Opinions on tyres for Xantias?
Moderator: RichardW
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I got a flat in the middle of rush hour last week on a really bad part of Aberdeen (anderson Drive for those who know). Couldn't move the whell so had to call out RAC. Snowing, freezing, 6am. Anyway the tyre needed replaced as did the spare which I found out to be bald.
Got michelines. Tried cheapos but on C5 they ran out fast. I aint a mad driver. One pair of cheapies were changed in Shetland once and ran out in just over a week. The garage never balanced or sorted the tracking as requested. The changed them free of charge.
Since then always went for Micheline or in france Pirelies which have and still work well.
The garage here tried to get me to take Fulda (never heard of the Dunlops) reasonable cheap with 3 year Unconditional replacement guarantee and puncture repair.
Got michelines. Tried cheapos but on C5 they ran out fast. I aint a mad driver. One pair of cheapies were changed in Shetland once and ran out in just over a week. The garage never balanced or sorted the tracking as requested. The changed them free of charge.
Since then always went for Micheline or in france Pirelies which have and still work well.
The garage here tried to get me to take Fulda (never heard of the Dunlops) reasonable cheap with 3 year Unconditional replacement guarantee and puncture repair.
C'est pas possible!
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Do you get Michelins cheaper in France rmunns?
Just almost every car over there seems to be wearing Michelins, even if its a very cheap car they still have michelins fitted. I have noticed this when visiting France and wondered if they got great deals on Michslin tyres.
Ive used Marangonis before, for the price they are not too bad, though i found them to be hard rubber with a very stiff sidewall (Marangoni Vantos). They were reasonable, gripped well in the dry but wet weather grip could have been better. They wore out very quickly, around 12K miles.
The tyre brands i tend to stick to are:
- Goodyear - ive never had any bad experiences with them, their new range of tyres is superb too.
- Continentals - i find these give a very good ride and are quiet, grip very well no matter what the weather is doing but the squeal when cornering hard
- Pirellies - got these on the Xm and find they are reasonable, though very rarely drive it in the wet. Supposedly they grip drops off as they become worn, but these are still new.
- Toyos - very popular on more perfromance orientated cars, but i find they ride well, very quiet (better than michies in both respects), grip is brilliant in the dry and very good in the wet. Ive no complaints, they even look very nice - i have the T1-Rs on my C5 and couldnt be happier with them. Ive had these a few times now but only do the T1-rs in certain sizes.
3 of our cars have Toyos fitted and even though all are different models they all grip fantastically, even the van tyres.
Im going to get the worn out michelins on the C5 Sx replaced tomorrow, think ill get some more Goodyears for that, as Toyos are not available in the model i like. Goodyear excellence to match its rears.
Michelins are ok, but in my experience not value for money, rarely last any longer than other brands and offers less grip than top rivals, especially in the fuel saving michelin range. Michelins tend to have a soft sidewall which is no good if your like your cornering.
I hate budget tyres and ive not really found a budegt brand ive found to be good. Ive always replaced budget tyres early on, some with 7+mm of tread as grip was shockingly bad. Really does pay to get a good tyre. Not always expensive to do this, as some cheaper brands are fantastic. Toyos for example, brilliant. Kumhos tend to be very good, as go Hankooks.
I do tend to buy tyres for their grip and wet performance, as i like to drive spiritedly, rather than wear rates. I dont like noisey tyres but usually a good grippy tyre is very quiet as its made from softer compound rubber. Silica is what is needed for good wet performance. Chaper brands usually lack this quality as all tyres are made from a different rubber compound it pays to research into what your buying.
I always run my tyres at the softer recommended pressures, but keep a close eye on their pressures, i check around every 2 weeks.
One of the xms has Vredestien sportrac3s, these are excellent tyres, a superb all rounder.
Really all opinions and tyres often vary between cars as different cars seem to get along better with some tyres than others. Though i always say buy the best tyres you can, do your reserach and look for reviews on the net. I always look for reviews before i buy, inless its a tyre ive had before.
This is possibly one of the most comprehensive review sites around: http://www.tyretest.com/ganzjahresreifen/index.html
Just almost every car over there seems to be wearing Michelins, even if its a very cheap car they still have michelins fitted. I have noticed this when visiting France and wondered if they got great deals on Michslin tyres.
