Riken UHP tyres

[Graham Butcher]

I have Riken UHP tyres fitted and they seem to be wear extremely fast and require 2 new front tyres. When I brought the car 3,500 miles ago they looked as it the reasonable tread left but now almost bald. Has anyone have any experience of these tyres at all? I have had Avon ZV7 before and 2 more fitted tomorrow morning.

 

 

Edited 27 September, 2023 by Graham Butcher

[J.R.]

Almost bald 😯 they are not even down to the treadwear indicators, their most productive life is still ahead of them, good news for whoever buys them as part worns.

 

Bad news that they are rubber bands for whoever has to drive on them or travel in the vehicle.

[EnterName]

Never heard of them, Graham.

I have to say I like the tyre size embossed in the tread though. That's a neat design.

But cheap rubber is cheap for a reason.

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Tyre/Riken/Riken-UHP.htm

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2023-Summer-Tyre-Market-Overview.htm

 

[Graham Butcher]

Update on the tyres, and thank you to those who have replied to the question. When I noticed how low the fronts were yesterday, I could not find my tread depth gauge and just went purely on what they felt like to the touch, and they looked very near the limit and felt like it as well, hence ordering 2 new ones to be fitted tomorrow. Today I still was unable to find the tread gauge, so I used my digital verniers instead and the actual tread depth measured just 2.1mm and the AA advise replacing tyres before they reach 2mm and certainly when approaching the autumn/winter and that is what I have always done in the past. Had it been spring time and heading into summer, I might have been tempted to run them a little longer towards the minimum legal limit of 1.6mm.

 

I have had Avon ZV7 before and was happy with the overall performance, I'm not a speed demon, so I'm very happy with them, they are quieter on the road and also have a good wet braking performance for the money, part of that I expect might to do with their greater tread depth of 8.3mm.

 

 

[J.R.]

They have worn very evenly which is a good thing, you are still throwing away their best miles though.

 

I've had people telling me my tyres are bald for over a year, it started well before they got anywhere close to the TWI's, it was when the 1/2 depth grooves in the tread blocks dissapeared, very evenly I was pleased to see, that people started thinking they were bald, they were not used to seeing plain blocks of tread and yet its only from that point on that a tyre gives its best performance.

[J.R.]

Is the 2422 shown in the photo the date code?

 

I think it is because its a removable tab in the mould, you can see the male impression of the counterbored fixing screws sticking out from the tyre rubber.

 

So those tyres have lasted just over a year, do you by any chance know from the MOT history how many miles the vehicle has done in that time?

 

Editted, probably less than a year unless they were shipped to the tyre place and fitted almost immediately post manufacture.

Edited 27 September, 2023 by J.R.

[Ootohere]

A company owned by Michelin and when i wrecked my Michelin All Season Alpin 6 i put on Riken snow tyres because i used to use Riken years back.

But then i used to use TIGAR Tyres as well, another brand / factory Michelin own.

 

 

Edited 27 September, 2023 by toot

[Graham Butcher]

19 minutes ago, J.R. said:

Is the 2422 shown in the photo the date code?

 

I think it is because its a removable tab in the mould, you can see the male impression of the counterbored fixing screws sticking out from the tyre rubber.

 

So those tyres have lasted just over a year, do you by any chance know from the MOT history how many miles the vehicle has done in that time?

 

Editted, probably less than a year unless they were shipped to the tyre place and fitted almost immediately post manufacture.

Yes it is the date code, 24th week of 2022, and it was mentioned in the MOT advisories for 2021, 81,968 miles (that there were nails in both rear tyres. When it was tested again in October 2022, 125,490 miles there were no advisories. When I purchased the car in June it had been MOT'd by the dealer in April 2023 @ 137,642 miles (no advisories) and now has 141.300 miles on the clock so I'm guessing they were fitted around July 2022, as the rears have 5.6mm of tread left.

[EnterName]

42 minutes ago, J.R. said:

They have worn very evenly which is a good thing, you are still throwing away their best miles though.

My Turanza 001's had about 5mm on when I replaced them due to cracking. I normally swap tyres when the tread depth reaches about 3mm.

https://www.rospa.com/rospaweb/docs/advice-services/road-safety/vehicles/tyre-tread-depth.pdf

Edited 27 September, 2023 by EnterName

[Ootohere]

Has ROSPA Commissioned anything in the last 20 years as the manufacturers have carried on developing tyres?

 

Some come with very different depths of tread new now and ECO bias and with crap friction / traction / longevity, 

Look as the tread lasts, pity their durability does not.

 

 

Edited 27 September, 2023 by toot

[Graham Butcher]

@EnterName Thank you for this information, I did know that once the 3mm mark was reached performance was degraded, but did not know by how much, I feel much happier that I am having new tyres fitted tomorrow before I have to go to Heathrow Sunday to pick up my wife and sister-in-law on their return from Madeira.

[EnterName]

7 minutes ago, toot said:

Has ROSPA Commissioned anything in the last 20 years as the manufacturers have carried on developing tyres?

 

Some come with very different depths of tread new now and ECO bias and with crap friction / traction / longevity, 

Look as the tread lasts, pity their durability does not.

 

 

Yeah I've heard this claim made by Michelin. "Strong" is a somewhat odd term to use when describing tyre performance, and allows plenty of wriggle room for interpretation.

It might be true that 1.6mm of treat will shift water out of the way as well as 6mm, but I'd like to see some independent tests evidence to support it.

[Ootohere]

They changed that i think.

All season tyres with so little tread in winter conditions would be pretty much like the best of Summer / ECO tyres as VW Group fit with a full tread. 

