New front tyres for Xantia V6 ?

[Mandrake]

Hi All,

With an MOT due mid August, time has come to replace the front tyres on the V6 that are almost certainly an MOT fail - little tread left, a lot of cracking on the sidewalls from age etc...

While I know there are other good tyres out there, I'd really like to get some Michelins if I can, that's what I've always had the best success with on hydropneumatic Citroen's.. so I'm looking for recommendations on what Michelins might be worth looking at in the V6's size. (205/60/15 91V ?)

On my last Xantia in NZ I had 205/60/15 Michelin Energy XM1 all round and I was very happy with them, the previous cheap tyres that were on the car rounded the shoulders off the front tyres in a mere 2000 miles or so, the XM1 had done 25,000 miles (including plenty of hard cornering) by the time I sold the car, never squealed around tight corners and still had plenty of tread depth left even at the shoulders, yet at the same time they had good ride and excellent grip in the wet. An all round good tyre for a decent price.

From what I remember the XM1 aren't available in the UK market (otherwise I would just buy what I already know) so I'm wondering what similar Michelins there are here that people have used on Xantia's and liked ? Here's a pic of the XM1 tread for reference:

One of the reasons I picked the XM1 last time was the square shoulder with a lot of tread depth at the edge as I've found tyres with rounded shoulders with reduced tread depth at the edge tend to squeal cornering on smooth surfaces and also wear down the shoulders prematurely..

Any suggestions on type ? Something that is at least somewhat usable in winter as well would be good.

Also any recommendations on tyre fitters to avoid, or recommend ? I found it hard to find tyre fitters in NZ that do a good job - eg balance alloy wheels correctly and not over-inflate the tyres and/or over-tighten the wheel nuts...

[CitroJim]

Simon, if you're a member and have a Costco nearby with a tyre fitting bay go and get yourself a set of Michelin Energy Savers. I have them on my Activa and I like them. Costco will do a good job of fitting them too... My new arrival V6 has them fitted and again, they seem perfect.

Else that, the only other tyres I've run on a V6 are BF Goodrich. They seem OK too. Again available from Costco. I believe they are Michelin's budget brand...

[RichardW]

Simon

I have had a lot of Toyo Proxes CF1s recently and been very happy with them - they are well priced, good grip, a little on the soft side, but I got >20k out of them on my HDi (and I don't hang around!). I usually buy through blackcircles.com as then you get what you want rather than what the tyre place has / wants to sell you! Cooper Brothers have a few branches around Lanarkshire, and are very well regarded (http://www.cooperbrothers.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). I think they have a good line in with the Vredestein agent so can get good prices on them too - we had a set of Vred all seasons (Quatrac 3) on our Picasso that we were pleased with - good in the dry, and excellent grip in the wet / slippery conditions.

[Citroenmad]

The only Michelin you will find in your V6s size now is the Energy Saver, not a bad tyre, a little soft in the sidewall perhaps but im impressed with the wet and dry grip, the ride quality and the wear rates. We have these exact Michelins fitted to one C5 and one XM, they suit both cars very nicely.

I tend to try and stick to Michelins for my cars, my C5 has Michelin Primacy HPs, which I really rate quite highly. I have had lots of different brands on C5s but find these suit them the best, wear the best and also grip excellently in the wet and dry. Second to this would be the Toyo T1-Rs I had fitted to my previous C5, very grippy but I worse through the front set in 11K. I got 18K from my last set of Michelins on this C5 and these current ones are looking like they will do similar. I do like to corner a bit quick.

Im just about to fit some Continental PremiumContact2s to the front of my Activa. It did have Michelin Energys (the older E3As) which seemed to have turned to plastic as they were new but old stock from 2006, according to the sidewall stamp. Wet grip was quite alarmingly bad, so much so that the 'Primewell' tyres it currently has are far superior, they are getting pretty bald on the shoulders now though, after 2 months.

The other tyre I was considering for the Xantia Activa (same size tyres as your V6) were Uniroyal Rainexperts. They get excellent reviews and are said to be the rain tyre, I'll probably try those at my next opportunity. Maybe in a few months time at the rate my Activa munches tyres.

I never really get on with budget tyres, some brands can be half decent but the majority seem pretty shocking. However I fitted a pair of Matador tyres to the front of my XM (again 205/60/15s) and they have been superb. Quiet, good levels of grip in all conditions so far and for £60 each fitted, they are very impressive. Apparently Matador is the budget end of Continental.

[Mandrake]

Simon, if you're a member and have a Costco nearby with a tyre fitting bay go and get yourself a set of Michelin Energy Savers. I have them on my Activa and I like them. Costco will do a good job of fitting them too...My new arrival V6 has them fitted and again, they seem perfect.

Do they have a model number beyond just Energy Savers ? I assume they have been evolving variants of them for a few years now. The XM1 was also designated as a silica containing "energy saver".

Never been to Costco before, do you have to be a member to get tyres from them ?

[Citroenmad]

Do they have a model number beyond just Energy Savers ?

Sadly not, it seems to be a size which has fallen into the more comfort orientated tyre range. I wish they did the Primacy HP or Pilot Sport in that size, I wouldn't have to look elsewhere for my Activa tyres then.

