Tyres

[shamus1]

hi folks I need two new front tyres on my 2.0 tdci, fitted to the rear are nearly new goodyear efficient grip 205 55 16 91v and the fronts are a rubbish make but are 205 55 16 94w xl , can I put the same goodyears on the front or do they have to be the 94 w xl ?

[south_bound]

The important numbers are the 205 55 R16, the rest are just performance related and not really important for every day drainving imo. I have always used Michelin on my Focus and very happy with them - not the cheapest but good grip and long lasting,

[shamus1]

The important numbers are the 205 55 R16, the rest are just performance related and not really important for every day drainving imo. I have always used Michelin on my Focus and very happy with them - not the cheapest but good grip and long lasting,

I take it the r stands for radial which my rears are?

[DJ Drewman]

My comments from a similar thread :

"Thought I'd pop in here and give my 2p worth.

I've recently bought a 2nd hand 2.0L Mk2, both the front tyres needed changing (and tracking too!)

I've spent many hours researching new tyres. The best value for money was the Goodyear Efficientgrip Performance, recommended by most. I managed to get 2 delivered for just under £64 each [205/55R16 91W's] (a mechanic friend is fitting them, valves, balancing etc for a fiver each) from camskill.com, I've not got them on yet so can't comment from personal experience but Which? magazine recommended them in April 2013's issue and they normally hit the mark."

And Yes, the R means the tyre is a radial. Virtually every new tyre is a radial, unless you have a special tyre for a classic car or a racing car.

I have been told before that speed rating (the 'V' or 'W' in my case) just isn't for "top speed" it also about performance from cold and acceleration...don't know how much of that was bull though tbh.
Hope that helps :)

[shamus1]

so in your opinion would my car be ok with the 91 v fitted as apposed to the 94 w xl ?

[theduke]

imoa yes and normally i just stick the cheapest tyre on i use the car for everyday town driving no extremes no track days i just stick to budgets :)

[DJ Drewman]

so in your opinion would my car be ok with the 91 v fitted as apposed to the 94 w xl ?

Yup, IMO you would be fine with 91V, the XL is an "extra load" tyre, only really required if your towing etc. It might be nice to match all your speed ratings on your car, so I would plump for a 91W rather than a 91V and also considering you have the 2.0L engine rather than the 1.8/1.6, it's only a few pounds more and not going to break the bank and the Goodyear EGP are meant to last around 40,000miles so worth investing at this stage.

Does that answer your question?

[DJ Drewman]

imoa yes and normally i just stick the cheapest tyre on i use the car for everyday town driving no extremes no track days i just stick to budgets :)

This is the attitude I used to have about tyres, but after years of motoring you discover the false economy.

Brands differ heavily, even the range within a brand. It can be the difference between wet and dry handling, the difference between getting 20,000miles or 60,000miles out a tyre and even up to 5mpg. The potential saving are massive over the life of a tyre you could be looking at thousands of pounds in saving just on fuel alone.

spending £50 on a tyre that looses you 5mpg and lasts 30,000miles is a much worse buy than a £70 tyre that will last 40,000 miles with no noticeable loss in economy and better road handling. Do the math.

Your tyres can be argued to be the most important part of a car as it's the only contact between vehicle and road surface.

Tyre ratings are there for a reason, and an excellent guide to use.

Do the research, choose wisely.... you could get back the extra spent within the 7-10 full tanks of fuel you'll put in, and then it's an ongoing saving for the rest of the life of the tyre!

[theduke]

This is the attitude I used to have about tyres, but after years of motoring you discover the false economy.

Brands differ heavily, even the range within a brand. It can be the difference between wet and dry handling, the difference between getting 20,000miles or 60,000miles out a tyre and even up to 5mpg. The potential saving are massive over the life of a tyre you could be looking at thousands of pounds in saving just on fuel alone.

spending £50 on a tyre that looses you 5mpg and lasts 30,000miles is a much worse buy than a £70 tyre that will last 40,000 miles with no noticeable loss in economy and better road handling. Do the math.

Your tyres can be argued to be the most important part of a car as it's the only contact between vehicle and road surface.

Tyre ratings are there for a reason, and an excellent guide to use.

Do the research, choose wisely.... you could get back the extra spent within the 7-10 full tanks of fuel you'll put in, and then it's an ongoing saving for the rest of the life of the tyre!

extra 5mpg per tyre is a tad optimistic though unless your on constant motorway journeys as said im doing town driving

[shamus1]

just had a look at the sticker inside my door shut and its says v rated tyres up to 160 kph but should it be 91v or 94v as it does not state it anywhere on car or handbook and when search on tyre places with reg number it says 91 v but what is the correct tyre rating?

[Incontro]

extra 5mpg per tyre is a tad optimistic though unless your on constant motorway journeys as said im doing town driving

Probably, but there can be significant differences in braking distances in cold/wet conditions - which could be the difference of having and not having a collision.