Ive used Marangonis before, for the price they are not too bad, though i found them to be hard rubber with a very stiff sidewall (Marangoni Vantos). They were reasonable, gripped well in the dry but wet weather grip could have been better. They wore out very quickly, around 12K miles.
The tyre brands i tend to stick to are:
- Goodyear - ive never had any bad experiences with them, their new range of tyres is superb too.
- Continentals - i find these give a very good ride and are quiet, grip very well no matter what the weather is doing but the squeal when cornering hard
- Pirellies - got these on the Xm and find they are reasonable, though very rarely drive it in the wet. Supposedly they grip drops off as they become worn, but these are still new.
- Toyos - very popular on more perfromance orientated cars, but i find they ride well, very quiet (better than michies in both respects), grip is brilliant in the dry and very good in the wet. Ive no complaints, they even look very nice - i have the T1-Rs on my C5 and couldnt be happier with them. Ive had these a few times now but only do the T1-rs in certain sizes.
3 of our cars have Toyos fitted and even though all are different models they all grip fantastically, even the van tyres.
Im going to get the worn out michelins on the C5 Sx replaced tomorrow, think ill get some more Goodyears for that, as Toyos are not available in the model i like. Goodyear excellence to match its rears.
Michelins are ok, but in my experience not value for money, rarely last any longer than other brands and offers less grip than top rivals, especially in the fuel saving michelin range. Michelins tend to have a soft sidewall which is no good if your like your cornering.
I hate budget tyres and ive not really found a budegt brand ive found to be good. Ive always replaced budget tyres early on, some with 7+mm of tread as grip was shockingly bad. Really does pay to get a good tyre. Not always expensive to do this, as some cheaper brands are fantastic. Toyos for example, brilliant. Kumhos tend to be very good, as go Hankooks.
I do tend to buy tyres for their grip and wet performance, as i like to drive spiritedly, rather than wear rates. I dont like noisey tyres but usually a good grippy tyre is very quiet as its made from softer compound rubber. Silica is what is needed for good wet performance. Chaper brands usually lack this quality as all tyres are made from a different rubber compound it pays to research into what your buying.
I always run my tyres at the softer recommended pressures, but keep a close eye on their pressures, i check around every 2 weeks.
One of the xms has Vredestien sportrac3s, these are excellent tyres, a superb all rounder.
Really all opinions and tyres often vary between cars as different cars seem to get along better with some tyres than others. Though i always say buy the best tyres you can, do your reserach and look for reviews on the net. I always look for reviews before i buy, inless its a tyre ive had before.
This is possibly one of the most comprehensive review sites around: http://www.tyretest.com/ganzjahresreifen/index.html
Last edited by Citroenmad on 12 Jan 2010, 23:54, edited 1 time in total.
Chris
07 Citroen C6 V6 HDi Exclusive - Red
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01 Citroen Saxo 1.1i Forte - Mango Orange
.
93 Ford Mondeo 2.0i GLX
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I tried Kumho (khumo?) tyres on the 807, it steered like a ship with a broken rudder and they lasted about 3 weeks.spliffy wrote:iv had kumho tyres on my xantia i drive like a nutter and the lasted about 5 months loads of grip thou
Went back to Michelins and the ride and handling were much improved and mile for mile were actually cheaper.
For the Xantia and BX I always used Vredestein sportracs, excellent in the wet and snow even though they are a summer tyre.
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I'm using the Verso on mine and will say again they are great and suit the Xantia very well. Actually I have found wet grip very good , in conditions where I was expecting to back off they just kept gripping.Citroenmad wrote: Ive used Marangonis before, for the price they are not too bad, though i found them to be hard rubber with a very stiff sidewall (Marangoni Vantos). They were reasonable, gripped well in the dry but wet weather grip could have been better. They wore out very quickly, around 12K miles. I didnt buy them but i didnt feel assured with them fitted.
Now using '00 Xantia LX HDI, pov spec
My past Citroens :-
'00 Xantia SX HDI, now dead due to accident
'99 Xantia HDI 110 Exclusive, RIP
'97 Xantia TD SX
'96 Xantia TD LX
'96 ZX TD
'89 BX TD
'88 AX GT
'79 CX2400 Pallas (scrapped )
& a couple of Peugeots !
