Tyres

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 07 Apr 2011, 09:21

XantiaMan wrote:Personally i would get another Fulda, they seemed to grip very well on the NS, then put the two best ones on the front, then buy a Kumho KH17 to match up with the nearly new one on the OSF, and switch it to the OSR.

That will keep you going for a while. No point paying vast sums for a W rated on the road, i doubt you will notice much difference unless you did track work.

Hi Gareth,

Yep, that is my plan.

Ive been looking at tyre tests and the Fulda Progressos actually comes out very well, beating a lot of premium branded tyres in fact. One of the larger tyre test reviews saw it beat the Uniroyal Rainexpert too, which would have been my first choice for it.

I was going on looks before, but ive broken out my trusty tyre depth gauge and measured them now. The good rear Fulda is 7-7.5mm, so ill move that forward and get a new Fulda for the OSF and then it will have matching tread and depths on the front.

For the time being ill just move the more worn Fulda to the back along with the quite new looking Kumho. At least then it will have 3 matching tyres and a pair on the front. I will match the rear tyres up at some point, not sure if ill keep the Kumho, Ill see how I get on with the Fulas when it has a front pair and I might get a new pair for the rear. They are very reasonably priced.

XantiaMan · Unread post by **XantiaMan** » 07 Apr 2011, 20:46

Tyres were on the agenda, and tbh the Fulda's performed quite well for me, for the money i thought they were pretty goo. The Kumho is more of a comfort tyre but looked ok in reviews and again, despite having unmatched tyres on each corner, the handling was still very good.

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 08 Apr 2011, 22:28

Yes, I was looking through your old threads and noticed you wanted to change its tyres. I agree though, the Fuldas are impressive, better than I thought.

Yes, the Kumho is more of a comfort tyre, so not sure if ill keep that or not yet.

I got the front Fulda swapped around on its rim and put on the OSR today, it now has the pair of Fuldas on the back. So thats the rear sorted, just need to either buy another Kumho to match the other one or just get a new pair of decent tyres for the front ... no clues as to what yet in this size though.

addo · Unread post by **addo** » 08 Apr 2011, 22:51

Kumho make a huge range of tyres; they're quite popular here.

Isn't it risking generalisation to say they (inferentially, the entire product range) are a "comfort tyre" - it's certainly not an handle for the KU36!

More generally, I reckon Koukku is on the money in terms of load rating reflecting sidewall stiffness; the only practical observation I've got about V- and W-rated tyres is that many seem to require less all-in balance weight than lesser ratings...

Cheers, Adam.

p.s. Mismatched axle pairs scare me!

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 08 Apr 2011, 23:32

Its not really a generalisation Adam, as my Activa has a Kumho KH17 - which is more of a comfort tyre than a performance tyre. Kumho do make some very good sports tyres, just not in this size.

Yes, I agree, I hate tyres which are not paired up across the axles, really iffy. Mind im fussy about tyres at the best of time and usually replace tyres on new (to me) cars not long after buying them. So its very high on my to do list. Ive got the rears paired now, just need to sort the fronts.

Though as said, I dont think this Kumho suits the Activa, so probably not worth getting another one (its pretty new the one which is on) to pair it up with.

Ill get my front tyres sorted next week to give it a front pair.

Unread post by **Dommo** » 09 Apr 2011, 10:50

I have a set of four Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD2 run flats in 205/55/15 flavour (IIRC)

I was going to fit them to a spare set of wheels for possible track days for my Activa but obviously circumstances changed so they're sat in my shed doing nothing.

If anyone fancies them let me know, I paid £150 for them I think it was..

The run-flat ness means the sidewalls are like rock, so I thought it would be perfect for a track day Activa, however I wouldnt use them as a daily tyre due to not having tyre pressure sensors. My bro said 'just use them and check the pressures every week' but it's not that simple because I do 350 miles+ a week, so I could potentially have a flat tyre for that long and not know about it..

andmcit · Unread post by **andmcit** » 19 Apr 2011, 19:11

As an emergency, I've just bought a 205/60/15 Kumho KH17 91 V for my
V6 Xantia to replace a badly damaged pothole/puncture on a Michelin (

)
and I'll probably get a partner on that axle when I get a few more miles
out of it's opposite Michelin. The Kumho seems a decent tyre at just under
the Dunlop/Avon/Continental price and well below the Vredestein and Michelins.

On checking out the KH17's spec on their website:

http://www.kumhotyre.co.uk/tyre_selector.php

the Activa shows up with a recommended W rated KH11 91 yet the
tyre doesn't appear listed in the home page tyre list/current range?

Incidentally, the V6 Exclusive shows a V rated KH11 91 or a KH15 91 V
This on a car that's capabale of a higher top speed and acceleration if a
milder cornering force.

Does anyone know whether a higher load rating tyre is better than the 91;
I'm assuming it's a higher figure than 91 if that's the scale?

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 19 Apr 2011, 20:08

It is the Activas increased cornering forces which require it to be a W rating and not due to its speed. I doubt even a V6 Xantia would get up to 168mph

Though Ws are in limited supply and when they are available they seem to be a good premium over the V rated equivalent.

