New Tyres for Fiesta advice

[mitch84]

I was looking at Michelin Pilot sports, wow they are expensive £150+ a tyre. (18")

 

[StephenFord]

10 minutes ago, orangecurry said:

But it'll never happen to you.  You'll be fine.

Jon, I have driven at speed to escape raining petrol bombs from riots (I lived through the troubles in Northern Ireland), and driven through numerous storms on NI roads coming across slow moving tractors (it's a rural economy), and I'm still here to tell the tale. Still, you enjoy racing about on the limit and I wish you a safe driving career LOL

[orangecurry]

From memory the 18s on the Fiesta are not a common size are they?  Therefore very expensive.  Common 18s are 225/40

Your tyres should be ok at 5 years old and 13k miles - but if you are worried take it to a specialist and ask.  You'll have to balance their advice with how much money they might be making from you 😄

[orangecurry]

1 minute ago, StephenFord said:

Jon, I have driven at speed to escape raining petrol bombs from riots (I lived through the troubles in Northern Ireland), and driven through numerous storms on NI roads coming across slow moving tractors (it's a rural economy), and I'm still here to tell the tale. Still, you enjoy racing about on the limit and I wish you a safe driving career LOL

I didn't say I race about on the limit - I gave a longer example of what a limit of grip is.  But whatever.  Do we have to do 'my driving experience is better than yours' as well?

[mitch84]

2 minutes ago, orangecurry said:

From memory the 18s on the Fiesta are not a common size are they?  Therefore very expensive.  Common 18s are 225/40

Your tyres should be ok at 5 years old and 13k miles - but if you are worried take it to a specialist and ask.  You'll have to balance their advice with how much money they might be making from you 😄

Well I have a service and MOT in a weeks time, so get an idea on condition then.

My car has done about 14k.

Checking black circles and the like I cant see cross climate tyres listed with my reg only the pilot sports.

[StephenFord]

5 minutes ago, orangecurry said:

...Do we have to do 'my driving experience is better than yours' as well?

Yeh, go on, lets. I drove round the GM Detroit test track in 1979 in a 6.6 liter Pontiac TransAm, amazing 😅

[orangecurry]

1 minute ago, StephenFord said:

Yeh, go on, lets. I drove round the GM Detroit test track in 1979 in a 6.6 liter Pontiac TransAm, amazing 😅

How old were the tires?

[orangecurry]

10 minutes ago, mitch84 said:

Well I have a service and MOT in a weeks time, so get an idea on condition then.

My car has done about 14k.

Checking black circles and the like I cant see cross climate tyres listed with my reg only the pilot sports.

What actual size are your current tyres?

[StephenFord]

2 minutes ago, orangecurry said:

How old were the tires?

Brand new LOL It was a straight off the line production model... I didn't drive that fast though as I was terrified, think I got it to about 90Mph!

[mitch84]

19 minutes ago, orangecurry said:

What actual size are your current tyres?

18".

I need to get the proper specs when I check the tyres next. But this is what comes up with my reg 205/40R18 W 86

[orangecurry]

Yes.  Unfortunately not a common sized 18, and therefore expensive.

If you need new tyres, I'd be tempted to go for Conti Premium Contact 6.  Quite a bit cheaper in that size over the MPS, though we are still only talking about a 'tank of fuel' difference in cost for four tyres, and obviously either tyre should last five years.

And the PC6 get excellent reviews.  I have MPS4 tyres on two cars, and they've lasted well with no cracking, but Contis are never going to be a bad choice.

[orangecurry]

3 hours ago, unofix said:

The idea of rotating tyres is outdated, I seem to remember the AA/RAC even changed their stance on it saying something like it was not appropriate for cars with ABS (shows how long ago that must have been). Also don't forget that some tyre treads have a 'Direction of Rotation' so you can't swap wheels from nearside to offside and vice versa.

I had 10 minutes spare 😉- apologies for the bold shouty text and awful formatting.

RAC advice dated 2020

Different wheels take a different burden when you are driving. As a result, it can pay to rotate your tyres between the front and the rear of your vehicle so that you get even wear and tear.

Some manufacturers recommend that this is done every year or 7,500 miles, depending on which is done first.

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/know-how/how-to-get-more-from-your-tyres/

 

Blackcircles - undated.

https://www.blackcircles.com/helpcentre/tyre-fitting/tyre-rotation

Rotating your tyres periodically can help to prevent uneven wear and prolong the lifespan of your tyres.

Rotating Tyres: Best Practise

When should you rotate your tyres? Generally speaking, it is recommended that you rotate the tyres on your vehicle once every six months, or 6,000 miles – whichever comes first.

To do so, each tyres needs to be removed and refitted at a different position. This helps to ensure that each tyre wears evenly and lasts longer.

For each driving method, there is a correct way to rotate your tyres. You want to ensure that you rotate the tyres to the correct position for your vehicle.

