It's come time to change the front tyres on my Volvo. Any recommendations please?
Currently it has factory-fitted Pirelli P7 205/50/R17 which have done about 23K miles.
Last edited by: car4play on Mon 1 Oct 12 at 11:19
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>> It's come time to change the front tyres on my Volvo. Any recommendations please?
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>> Currently it has factory-fitted Pirelli P7 205/50/R17 which have done about 23K miles.
I always buy the same as the factory fitted tyres, for two reasons. (1) I'm sure the car manufacturer knows more about which tyres are suitable than I do. (2) I can replace the tyres two at a time and still always have a matching set, which will not risk upsetting the handling.
Last edited by: L'escargot on Mon 1 Oct 12 at 11:28
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I've tried doing that, but often find the tyres the manufacturers used are no longer made in that specific version, or have been replaced by a different spec "better" version, or, as memorably happened with one car, the factory had fitted "special" versions only available in Japan.
Anyway, there is no "best" tyre, as they all have compromises between noise, grip, wear rate, economy, and so forth. So you have to decide what you want to prioritise.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Mon 1 Oct 12 at 11:31
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>> I've tried doing that, but often find the tyres the manufacturers used are no longer
>> made in that specific version, ..........
After nine years I can still get the Goodyear NCT5 tyres that my car came with, so I'm satisfied.
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>>I always buy the same as the factory fitted tyres, for two reasons. (1) I'm sure the car manufacturer knows more about which tyres are suitable than
You don't think it could possibly have anything to do with price?
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>> You don't think it could possibly have anything to do with price?
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Car manufacturers carry out a lot of performance and durability testing before deciding what will be fitted at the factory. I'm aware that a car might come with any of two or three makes of tyre, but this is to guard against any of their tyre suppliers not being able maintain supplies. All the cars I've bought have come with what I consider to be good quality tyres, and I've never seen any reason to deviate from them.
Last edited by: L'escargot on Mon 1 Oct 12 at 11:57
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>> >> You don't think it could possibly have anything to do with price?
>> >>
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>> Car manufacturers carry out a lot of performance and durability testing before deciding what will
>> be fitted at the factory.
But they don't test with one make of tyre, They test by tyre spec.
I'm aware that a car might come with any of
>> two or three makes of tyre, but this is to guard against any of their
>> tyre suppliers not being able maintain supplies.
And price.
So there is no technical reason to stick with the same make of tyre is there.
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MMy wife's 2011 V50 runs on Conti Sport Contacts as OE - seems to handle well enough, smoother, quieter than the 3 series that runs on the same tyres. They're fine.
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>> But they don't test with one make of tyre, They test by tyre spec.
>>
They didn't when I worked in R&D at a car manufacturer. They tested several makes of tyre.
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>> >> But they don't test with one make of tyre, They test by tyre spec.
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>> >>
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>> They didn't when I worked in R&D at a car manufacturer. They tested several makes
>> of tyre.
I think you mean they did, because you just said the same as me.
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I've seen cars of the same spec come off transporters at delivery time with different makes of tyre fitted.
Fitting the same type to keep a matching set on a car has some merit, but technically I see no reason why you have to stick with the same make and model, as the car identical to yours made the following day or week probably has something completely different fitted at the factory.
Of course, some high performance model will have a special compound tyre made by a specific manufacturer just for that application, but this doesn't apply to the vast majority of models. The Escort Cosworth was one such example although the snot-soft Pirelli P-Zeros would be through to canvas by 6,000 miles if the car was driven remotely as intended. :-) When I sold Fords for a living, this was the only demonstrator we ever had to put a fresh set of boots on before selling on.
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>> I've seen cars of the same spec come off transporters at delivery time with different
>> makes of tyre fitted.
>>
>> Fitting the same type to keep a matching set on a car has some merit,
In view of the fact that different makes of tyre have different characteristics, I think it's very important to always have a matching set.
>> but technically I see no reason why you have to stick with the same make
>> and model, as the car identical to yours made the following day or week probably
>> has something completely different fitted at the factory.
I'm aware that a car manufacturer will have a number of tyre suppliers. It's necessary for them to do that to guarantee continuous supplies. Nevertheless and notwithstanding, the relevant thing is that each car leaving the factory will have a matching set of tyres. If my car had come with a different make of tyre from what it actually did, I would stick to the make that was fitted. I'm certainly not saying that the tyres which were in fact fitted at the factory to my particular car are any better than the other makes of tyre fitted to other samples of the same model of car.
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Yes and no.
Car manufacturers will test with various tyres to determine the best match in terms of speed / load rating et. al.
What actually gets fitted to your new car is a different story. The tyre manufacturers will look at what they need to be shifting in around a tyre's lifetime from now and discount the living daylights out of that as an OEM fit. Whichever's doing the best deal on the right rubber this week will end up on your new car.