I still need to sort out the front tyres on mine, currently on a very worn Firestone TZ200 on the NSF and a pretty new Kumho KH17 on the OS front. Apart from the fact they are not a matched pair, which is iffy to say the least, I dislike the fact its not got tyres of even tread depths too. So ill get it sorted ASAP, just as soon as I decide what im doing about them ...

I need to either buy another Kumho for the NSF so it matches up with the OSF but im not too fussed on the Kumho - though it is hard to tell just having the one.
Or buy a pair of new quality tyres for the front, id like Michelins but the Energy Savers are soft in the sidewall so will not be best suited.

My new choices are:
Uniroyal RainExperts - get very good reviews and not too badly priced.
Goodyear Optigrip - supposedly they keep performance throughout their life.
Conti PremuimContact2 - Ive not had the 2s but the 1s were great, very squealy on the limit though. Something the Activa doesnt seem to need help with!
Pirelli P7 or possibly P6 - Id like to try some Pirellis and Xac reports the P7s work well on his Xantias, so might be worth a go.
Michelin Energy Saver - I like Michelins on Citroens but as above, they might be a bit too soft in construction. I usually find they grip well. Our Xm has these and they are good.

Anyone experienced the above?

The worst thing I can do is mess up with my tyre choice as this car is for the driving! I measure tyre performance on wet weather grip among other things.

Toby_HDi · Unread post by **Toby_HDi** » 20 Apr 2011, 17:49

I've now got a pair of Uniroyal Rain Experts on the rear of the Activa.

So far I'm impressed. Has definitely tightened the back end up. Yet to try them in the wet but, like the Rainsport 2 on the Coupé, if they are anything like they are in the dry then you'll have no problems in the wet.

Can't say much for wear though as I've not had them long enough. I will be getting a pair on the front in the near future.

Best of all, I paid £60 a tyre from Camskill and then got a local tyre fitter to fit and balance them. Being centreless they need to be balanced by someone who has the adapter (or in this firms place two Coupé V6 hubs custom made and balanced) and knows what they are doing. Including that and the delivery they come to less than £80 a tyre which I think is good. They also come in the correct size (202/60/15) with the correct load and speed index (91W)

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 20 Apr 2011, 19:35

Thanks for that info Toby, those are what ive been leaning towards, as the reviews are quite glowing.

Ive just looked on camskill after you said that, they are showing Ws which ive not been able to find elsewhere. Though they currently list them as no stock and no delivery date either.

Im off to Scotland for 8 days in Saturday, ill be wanting to sort out the Activas front tyres when I get back. So ill check on there to see if the Ws are available. In fact, at the moment they don't have any rainexperts in sock.

£160 for the pair fitted is a great price, I may give those a try on it.

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 21 Apr 2011, 22:30

Toby, I notice from your pictures your Activa is wearing Michelin Energys on the front at the moment?

What are they like on the Activa?

Ive had them on other cars and thought they were good, but not sure if they will suit the Activa very well?

Saying that, they will be better than my mix matches front pair!

I always like Michelins on Citroens you see ...

Toby_HDi · Unread post by **Toby_HDi** » 21 Apr 2011, 22:35

I must have had the last pair from Camskill!

That doesn't bode well as I might be after a pair for the front this month.

The Michelins...

They are OK, I don't find them anything special although they are getting rather low. They grip OK considering the tread wear but without trying a new pair I couldn't really give a fair assessment as to if they are much good or not.

ACTIVE8 · Unread post by **ACTIVE8** » 09 Aug 2011, 18:33

I am trying to sort out the tyres on my Activa, and this issue regarding the shortage of the correct tyre as listed on the Activas' "A" post, compounds the problem of the centreless rim with an Activa specific issue of tyre choice!

Nice one!

Not helped by certain companies deciding not to carry on making, and supplying the "W" rating in the size required.

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 09 Aug 2011, 20:42

There are still Michelin SXs (which are the tyres I believe Activas had originally) to be had through ebay and part worn places, though I would not be trusting them now. Too old and there is a risk they could break up, especially under the stress and Activa puts its tyres through. Not to mention tyre technology has moved on and there are probably better tyres out there now.

However, the 205.60.15 standard Activa size is seen more of a comfort size of tyre and so there are few tyres to suit in terms of sports tyres.

And yes, the W rating is not seen too often in that size either.

The best bet would be 205.60.15W Uniroyal RainExperts, probably one of the best tyres in the Activas size, a reasonable price and available in W rating.

ACTIVE8 · Unread post by **ACTIVE8** » 11 Aug 2011, 23:24

Citroenmad wrote:There are still Michelin SXs (which are the tyres I believe Activas had originally) to be had through ebay and part worn places, though I would not be trusting them now. Too old and there is a risk they could break up, especially under the stress and Activa puts its tyres through. Not to mention tyre technology has moved on and there are probably better tyres out there now.

However, the 205.60.15 standard Activa size is seen more of a comfort size of tyre and so there are few tyres to suit in terms of sports tyres.

And yes, the W rating is not seen too often in that size either.

The best bet would be 205.60.15W Uniroyal RainExperts, probably one of the best tyres in the Activas size, a reasonable price and available in W rating.

Are the Uni's widely available, and with the correct index rating?