Tyres

[GTI2708]

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=MP

That has a survey of whats supposed to be the best. I don't know anything in this feild but i've been told the eagle f1 assym's are right up there. That sight is really good for getting some of those for cheap. You do need to get them shipped from the USA but it still costs less to do so then to buy from here.

[Russ59]

As far as which tyre is the best, I still believe that it all comes down to the type of car a tyre is fitted to, maintenance of the vehicle and the tyres, how it's driven and of course the road surfaces the testing is done on. I found this site when I was searching for tyres recently and the comments are made by people just like you and I who are driving similar vehicles on similar roads and in a similar manner. Not all brands are mentioned here but there are some interesting comparisons and opinions from real people. http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Go...Asymmetric.htm What tyre you buy will of course depend on what you can afford as well. There are a lot of cheaper tyres on the market which will still give good handling, ride and reasonable wear. It all comes down to how you drive, how well you maintain your vehicle, the types of roads you drive on, correct maintenance of the tyres (ie tyre pressures, rotation etc) I'm not saying that all cheap tyres are good because they're most definitely not, but just because a group of testers fang around a track for a 1000k's or so testing a well known brand of tyre and then posting comments about how great it is, that doesn't necessarily mean it's that much better overall in the long run, although it will most probably be much more expensive. I have been using Kumho tyres for several years and have not yet had reason to complain about their performance, but at the same time I'm not going to try and force anyone to buy them. To each his own I say ....

[gregozedobe]

..... but just because a group of testers fang around a track for a 1000k's or so testing a well known brand of tyre and then posting comments about how great it is, that doesn't necessarily mean it's that much better overall in the long run, although it will most probably be much more expensive.
...... To each his own I say ....

Some good real world comments there Russ.

I wonder how the rankings on tyres would change if they tested the same tyres with only 25% tread depth left, as well as when they were brand new ?

Yes, I know that would be a much more difficult test to organise, but as we have read on this forum, some tyres grip like $h!t to a blanket when they are new, but lose quite a lot of their grip as they wear down.

[stormshark]

Toyos

I have put Toyos on the last 15yrs worth of cars- they are rippers, got 100k out of last car and still had 10k left.I think voted best all round tyre in US.

[GolfAtom]

I have had three nail punctures in my tyres for the last 10 years, and in each instance, I have repaired them with a tyre puncture kit, I had purchase for around $35. It's an expensive route to replace a nail puncture with a new tyre!

[gregozedobe]

It's an expensive route to replace a nail puncture with a new tyre!

Very true, but depending if the puncture is on the edge of the tread or on the shoulder is it may not be safe to repair it with a plug due to the movement of the carcase in that zone. I have had to throw away an expensive new tyre that had only done 800km due to a puncture on the edge of the tread (dammed builders scattering tek screws on the road) It never seems to happen to my worn tyres that I'm about to replace anyway.

[Russ59]

Off topic, but I'm forever picking up nails and screws from the roads around our area when I take the dog for a walk. I think I've collected enough to build a new house Haven't some of these cowboys ever thought of using an old paint tin or something to put there leftover nails and screws in, instead of throwing them straight in the tray of their utes.

[Maverick]

I have had three nail punctures in my tyres for the last 10 years, and in each instance, I have repaired them with a tyre puncture kit, I had purchase for around $35. It's an expensive route to replace a nail puncture with a new tyre!

You can only repair a puncture in a specific area, anything outside that and the tyre must be thrown away. It only takes one screw to the shoulder of the tyre (or in my case a small sliver of metal) to write off a tyre.



Unless you know what you're doing (especially on higher performance low profile tyres) repairing punctures yourself is crazy.

[Maverick]

Off topic, but I'm forever picking up nails and screws from the roads around our area when I take the dog for a walk. I think I've collected enough to build a new house Haven't some of these cowboys ever thought of using an old paint tin or something to put there leftover nails and screws in, instead of throwing them straight in the tray of their utes.

They don't care, lazy pricks make so much money why would they worry about wastage, just look at any building site at all the wastage that goes into the skip. I had two punctures in a 6 week period when we were having a construction work done at a previous job because of screws lying around the carpark. They should force all builders to run non offroad tyres on their 4WD's and they might think twice once they start getting puncture after puncture.

I know where I'd love to jam those screws

[gareth_oau]

last set of tyres I bought locally I also purchased an insurance policy with them for $7 extra per tyre.