My past Citroens :-
'00 Xantia SX HDI, now dead due to accident
'99 Xantia HDI 110 Exclusive, RIP
'97 Xantia TD SX
'96 Xantia TD LX
'96 ZX TD
'89 BX TD
'88 AX GT
'79 CX2400 Pallas (scrapped )
& a couple of Peugeots !
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2018 C4 Pic2 Spacetourer auto. Seems nice so far.
2019 C4 Cactus manual. Didn't like it, lots of niggling points. sold.
2011 C4 Picasso excl. - shaping up to be a disaster, bought June 2019. P/X'd
2009 Citroen C5 X7 exclusive, auto, LHD, 207500km (129000miles) now sold
Citroen Xsara Picasso excl. 2004 2.0 Hdi, RHD, 64000miles. (sold)
Citroen C3 Picasso excl. 2016. sold.
Two Xantias, one petrol, one diesel. sold.
In the past: Renault 16 (in about 1977, for a year). With front pass. seat out transported full bathroom suite from Cambridge to Derby!)
Renault 4TL (in 2011, for a year) - x 9
I might try these. But I'd find out what tyres/ratings etc. are supplied.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/15-Ace-C873-Alloy ... 518f7033a0
Does anyone have any views about how these would look on a silver Xantia - any pictures of any so fitted?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/15-Ace-C873-Alloy ... 518f7033a0
Does anyone have any views about how these would look on a silver Xantia - any pictures of any so fitted?
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Hanging on, is part of what the Xantias do exceptionally well with a good tyre and a driver who works in with the Citroën body roll! I've pulled plenty of silly stunts in mine, where the 405 (shod with equally costly rubber) would quite likely be pointing the wrong way.
At equivalent of 75 Euro, there'd be plenty more people trying Michies here, but they're close on 60% more.
At equivalent of 75 Euro, there'd be plenty more people trying Michies here, but they're close on 60% more.
-
- Posts: 611
- Joined: 09 Jul 2009, 22:09
- Location: Southern Dordogne, France
- My Cars: 2019 C5 Aircross 2litre diesel, auto.
2018 C4 Pic2 Spacetourer auto. Seems nice so far.
2019 C4 Cactus manual. Didn't like it, lots of niggling points. sold.
2011 C4 Picasso excl. - shaping up to be a disaster, bought June 2019. P/X'd
2009 Citroen C5 X7 exclusive, auto, LHD, 207500km (129000miles) now sold
Citroen Xsara Picasso excl. 2004 2.0 Hdi, RHD, 64000miles. (sold)
Citroen C3 Picasso excl. 2016. sold.
Two Xantias, one petrol, one diesel. sold.
In the past: Renault 16 (in about 1977, for a year). With front pass. seat out transported full bathroom suite from Cambridge to Derby!)
Renault 4TL (in 2011, for a year) - x 9
A bit of a mystery here.
I bought my car in UK last Summer. At the time I did think that the tyres looked more worn than I would have thought for a 38000mile, one elderly owner car.
I now see that the tyres fitted are not standard size. They are Michelin Energy 185/65 15 88T.
According to the excellent eBay reference
http://partsfinder.ebay.co.uk/#tyres/vrm
the car was fitted from new with 205/60 R15 91 H tyres, they would have been Michelins.
So someone in the Citroen dealer in ********* took the original wheels/ tyres - including spare - and substituted these from another car.
Another lesson.
I bought my car in UK last Summer. At the time I did think that the tyres looked more worn than I would have thought for a 38000mile, one elderly owner car.
I now see that the tyres fitted are not standard size. They are Michelin Energy 185/65 15 88T.
According to the excellent eBay reference
http://partsfinder.ebay.co.uk/#tyres/vrm
the car was fitted from new with 205/60 R15 91 H tyres, they would have been Michelins.
So someone in the Citroen dealer in ********* took the original wheels/ tyres - including spare - and substituted these from another car.
Another lesson.
