Economical tyres

DorsetDude

DorsetDude

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Had reason to visit the garage last week and they kindly informed me that all my tyres were very close to the legal limit, 2 at 2mm, a 3mm and a 4mm.
So Im gonna have to bite the bullet and replace the lot I think. :(

I'd like to put economical tyres on if possible. Trouble is Ive got low profile tyres of 225/40 R18 size.
I was pondering changng the wheels as well and getting 16" rims (with a correspondingly higher profile tyre) which I thought might smooth out the ride a bit and give me better chance of economy but that costing nigh on £800.
So looks like im stuck with the 18"s.

Kumho Ecstas, Falken ziex seem to be about £85 a corner. Id pay more for a Goodyear or Dunlop or something if I knew the tyres would definitely improve my mpg. Up to about £100.

Anyone got any thoughts?

Cheers
 
Personally, I'm not a believer. If you want to save fuel, drive more economically :)
 
Phil-D said:
Personally, I'm not a believer. If you want to save fuel, drive more economically :)
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Ditto

I don't believe a tyre will make that much difference to MPG and you'll certainly save more money by changing your driving style :)

I have the same size tyres on my Focus. I've used Uniroyal RainSoprt 2s and Hankook S1 Evo2s (K117) with the latter probably being the better of the two. I think I paid about £116 each for them so not too bad compared to others :)
 
Less right foot! :D

Hankooks are decent enough.
 
I recently needed a pair of tyres and got a rather large quote from the main dealer. I got a price from blackcircles, told the main dealer who managed to beat the blackcircles price by a fair margin. Still over £200 per corner but up to original specification so worth it IMO. My driving style is reasonably economical already and I'm happy with the mileage I get from the current car - I get further on a gallon than I used to in my old car in a LOT more style and comfort!
 
Nowhere very local to me but will bear them in mind.
 
I have same size tyres and have used continental contact sport 3's which were original spec. when Ford developed the car and when it came out of the factory. Now using the latest spec. sport 5's. Economy is great as is grip on all weather and the fronts (fwd) last around 20k miles. I pay around £126 a corner. Well worth it in my opinion. I don't scrimp on tyres or anything on the car to be honest.
 
Cheers all. Had a look on the asda site. Are Marshall ok? Or Firestone? Still £100 a corner though. Half pondering selling later in the year and getting a Golf TDi. Still, the tyres wont last til then so I'll still have to buy some anyway.
Also the tyres Ive "picked" have "RE" for reinforced on them, I dont think mine have this. Will it matter? Thanks.

in the £100 bracket here
 
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ATS have £30 off Michelins if you buy 2 or more at the moment, so for mine that brought a pair of eco greens down to £85 each (same price as most good mid range tyres), I have no idea if they will save money but they claim an average of 6ltrs per 600 and something miles, so for me a potential of upto 18 ltrs a month

Little tip from the fitter buy two pay then say you know what do the other two whist I am here, that way you save £60 :)

If they don't have what you need try blackcircles they are normally quite good and have deals with garages all over to have them fitted.
 
DorsetDude said:
Cheers all. Had a look on the asda site. Are Marshall ok? Or Firestone? Still £100 a corner though. Half pondering selling later in the year and getting a Golf TDi. Still, the tyres wont last til then so I'll still have to buy some anyway.
Also the tyres Ive "picked" have "RE" for reinforced on them, I dont think mine have this. Will it matter? Thanks.

in the £100 bracket here
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If your car is fwd, put the tyres with 3 and 4mm tread on the rear. No reason why they shouldn't see you through to the end of the year. Don't think I've managed to wear out my rears, the side walls usually show signs of starting to crack with age before the tread is down to the wear markers.
 
nilagin said:
If your car is fwd, put the tyres with 3 and 4mm tread on the rear. No reason why they shouldn't see you through to the end of the year. Don't think I've managed to wear out my rears, the side walls usually show signs of starting to crack with age before the tread is down to the wear markers.
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I get that with the fronts on my car, a set of Goodyear GSD3 were up to 40,000 miles and still had over 4mm tread left. I only took them off as I went down from 18" to 17" wheels (so 225/40ZR18 to 205/50ZR17 on the front). The rears (265/35ZR18 or 255/40ZR17) only manage about 18,000 miles on the same car though.
 
nilagin said:
If your car is fwd, put the tyres with 3 and 4mm tread on the rear. No reason why they shouldn't see you through to the end of the year. Don't think I've managed to wear out my rears, the side walls usually show signs of starting to crack with age before the tread is down to the wear markers.
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I think they're already on the rear. With the amount of rain around at the moment i thought might be an idea getting them all done.

Will check out that ATS deal mentioned above.
 
