Xantia 2.0 hdi 90 estate tyres

[bill hughes]

Hi all, I need new front tyres for my Xantia, the existing tyres are Hankook fitted by the previous owner and they have only managed 18,000 miles. is this about right or would I be better off fitting a more expensive tyre and if so what tyres would you recommend, other makes of cars I have owned in the past would have bettered 35,000 miles with similar use, any suggestions ( apart from parting with the Xantia ) would be appreciated, many thanks Bill

[GiveMeABreak]

Anything over 7,000 I consider good on the C5 X7 (fronts) so I would kill for 18,000, yet alone 35,000!
Having therefore gone through so many sets of tyres over the years on my Xantia, XMs and the C5s, I have concluded that premium tyres are no better for longer life than upper budget / Mid range tyres. Indeed some Falken, Nexen, Kumho used to be the available budget tyres that are now being sold at upper Mid to lower premium prices!
I've had the lot - Michelin, Pirelli, Bridgestone, Falken Nexen, Kumho, Nankang, Goodyear, Firestone, Hankook, Uniroyal - you get the picture - and many different patterns within these brands. My conclusion is quite simply that the premium brands don't outlast cheaper brands by any means.

Look at the labelling for noise, wet grip and fuel efficiency - read user reviews on places like Oponeo and tyre review sites like this: http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/ as each tyre can have different handling and characteristics depending on the car / wheel sizes they are fitted to. They will give you real world user feedback too.

For the price of some premium tyres you can get 2-3 of another brand and they'll probably last a lot longer on a price / mileage basis. In truth Bill, I don't think there is a simple one size fits all answer to this - it will depend on the roads where you drive, your driving habits and the car itself. For 18,000 miles, I would just about be starting on my 4th set of fronts by now, so I certainly wouldn't mind if I got 18k out a set

Note - I always buy my tyres direct online and have them delivered to home, then arrange to have them fitted at a trusted garage that can balance them properly - I do save loads over the usual fitting depots and there are hundreds of brands to choose from that the depots can't / won't stock (as the main fitting places tend to push they tyres they have deals on).

[myglaren]

For the price of some premium tyres you can get 2-3 of another brand and they'll probably last a lot longer on a price / mileage basis. In truth Bill, I don't think there is a simple one size fits all answer to this - it will depend on the roads where you drive, your driving habits and the car itself. For 18,000 miles, I would just about be starting on my 4th set of fronts by now, so I certainly wouldn't mind if I got 18k out a set

Note - I always buy my tyres direct online and have them delivered to home, then arrange to have them fitted at a trusted garage that can balance them properly - I do save loads over the usual fitting depots and there are hundreds of brands to choose from that the depots can't / won't stock (as the main fitting places tend to push they tyres they have deals on).

I did that this time and bought Sailun tyres from Camskill.
My mechanic couldn't balance them and said to have it soon as soon as I was able.

Never got around to it

Pottered around locally for a few weeks - 16 miles a day in four trips and they felt fine.
Driving down to the Chevrons rally I realised that the car was running more smoothly and quieter than I could remember and all traces of vibration at 67~74 mph (and sometimes 'chattering' from the column) were completely gone.

Anyone's guess how long they will last - not long usually but the last set lasted 17,00 miles and were still (barely) legal.

[GiveMeABreak]

Absolutely agree Steve - makes no sense in paying treble the price for a brand name that may last no longer. Obviously tread wear is my overriding priority - as long as they are not too noisy and have good wet grip - they should all be 'e' approved anyway.

[myglaren]

Had been wanting to try Sailun tyres for a couple of years, they seem to get quite good reviews. Especially the winter tyres.

£44 each plus £13 delivery so £178.60 total - someone at Camskil must have given me a discount for buying four .
195/65-15 would have been substantially less though. - I went for the 205/65-15's

[bill hughes]

Many thanks for all your replies on the strength of which I have ordered a pair of Kumho's, I had these on my 1.9tdi but sold it before I could assess how long they would last, I hav'ent seen the Sailun's on any French website but had ordered the Kumho's anyway but thanks again