pslewis

I know its been done to death on here probably, but please bear with me - I don't visit here much! (you are lucky aren't you! )

I need some tyres soon - MOT in April and I start to do my homework early

I have found some TOYO PROXES T1S x4 ... 205/50 R16 W for £279 delivered from Camskil ......... seems like a good price, what would it cost to pop them on with balance and valve? Anyone used Camskill? Good Bad? Also, I like long lasting tyres (I get 2 years out of my Michellins, about 20,000miles) - are the TOYOS too soft for good wear?

Also, I have seen KUMHO ECSTA 712s for £69 each fitted and valve and balance (£276 for 4!) which seems good ........... if these last 2 years then I am in (I'm not interested in cornering speed/track days/grip) just LIFE!

What about Falken GBR FK 451 - £348 for 4?

Advice please?

Remember ....... LIFE is the number 1 priority

Pete

pslewis

Just been surfing and it becomes apparent that you can buy NEW Alloys with tyres for about £500 all in

Thats not bad is it? Get some nice shiny new wheels for an additional £150'ish?

Is this right or am I deluding myself?

Pete

RON

they're bound to be gold though mate!! everyone else is too scared to comment!!

richiewong

I would say the Toyo's maybe a bit short lifed for what you're looking for.
Stick with the Michelins, in the past I found these tended to last for ages.
On my old gold 16's, they had Continental Sport's on which also seemed to last for ages as well.
Last 2 sets of wheels with Toyo's have cost me around the £1000 mark, if you're going down that route, 17's should come with 205/45 or the more common 215/40

http://www.mytyres.co.uk/
http://www.blackcircles.co.uk

pslewis

Right, now people are talking to me

I have 205/50 ZR 16s on at the moment - what are my other alternatives?

Cheaper alternatives would be good! Like more common sizes, for example? I won't skip on safety or quality for a 'few' £ ... but if I can use a different size and save a lot on 4 then I'm up for it!

Pete

Vegescoob

If your driving style is as you imply in other threads, stick with standard size wheels and tyres.
On my 99 Uk Turbowagon I fitted Toyo T1s (standard size) at 16k miles and now at 29k miles they are 1/3 worn.
I swap front to rear every 5k miles and although I don't thrash often and don't brake hard ,preferring an observational and anticipational driving style,I do use the Scoobs cornering ability to the full.
I do have TSL geometry though and don't travel on motorways very often.

SlowBoy

iTrader: (1)

Avons seem to last forever.

markwild

IMHO.....

Avons last forever, cos they are hard as rock - thus have little wet grip... (Though its a few years since I ran any...)
T1s are good for grip - though I've had 4 full sets and NEVER had more than 10K out of a set.
Goodyear F1s are excellent, being almost as good in the wet as the dry, but again won't wear too well

'You makes your choice' I'm afraid.....

Also, if you go for Toyos, get T1-R's not S's - the S is/has been replaced by the R, which now has a tougher outer shoulder, to slow cornering wear, and is slightly better in the wet than the S.

I'm running 215/35x18s now, but I don't think goodyear make that size tyre - maybe have to fit 225/35x18s......

For an idea on alternatives, go to www.toyo.co.uk and use their tyre size convertor - simply put in your 205/50x16 and it'll list viable tyre/wheel alternatives and their percentage difference in outer rolling diameter.....

Hope this helps - And remember that the tyre choices are my view - one tyre does NOT suit all...

Mark

Andy02

Found www.johnsonstyres.com very keen on price

Nezz10

I find that Black circle are quite expensive buy mytyres.net are very good

I would not go for the Kuhmos unless you like ice skating!!

Eagle F1's are great for grip but not for wear, how about Bridgstone S-03's I found them very hard wearing but they are a little pricey

The Zohan

Pete
Hi there
IMHO a lot of the wheel/tyre packages have budget tyres as part of the package. I would only fit premium tyres on any of my cars

pslewis

Are Avons any good these days? Was a time when everyone deserted them!

Any internet site that gives details on wear rates of differrent tyres?

Pete

Tone Loc

iTrader: (1)

Are you serious... Do you know that the only thing in contact with the road is your tyres. One area you should NOT be looking for cheaper alternatives (like kumho etc) is tyres. Stick to the well regarded tyres and away from the cheap ****e.... if you need to skimp on tyres i'd suggest you look to a 1.4l ford focus or similar for you mode of transport.

Tony.

pslewis

When I said Cheaper Alternative I actually meant cheaper size combination - not cheaper quality as I go along with your opinion (I have only ever put Michellins on the Scooby)

BUT, was wondering if I had to stick to 205/50 size see? When another combination could be cheaper?

Pete

Tone Loc

iTrader: (1)

Ah... i see. Way back when i had 16" wheels i did look into various sizes and came to the conclusion to stick to OEM. There was only a small difference in price (215/45 being more expensive) and the rolling radius was a bit out..... i'd stay with 205/50. Mytyres.co.uk has also been good for prices, £80ish for F1s, SO3s, Neros etc.

Tony.

Boost II

iTrader: (1)

Try Avon ZZ3 - cheap, hard wearing, nice handling, quite grippy. Not quite as sticky as GY Eagle F1's, Toyo's etc but not far behind considering how much better they wear. More than adequate for you sort of driving I imagine. Do a search on here, a few people have rated them. Do not confuse with Avon ZZ1 - the teflon tyre of death.

Skippy1

Yokohama parada,s without a doubt

pslewis

Yokohama? Aren't they as soft as anything? good drip but terrible life?

Pete

Skippy1

I prefer performance and grip compared to mileage

pslewis

Mileage is all important to me ...... good grief brake pads last 56,000miles in my hands, I am not hard on my cars - I treat them with respect and they reward me with long life and trouble free running (hopefully)

Those Avon ZZ3s can be had for £274 - 4 off ...... not bad, as long as they will last a minimum of 25,000miles

Pete

acf8181

iTrader: (1)

uniroyal rallye 540 or rainsports

mikeswrx02

I've got avon zz3... now i am on 25k miles still plenty of treads left!!!!
Wonder if it will last 50k!!!! I think cuz i take my care easy!!!

pslewis

Excellent ....

been offerred Pirelli P6000's for £238 for 4 .... seems good but what about life?

Pete

Keef69

Go on MYtyres, look at the tyres for your size, then click on each tyre. Most of them have a "reinfest" or something report. Shows tyre wear as well as handling, braking, wet/dry/snow performance. Not sure if Pirelli's have a report though!

madmoog

iTrader: (1)

I normally get my tyres from http://www.topgear.co.uk/ and have them fitted locally.

Hope this helps, madmoog