Hi All,

Done 17,500 miles in the monster since last April and tyres are down to 4mm front and 6mm rear with even wear across the treads.

I have 17" Dunlop SP Sport 01s fitted as supplied from new.

Most of my mileage is long motorway runs.

Is this kind of wear others are finding, seems quite good to me?

My first 4x4 so had no idea what to expect.

:yes:

It sounds pretty typical and quite good.

I would swap front to back to get the last wear out of them.

Yes, I know that conventional wisdom calls for the best tyres on the back. I do have a different opinion: With modern ESP systems, the dreaded rear wheel spin out is nowhere as likely as it used to be with rear wheel drive and no ESP. I propose that handling and thread wear is improved when all four tyres are identical - both in wear and type. I swap front to back when changing from summer to winter tyres and vice versa. Usually, the rears have 1 mm less wear than the fronts. That way, most of ther time, the thread depth is more or less equal on all four.

I replace the summer tyres when they are down to about 3 mm and the winters 4 mm.

The fronts do most of the work - driving, steering and braking - so they need the thread more than the rears.

The Monster does appear a little lighter on the rears than my previous two Haldex Gen II cars, where the rears tended to stay within a mm more than the fronts. The Octavia I 4x4 got into the low 20,000 on Dunlop SP's and the Golf TDI 4motion on Michelin Energy tyres might have got to a very high 20k figure had I not sold it.

TP

The Monster does appear a little lighter on the rears than my previous two Haldex Gen II cars, where the rears tended to stay within a mm more than the fronts. The Octavia I 4x4 got into the low 20,000 on Dunlop SP's and the Golf TDI 4motion on Michelin Energy tyres might have got to a very high 20k figure had I not sold it.

TP

Interesting. When I traded in my Octy Scout with just under 23,000 on the clock the tyres were getting pretty low, but certainly not right down to the legal limit, with not much difference in wear from front to back (also Dunlop SPs, if I remember correctly). My previous Golf 4Motion, which I think had Continentals of some kind, needed a new front pair at about 18,500. Both cars had very similar driving histories, and I doubt that my personal driving style changed much between them.

Hi Fuzzy-B

Responded to your query on the Gunk thread, and will do so again in here!

I'd done 18000 without the phaph of moving tyres around, and changed all 4 at the same time. The rears might have gone on a bit longer, but i felt that 4 being replaced together was the better option.

I've never, in any car, managed to eke "decent" mileages out of tyres, so i suspect that my driving 'style' is suspect.

Best miles ever was in a Ford Zephyr on Michelin X tyres at 55000, and they still had tread. The sidewalls had perished after 5 years.

...Yes, I know that conventional wisdom calls for the best tyres on the back. I do have a different opinion: With modern ESP systems, the dreaded rear wheel spin out is nowhere as likely as it used to be with rear wheel drive and no ESP. I propose that handling and thread wear is improved when all four tyres are identical - both in wear and type. I swap front to back when changing from summer to winter tyres and vice versa. Usually, the rears have 1 mm less wear than the fronts. That way, most of the time, the thread depth is more or less equal on all four.

I replace the summer tyres when they are down to about 3 mm and the winters 4 mm.

The fronts do most of the work - driving, steering and braking - so they need the thread more than the rears.

Thanks Agerbundsen I'm glad to hear you say that as I have never quite believed the argument that you put the best tyres on the rear. The premise seems that you drive to the limit of your tyres so if the lesser tyres are on the front then you will drive within that limit and not experience any breakaway at the rear. It just seems daft because the vast majority of people don't drive to the limit of their tyres and are more concerned about having the best tread on the front where wear is greatest. I think the argument goes out the window even more with the extra traction of a a four wheel drive and as you say with gadgets like ESP etc kicking in.

Being lazy I'll most likely change the front at 3mm thereby having the best tyres on the front and the rears may last for another 5-10k :yes:

Hi Fuzzy-B

Responded to your query on the Gunk thread, and will do so again in here!

I'd done 18000 without the phaph of moving tyres around, and changed all 4 at the same time. The rears might have gone on a bit longer, but i felt that 4 being replaced together was the better option.

I've never, in any car, managed to eke "decent" mileages out of tyres, so i suspect that my driving 'style' is suspect.

Best miles ever was in a Ford Zephyr on Michelin X tyres at 55000, and they still had tread. The sidewalls had perished after 5 years.

55,000 mile on one set - bloody hell! Thats how michelin got there reputation for high price but long life.

18,000 sounds similar to moi! Being a big meany I'll leave mine a bit longer.

What tyres did you have on orginally?

If I remember rightly TP did and article or made comment on Falken tyres. I have to say that they look like good value for the commuter. Can anyone point me to TP's article and has anyone fitted them yet?

If I remember rightly TP did and article or made comment on Falken tyres. I have to say that they look like good value for the commuter. Can anyone point me to TP's article and has anyone fitted them yet?

Hi Ray,

Think it was Nokian eNtyres which mbrock is currently running on his Monster. Not seen any reports on how he's getting on with them since he had them fitted. CT17 is also running another all season tyre; the Googyear Vector 4season, which last I heard had much improved winter driving capability over the Sport 01's, albeit with a slight increase in tyre noise.

Not sure if you have visited the wheel guide recently but I do try and keep it up to date as I come across new information or recommendations.

Regards,

TP

Being a big meany I'll leave mine a bit longer.

What tyres did you have on orginally?

I'd had mine just as far as I dare togo on them - down to the little cross-bar things - 1.6mm??

I'd the OEM Dunlops on - the Sports SP01.

Interesting to note that you can now get the Bridgestone SUV Dueler HP road tyre in the "rubber band" (rockhopper: 2011 ) 225/50 R17 size.

My link

Although if I was looking to fit a summer road sports tyre that's not original OEM then probably the Rainsport 2 might be worth considering.

My link

TP

The tyre life question brings up a little story - not entirely relevant to the Yeti, but never the less....

Some years back, there was a big scandal over Firestone tyres made in a Firestone plant in Indiana and used on Ford cars of many different types. In the end, Firestone were obliged to replace all the tyres at their expense.

My daughter had all five tyres replaced on her Mazda B2000 4WD pick-up - including the unused spare.The mini pick-up was a joint Mazda/Ford venture in Michigan.

The original tyres were still serviceable. The car had 100,000 miles on it - WITH THE ORIGINAL TYRES.