A mate in the business says that they know very, very well that most consumers will replace like for like, giving them a captive audience for their product if they get it on enough vehicles as OEM fit. First rule of sales: "Never underestimate the stupidity of the buying public".
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>> I'm sure the car manufacturer knows more about which tyres are suitable than I do.
The factory fit tyres on my Vectra were NCT5's. The worst ever tyre I've ever had the misfortune to drive on. They're known as ditchfinders on the Vectra forum I browse and particate on. Very few people like them. The only reason Vauxhall fitted them were to satisfy the fleet drivers to get long mileage out of them. Up and down the motorway they may well be fine, but not for going round corners with.
Anyway, back to the OPs question, if the Pirellis have served you well, then why not replace like with like?
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With my Volvo S60 it came with Pirelli P6000's (from memory) from new and, like the OP, I always replaced them with the same. The ride was hard and I only ever got 10k from the fronts and 20k from the rears before replacement.
Then after some research I changed to Michelin Primacy HP's and the ride, tyre nose and wear rate imrpoved dramatically. I can't remember how many extra miles I got out from them but is was dramatically better, (2-3 times?) for tiny extra cost, and if anything grip was better.
I have gone over to the equivalent Michelin runflats on my 520d touring and the ride is also better than the Goodyear NCT's, although as they lasted such a long time the jury is out as to whether they are longer lived on this car. From my experience I would recommend a change to the Primacy HP's if they do them for your car.
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It's come time to change the front tyres on my Volvo. Any recommendations please?
Yes. The back tyres.
};---)
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>> The factory fit tyres on my Vectra were NCT5's. The worst ever tyre I've ever
>> had the misfortune to drive on. They're known as ditchfinders on the Vectra forum I
>> browse and particate on.
I've heard you say that before. They're OK on my Focus so the problem is probably Vectra-related rather than NCT5-related. I live in a flat area where land drainage is via ditches, drains, and dikes, and I've never gone off the road into any of them.
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When I have had original tyres and then changed to another premium tyre, it has sometimes been a revelation how bad they were.
My current car had Dunlop SP 9000 from the factory and they were not as good as Michelin Primacy something or other I replaced them with though the Dunlops may have been a little quieter, I replaced the Michelins with NEXEN N8000 and these are even better in every way apart from wear, especially for wet grip and comfort yet 1/3 of the price. I think sticking with old design tyres maybe not such a good idea. A bit like sticking to coal fires because the house was built with them.
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My house came with asbestos sheeting in the garage roof. It's safe to say I won't be assuming the designers knew best when it comes to specifying a replacement.
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And there is the key. It was the best they had at the time. Time, and the improvement in products moves on. It would be foolish to stick with outdated under-performing items, when better ones now exist.
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To borrow from another thread, the stereo fitted to a mid-range car isn't going to be the best you can buy.
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All season tyres the likes of Vredestein or Pirelli as your is RWD this will move you along.
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Makers I would imagine give some consideration to the properties of the tyres they specify - they do it based on cost (to them and the fleet user) then economy for certification purposes. Bean counters in charge not engineers.
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>> When I have had original tyres and then changed to another premium tyre, it has
>> sometimes been a revelation how bad they were.
That's OK if you buy a complete set each time. All the front-wheel drive cars I've owned have needed front tyres replacing at least twice as often as rears, so it's never been economical to replace all four tyres at once. That's one reason that I stick to the original make.
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>>>front-wheel drive cars I've owned have needed front tyres replacing at least twice as often as rears, so it's never been economical to replace all four tyres at once.
That's why I swap front to rear around the mid period so I can change all four to a set that suits me with regard to performance character and cost.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Tue 2 Oct 12 at 10:28
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>> That's why I swap front to rear around the mid period so I can change
>> all four to a set that suits me with regard to performance character and cost.
>>
In the past I've found that swapping front to rear was not a good idea. Front wheels invariably have a different camber angle to rears and the tyres wear accordingly. Swapping the wheels results in the tyres not having the same contact width as previously until they've been in the new position for quite some time, and this compromises roadholding.
Last edited by: L'escargot on Tue 2 Oct 12 at 10:43
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Wear differences front to rear could be an issue but I've found this minimal with most modern supensions. The greatest difference is often scrubbed tread outer edges on front tyres (nearside in particular) because, on average, folks run tyres soft.
I keep presures correct and check tracking from time to time and don't leave it so long that a pronounced front tyre wear pattern appears. Can't remember the last time I ran a car that wore its rear tyres anything other than evenly.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Tue 2 Oct 12 at 10:56
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If you swap two of your tyres for better ones, all that will happen is that the car will feel a bit better. The Volvo was on four P6000s for a while; when the first two Primacy HPs went on, I was pleasantly surprised at how much they improved directional stability over poor surfaces, considering they were (of course) on the back wheels. In fact, this improvement was more marked than the effect of changing to a complete set of HPs.
