Price of tyres

[marktheherald]

Another thread drift, Driving school cars cannot be presented for driving tests with space savers     Anyone want an unused space saver for a Hyundai i10?   🤔

[Clive]

I was being devils advocate!
Judging by a lot of cars I see every day (lots of stationary traffic in Brighton at the moment) people in general don't care at all about tyre condition. £60kplus of range rover I was next to the other day had both tyres (the ones offside that I could see) horribly damaged. Chunks out of sidewalls, cuts etc that would surely fail an MoT or police inspection. Dread to think what the nearside ones were like!

Anyway, about to order some new tyres for teh 15" alloys fitted to the Toledo. Thinking of Uniroyal Rainsports as seem good wet tyres that I could pinch for the spitfire if I get a wet trackday. Think they will be 195/50 15 as they are about £50 a set cheaper than the 185/55 currently fitted.

The Michelins on there are nearly 8 years old I discovered. And cracking.
Think they may do nicely for a Targa or similar tyre-munching event, and swap back to road tyres to go home......

[JohnD]

Absolute agreement with Nick about penny pinching makers not supplying a spare of any sort.
My daughter with infant grandson were stranded on the A76/M6 last winter.   Shredded front tyre, but as Nick describes, no spare wheel.    AA unsatisfactory response time, despite knowing lone female and infant, in winter dusk.
Took me 90 minutes plus to get to them, arrived before the tow truck!!  Which took them to their garage, OK, and fitted a wrongly sized tyre!!!

Ive said I'll pay for, even get her, a proper spare - the wheel well still there, as Nick's dad's Honda - but Ms.Independent hasn't said yes, yet.

John

[Saltddirk]

Quoted from ferny

Out of interest, Continentals?

No, Michelin Pilots
This one had done only 7000km

I did love those wheels tough.

[Rosbif]

Part worn tyres? I'm as likely go buy as part worn brake pads. No

[GT6 M]

Jimbo,s beat me too it
butt, all motor sport tyres have got a shallower tread

its only the deeper tread that gives ye a good drip in rain soaked roads
any thing else, and a worn tyre will most likely grip better
as tread bloks no deforming as much

M

[Jonny-Jimbo]

That is true to a point Marcus, but of course a lot of tyres are made with different compound tyres - at least I've found on my 540 and my colleague has found on his go-faster Fords, that if the tread blocks are worn down there is almost no grip, and I assume that's down to the harder rubber of the tyre carcass not gripping as well as the tread rubber?

[Toledo Man]

HERE is the video I'd seen. I forgot that the infamous Tim Shaw presented it. My caravan had a puncture on Sunday and it was then that I decided to replace the tyres. I ended up going to my local Kwik Fit and had 2 brand new tyres fitted. The original spare was fine so that remains as a spare. The punctured tyre was seriously knackered and the other one was dated 1992 which was almost as old as the caravan! I can't go above 60mph by law when towing so I fitted the cheapest brand new tyres at £45.99 each which will be more than up to the job. Being an older caravan it has 13" rims and the tyres are the same size as the ones on the Dolomite (155/80 R13).

[JohnD]

Like caravans and trailers, whose tyres usually go out of date before they wear out, the same may apply to our cars and all classics, unless you are a valiant daily driver.

I've just replaced all four of mine on the trailer, most of which were embarassingly old.
Mini 10" tyres aren't easy to find these days!.

John

[Beans]

Quoted from JohnD

... PS Part-worn tyres come from Germany, where the minimum tread depth is 3mm ...

In Germany tyres over 5 years old (according to DOT code) are an MOT failure.
Minimum thread depth for tyres in Germany is the same as this side of the border: 1.6 mm

[griffipaul]

apparently one of the reasons impeding  increasing 1st mot  to four  years on todays super reliable cars is the high incidence of 1st mot failures due to worn  / damaged tyres.

[Jonny-Jimbo]

I could believe it - even with the bigger tyres most of todays cars have, the much increased mechanical grip and mass of the cars is going to wear them out much quicker. I could also believe that a lot of them will have knackered brake discs and pads too due to the mass and the fact they're automatic.

[Clive]

Probably more to do with the fact most drivers just never check anything on their cars, oil, water or tyres (not even pressure, though more are fitted with warning lights now) especially with company cars where the drivers really don't care.
As an aside, a mate said somebody didn't make it to an important meeting with a customer as their car had "broken down". The break down turned out to be a sat nav that wouldn't respond! I shall leave it at that.