I also only do town driving, but I got the GoodYear EfficientGrip tyres too. I am also careful not to dry-steer at all if possible, and try and avoid wheel-spin to make them last longer.

[mixmasterlooney]

Visit mytyres.co.uk you can see reviews of tyres and its ratings in all conditions. Wet, dry, snow etc tested in multiple countries.

This site will also show the new euro tyre tags plus all speed ratings and load rarings. They stock the same tyres rated at different speed and load too this should give you a good idea.

On the subject of the speed rating buy tyres rated at 130mph or above. The focus is limited to 120mph and the next speed rating under 130mph is 119mph that would not be safe to fit to a 2.0 although in reality you are not suppose to be driving that fast.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Ford OC mobile app

[shamus1]

thanks for replies but I just want to know what the 2.0 tdci should have fitted as regards to the 91 v or 94 v

just looked on my tyres and put reg in and it says 91 w but sticker in car says v rated?

[mixmasterlooney]

thanks for replies but I just want to know what the 2.0 tdci should have fitted as regards to the 91 v or 94 v

just looked on my tyres and put reg in and it says 91 w but sticker in car says v rated?

Sorry i didn't see that. the 91 is the load rating that is a load of 615kg per tyre, 94 is 670kg it makes no difference unless you intend to carry extra load on a daily basis, the normal rating would be 91v so fit 91 although if you end up with a 93 or even a 94 it doesn't matter.

The XL means that the tyre is for extra load and it is reinforced, certain vehicles require reinforced tyres such as vans and commercial vehicles, even small vans such as the corsa van or an astra van require reinforced tyres.

Higher load rating and reinforced tyres cost more money it isn't required for a car but the choice is yours

V is rated at a speed of 149mph ideal for the 2.0 engine

[Vendee]

thanks for replies but I just want to know what the 2.0 tdci should have fitted as regards to the 91 v or 94 v

just looked on my tyres and put reg in and it says 91 w but sticker in car says v rated?

My 2.0 TDCi had W rated tyres fitted from factory.

[shamus1]

My 2.0 TDCi had W rated tyres fitted from factory.

were they 91 w or 94 w many thanks, also were they 205 55 16 ?

[Vendee]

were they 91 w or 94 w many thanks, also were they 205 55 16 ?

They were (and still are) 205 55 16 91W

[Incontro]

Just to update this thread:

So I have had the GoodYear EfficientGrips (Performance) for about a month now.

They seem smooth, and are nice and quiet. But one thing I am disappointed with is the wet performance - even when the road is slightly damp, wheelspin occurs far too easily. Wheelspin was very rare with my old Michelin's, but on these, even the slightest dab of the throttle causes wheelspin (eg taking off at roundabouts), which is very annoying. Doesn't give much confidence.

Anyone else experienced frequent wheelspin?

[mixmasterlooney]

Just to update this thread:

So I have had the GoodYear EfficientGrips (Performance) for about a month now.

They seem smooth, and are nice and quiet. But one thing I am disappointed with is the wet performance - even when the road is slightly damp, wheelspin occurs far too easily. Wheelspin was very rare with my old Michelin's, but on these, even the slightest dab of the throttle causes wheelspin (eg taking off at roundabouts), which is very annoying. Doesn't give much confidence.

Anyone else experienced frequent wheelspin?

This is normal buddy it needs atleast 100 miles to bed in, tyres have a oil on it to preserve the rubber until sale, the tyres can be kept in this "new" condition for over 10 years although rules have since changed iirc it's now a 5 years limit.

Basically the oil needs to wear off from normal driving until this has been done the grip will be very poor, people are often mislead by this and think fitting a brand new tyres mean they have insane amount of grip right away, that is far from true, just take it easy you start to feel the difference at around 100 miles roughly... this varies between manufacture of course

ps, i recommend one does a burnout

[Incontro]

This is normal buddy it needs atleast 100 miles to bed in, tyres have a oil on it to preserve the rubber until sale, the tyres can be kept in this "new" condition for over 10 years although rules have since changed iirc it's now a 5 years limit.

Basically the oil needs to wear off from normal driving until this has been done the grip will be very poor, people are often mislead by this and think fitting a brand new tyres mean they have insane amount of grip right away, that is far from true, just take it easy you start to feel the difference at around 100 miles roughly... this varies between manufacture of course

ps, i recommend one does a burnout

Thanks for the helpful advice mate, in that case it will probably take some time as you said. I should also probably be a bit more careful, due to the reduced grip.

Today I was going around a bend, and the road was a little wet, however at a very slow speed, and I was shocked as even the rear of the car felt twitchy! It slid out/slipped just a little bit.

Haha, a burnout is tempting, should stick it on a wet slight incline, and bob's your uncle. B)

[shamus1]

well I had the goodyears fitted to the front now so have a full set on now and all I can say is road noise is far far better,car has a lot less noise in the cab,havent had any problems with wheel grip seems great so I think the goodyears are great value for money.