Came in handy when my wide ran over a large screwdriver 3 weeks later and the tyre was replaced for nix

[Schultz]

ill let you guys in on a little secret........

if you have a puncture....dont go to a place that sells tyres for a puncture repair.....

rather....go to a workshop that doesnt sell tyres.....
they will be more interested in repairing it cos they cant sell you new tyres....
and they dont want to lose out on any profit.....


i have repaired lots of tyres with the DIY plug kits.....the sticky black string type of plugs......
and just about all of them are in the same spot as the one in the first post here.....

if they are on the sidewall......DO NOT REPAIR IT....its too thin to hold a plug in place and it also flexes a lot more than the tread area.....

there are always exceptions.....if you are stuck in the middle of nowhere....then you can try to repair a sidewall enough to get you
somewhere near civilisation to get a replacement tyre....but drive SLOWLY cos it may pop any time...... this is only in an emergency life or death situation....
such as being stuck in the middle of the simpson.........for example.....


one of the real reasons for not repairing that tyre was due to the fact....the string type plugs have been deemed as illegal repairs.....
they are only a temporary repair till you can get to a shop to have a proper type of permanent mushroom type plug fitted....
if the puncture is too close to the edge.....the mushroom plug will not sit flat and will flex around and may come unstuck.......



but yes......a tyre place will try and sell tyres.......its their job.......theres a lot more profit for them.......
they will try and sell you wheel alignment as well.......which in most cases never gets done.....cos its not out in the first place......
and charge you extra for a premium wheel balance........

its a business....its all about profit......

sorry about the long post......
but theres also one more thing......a bald tyre will give better grip than one with full tread due to the greater surface area
in contact with the road surface......
the tread is there pretty much only to pump out the water on wet surfaces to prevent aquaplaning.........
thats why racecars run slicks......und use grooved tyres when it rains.....

[G-rig]

but theres also one more thing......a bald tyre will give better grip than one with full tread due to the greater surface area
in contact with the road surface......
the tread is there pretty much only to pump out the water on wet surfaces to prevent aquaplaning.........
thats why racecars run slicks......und use grooved tyres when it rains.....[/COLOR]

A bald passenger tyre isn't really the same as a semi/slick as they don't have the same sticky compound (R compound or not).

I also found that they can skid and scuff too much and were designed with tread. Not worth getting a false sense of security thinking you got slicks in the dry when you dont, just my 2c.

I had a fairly bit puncture in the repairable tread area in the past but was probably beyond repair due to the diameter of the metal pin that went in. Also better to be safe than sorry with things like this or you could get a blowout and easily damage a rim.

[Maverick]

ill let you guys in on a little secret........

if you have a puncture....dont go to a place that sells tyres for a puncture repair.....

rather....go to a workshop that doesnt sell tyres.....
they will be more interested in repairing it cos they cant sell you new tyres....
and they dont want to lose out on any profit.....

I'm not sure I agree with that, I've never had a problem getting repairs performed and they've never told me they can't repair one (except the last one where I had to replace but this was confirmed by others as well). A tyre shop is best placed to give advice on repairs and have the equipment and tools to perform the repair correctly and quickly IMO.

Using that logic we shouldn't take our cars to the dealer to get them serviced or repaired as they want to sell new cars to us

[Schultz]

true true......i wasnt saying EVERY place is the same......
there are still some honest people out there.......but thats pretty much what you get from most places........
they will make more money selling you a tyre...then they will tell you you are better off getting 2 the same
at the same time and putting them on front......which is true.....

and your old tyre that they couldnt repair....will probably be plugged and fitted to one of their own cars.......

ask me how i know all this inside information........



as for tyre technology......theres a lot gone into the design of todays tyres.....
there really is no right and wrong when it comes to compounds designs grip etc.....unless you only talk about the one type......
each brand has so many different types of tyres.....from cheap "entry level" to high performance.....

a soft compound will give the most grip.....but wont last as long......
and vise versa for a hard compound......
there has to be compromises to all aspects......so....if you want to hoon around a track.....a soft compound will give the most grip....and possibly a trophy.....
if you want your tyres to last you for years.....then a harder compound is the go....great for slow city driving......

im a 4wder.....most of us have 2 sets of wheels to suit our needs.....one for those serious off road weekends......and another for everyday onroad driving.....

tyre choice is really up to the type of driving you do and mostly.....well in my case anyway....your wallet.......


tyres are constructed differently for different applications and speeds.......
ask youselves what type of driving you will be doing....and find a tyre within your budget to suit those requirements......


once again.....sorry for the long winded post......but theres just so many different things with tyres......
its almost like talking politics or religion........