Tyre Recommendations

opsmajor · April 15, 2015

2nd question! My IS is currently shod with Bridgestone Turanza ER33s. I accept that 18 inch rims are not the best for a 'soft' ride but what make would chums recommend for a 'softer' and, particularly, quieter ride

Thanks
Mike

normski2 · April 15, 2015

I had Turanzas and Potenzas in my time on 220d and 250. Have to say ...I found them hopeless. They grip fine but boy were they noisy and the tram-lining was horrendous at times. I'm on 18" too by the way. Don't know that you can make the ride softer with 18's and 40. If you went down to a 17" or 16" with a fatter tyre then it may get softer. I must say...I don't find my ride 'hard' to the point of annoyance at all.

Anyway,

I now have Goodyears ...Assymetric 2's on the rear.....very pleased after some 4 months or so.

On the front I went for Goodyear Efficientgrip Performance 2......why? Well, I read a few reviews that praised their price, grip, fuel economy, quietness and lack of tram lining. Found it to be very true.

Ride is much quieter and have no tram lining whatsoever. All those regular spots on my journey to work and around town that tram-lined before have all been eradicated. Very pleased.

It's worth getting the full geometry done on the car. Not just the tracking on the front. Sometimes it can be out of kilter and it drastically affects the handling and tyre wear.

F.A. · April 15, 2015

I had Turanzas and Potenzas in my time on 220d and 250. Have to say ...I found them hopeless. They grip fine but boy were they noisy and the tram-lining was horrendous at times. I'm on 18" too by the way. Don't know that you can make the ride softer with 18's and 40. If you went down to a 17" or 16" with a fatter tyre then it may get softer. I must say...I don't find my ride 'hard' to the point of annoyance at all.

Anyway,

I now have Goodyears ...Assymetric 2's on the rear.....very pleased after some 4 months or so.

On the front I went for Goodyear Efficientgrip Performance 2......why? Well, I read a few reviews that praised their price, grip, fuel economy, quietness and lack of tram lining. Found it to be very true.

Ride is much quieter and have no tram lining whatsoever. All those regular spots on my journey to work and around town that tram-lined before have all been eradicated. Very pleased.

It's worth getting the full geometry done on the car. Not just the tracking on the front. Sometimes it can be out of kilter and it drastically affects the handling and tyre wear.

I second this. Ive had Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetical 2's for the past 36000 miles ( 2 sets with plenty of life left on the second set). Highly recommend. BUT definitely worth getting an alignment done to prevent inner tyre wear on the fronts.

April 15, 2015

Michelin premacys are very good

opsmajor · April 16, 2015

Thanks for the advice

Mike

jayt13 · April 19, 2015

I got 245/45/R17 99Y XL on my rears and 225/45/R17/91Y on my front currently on Continental however they are not great to say the least, on my rear they have last less than 20K miles there is no real sign of uneven wear.

On my front I used to have dunlops then moved over to Continentals however drive on them is very hard I find.

What tyres brand would you recommend for smooth, soft ride, good grip, performance? Are the Goodyears as advised above any good on 17s if so how much are they roughly worth?

Mouser · April 22, 2015

Personally I'm happy with my Dunlop Sportmaxx RTs, but personal experience really isn't worth much, since we can only really drive a single tyre (excluding work vehicles).

You can find a lot of options on review sites like that, and even proper tyre reviews on here.

jayt13 · May 23, 2015

I change my rear's to Good Year EffiecientGrips yesterday and have noticed a remarkable difference between contintal tyres, the rider is much more smooth and quiet, I'm enjoying the drive/ride in them.

Also tyre fitter advised recommeded these tyres as very good, by far better then Michellins which cost around £150!!!

2 x GoodYear EffGrip inc fitting cost £234 not bad cheaper and better than Continental & Michellins

opsmajor · July 20, 2015

'Morning chaps

Other things have got in the way since I asked my question so still looking at tyres.

I note that Goodyear Efficient are 'Run Flats' but Event Tyres say these should only be fitted to vehicles with Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems - my 250 doesn't have that. Does that mean I can only change to Asymmetrics?

Mike

normski2 · July 20, 2015

My Goodyear Efficientgrip Performance (225 on the front...so narrower) are not run flat. Have found them to be very good in just about every respect. Don't think they make the tyre at 245 for the rears. So i'd guess someone who has them on the rear...has a narrower tyre and possibly different diameter wheel. My wheels are 18".

johnatg · July 20, 2015

tyreshopper.co.uk lists 245/45/17 Efficient grip performance at £110.90 each (fitted) - BTW - they seem to be somehow related to National Tyres, and their fitting 'partners' are usually National - prices quioted usually same as or cheaper than National.

Usual disclaimer!

opsmajor · July 21, 2015

Thanks Normski and John

Mike

BillNick · August 10, 2015

I had Turanzas and Potenzas in my time on 220d and 250. Have to say ...I found them hopeless. They grip fine but boy were they noisy and the tram-lining was horrendous at times. I'm on 18" too by the way. Don't know that you can make the ride softer with 18's and 40. If you went down to a 17" or 16" with a fatter tyre then it may get softer. I must say...I don't find my ride 'hard' to the point of annoyance at all.

