Tyres tyres everywhere!

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Harlequin
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Tyres tyres everywhere!

Post by Harlequin »

so after nearly killing a set of tyres on my synergie in about 6 months , does anyone have any suggestions of any that can last longer?

the ones on there currently are


http://www.federaltyres.com/tyres/passenger/ss535" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and quite honestly its shocking - from near new to 3-4-3mm tread in 6 months (wheel alignment is spot on and pressure of 33/36 (when loaded).


been told that directional are a no no , and these tyres are poor for a people carrier as well , something about stepping on the tread edge.

so what do people suggest? what about reinforced tyres? or even van tyres?
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Re: Tyres tyres everywhere!

Post by oscar »

I think if i remember correct there a big players budget range? could be Goodyears.
But what profile did you have plus could be side walls arn't upto the loading of synergie which moves thread about on cornering etc with roll/lean so they squirm around which wears them out quicker plus what is the compound/speed rating.
Theres some digits on sidewall which give you tread wear rates and hardness as softer gives more grip but wears quicker unless a high grade tyre/carcass.
Uniroyal do an XL range something like 590 or 690? got them on back of my Zanty estate really good tyres made for little vans/mpv's etc stronger side walls.
Mines in 195/65/15 which corrects speedo to nearly what you are doing via GPS.
Look on Black circles website.
My fronts are Firestones TZ2000 alos do a 3000 range which are good also had the 2000's for many years now and grip well.
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Re: Tyres tyres everywhere!

Post by Richard_C »

I think you need a load rating of at least 94, 97 or 101 might be better. I have just fitted uniroyal rain something XL which were not too expensive. Too early to judge tyre life. Typically I have got 25k out of fronts, well over 50k out of rears, but mostly country and a roads, not much stop start or city and roundabouts. Last set were conti van contacts, they were OK, seemed a bit harsh.
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Re: Tyres tyres everywhere!

Post by KP »

I think if you want them to last longer your going to be looking at ones rated as XL or C for cargo so they can last longer. Also known as van tyres but not always in the size you want them mind :)

They tend to have a stiffer sidewall as well but the rubber is harder wearing which also means less grip in the wet and such like due to the compound...
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Post by SaabC5 »

Federal's are performance tyres, my Saab ate them in 8 months as well (6k miles). I'd recommend Barum Bravuris II (Continentals budget range) as a good all rounder.
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Re: Tyres tyres everywhere!

Post by qprdude »

Richard_C wrote:I think you need a load rating of at least 94, 97 or 101 might be better. I have just fitted uniroyal rain something XL which were not too expensive. Too early to judge tyre life. Typically I have got 25k out of fronts, well over 50k out of rears, but mostly country and a roads, not much stop start or city and roundabouts. Last set were conti van contacts, they were OK, seemed a bit harsh.
Brother in law fitted Uniroyal Rainsports to his Honda Accord Estate. Decent enough tyre, but three punctures in 6 months convinced him to change next time. No idea why the punctures happened as he mainly does motorway driving.
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Re: Tyres tyres everywhere!

Post by Citroenmad »

Harlequin wrote:so after nearly killing a set of tyres on my synergie in about 6 months , does anyone have any suggestions of any that can last longer?

the ones on there currently are


http://www.federaltyres.com/tyres/passenger/ss535" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and quite honestly its shocking - from near new to 3-4-3mm tread in 6 months
We fitted a set of these to our first C5 estate and they proved decent. Only did about 5K miles on them but nothing much in wear. Interestingly, I bumped into the owner of that car recently, who had put 40K miles on it and said all he has had to do in that mileage was change one tyre. I asume the rest are like banana skins :shock: Good to know its being looked after!


For mileage I can't beat anything other than Michelins, which in my experience are the best for wear. On my C5 I had 11K miles out of a pair of front Toyo T1-Rs, 14K miles out of Goodyear Excellence, 18K miles out of Michelin Pilot and 20K miles out of Michelin Primacy HP. Experience with other cars also suggests nothing last as long as Michelins and they dont suffer in performance either. More expensive generally but if they last longer ...