Red9R said:
ATS have £30 off Michelins if you buy 2 or more at the moment, so for mine that brought a pair of eco greens down to £85 each (same price as most good mid range tyres), I have no idea if they will save money but they claim an average of 6ltrs per 600 and something miles, so for me a potential of upto 18 ltrs a month
Click to expand...

For 18" wheels its £50 off for two. However for me, there the good news ends, as the cheapest michelin is £158. For one. :eek:
Darn.
 
Are Conti Ecos available in your size? Not the grippiest tyre, but they seem to give decent economy and a reasonably long life. I use Protyre because they're local to me (there's one at Poole too) and they've always been good value.
 
If you change rim size, tyre rating etc make sure you let your insurance Co know, they'll use anything to wriggle.
 
Just as a tip, lower profile tyres increase MPG ever soo slightly, this is because of the rubber being slightly more rigid due to less of it, which means less engine torque absorbed into the rubber before applying that to the road, I was told this by an auto scientist bloke who works for Mclaren!

Remember to save economy, brake less, less of the right footing, use your gears correctly before any VVT kicks in or the ignition is advanced i.e. the power curve of a vehicle usually kicks the power in at around 3500rpm :)

On a side note, on my Alfa and Jag I use continental sport 3's, I've also tried Marshalls and the grip was very very good, squishy yet durable - they were almost like winter tyres on a warm day but the wear was next to nothing.
 
try some NEUTON NT8000 tyres they are available on ebay for 79-00 each and are supposed to be very good for the money
also the older nt5000 are 5-00 cheaper each
i am going for some on my cooper s
have a read up on them and see what you think
 
Don't buy tyres for economy , it's a myth , they're tested under laboratory conditions, they'll make no difference at all in every day driving.

I've tried cheap brands and they don't last, a couple of years ago I bought some yang yip chumotos for my van, they were down to 3mm in 30,000 miles, the last set of michelins did 80,000 miles , much more economical

Same goes for replacing a car, if you want a new car fine, but paying out £250 a month to save £50 a month on fuel never makes sense to me
 
And don't forget, the tyre is the only thing that makes contact with the road. Spend money to get quality, the same goes for idiots who pay £50 for a motor cycle helmet to save money, you only have the one head......
 
Except all helmets are tested and approved before they can be used, a £50 helmet that fits is better than a £300 that doesn't but looks good
 
Phil-D said:
Personally, I'm not a believer. If you want to save fuel, drive more economically :)
Click to expand...

Economy tyres are not really about saving fuel. They are about paying less for inferior rubber with less grip and more dangerous handling.

DorsetDude said:
Had reason to visit the garage last week and they kindly informed me that all my tyres were very close to the legal limit, 2 at 2mm, a 3mm and a 4mm.
So Im gonna have to bite the bullet and replace the lot I think. :(

I'd like to put economical tyres on if possible. Trouble is Ive got low profile tyres of 225/40 R18 size.
I was pondering changng the wheels as well and getting 16" rims (with a correspondingly higher profile tyre) which I thought might smooth out the ride a bit and give me better chance of economy but that costing nigh on £800.
So looks like im stuck with the 18"s.

Kumho Ecstas, Falken ziex seem to be about £85 a corner. Id pay more for a Goodyear or Dunlop or something if I knew the tyres would definitely improve my mpg. Up to about £100.

Anyone got any thoughts?

Cheers
Click to expand...

I would change rims now if you are ever going to do it. Don't forget you can sell 18"s if they are in good conditions and get some money back... It is not a nice ride quality with thin tyres, I would never go back to it whatever the looks. If car is not new maybe there are used 16" rims available (someone "upgrading" to skinny tyres :lol:)?
 
I'm sure a similar thread has popped up before? All durability tests i've ever seen in magazines and websites Mitchelin come top more than any other brand. I've also found this to be true in my own experience. I still have the original Michelin Primacy HP rear tyres on my cmax with 35k on the clock. The fronts lasted over 20k. Thats tough town driving not motorway.

Its physics if you want grip you need a soft compound tyre which will wear easier, and if you want durability you will have to sacrifice a bit of grip.
 
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daugirdas said:
Economy tyres are not really about saving fuel. They are about paying less for inferior rubber with less grip and more dangerous handling.
Click to expand...

I think you are confusing economical tyres (Such as Michelin Efficient Grip) with budget tyres
 
andrewc said:
Motorcycle helmets have a pass/fail test, they all meet the minimum level. I bet the more expensive one offers significantly more protection than a cheap one.
Click to expand...

Have you ever taken one apart

Shell, polystyrene liner, fabric liner

They're all pretty much the same

It's not like cars, there's only so much protection you can put into a plastic helmet keeping it light enough to wear , fit is everything
 
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