Best Tyres

[turnip]

Can anyone recommend good tyres that will last a bit longer than the 10,000 miles I am getting from the Bridgestone ER300's I have on the front? (190/65 R16 on a Sharan 1.9 Tdi 130) The passenger tyre wears quickest on the outer edge even though the tracking has been checked, and they are balanced correctly.

 

Thanks

 

Mrs Turnip

[Scorpiorefugee]

Sorry to have to say this but, if you're only getting 10k per set of tyres, you have a problem, either with your car or your driving. Different tyres are not going to make that much difference.

 

I got mine with badly scrubbed front tyres and popped some cheapo Avons on. They've done 20K and look good for another 40K.

 

Pop some new ones on and go for a steady long drive on a motorway. After 500 miles, have a look to see if there is any feathering on the edges. If all is OK, your tyres should look as if they've just been fitted. From then on, it's up to you.

 

Ron

 

PS mine has had a very hard life for 140K with many battle scars before I got it!

[redneck01246]

ive got dunlop 2020 on mine can be slightly noisey on some roads but wearing very well.

[NikpV]

are you running at the correct pressures ??

[turnip]

Correct pressure - cause I go to the tyre place and they check every few weeks. I have thought about my driving!! but always had good wear out of all my other car tyres. Can't see that I would drive differently in this one. Being naive now but any other thoughts on problems. Car seems fine and not had any problems at all.

 

Thanks

[Scorpiorefugee]

Sorry to have raised the point about the driving but it is a major factor. I know it may sound like a waste of time, but the suggestion of a motorway run will eliminate local road conditions and test the overall 'straightness' of your car. It is now Spring, why not pop off to somewher nice for a day. But put new tyres on first.

 

I'm afraid I have little faith in tracking checks unless I know who they are. My own experience is that they cause more problems than they fix.

 

Please, that is not a critisism but just my experience.

[Scorpiorefugee]

Oops! :blink: :lol: saved it twice :lol:

 

Just another thought..

 

what car did you have before, what tyres did you use and how long did they last?

[turnip]

Thanks for your help. I am really keen to eiminate the obvious as I think new front tyres every 9 months is a bit ridiculous. I will try and take a trip somewhere on my new tyres and see what is going on. I think i may try the dunlops and see how these last. Any more advice would be gratefully received. Thank you.

[turnip]

Last car was a picasso - can't remember tyres but did an awful lot more miles as did all of my fiesta's before I found out the joys of motherhood!!

[Ivor_E_Tower]

Get a full geometry check done. If you have only got 10,000 miles out of more than one set of tyres and the tracking is OK, I would suggest that something is seriously wrong somewhere - damaged strut?

[turnip]

Sorry to seem really dumb but what is a full geometry check?

[Ivor_E_Tower]

Full geometry check means that all 4 wheels are checked for correct alignment to the direction in which the car is pointing, plus caster (the angle at which the wheels sit with respect to the road) and a few other measurements are made. This may also tell you if there is excessive movement or wear in any of the suspension components ...... have you owned the car from new?

[turnip]

Ex-demo. Thanks will get on to this and try and get to the root of the problem. Wouldn't a problem cause other symptoms though?

[gregers]

does that mean you have warrenty on it?if so go back to the dealer and get them to look into the problem you are having.

[Rallim]

My Sharan is exactly the same, the tyres have feathered the edges and are well worn after 8k. I mentioned it to the local tyre place when I was getting a puncture repaired and the guy wasn't too surprised at the feathered edges and had seen it quite a bit on this type of vehicle, especially one which does mostly 'local' driving.

 

It still nags at me though, and I can keep from feeling something is not quite right, so I have had it in my mind to part with

[Dave-G]

Turnip - You might be wise to get a second opinion regarding the accuracy of your tracking, and ask that a qualified person does the check - rather than the new kid

[MrT]

Regularly turning the steering wheel whilst stationery can damage the outside edges of the front tyres, a habit than many drivers possess.

 

Although if it is only happening on the passenger side, I would suspect the geometry. I don't believe that your average change-on-the-spot tyre depot fully understands steering geometry.

[Bigjeeze]

I had a similar problem on my wife's galaxy - I changed track rod ends, Swivel joints had the geometry checked and in the end I decided to change the wishbone - and the problem has dissapeared. I don't know whether the bushes were shot or not but in any event the tyres are now wearing evenly ....and slowly!

[Scorpiorefugee]

There is probably a lot of truth in all of that.

 

Front wheel drive, power steering and a biggish vehicle will always put a lot of stress on tyres, especially if, as many do, one adopts the practice of going from lock to lock in tight spaces without moving or moving very slowly. There is also a lot of weight on the Gal's front end.

 

As I've said, I do not suffer this problem, but I do a fair bit of motorway work and always use the steering very lightly rather than use the full power of the servo system.

[turnip]

Have looked into a geometry check today. My local vw garage wants

[Scorpiorefugee]

This may sound daft but a new set of tyres from the right place will cost you half of that and you have to get them anyway. That gives you another year to find out what's wrong. It may seem a waste but you can waste a lot more paying for things that may not be necessary.

 

If you can find someone reliable to do the tracking, ask them to check it but not fix it. then take it back to the supplier.

 

Go for it and, now you know you've got a problem, give it some attention and keep us all posted.

[Rallim]

My local vw garage wants

[tim-spam]

As far as I am aware, the Bridgestone ER300 is not a particularly durable tyre, but should be no worse than the Dunlops I have just got rid of - I drive fairly hard, and got 23000 miles out of the Dunlops.

 

However, I am somewhat puzzled by the size of tyre that is fitted to your car - 190/65R16 seems an odd size. The more usual size is 215/55R16, and whatever tyres you have must be reinforced or 'extraload', so perhaps you have the wrong tyres fitted.

 

By the way, I have just replaced my Dunlops with Nokian NRHi's, which apparently should last 50% longer than the Dunlops (we shall see....). However, these are far, far quieter than the Dunlops, and have vastly more grip and traction, especially in the wet, where the Dunlops were pretty hopeless. I would say that just about the only thing going for the Dunlops is availability.

[Porkstone]

Hi,

 

I recently replaced the front tyres (215/55 ZR16 97W MXM Michlen Pilots) on my 04 TDI after 25,000 miles.

 

I am not a careful driver but a lot of that mileage was on the motorway.

 

Cheers,

 

P

[lazyb5]

Hi had the car about 3 months done about 3k on new fronts Goodyear excellence 215/65/16 tyres look new and i pulled a caravan for 500 miles of that this easter. I had a picasso before this and got about 20k from the front on them. The Gal looks like being the same!!