 

Pirelli

https://www.pirelli.com/tyres/en-gb/car/driving-and-tyre-tips/maintenance/tyre-rotation

The key reason for rotating your tyres is to make sure that the tread on all of them wears down at the same rate. Different tyres lose tread depth more quickly depending on where they are on a vehicle. Even on AWD vehicles, the front wheels will most likely lose tyre tread depth more quickly than the back wheels, because the front wheels undergo a disproportionate amount of the force of steering, braking and acceleration (in most drive train configurations).

Front tyres can also wear out more quickly due to wheel alignment problems. The root cause of misalignment should be addressed separately, but a tyre rotation can mitigate the severity of the problem.

Additionally, any wheel that gets more power delivered to it than another (whether the rear tyres on a RWD or the front tyres on FWD) will suffer more torque and wear differently. If one or more tyres wears out more quickly than others, the day when you have to Shell out the cash to buy an entire new set of tyres will arrive more quickly.

 Uneven tread wear due to lack of rotation can also be a safety issue. Tyres with even wear will take corners and brake better, giving you better control over the vehicle, whereas unevenly worn tyres will have poorer performance, which could mean the difference between getting in an accident or staying safe.

....and in the interest of balanced reporting, good old kwik Fit... 

https://www.kwik-fit.com/tyres/information/tyre-rotation

At Kwik Fit we do not recommend that you rotate your tyres to extend their legal life. The reasons for this are:

• Partly worn tyres are more likely to experience punctures – particularly in wet weather conditions.

• Front tyre deflation will create an under-steer effect which is easier to control than over-steer (the effect produced by a rear tyre deflation) - though improper tyre pressure on any wheels is best avoided.

• In the unlikely event that a tyre deflates suddenly, then it is easier to control the vehicle if this occurs at the front of the vehicle. For improved handling and stability it is now recommended that the ‘best’ tyres should always be fitted at the rear of the vehicle. This is irrespective of whether the car is front or rear wheel drive.

[alanfp]

On 4/29/2022 at 1:49 PM, mitch84 said:

Checking black circles and the like I cant see cross climate tyres listed with my reg only the pilot sports.

I think that's because CClimates are still only available in a limited range of sizes.  Also, I think they are only V rated, and your reg No. is demanding W rated.

Wheel alignment - any tyre supplier that I've ever used doesn't charge to CHECK only to ADJUST, so get it checked for free. 

But I still maintain you don't need to replace the rear tyres when you've only done 14k miles! They are about 35% worn.

[cjay1]

On 4/29/2022 at 3:40 PM, orangecurry said:

I had 10 minutes spare 😉- apologies for the bold shouty text and awful formatting.

So quickfit the company that makes its Money selling new/more sets of tyres says don't rotate but the tyre manufacturers who's reputation relies on good performance and tread life say rotate.

Interesting.

[TomsFocus]

11 hours ago, alanfp said:

Wheel alignment - any tyre supplier that I've ever used doesn't charge to CHECK only to ADJUST, so get it checked for free. 

Have you ever had it checked and it hasn't needed adjustment?  My Mum kept getting caught with this on services at a well known tyre chain.  The basic service was cheap, until the geometry adjustment fee was added.    With the state of the the roads nowadays, it'll probably be at least slightly off at each service, let alone each each tyre change.

[MarksST]

2 hours ago, cjay1 said:

So quickfit the company that makes its Money selling new/more sets of tyres says don't rotate but the tyre manufacturers who's reputation relies on good performance and tread life say rotate.

Interesting.

I interpreted their comment differently due to them saying “legal life”, I think they mean not putting tyres that are nearly or on the wear markers at the rear so they stay legal for longer. 

[Wino]

We will be looking to replace the front two rubber bands pretty soon, perhaps within the next two months.

What sort of mileage have other folk got out of theirs ?

Just over 17k on our Focus atm but mainly short steady journeys.

[cjay1]

I got 22k from last set of tyres rotated yearly mostly city miles

[TomsFocus]

Just seen ASDA Tyres on eBay have 15% off atm.  Not much choice in your size but does make Conti's £116 each in 205/40/18.

New 205 40 18 Continental ContiPremiumContact 6 205/40R18 86Y XL Summer 4019238005097 | eBay

[Wino]

3 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Just seen ASDA Tyres on Ebay have 15% off atm.  Not much choice in your size but does make Conti's £116 each in 205/40/18.

New 205 40 18 Continental ContiPremiumContact 6 205/40R18 86Y XL Summer 4019238005097 | eBay

Had a nosey on Adsa tyres and it's the only one so far that I've found listing the Michelin PS5's but they are £10 dearer per tyre than the PS4's but allegedly wear better.

[Bobr]

Anyone with a Bluelight Card:   Mr Tyre takes the card and gives 20% off.