Anyone got a spare OEM 225/40/18 Continental laying around for my vRS?

[candy_wagon]

Dudded a tyre recently with a nail put through the shoulder and now I need a replacement.

Research on here suggests that the OEM Continental Sport Contact 2's are not made any more and i can't track any down second hand in Melbourne (there is a full set at 70% available in Sydney on Ebay though).

My question id does anyone have a good condition tyre they are willing to part with in Melbourne? Or do they know where I might find one.

I could just grab another tyre of different brand/model etc but I have never been a fan of having different tyres on either end of the car. And besides, all the 3 remaining tyres are still in good nick.

[Martin]

I have four for sale on eBay (don't want to sell just one)

[k_rider]

Exact same thing happened to me - self tapper just in from the shoulder, so was not repairable. My local K-Mart tyre&auto managed to get hold of a replacement Conti SC2. Cost me a motza ($356 fitted) and took almost two weeks to come in, but like you, don't like the idea of different tyres.

[candy_wagon]

I have four for sale on eBay (don't want to sell just one)

I think yours are the ones I was just looking at. If I was in Sydney I might look at them, but really only need one tyre!

Thanks anyway Martin. Good luck with the sale.

[Tigger]

I would replace the two tyres at the same time (either front or rear) with two new ones. It is seriously better than a mis-match...Even if you get the same type of tyre, it is from a different batch and is of a different age...

Then keep the good one in the shed in case another goes....

Short term savings perhaps changing just one, but may not be the safest option .

Seriously mate, just replace the two at once.

Use a place that lets you do 24 months interest free if you need to space the repayments....

[brad]

+1 to what Tigger says.

i've just been pricing 235/40x18s for my BILs EOS.
Tempe Tyres (parallel imports I assume) has:
Pirelli P-Zero Nero $190
Pirelli P-Zero (the new one) $230
Michelin PS3 $230
CSC3 $290
CSC5 $290

I'd assume 225/40r18 would be similar - ish (although weirder things have happened).

There are some cheap MEL sellers if you look on eBay.

tirerack has CSC2 still for ~USD185 but freight will be around $200 for 1 tyre.

You could ship all 4 of Martins tyres down depot-depot with e-go for ~$40

[Martin]

Michelin PS3 $230

That's the pick of the bunch - really good tyre and really good price
Mine are wearing at just over 1mm per 10,000km - at that rate could get well over 50,000km out of them

[brad]

That's the pick of the bunch - really good tyre and really good price
Mine are wearing at just over 1mm per 10,000km - at that rate could get well over 50,000km out of them

Yes, I told the BIL they would be my choice. He was leaning towards the cheap Pirellis but I think (hope) I talked him out of them.

backstory:
BIL is a builder (one of the best in the shire IMO) & has no interest in cars besides getting from A-B in comfort. Him & my sister bought the EOS on impulse when they went looking at Golfs.
Tyres (CSC3) have never been rotated & at 24,000km / 2.5yrs the fronts are bald & the 40% worn rears sound like a bad wheel bearing as they have saw-toothed. McGraths at Sutho have never recomended a rotation at both services done so far. BIL went back to complain to McGraths & they say it's the owners responsibility to monitor tyre wear & not part of the normal maintenance process. As a gesture of goodwill they offered to replace the tyres with CSC3 at a special price of $550 EACH! I do remember advising them to drop by my place every 7500km & I'd rotate the tyres for them but I guess they didn't pay much attention because i'm a bit OCD on these things & the baby brother who's always been a bit thick .

[Martin]

As a gesture of goodwill they offered to replace the tyres with CSC3 at a special price of $550 EACH!

This is the sort of thing I really do take issue with - treating customers like morons
That certainly is a "special price" in no uncertain terms

As for the rest, you can take a horse to water but can't make him drink...

[safetyman]

I'm pretty sure I have one sucking up space in the shed.
But I'm in Sydney.
And it's one of the original tyres fitted to my car after my wife suffered a similar fate to yourself, not more than a few months after they discontinued the CSC2.
I opted for all four replacement to the cheaper, more common 235/40 size and threw the best remaining one in the boot with a full size wheel.
Replacing 4 worked out to be the same cost as replacing 2 of the OEM size.

[candy_wagon]

Thanks everyone for your input but as it turns out I went to another tyre shop with the damaged tyre and they had no problem with it whatsoever.

The guy just shook his head and had no idea why someone would knock it back!

$25 later and I'm back on the road.