Ouch. When did tyres get so expensive?

[CraigyMc]

kambites said:

gottans said:

Try having a fuel hungry car that munches a set of 4 tyres in 10k miles, I'm not complaining because I knew all that before I bought it.

This is the advantage in having a light car. Both fuel economy and tyre wear tend to be rather more palatable.

Yoko ADSes on my old S1 lasted about 4000 miles per rear set, for a car lighter than most (730kg), but at the time I was driving in a rather spirited fashion. The BMW does circa 36000 miles on a set of greenx Michelins, despite weighing about twice as much.

I suppose it comes down to the nut behind the wheel...

[kambites]

CraigyMc said:

Yoko ADSes on my old S1 lasted about 4000 miles per rear set, for a car lighter than most (730kg), but at the time I was driving in a rather spirited fashion. The BMW does circa 36000 miles on a set of greenx Michelins, despite weighing about twice as much.

I suppose it comes down to the nut behind the wheel...

I'm getting ~15k miles out of a set of AD07s, which considering how soft they are and how the car gets driven isn't bad.

[anonymous-user]

What can I say, it the price I pay for getting from one traffic jam to the next one really quickly..

I am lucky to be able to afford such a car, I could change it but I wouldn't know what to change it for.

[Level 7 Boss]

Check out tyreleader.co.uk great prices.

[CraigyMc]

Level 7 Boss said:

Check out tyreblender.co.uk great prices.

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[g3org3y]

Barchettaman said:

Undertyre, people.
15" for the win.

My summers are 225/45 R17.

My winters are 205/50 R16s. The ride is smoother and quieter. When pushing on, the turn in isn't as sharp and there is less lateral grip but overall for day to day driving, the 16s are spot on. I'm tempted to downsize for my summers too.

[Level 7 Boss]

CraigyMc said:

This message brought to you by our sponsors

Lol if only mate, if only.

[Dammit]

kambites said:

Are there really that many "normal" cars which wont take 16 inch wheels?

Depends on how you define normal I guess.

I have an 18 year old Volvo with AP brakes that you can't get a 16" rim over, but the car wasn't available with those from Volvo.

However, later R models with Brembo calipers need the larger wheels, and those were OEM brakes.

[Andy616]

Lowtimer said:

Yet another great reason to be on 16" wheels.

Depends on the width. 225/50 R16s aren't that cheap!

[kambites]

Andy616 said:

Depends on the width. 225/50 R16s aren't that cheap!

175/55/16 is a bit of an arse too, especially when you also need 225/45/17s for the other end.

[AndyT77]

Barchettaman said:

Undertyre, people.
15" for the win.

A bit difficult if your wheels are not 15".

[Lowtimer]

Andy616 said:

Depends on the width. 225/50 R16s aren't that cheap!

They're a sight cheaper than 235/35 18, which would be the nearest equivalent rolling radius / width combo in 18"

225/50 16 Y-rated Uniroyal Rainsport 3 is under £75 inc VAT at Camskill.

[MacD1]

Valuetyres.co.uk are the cheapest search engine I've found, they get cheapest prices within 50 miles from 100s of garages, book in online, very easy

[MacD1]

Valuetyres.co.uk are the cheapest search engine I've found, they get cheapest prices within 50 miles from 100s of garages, book in online, very easy

[TA14]

Dammit said:

kambites said:

Are there really that many "normal" cars which wont take 16 inch wheels?

Depends on how you define normal I guess.

Hmmm, let's see,

Dammit said:

I have an 18 year old Volvo with AP brakes that you can't get a 16" rim over, but the car wasn't available with those from Volvo. However, later R models with Brembo calipers need the larger wheels, and those were OEM brakes.

Yes, 'unmodified and not a special high performance version' will do.

[007 VXR]

jamieduff1981 said:

HertsBiker said:

jamieduff1981 said:

I just paid £139/corner (I think) for 245/40R18 Michelin Pilot Super Sports online.

What sizes of tyre are you looking for where mid-range tyres exceed that?

That's nearly (235s) my size! How much for fitting on top of that? Then it comes out nearly 150 a corner, surely?

Yeah pretty much, but the PSSs are seemingly about the best road tyres going from a performance perspective for which the price seems pretty reasonable

sounds good for MPSS

[bga]

kambites said:

Andy616 said:

Depends on the width. 225/50 R16s aren't that cheap!

175/55/16 is a bit of an arse too, especially when you also need 225/45/17s for the other end.

215/60/16 are also >£110 for anything half-decent.

[CraigyMc]

bga said:

kambites said:

Andy616 said:

Depends on the width. 225/50 R16s aren't that cheap!

175/55/16 is a bit of an arse too, especially when you also need 225/45/17s for the other end.

215/60/16 are also >£110 for anything half-decent.

Wouldn't 205/55/R16 also fit those wheels?
I suspect part of your issue is that you're looking for a lesser-used size rather than a common one.

It depends on your definition of "decent", but for example (and without knowing the sort of tyre you want, or the speed or load rating) --

• Michelin PRIMACY 3 205/55 R16 91V with rim protection ridge (FSL) £67.90
• Michelin Pilot Sport 3 205/55 ZR16 91W with rim protection ridge (FSL) GRNX £73.90
• Bridgestone Turanza T001 205/55 R16 91H BSW BSW 205/55 R16 91H £58.40

All of those prices are delivered and inc VAT.

C

[A.J.M]

255/55/19 Goodyear Duratrac off road tyres worked out at £215 each once fitted.
I bought 5 last January, put a rock through one by May and ruined it.

I don't think the prices have softened much since. I think I can get 4 bought and fitted for £780, although I'm not sure if that's a special offer price or not.

Just another cost for owning a large car.

[kambites]

CraigyMc said:

Wouldn't 205/55/R16 also fit those wheels?

That gives a significantly (13%) lower rolling circumference.