[Mandrake]

Simon

I have had a lot of Toyo Proxes CF1s recently and been very happy with them - they are well priced, good grip, a little on the soft side, but I got >20k out of them on my HDi (and I don't hang around!). I usually buy through blackcircles.com as then you get what you want rather than what the tyre place has / wants to sell you! Cooper Brothers have a few branches around Lanarkshire, and are very well regarded (http://www.cooperbrothers.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). I think they have a good line in with the Vredestein agent so can get good prices on them too - we had a set of Vred all seasons (Quatrac 3) on our Picasso that we were pleased with - good in the dry, and excellent grip in the wet / slippery conditions.

Thanks for the tip, I've emailed cooper brothers for some quotes...

[Northern_Mike]

Simon, if you're a member and have a Costco nearby with a tyre fitting bay go and get yourself a set of Michelin Energy Savers. I have them on my Activa and I like them. Costco will do a good job of fitting them too... My new arrival V6 has them fitted and again, they seem perfect.

Else that, the only other tyres I've run on a V6 are BF Goodrich. They seem OK too. Again available from Costco. I believe they are Michelin's budget brand...

I have to say that those cheapies on Rattiva aren't actually a bad tyre either Jim. They're a little noisy, but they do hang on very well, I've had no problems at all with them, and it was lashing down when I left yours last week. They seem good the back roads "at speed" too, though they are getting upset by the soft rear end at the moment.

Of all the makes mentioned in this thread , Toyos are my favourite.

[red_dwarfers]

I use the Toyo Proxes CF1 on both of mine now. They're good value and in my experience they've been top in both wet and dry, then again I am quite a sedate driver!

[markflip]

I recently used Event Tyres who came to my home and fitted 4 new tyres to two vehicles, they were by far the cheapest for the tyres I bought and did a first class job of fitting, they stock a wide range and discounts for the more tyres you buy.

http://www.event-tyres.co.uk/ (I have no affiliation)

[Northern_Mike]

I use the Toyo Proxes CF1 on both of mine now. They're good value and in my experience they've been top in both wet and dry, then again I am quite a sedate driver!

I think the Toyos are an ace tyre. I've had them on Xantias in the past an MX5 and more recently the Puma. I don't hang about. A American friend of mine was a passenger in my old TD Estate on a works team building event - a treasure hunt type thing. He admitted to being slightly concerned afterwards and said "I didn't know an old Renault (!) diesel could travel at near relativistic speeds". At the time he had an Elise and a CBR1100XX! Toyo tyres are brilliant.

[Citroenmad]

I agree, Toyos I find superb.

The T1-Rs on my last C5 were excellent tyres, dry grip was the best ive had in a C5 and wet grip was very good. I was stunned at their performance in the snow. After getting myself stuck in the snow on its worn out Michelins, I headed straight to the tyre place and had two T1-Rs fitted to the front. After that it was very sure footed in bad weather, not what I was expecting from a sporty tyre. They were a nice quiet tyre and gave a good ride quality. My only concern was that they had slightly soft sidewalls and the outer shoulders scrubbed bald way before the centre of the tread. They lasted 11K miles, 3K of those were on the rear! I don't hang about.

Ive also had the Toyo CF-1s on a Peugeot 206 and a Seat, I found them very grippy and the wear rate was quite reasonable too.

For the price you can get them for, they really take some beating.

One premium tyre brand I HATE with a passion are Goodyears. Excellence are awful tyres, I had two expose odd lookng rubber as they worse, they caused the car to pull to the right, the steering to be out of centre and a vibration when turning the steering wheel, they had badly distored. As they got to about 3mm in tread aquaplaning was dangerous. Another pair wore badly in the centre of the tread despite being inflated to the correct pressure, they lasted 12K. I need to replace two Duragrips on the back of the 2002 C5 as they too have distored, the sidewalls are rock hard and on the front give an aful ride.
Ill not be looking at buying Goodyears again!

I like Michelins, Continentals and Toyos, they are generally what I buy. Im wanting to try some Uniroyals, as they get excellent reviews.

[CitroJim]

I have to say that those cheapies on Rattiva aren't actually a bad tyre either Jim. They're a little noisy

Noise was my biggest gripe with them Mike, apart from that great and they look like they'll wear and wear... The combination of Pirelli P6000 and Michelin Energy Savers on the V6 is stunningly silent in comparison

Costco. yes, you do need to be a member... It's not had. Full-time work with a recognised company and proof of home address via a few utility bills should do the trick..

[Northern_Mike]

One premium tyre brand I HATE with a passion are Goodyears. Excellence are awful tyres,I had two expose odd lookng rubber as they worse, they caused the car to pull to the right, the steering to be out of centre and a vibration.

I bought 4 of these for my Activa. They were, without beating around the bush, total sh1t. Vibration and pulling being the worst traits. I ended up swapping them around front to rear and left to right in various combinations before I got one that actually worked! The grip was not that great.

I will be ordering 4 Toyos for Bertie the Berlingo on payday.

[CitroJim]

Well there, you learn something new every day. I didn't even know Goodyear still made tyres. Not seen them for donkey's years now...

Sounds like they shouldn't be making them anyway...