also defines the general strength of the carcass.

I should have added "at best - and lethal at worst"

Mmmm. K-F are a ripoff anyway. MyTyres want £82 for Dunlop SP Sport Maxx. Toyo have a very good rep, but I've no personal experience of either Dunlop or Toyo. I'm a Michelin Man through and through...

It's a raised band of rubber on the sidewall that sticks out past the edge of the wheelrim, to stop numpties who can't drive from trashing their wheels when they hit kerbs.

Summer tyres are meant for dry/wet conditions and warmer temperatures. The compound could become much less grippy in very cold/freezing conditions and the tread will not be designed for the possibility of snow/slush. i.e. you do not want to be caught in the snow with them, even on a frosty morning the grip will not be great. All season are more of a compromise designed for all conditions.

Z

Yes, the "SP SPORT MAXX 215/45 ZR17 91Y XL Rim-protection, BSW" from there looks like a good replacement. Got all the same numbers and letters!

Thanks, Rob.

Hang on my mistake - wrong car selected on Kwik-fit. Stangely, when I go through their tyre selector for the car, they come up with completely the wrong tyre! A 205/55V16... Doesn't fill you with confidence!

I'm still confused with these tyre ratings. The tyres currently fitted are Mitchelin Pilot Sport 215/45ZR17 87 Y

o Okay, I understand the 215 bit - the width. That's kind of important ;-) o The 45 bit is the aspect ratio which relates to how low profile they are. o The R means radial but what's the Z bit mean? Is that part of the speed rating or a special type of radial? o The 17 is the size of the wheel which is once again kind of important. o The 87 is the load capacity. o The Y is the speed symbol.

Cheers, Rob.

LOL - I've just read that the Y speed rating is "Exotic sports cars". I wouldn't rate a 2L Hyundia Coupe quite like that :-)

Cheers, Rob.

Erm, thats a MAX speed rating not an everyday rating. Was buying a coupe a con because you don't drive it flat out all the time? It just means a better/stronger tyre that can stand up to the stresses/heat of these speeds without falling apart. You still benefit at lower speeds.

Agreed, you generally get better grip/longevity with a known brand.

Its a lip that sticks out to protect the rim of your alloys from kerbs.

Z

I know which possibly means that average driver doesn't need tyres that are rated at above 130mph.

Doesn't work Okay, I was a bit clumsy when I first got the coupe going from big chunky wheels and lots of parallel parking in the mill town where i live.

Cheers, Rob.

What kind of tyres are typically fitted in the UK? I think tyres that perform better in the wet would be more appropriate to our current climate!

Cheers, Rob.

Doesn't matter - all the ZR tyres appear to be classed as summer anyway.

Cheers, Rob.

You've got me paranoid now :-) The Toyo ones are "W" rating whereas the existing ones are "Y" rating. But from what I can see, the letters don't got up in order so "W" rating is higher than "Y" - is that right?

Thanks, Rob.

Rob (rob_nicholson@nospam_unforgettable.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Perhaps that's standard fit and yours has optional or aftermarket 17" rims? Or perhaps KF list a different spec of car?

Whatever. You aren't going to fit 16" tyres on a 17" rim, and the two sizes are going to have about the same rolling radius.

Height of sidewall as a %age of tread width.

Speed rating.

Ummm, yes.

Seems odd. I'm baffled, too.

Rob (rob_nicholson@nospam_unforgettable.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

The message from Adrian contains these words:

Any evidence for that? It'd be hard to see how they could get away with refusing to pay for an accident at town speeds by claiming the tyres weren't rated at 130+mph.

The message from "Zimmy" contains these words:

In what way?

Glad it's not just me.

Girlfriend has also been having a car tyre nightmare this afternoon. She had a puncture in her mini cooper run-flat's so took it to the local tyre garage. When they examined the back two tyres, they a) found the screw which they repaired but b) found both tyres had started to split around the centre axis. Not good! Took car straight back to mini garage and they've kept it and given her a replacement until Tuesday.

The tyre fitter said he'd seen similar faults with Dunlops before but never on a mini.

Cheers, Rob.

Personally, I bought 4 michelin energy P3000 from mytyres, for about the same total (including the charge of a local fitter) as kwik-fit wanted for no-name brands.

Specifically, as regard winter tyres, in this article it says, "Rubber, whether a ball or a tire, tends to harden in cold weather, but these new generation winter tires maintain their elasticity and gripping power at -35°C, and below, whereas traditional all-season tires tend to stiffen and lose gripping power at around 0°C."

(3rd paragraph) I have read that the traditional all-season tyres begin to lose gripping power at 7°C (45°F), but I've lost the link now. That means even in the southern parts of the British Isles, winter tyres are preferred in the colder months.