Out of interest, how many miles have you done in that 6 months?
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Re: Tyres tyres everywhere!

Post by Harlequin »

about 4000 , virtually all stop/start around town
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Re: Tyres tyres everywhere!

Post by Peter.N. »

You might find this useful bt you will have to enter your tyre size.

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre-Size/ ... -Tyres.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Tyres tyres everywhere!

Post by andy5 »

I put Michelins on my Xantia, and also on the 2 x BX before

They usually do 25 to 28,000 miles on the rear and then get moved to the front for the same again .
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Re: Tyres tyres everywhere!

Post by CitroJim »

Have you tried B F Goodrich. been using them for years now. They're Micehelin's budget brand and I love them.. They wear well, seem to grip and seem to go round corners. They also seem OK in the wet..

I say 'seem' as I'm not a very lively driver so can only comment with authority on the wear quality and nothing else really except that comfort-wise they are Ok.
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Re: Tyres tyres everywhere!

Post by Mandrake »

I know there are a lock of knockers out there that think they're over priced nonsense but its hard to go past a good Michelin IMHO.

On my previous Xantia (2 litre petrol with Hydractive 2) I chewed the shoulders right off the front tyres that came on the car in a mere 2,000 miles over just a few months...(I think the brand was "Champero" or similar...one of those "never heard of it before" brands :lol: ) They also squealed on corners at the drop of a hat even before the shoulders were bald.

To be fair I'm reasonably lead footed and love to throw the Hydractive 2 suspension around tight corners so they would have lasted a bit longer for some drivers.

I put a set of of Michelin XM1 on the car all round (sadly not a type that is available in the UK, as I think they're even better than the Michelin Energy Savers available here) and they did nearly 25,000 miles over 4 years with lots of lead footed corner chucking driving. :twisted:

In that time they never squealed on corners, never wore down to bald shoulders on the front tyres, the rear tyres looked almost new with 90% tread depth and the front tyres still had over 50% tread depth left including the shoulders, and were perfectly serviceable when I sold the car. That was the only set of tyres I put on the car the entire time I had it.

Every time we've bought a Citroen with 2nd hand tyres of various brands on them the performance of the tyres has always been disappointing in one way or another, whether it be squealing on corners, poor wet grip, rapid wear, harsh ride, noisy etc... and it usually feels like a new car once we get some good Michelins onto them. :)

I'm sure there are other good brands out there but sometimes its easier to stick with the ones you know and trust!

PS on my current Xantia V6 I have two Michelin Energy Savers at the front (which I like a lot although I don't think they quite as good as the unavailable in the UK XM1) and on the back I have two Federal's which I don't like... they're ok I guess but if I had the spare money sitting around I'd chuck them and put some matching Michelins on the back for peace of mind.
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Re: Tyres tyres everywhere!

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

I have just had new tyres put on Gracie, and afterwards found out they were the wrong speed rating. What I should have on her are 185-65-R15 88T. What they actually put on her were 88H. I thought this meant that they were too slow (so I phoned to complain), until I did some digging, and found this chart;

http://www.tyresave.co.uk/tyrspeed.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

which shows that while T is good for 119MPH, H is good for 130MPH. I think that I will call back the tyre centre and tell them not to worry, I'll keep the ones that are on her now.
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Re: Tyres tyres everywhere!

Post by Mandrake »

Be aware that your insurance company might not agree. I think you'll find legally the tyres must meet or exceed the top speed of the vehicle, even if this is well above any posted speed limits on roads... :lol:
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Re: Tyres tyres everywhere!

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

They do, they do! According to the Xantia handbook, Gracie should have 88T (119MPH), while the 88H are good for 130MPH, so I should be OK.
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