Confused about wheels/tyres!

[James-Hilton]

I bought my 133 facelift brand new in August 2012 it's just ticked over 7,000 miles last week. I was driving on some country roads and pushing the car quite hard in the corners and it didn't seem to grip anywhere near as well as it used to. When I got home I checked the tyre tread and on the two front tyres it was already below the legal 1.6mm!!! :S My tyre pressure is always correct and I very rarely drive the car hard and don't track/burn out my tyres. 75% of my mileage is done in the town/city with the rest on the A96 single carriageway. I also don't speed so I can't think of why they'd wear out so quickly. The car is lowered on Weitec coilovers but it does not rub and I made sure I got the tracking done at the same time as lowering it. I tried to go to my local Renault dealer which I've now found out has closed in Aberdeen?!?!? The nearest dealer now is Elgin or Buckie which is around a 60 mile drive. I'm going to phone Renault UK on Monday to see if they'll help me out.

The tyres I have are 195/40/17 Continental. (Standard with the cup spec).

I also had these exact same tyres on my old preface lift 133 and they lasted 15,000 miles with the same style of driving.

I have looked into getting at set of KTR EVO Corse 7x15 with TOYO R888 tyres. Does anyone know the differences between the compound levels i.e. soft/soft medium/medium?

 

[James-Hilton]

Oh and forgot to say does anyone know how long the Toyo R888's last and if they are good for day to day driving as well?

 

[manofhow]

toyo r888 are not a day to day tyre, they are very expensive, very soft so dont last that long and dont want to put them near water.

 

[James-Hilton]

Also had a look at Toyo PX4 tyres. Almost half the price.

 

[Araf]

I've previously found that their wet weather grip is a lot better than the tread pattern would suggest. They're still not in the realm of normal road tyres though.

I don't believe that 888Rs are made in road legal spec any more either (so you will have to search out old stock), and they are extremely noisy on the road.

 

[Dazza1]

Hankook evo v12's are a good tyre mate. Conti's don't last that long on the front

 

[Daveyb133]

My contis lasted about 8k miles on my twingo. The hankook v12s lasted a lot longer.

You will get even less mileage out of r888s because they are a soft tyre

 

[James-Hilton]

Stupid question but I know more or less nothing about the subject, would fitting smaller alloys allow to car to sit lower without rubbing? Might as well upgrade as I was looking into it before.

 

[Araf]

No, as if you fit smaller wheels, you fit tyres with a taller sidewall, in order to preserve the gearing (and speedo reading) so your car would sit at the same height.

 

[James-Hilton]

So what are the benefits of fitting a smaller sized alloy?

 

[JE_GT]

Cheaper rubber, softer ride with the higher profile tires available

 

[James-Hilton]

Yeah I thought that might be right. Quite fancy a slightly softer ride to compensate the coilovers and the fact the roads have great big creators in them. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Araf]

Yeah I thought that might be right. Quite fancy a slightly softer ride to compensate the coilovers and the fact the roads have great big creators in them. Thanks for the advice!

If you're on coilovers, they should be height adjustable.

 

[singlespeed]

James. Is the tread wear even across the whole tyre, or mainly just insides, outsides or center.

Centres being worn would indicate too much pressure
both shoulders being worn would indicate too little pressure
Inside shoulders could be too much camber and/or tracking being out

Yokohama AD08 is a nice tyre in 195/50/15

 

[sam666]

when i got my gt i had a full set of Nankang NS2 put on cost £135 they was good tyre's for the money. and dont get toyo R888 for normal road use it will end up costing a load of £££££

 

[waitey]

when i got my gt i had a full set of Nankang NS2 put on cost £135 they was good tyre's for the money. and dont get toyo R888 for normal road use it will end up costing a load of £££££

For NS-2s on the front of mine, only good for showing the slight stretch and stretching.

Ill be trying yoko Prada spec 2s next

 

[JE_GT]

Dont bother waitey, they are the worst tyres ive ever used

 

[madmatt]

Go nowhere near Proxy PX4s - Comfort Tyres masquerading as "high performance".
Yoko Parada Spec 2s - Good Dry grip, fecking scary in the wet. 0 Progression of loss of grip.

Suggestions - Toyo R1Rs or Advan Neova AD08s. Both very comparable tyres: very stiff sidewalls, high grip in wet and dry and reasonably priced for (JUST) sub-trackday tyres.

Don't buy a Tyre ONLY because it's cheap.

 

[Forza]

How about Kumho Ecsta XS KU36, get's a lot of good reviews (no personal experience). And it's reasonably cheap, in Holland atleast . Available in 205/50 R15.

 

[James-Hilton]

Yea I know the coilovers are adjustable just I like it nice and low.

Neil they are worn more or less the same right across the tyre ...

Gonna order some new ones tomorrow and bite the bullet. I can't use the car just now because I'm terrified I get pulled over for them. Being a bus ****** this week. :lol:

I'd never go budget on tyres. I drove a Clio once on budget tyres in the wet and it was horrible. Felt like Bambie on ice.