[Graham Butcher]

@toot What made me check the tread depth was that I have began to feel that the tyres were transmitting more road vibrations and rumblings into the cars' interior, which is something I have long noticed was something that occurs around the 2mm mark, so I suspect that is down to the lack of flex in the remaining tread to absorb the road imperfections. While I can accept that tyres have come a long way in their grip levels on dry roads, there is no substitute for tread depth to enable water to be channelled quickly and safely away to reduce chances of aquaplaning especially where surface water forms into puddles or as we often get storms that see the road become like a river.

[Ootohere]

& there is no guarantee that the big brands sell safer tyres than cheaper brands because Pirelli, Continental, Dunlop. Good year etc can produce some real crap. 

Or Horses for courses, or tyres that are maybe All Season because they are on all year, but they are certainly not All Weather or All Seasons of a UK year tyres.

[J.R.]

47 minutes ago, Graham Butcher said:

I did know that once the 3mm mark was reached performance was degraded, but did not know by how much,

Wet emergency braking performance perhaps, most of us sensible drivers make allowances for the conditions but I accept an emergency can happen at any time or in any conditions.

 

Dry grip and traction is dramatically increased once the tyre has worn 75% if it has worn evenly, a new tyre can be scrubbed out on the outer or inner edge in a few thousand miles if mistreated rendering it illegal, my tyres are now at the point of giving their maximum performance and longevity, I dont willingly make use of the extra performance but it may be solicited one day, I am happy to make the most of the longevity, over 40K miles now from tyres that were already pat worn when I got the vehicle, I will have to check the date code.

 

My newest trailer is a 2750kg tipping trailer and its still on the original tyres, they are too old to have date stamps and these crossply van tyres have not been made for decades, the date stamp on the wheels supplied to Ifor Williams is 1994 so the tyres are just under 30 years old, the outer carcasses are a little cracked but the reinforcing and inner rubber, that which is important are still fine, they dont leak air, the rims are in better condition than ones on 2 year old modern trailers.

 

I could replace the tyres but know full well that any modern ones exposed to the high UV where I live will be in worse condition than these within a couple of years and would be completely decomposed within 10 years let alone 30!

 

They dont make em like they used to.

[Graham Butcher]

Yeah, I know that tyres in that condition or at their best dry grip, hence why F1 and most racing cars perform far better on slicks once they have put heat in the tyres and that's why they keep them heated on the grid until they are ready for the off. As you're located in France, you should have better weather than we do so you will more chances of making full use of the grip, but here it literally can be raining for a few minutes and then back to sunshine again. It's those unexpected rain showers that catch most drivers out, and they suddenly discover that they are not as skilful as they first thought.

[Graham Butcher]

Tyres are fitted, and the overall impression is the car is both quieter and smoother now and what I have also noticed is the that lane assist is also far noticeable in its attempt to steer away from a white line if you cross it without signalling, as there is really no point in doing so if there is nobody behind you, which kind of suggests that there is far more grip on the road with new tyres then there is when the tyres are almost down to the legal limit for normal driving. Yet the reverse seems to be true for racing, as tyres seem to get better grip on slicks once the tyres have got some heat in them.

[Paws4Thot]

6 hours ago, Graham Butcher said:

lane assist is also far noticeable in its attempt to steer away from a white line if you cross it without signalling, as there is really no point in doing so if there is nobody behind you

Agreed, both about signalling and about "lane enforce". People who like the system clearly can not conceive of a situation where it is desirable to drive "between the lines" but to one side or other of the lane centreline,

 

On "hot slicks have more grip", well yes, but they also have different rubber compounds to road tyres.

[Ootohere]

People who like the system because they have cars with the system surely can conceive many situations and far better than those that have not got the system but comment lots about it.  When those with it drive it is odd if they do not come across all kinds of roads and road markings.  

[J.R.]

9 hours ago, Graham Butcher said:

what I have also noticed is the that lane assist is also far noticeable in its attempt to steer away from a white line if you cross it without signalling, as there is really no point in doing so if there is nobody behind you, which kind of suggests that there is far more grip on the road with new tyres then there is when the tyres are almost down to the legal limit for normal driving.

 

Do you seriously believe that your driver aid system knows the tread depth of your tyres or what their coefficient of friction is?

[Graham Butcher]

3 minutes ago, J.R. said:

 

Do you seriously believe that your driver aid system knows the tread depth of your tyres or what their coefficient of friction is?

No I don't, but maybe it is the tyres have a different compound to racing tyres and may also be down to tyre temperature etc.

[Graham Butcher]

I just did more research into the tyres that were fitted to my car and I discovered that all 4 tyres had to be replaced in 2022 in order to pass the MOT as they were all below the legal limit of 1.6mm and as all tyres were of the same make and type, I assume that they were all fitted as new and yet the fronts were all worn out after 16,000 miles while the rears still have 6mm of tread? Tracking is all OK so I guess the last owner had a very heavy right foot?

 

Completed29 Sep 2022

Test Number5537 1616 5225

Odometer Value124491 mi

Repair immediately (major defects)

• Offside Rear Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))
• Offside Front Brake pad(s) less than 1.5 mm thick (1.1.13 (a) (ii))
• Nearside Front Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))
• Nearside Rear Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))
• Offside Rear Brake pad(s) less than 1.5 mm thick (1.1.13 (a) (ii))
• Offside Front Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))

Repair immediately (major defects)

• Offside Front Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak (5.3.2 (b))

Edited 10 October, 2023 by Graham Butcher

[SurreyJohn]

Says a lot about the owner of the car at the time, if the put it in for a test with 4 almost bald tyres.

 

To fail on a tyre is unfortunate, to fail on every tyre is just showing lack of care.