The LEC has two different sub-prime makes on it. It's OK that way but their replacements will be Michelins, two at a time. I've no idea what the OE tyres were - Continentals, at a guess.
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Primacy HPs are excellent tyres. I've had them fitted to two cars I've owned - a mk2 Mazda MX-5 and a mk4 Golf GTI 1.8T. Terrific grip even in the foulest of conditions, low noise levels, and and they last well too.
The Golf, even in the wet, never struggled for traction off the line even when launched quite hard (no electronic traction system fitted), and the bite from the front end into corners, again in both wet and dry conditions, was very satisfying.
That said, I recall them being a good £15-£20 a corner more expensive than other premium brands.
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Thanks very much guys.
That's three votes for Michelin Primacy HPs and a couple for swapping front to rear. Mind you that has been the only recommendation so far.
What about a mid-range non-main brand tire such as Hankook K110?
The local garage, W G Tires (which happens to be one the cheapest in West Sussex has quoted £110 for P7, £93 for the K110 and £68 for Kumho KU31. All + VAT and inc fitting etc.
I ought to find out what they would do for the Primacy. Given it's a company car, the VAT and odd £10 difference isn't an issue.
Part of my reason for the question was that I read here somewhere that some of you had a dislike for Pirellis - but that might have been the P6s.
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>>......and £68 for Kumho KU31
I swopped to Kumho KU31 several years ago on my Mondeo.
A sensible price and they are very quiet
I have just bought another couple for the X Type although I think they are another varient.
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Funny enough the Kuhmos were the ones the tyre garage preferred.
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>> The factory fit tyres on my Vectra were NCT5's. The worst ever tyre I've ever
>> had the misfortune to drive on.
Well, you've slagged off my NCT5s but you haven't said what your Vectra has now. At least give me the chance to get even!
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L'Es, he's got a Vectra. Why would you want to get even with that?
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Its a vectra, rough is what they do, not even.
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>> L'Es, he's got a Vectra. Why would you want to get even with that?
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No, that would be being mean just for the sake of it and I'm not like that. I'm sure VxFan has some very good reasons for being a ........ er .......... VxFan. I just want to know about the tyres.
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I was thinking more along the lines of "leave him alone, he's suffered enough". And it should have had one of these:
}:---)
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>> Well, you've slagged off my NCT5s but you haven't said what your Vectra has now.
Since getting rid of the NCT5's, I've tried Goodyear GSD3's, but they lasted 10,000 miles on the front and were worn down to the TWIs. In comparison the NCT5's lasted 24,000 miles on the front. The GSD3's also tramlined and twitched thoughout their time fitted to the car. It made long journeys very fatiguing as I was forever fighting with the steering wheel to keep the car in a straight line.
Since getting rid of the NCTs & GSD3's I've been using Uniroyal Rainsport 2's for the past 4 years. Best tyres I've ever had on a car. Handles like it's on rails, both in the wet and the dry. Even in winter where everyone harps on about winter tyres, the Rainsports have been fine and they still make for confident driving. IIRC, I probably get around 16,000 miles out of them on the front, with approx 4mm of tread left, before fitting them on the back and fitting new ones to the front.
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It seems that Uniroyal Rainsport 2 have some good features and some not-so-good features. tinyurl.com/3zczrhf
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>> have some good features and some not-so-good features.
That could be said of all tyres though.
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I've always liked the Uniroyal Rainsport range. They are quite similar to the Vredestein Sportrac 3 I'm running (full set) on the C5. I chose them because I like a tyre with bias to wet grip, wet grass and snow which these "cross cut" type patterns seem to do well.
I'd advise caution if just fitting a pair of these types as the imbalance of characteristics between them and the original tyres could be unsettling. This applies to their massively increased wet road grip and the flipside which is a lack of turn-in finesse and less on-rails directional stability.
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I have uniroyal rain experts on the front of the Lancer, superb tyre. Done about 12k miles on them now, and they have lost about 2-3mm, they would be good for 25k miles if left there.
They will be going on the back soon and another pair of rain experts will be going on the front.
They are relatively quiet, supple, wear quite well and have great grip in the wet.
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3...............2................1..............
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Are you counting down to somebody saying he shouldn't put new tyres on the front?
I won't. Never bothered me;-)
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>> Are you counting down to somebody saying he shouldn't put new tyres on the front?
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>> I won't. Never bothered me;-)
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Nor me.
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>> >> have some good features and some not-so-good features.
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>> That could be said of all tyres though.
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Alright. They have lots of good features, and not many bad ones. Happy now?
Last edited by: L'escargot on Thu 4 Oct 12 at 07:17
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>> Happy now?
I didn't say that I wasn't.
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Volvo V50 - Tyre recommendation - L'escargot