-
- Posts: 611
- Joined: 09 Jul 2009, 22:09
- Location: Southern Dordogne, France
- My Cars: 2019 C5 Aircross 2litre diesel, auto.
2018 C4 Pic2 Spacetourer auto. Seems nice so far.
2019 C4 Cactus manual. Didn't like it, lots of niggling points. sold.
2011 C4 Picasso excl. - shaping up to be a disaster, bought June 2019. P/X'd
2009 Citroen C5 X7 exclusive, auto, LHD, 207500km (129000miles) now sold
Citroen Xsara Picasso excl. 2004 2.0 Hdi, RHD, 64000miles. (sold)
Citroen C3 Picasso excl. 2016. sold.
Two Xantias, one petrol, one diesel. sold.
In the past: Renault 16 (in about 1977, for a year). With front pass. seat out transported full bathroom suite from Cambridge to Derby!)
Renault 4TL (in 2011, for a year) - x 9
Over the last 6 years in the Lot, France Ive tried loads of different tyres. Ive found Michelin to be good but they are expensive upto 140euros per tyre for 205/60/15. They dont last very long either.
To be honest the roads here are very nice to drive on and very gritty so most tyres dont last long at all. For economy reasons Im trying cheapos which are great (apart from the wet), they are about half the price and last the same time.
Ive found firestone good in the past and dunlop but again quite expensive and quick to wear.
In france Michelin do another tyre called Kleber which is very good and cheap to middle price wise. I cant quite explain it but it dosnt look very good if thats important.
To be honest the roads here are very nice to drive on and very gritty so most tyres dont last long at all. For economy reasons Im trying cheapos which are great (apart from the wet), they are about half the price and last the same time.
Ive found firestone good in the past and dunlop but again quite expensive and quick to wear.
In france Michelin do another tyre called Kleber which is very good and cheap to middle price wise. I cant quite explain it but it dosnt look very good if thats important.
03 Renault Master Dci 70k miles
02 406 HDi 110 65k miles
02 406 HDi 110 65k miles
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- Posts: 611
- Joined: 09 Jul 2009, 22:09
- Location: Southern Dordogne, France
- My Cars: 2019 C5 Aircross 2litre diesel, auto.
2018 C4 Pic2 Spacetourer auto. Seems nice so far.
2019 C4 Cactus manual. Didn't like it, lots of niggling points. sold.
2011 C4 Picasso excl. - shaping up to be a disaster, bought June 2019. P/X'd
2009 Citroen C5 X7 exclusive, auto, LHD, 207500km (129000miles) now sold
Citroen Xsara Picasso excl. 2004 2.0 Hdi, RHD, 64000miles. (sold)
Citroen C3 Picasso excl. 2016. sold.
Two Xantias, one petrol, one diesel. sold.
In the past: Renault 16 (in about 1977, for a year). With front pass. seat out transported full bathroom suite from Cambridge to Derby!)
Renault 4TL (in 2011, for a year) - x 9
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That should be quite a cheap size i would have though?
Though if your wanting a bit wider tyre or a bit of a better ride you could always change the size for a different xantia tyre size, if your changing all 4.
Ive used Klebers before, they are quite good actually, look a little like some michelin tread patterns and grip wuite well. Had them on the front of a Fiat Stilo and they did perform well, wear wasnt th ebest though.
Though if your wanting a bit wider tyre or a bit of a better ride you could always change the size for a different xantia tyre size, if your changing all 4.
Ive used Klebers before, they are quite good actually, look a little like some michelin tread patterns and grip wuite well. Had them on the front of a Fiat Stilo and they did perform well, wear wasnt th ebest though.
Chris
07 Citroen C6 V6 HDi Exclusive - Red
07 Citroen C5 HDi VTR - Red
09 Citroen C3 1.4i VTR - Silver
01 Citroen Saxo 1.1i Forte - Mango Orange
.
93 Ford Mondeo 2.0i GLX
19 Hyundai i10
07 Citroen C6 V6 HDi Exclusive - Red
07 Citroen C5 HDi VTR - Red
09 Citroen C3 1.4i VTR - Silver
01 Citroen Saxo 1.1i Forte - Mango Orange
.
93 Ford Mondeo 2.0i GLX
19 Hyundai i10