Anyway,

I now have Goodyears ...Assymetric 2's on the rear.....very pleased after some 4 months or so.

On the front I went for Goodyear Efficientgrip Performance 2......why? Well, I read a few reviews that praised their price, grip, fuel economy, quietness and lack of tram lining. Found it to be very true.

Ride is much quieter and have no tram lining whatsoever. All those regular spots on my journey to work and around town that tram-lined before have all been eradicated. Very pleased.

It's worth getting the full geometry done on the car. Not just the tracking on the front. Sometimes it can be out of kilter and it drastically affects the handling and tyre wear.

I second this. Ive had Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetical 2's for the past 36000 miles ( 2 sets with plenty of life left on the second set). Highly recommend. BUT definitely worth getting an alignment done to prevent inner tyre wear on the fronts.

Does the Mk2 suffer same inner tyre wear as the Mk1? Or is an OEM spec alignment sufficient?

normski2 · August 10, 2015

I had Turanzas and Potenzas in my time on 220d and 250. Have to say ...I found them hopeless. They grip fine but boy were they noisy and the tram-lining was horrendous at times. I'm on 18" too by the way. Don't know that you can make the ride softer with 18's and 40. If you went down to a 17" or 16" with a fatter tyre then it may get softer. I must say...I don't find my ride 'hard' to the point of annoyance at all.

Anyway,

I now have Goodyears ...Assymetric 2's on the rear.....very pleased after some 4 months or so.

On the front I went for Goodyear Efficientgrip Performance 2......why? Well, I read a few reviews that praised their price, grip, fuel economy, quietness and lack of tram lining. Found it to be very true.

Ride is much quieter and have no tram lining whatsoever. All those regular spots on my journey to work and around town that tram-lined before have all been eradicated. Very pleased.

It's worth getting the full geometry done on the car. Not just the tracking on the front. Sometimes it can be out of kilter and it drastically affects the handling and tyre wear.

I second this. Ive had Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetical 2's for the past 36000 miles ( 2 sets with plenty of life left on the second set). Highly recommend. BUT definitely worth getting an alignment done to prevent inner tyre wear on the fronts.

Does the Mk2 suffer same inner tyre wear as the Mk1? Or is an OEM spec alignment sufficient?

Well ........ it can suffer inner tyre wear if the tracking is poorly adjusted...thats a definite!!

Most better tyre centres now offer full geometry alignment. £20/25 Ok its a few quid but tyres are not cheap these days. Besides if you get a couple done you have the chance for a bit of friendly haggling.

Lexusist · August 10, 2015

I just put Nexen N'Fera SU1 on all 4 corners, brand new, 18's. Result is incredible, soft ride, great grip, no noise at all. I did some reading before the purchase, same reviews from everywhere I looked. I would highly recommend to try this tire. And only paid 380 Euro per set.

is200 Newbie · August 10, 2015

Don't shout at me ...

I understand the issue with grip but not the noise.

I had two tyres (fronts) fitted recently I asked for a mid range decent tyre and they fitted 2 x Avons ZVR. I didn't ask for anything in particular other than two new tyres I needed - they have rubber on them / quiet, and do help the car stop ok and cost £60 each, fitted. I don't consider that to be too expensive, quite cheap actually.

Whats the issue with noise? Does it not depend on what type of road you are travelling on? If you are on a road that has been patched up for example then the noise will change between the smooth and rough sections. I have never had a tyre that's been noisy to an extent where its really noticeable.

normski2 · August 10, 2015

Some tyres are just noisier by design.

The road surface certainly does make a difference, as does the tread pattern,size and rubber blend. It's a concoction of the whole lot.

It's one of those subjective things to a degree. Whatever you are happy with...stick with it. For me the noise issue was from the rear of the car. Maybe the 250 would benefit from a bit of extra sound dampening being installed. Quite a few reviewers in the mags have mentioned the cabin noise as being a bit on the noisy side.

One thing I would say though. I had Bridgestones (turanzas and potenzas) and I found them really quite noisy on pretty much all roads in the UK. I also found there was a real problem with tramlining (I know this can be made worse by the staggered set up on my car) with the car veering off line for no apparent reason. The only time I found the Bridgestone noise acceptable was on a brand new road in France 2 years back!

Personally I wouldn't recommend the Bridgestones but I would definitely approve of the Goodyears. That's not to say there aren't any other good makes out there....there certainly are...you've proved that along with others. No one is going to shout at you for having your say.

is200 Newbie · August 10, 2015

Fair enough - guess my car is noisy enough now anyway with the exhaust fitted that I don't notice any road noise at all. Drowns out the wife as well which aint a bad thing !! She's is not on the forum or reads it !!

toffee_pie · August 10, 2015

lol

jackcramerr · August 12, 2015

Is there an mot fail if there is excessive inner and outer thread wear on the fronts? I am wondering if I can get away with it till I find a good offer.

milleplod · August 12, 2015

As long as the central 75% of tread has the minimum of 1.6mm around the whole tyre, shoulder wear to the point of no tread being visible isn't a 'fail'. Its not a good thing though, obviously!

Pete