Opinions on tyres for Xantias?

rmunns · Unread post by **rmunns** » 10 Jan 2010, 08:36

I shall soon be in the market for four tyres (I've been moving the front and rears around, so they are all pretty well worn to the the same degree).

I did hear that these cars were designed round Michelins - can we have opinions on other makes, and, indeed, on different Michelins?

From cost considerations I am looking at eBay options of four (alloy) wheels + tyres, so I could also change the look of the car. Some of the deals are, on the face of it, very reasonable (Toyo tyres).

addo · Unread post by **addo** » 10 Jan 2010, 08:52

Opinions - they're like backsides!

I rate Xantia tyres as very necessary.

More seriously, cannot comment on Michies as ours are made elsewhere to those furnished in the UK. My tyre "pain point" on the Xantia is about 110£/corner.

Toyo Transas fair to middling, Uniroyal poor for grip but never wear, Yoki C-Drives good for first 15K miles then wear/lose quality fast. I'm about to try Kumho, a brand you may not get.

My driving style is generally "passive psychopath". No tyre squealing, no outright speeding, but passengers need to hang on and I like to gently lead aggressive tailgaters into sudden surprises!

Regards, Adam.

Unread post by **Peter.N.** » 10 Jan 2010, 09:00

As Adam says, it depends on your driving style. I always uses cheapies on my XMs and get 30,000 + miles from them, but if you like to corner at 60 mph and brake hard I expect some more expensive ones would be in order.

Peter

spliffy · Unread post by **spliffy** » 10 Jan 2010, 10:45

iv had kumho tyres on my xantia i drive like a nutter and the lasted about 5 months loads of grip thou i made mistake of putting budget one on big mistake iv lost back end a couple of times in the wet next time its back to more expensive tyres but not sure what was thinking of michys my self

HDI · Unread post by **HDI** » 10 Jan 2010, 10:50

The best tyres I've used on mine so far are Marangoni. Thats after trying Bridgestone , Toyo , Pirelli , various budget types , Firestone.

rmunns · Unread post by **rmunns** » 10 Jan 2010, 18:52

I should have said that I like quiet tyres, long-ish lasting. I've retired from mad driving and my Xantia is not an Activa.

addo · Unread post by **addo** » 10 Jan 2010, 19:11

Based simply on experience (not theory!) I find that "durable" tyres are noisier - they're harder rubber. My Uniroyals were retired when one exploded on the inside sidewall, on a public holiday in the middle of nowhere. Still had 6mm of tread depth!

Much as brand may come into it, look for the lowest acceptable sidewall load index and speed rating (probably 88H) and run at the lowest recommended pressure. If you don't drive hard, a softer tyre may work - but consider it possibly will harden and lose safety before the tread is used up.

Regards, Adam.

deian · Unread post by **deian** » 10 Jan 2010, 19:13

HDI wrote:The best tyres I've used on mine so far are Marangoni. Thats after trying Bridgestone , Toyo , Pirelli , various budget types , Firestone.

I've heard the marangoni brand is the renamed 'stunners' and i've not heard the best about them tbh

can you tell me more about them, the local garage do them for me

rmunns · Unread post by **rmunns** » 10 Jan 2010, 19:16

Thanks for the help. As it happens, not driving anywhere at the moment - French generally don't salt their roads and certainly not minor roads. We're cut off in the village, probably until Tuesday afternoon.

addo · Unread post by **addo** » 10 Jan 2010, 19:18

Macaronis are made in Italy; I have used them (on an Italian car; it was not deliberate choice) and they were quite good! For wide tyres on a light car they tracked well, and displaced water nicely.

As with all hi-po tyres at near 50PSI, however - road noise...

HDI · Unread post by **HDI** » 10 Jan 2010, 19:46

deian wrote:
HDI wrote:The best tyres I've used on mine so far are Marangoni. Thats after trying Bridgestone , Toyo , Pirelli , various budget types , Firestone.
I've heard the marangoni brand is the renamed 'stunners' and i've not heard the best about them tbh

can you tell me more about them, the local garage do them for me

No , they are not renamed anything , they are premium tyres made in Italy. Check out their website. As I said , I've tried a wide variety of tyres including Bridgestone which I had expected to be good , but I was very disappointed in them. The Marangoni's are the best I've tried by far. Good and very even wear rate , excellent wet grip , outstanding dry grip , good handling characteristics.

HDI · Unread post by **HDI** » 10 Jan 2010, 19:47

addo wrote:Macaronis are made in Italy...

Unread post by **Peter.N.** » 10 Jan 2010, 20:05

Adam

My primary consideration is ride, I dont drive much over 60mph and certainly dont chuck it round corners or bends, so I was interested in your comments about 'sidewall load index' presumably this is a measure of the suppleness, what should I be looking for?

What I have done in the past is have all the tyres of the right size on the floor and physically test the softness by compressing them (the tyre man is a friend of my son) but if there is a figure that I can tell from that would help a lot - tell me more.

Peter

addo · Unread post by **addo** » 10 Jan 2010, 20:54

Hello Peter,

It's part of the tyre identification here - presume it's the same for the EU/UK.

You get a number we all know like 185/65/15 then it says further around something like 89V or 87H; this two digit number is the load rating and effectively influences sidewall stiffness. V or H is the speed rating, V allowing higher road speeds without the tyre self-deconstructing.

Load ratings basically reflect the capacity of that tyre to sustain a dead load directly above it - so in reality, the front tyres need a higher load rating as the weight balance is maybe 60/40 on a Xantia - but few people carry twin spares...

It's the way a tyre is built to carry heavier loads, that adds sidewall stiffness when less taxed. This potentially reduces compliance with road irregularities in the same conditions - hence more noise and a harsher ride.

If you do go for the lowest acceptable load rated tyres, make sure the pressures are at least per handbook, although it's also good to phone the tyre company's tech line and ask someone there (you may run into an intelligent soul; I sometimes do).

There's plenty of websites with this sort of info put into tables for reference; blackcircles is one I know of.

Cheers, Adam.

Unread post by **Peter.N.** » 10 Jan 2010, 23:30

Thanks for that Adam. I usually run my tyres lower than the reccomended pressure unless I'm carrying a lot of weight, which I don't very often, although I did bring two diesel engines and a gearbox from the north of England in the estate last year 8).

The ride feels very hard at specified pressures and the tyres deform very little with a few less lbs. The only times I have thought the ride was very good was when I hadn't checked the pressures for some while, I won't tell you what they were

I would still be using crossplies if they were available

Isnt it strange how throughout the world tyre diameters are still measured in inches and everything else in mm?

I assume that the lower the number before the speed rating the softer the walls, is that correct? I will look out for that next time.

Peter