Does anyone on here do silly mileage?

I do about 30K miles a year and with the 14†standard wheels get 20K from my front tires and easily double from the rear.

I am considering upgrading the brakes, however, it seems that tire choice is a bit limited for the 205/45 R16

I was initially thinking of going to 288mm brakes and 15†wheels as this left me with similar tire choices as I currently have on the 14†but I am now considering the 312mm brakes which would mean that I would have to go to 16†wheels.

Looking at tires to suit there doesn’t seem to be many options and from what I can tell most of those are not going to last and are about double the cost too.

I don’t mind paying more for the tires but if they don’t last then it’s going to make a big difference to the running cost of the car.

I have not looked at 17†as I would prefer to keep the car looking as standard as possible but if it gives a better choice of tire then I wouldn’t rule it out

With the miles I do its fair to say that I don’t drive around like a nutter but I do like a “spirited†drive when the conditions permit.

Can anyone give me an idea as to what tire life they get from a set of 205/45 R16 or any other suggestions if a different sise would suit better

thanks

I had Kuhmo tyres, forget what model, last just 10,000 miles on the front. About 5,000 miles of that was motorway driving and the rest A & B roads.

Had some brand new Toyo Proxes put on last week, I've heard very good things about them.

Not on a Fabia, but on my old Golf i ran Toyo, driven sensibly, i got 15k out of the fronts.

I'd say that was pretty good for a soft(ish) performance tyre.

However pressures are important factor also.

Not on a Fabia, but on my old Golf i ran Toyo, driven sensibly, i got 15k out of the fronts.

I'd say that was pretty good for a soft(ish) performance tyre.

However pressures are important factor also.

pressure is critical for any tire but often overlooked. I keep on considering a monitoring system but for £200 I think I would rather just check them each time I fill up

good to hear about life on the Toyo's they were one I was looking at and are a good price but most of what I was reading was more like <10K on them

anyone used Michelin Pilot sport 3? they are the most expensive that I have found but I have found that on my current 14" wheels the Michelins gave the best combination of wet and dry grip and tyre life. I am always reluctant to believe advertising but unfortunately on this one it was true

would be interesting to see if the pilot sport is as good all round

thanks for the replies, please keep them coming

My toyo's didn't last well. Less than 10k. My pirreli's p zero last around 15k on the front. Currently on 30k at the rear with still plenty of tread. My original Michelin primacies last around 16k. Would expect Michelin sport 3 or exalto to last similar.

Don't forget that you need to change the hubs on a PD100 to Fabia vRS or Ibiza Cupra ones in order to fit the 312mm upgrade

Don't forget that you need to change the hubs on a PD100 to Fabia vRS or Ibiza Cupra ones in order to fit the 312mm upgrade

I know, looking at a set from Ben at Shark he has the complete setup including hubs for £250 in the classifieds.

I could possibly do it for less on ebay but know that with Ben the kit will be good.

it just mounts up when you add up the hubs, brakes, wheels and a complete set of rubber :'(

but I have a remap on the way and the next project will probably be swapping the turbo for a 150 so the brakes seem like a wise move

My toyo's didn't last well. Less than 10k.

thats what was worrying me - most of the reports I have read are similar :S

My pirreli's p zero last around 15k on the front. Currently on 30k at the rear with still plenty of tread. My original Michelin primacies last around 16k. Would expect Michelin sport 3 or exalto to last similar.

this is a good comparison thanks

if you can burn through the Toyos in 10K and the Pirreli and Michelin last 15K then it looks like they would be well worth the extra

My Toyos lasted 13k miles and yesterday replaced them with Rainsports. My Goodyear GSD2 and GSD3 lasted longer. GSD3 so far lasted 22k miles, although 13k have been on the rear.

I would imagine the best tyres for life would be Michelin or Continental. However they are a premium tyre with a premium price.

Bridgestone ER300 and Rainsport 2 lasted approx 20k on the front, the RS2's are slightly softer but excellent for wet and dry grip. Still got original ER300s on back with over 43k on them, measured the tread and they are still between 3 - 4mm.

Not read it all, so sorry if it's mentioned.

My old Michelan Energys never seemed to die. Had NO grip though, expensive too.

Barum bravuis lasted 34k. about 28k were on the front.

Currently have the new bravuis 2 and there a great tyre. Only Done less that 2k on them so cant comment on how they will match up to wear.

EDIT - also there madeby conti

Edited 16 March, 201115 yr by stevobeavo

I dont think ive seen a set of tires last 5k on any car ive had

Barum bravuis lasted 34k. about 28k were on the front.

Currently have the new bravuis 2 and there a great tyre. Only Done less that 2k on them so cant comment on how they will match up to wear.

EDIT - also there madeby conti

blimey....

have to ask how you would describe your driving style :p

So how do you rate them? Obviously they are not the most sticky but I would trade outright grip for predictability

Thanks folks.

