Tyre suggestions please, Xantia

[Jaf]

Hi guys. The tyres on my car are nearly in need of replacement. I've got Michelin Energy tyres at the moment and they've only done 50,000kms.

The driving I do is, in order; ramblas (dirt tracks) at around 60kph, little steep hilly roads 30-100kph (downhill I tend to freewheel for 15kms...yes really!), motorways at a steady 120kph, and a little tiny bit of town driving.

I would expect nearer 70,000kms but I might be being unreasonable as this is the first time I've lived out here in the country. All my other cars (back in the UK) have died before needing new tyres!

Do you think there's a longer lasting tyre out there? I guess long lasting means something else will suffer, like road noise? The local tyre fitter suggested Bridgestone but I got the feeling that was because he gets a back-hander from them.

Thanks, Jaf

[Norlander]

Does it rain much where you drive?

It isn't road noise to worry about most, it's grip.

[andy5]

I think those Michelins are already counted as pretty long lasting

Do you actually need 4 tyres though? Usually the fronts wear about twice as fast as the rears, maybe slightly more.

Given your rough tracks and maybe tight corners on the hills, that distance doesn't seem terrible for the front.

I tend to put new Michelins on the back for about 25,000 miles, then move them to the front for another 25,000.

[Jaf]

Thanks for your replies guys. So given that the car handles/grips well with the Michelin on both the rough tracks and in the rain (it doesn't rain much here but when it does it floods) maybe I should stick with Michelin.

I rotated the tyres 20,000kms ago. The fronts are lower than the rear even so. Reckon I've another 10,000 in the rears, which I'll swap with the fronts when I get new tyres. Until now I have always put the new tyres on the front! Even when I worked in a garage that's what the garage did. Having read all the posts on here I won't be doing that anymore.

[robert_e_smart]