[Nick Jones]

Quoted from cliftyhanger

Probably more to do with the fact most drivers just never check anything on their cars, oil, water or tyres (not even pressure, though more are fitted with warning lights now) especially with company cars where the drivers really don't care.
As an aside, a mate said somebody didn't make it to an important meeting with a customer as their car had "broken down". The break down turned out to be a sat nav that wouldn't respond! I shall leave it at that.

True unfortunately.  I recently had to point out to an acquaintance that the front tyres on his 2 year old (company) car had the wires hanging out of their inside edges 😲 It was fairly obvious to me because he'd parked with the wheels turned - he was completely oblivious.  The tyres were pretty bald right the way across which may have been related to his "finding the traction control intrusive"!

My usual MoT man has a good fund of tyre stories too.

As for the tyre pressure warnings - Dad's new Honda keeps warning him of low tyre pressures.  It doesn't say which wheel (it's meant to) and it's wrong - they're fine when checked by conventional methods.  He now regards the indicator as a pointless nuisance, to be ignored.  He does own a proper gauge though and even uses it occasionally!

Nick

[Bitumen Boy]

Quoted from griffipaul

apparently one of the reasons impeding  increasing 1st mot  to four  years on todays super reliable cars is the high incidence of 1st mot failures due to worn  / damaged tyres.

TBH I think 3 years is too long as it is, I would have all vehicles MOT'd yearly from new.

[Rosbif]

Quoted from Jonny-Jimbo

....... and the fact they're automatic.

I'm an old git so don't understand this bit, can you expand please.
I drive a modern auto and they are much better than the old type.

As for tyre pressure detectors fitted to cars, mine has a basic system that simply compares rotation speeds if one wheel is turning or has turned faster than the others it lights up - It lets you figure out which wheel is at fault.

Some time ago the warning came on, I dutyfully stopped and gave a look, no signs of a problem. As I was almost home continued and when​ the tyres were  cold checked all the pressures, spot on. Went out again and same thing so went to my garage...The reason? Just had 2 new tyres fitted and due to some lub on tyre and rim the tyre had slipped under acceleration.
This also happened the last time new tyres were fitted so ignored it, it only does it once or twice. Must tell tyre fitter to use less

[Bitumen Boy]

Perhaps it's different in the big cities, but from my own observations automatics still seem to be relatively uncommon on UK roads. A shame as I don't want to be faffing with a manual 'box on my next modern, all that clutchwork in traffic is too much like hard work to my mind.

[thescrapman]

Automatics may become slightly more common now the road tax rules have changed.

[Mark Hammond]

Quoted from Bitumen Boy

Perhaps it's different in the big cities, but from my own observations automatics still seem to be relatively uncommon on UK roads. A shame as I don't want to be faffing with a manual 'box on my next modern, all that clutchwork in traffic is too much like hard work to my mind.

Agreed!

M.

[Bitumen Boy]

Quoted from thescrapman

Automatics may become slightly more common now the road tax rules have changed.

How are the new road tax rules more favourable to automatics? Is it that emissions have less effect on the rate paid?

[ferny]

Anyone wanna buy a tyre?

[Clive]

After the first year (tax varies depending on emissions) the rate of tax for all cars will be £140 ( £130 for alternative fuel cars, zero for solely electric)

Applies to cars registered from 1st April this year.

Oh, cars over 40K get slaughtered for the first 5 years.

[Nick Jones]

Blimey Ferny..... that's a scary one......  Do you know if result of damage or manufacturing defect?

Point about road tax is that when sole determinant was CO2 emissions, the relative inefficiency of (some) autoboxes was enough to push the auto version of a particular model a tax bracket higher than the manual equivalent.

I do rather like an auto -  provided it has ample grunt.  The A8 does....  Luckily it predates the carbon tax.  They still get me on the fuel though.

Nick

[RedRooster]

I hate auto cars with a passion, like trying to control a run away train.

[ferny]

Quoted from Nick Jones

Blimey Ferny..... that's a scary one......  Do you know if result of damage or manufacturing defect?


Nick

Dunno, not my picture. But all the ones showing Easter eggs are from customers complaining of vibrations.