Its good to hear there are more practical alternatives to the often touted soft stuff

Well I guess that’s the last excuse not to part with some cash gone

Decisions.....

Those who have tyres doing 20K+ any strengths/weaknesses?

Wet weather performance I certainly put a premium on as losing traction in the dry isn’t a great issue

but I don’t want to lose traction in the wet :no:

I dont think ive seen a set of tires last 5k on any car ive had

yeah sounds fun but at that rate it would be a new set every 10 weeks the car is a tool that gets me around in the warm and dry through winter and the commute

I keep that type of play for 2 wheels, 3-4K for a bike tyre is doing well

I drive round with Yokohama's all year round and mine are fine in the wet - just have to remember not to be a spanner!

I dont think ive seen a set of tires last 5k on any car ive had

The first set of Conti's on mine (as new) lasted about 3000 miles!!

The second set of Conti's lasted LESS!

I don't use Conti's anymore :no:

F1 GSD3's are my preference, and have lasted the longest on the front - about 11k. I'm an urban driver, with little m'way, and I am pretty hard on the rubber.

Running Rainsport 2's on front this time (£33/corner cheaper), which took a long time to bed in - a little squirmy as new.

Toyo's I dislike, too twitchy unless fully warmed up.

I think if you don't use the torque or brakes aggressively, and go easy through the corners, you can easily make any tyre last a significant amount of miles. Hence why mine don't

I think if you don't use the torque or brakes aggressively, and go easy through the corners, you can easily make any tyre last a significant amount of miles. Hence why mine don't

its a compromise. I need a tyre that lasts well but can play a bit when the conditions allow I corner fast and do work the tyres when I get a chance but at the same time most of their life will be on motorways

good info on the tyres. your experience with conti's matches mine I got under 10K both times and they were history

Rainsport 2 were one I was considering so would love to hear if anyone has had good milage. the old ones seem to have been popular.

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/

There's always there. Pretty sure it has a wear/mileage statistic somewhere.

I don’t mind paying more for the tires but if they don’t last then it’s going to make a big difference to the running cost of the car.

The cost of the tyres aren't the only thing you should be concerned with, with the fuel price at the moment higher rolling resistance and heaver rims will probably reduce your mpg. A couple of mpg loss could equate to hundreds more spent on fuel.

I don’t mind paying more for the tires but if they don’t last then it’s going to make a big difference to the running cost of the car.

IMO the best way to ensure you buy a long lasting tyre, is to buy a tyre with a high numerical tread wear rating.

These tread wear rating details can be found "in the small print" on the sidewall's of the tyres.

I always aim to buy tyres with a tread wear rating of around 280, to get a good balance between tyre life and traction.

HTH

Bill.

Edited 17 March, 201115 yr by vrs180

IMO the best way to ensure you buy a long lasting tyre, is to buy a tyre with a low numerical tread wear rating.

These tread wear rating details can be found "in the small print" on the sidewall's of the tyres.

I always aim to buy tyres with a tread wear rating of around 280, to get a good balance between tyre life and traction.

HTH

Bill.

well you learn something new every day. will have to do a bit of research on that - had no idea it was there - thanks

The cost of the tyres aren't the only thing you should be concerned with, with the fuel price at the moment higher rolling resistance and heaver rims will probably reduce your mpg. A couple of mpg loss could equate to hundreds more spent on fuel.

so true! with luck I will break even with the improvement on the remap and the loss with the wheels

its funny though you dont notice the fuel so much as it dosn't hit you all at once like a set of tyres but the costs can be just as significant

I went through 3 sets of Kuhmo Ecsta's across my time in an Ibiza PD130 and my early ownership of the Fabia.

They were cheap at the time (under £60 a corner rather than £90 for Pirellis/Toyos) and found they performed well on the road and lasted about 15k on the fronts with the rears doing double that. However the rears saw toothed badly enough for me to think a wheels bearing was shot even after full alignment on both vehicles.

I've got P Zero Nero's all round now and can't fault them.

They've covered about 12k and aren't anywhere near needing changing.

Can i say though having read the thread i'm a little confused over your motives :S

You're going to the trouble of getting your car remapped and buying big brakes but say you are prepared to sacrifice grip for longer tyre life?

It seems hugely counterproductive to go to make your car more powerful and better at stopping and then fit long life low grip tyres that will make getting the extra power down harder and stopping more difficult.

the best way to ensure you buy a long lasting tyre, is to buy a tyre with a low numerical tread wear rating.

Higher is longer wearing but the numbers aren't standardised fully across manufacturers so this is most use when comparing the same make of tyres.

For example, the Vredestein Quatrac 3 has a treadwear rating of 400, compared with the Vredestein Quatrac 2 which has a treadwear rating of 200, so the newer Quatrac 3 should last significantly longer, possibly twice as long.

Edited 17 March, 201115 yr by AnotherGareth