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[Brabs]

Four new tyres for the 1.1 Passion today. 

 

[Scoobysook]

Good stuff. Which brand did you go for and what size were they?

[Brabs]

Having used Falken on my Brab' for some time and just bought a new set of them for that I went for the same brand. 195/50R15 ZE914. Am pleased with my choice. 

 

[funkydoodycool]

How are the ZE914s over time?

I have the FK452s and for the first 5000 miles they were great, but now they're terrible.  They still have 5mm of tread, but grip like they have 2, and I spin the wheels on hard acceleration in any gear!

Not impressed overall, think I'll splash out for Pirellis again next time.

[CrazyG]

My Hankook's are down to 3.5-4mm at the front, and they're now
starting to spin up if I 'plant my foot'.   BUT.....they still grip
well in any other driving....just not pull aways.

JJ...you're punching so much more thru the fronts since your remap
than standard; albeit that you have the wider rears wheels on the front
with 225's on them; so you are bound to eat thru tyres that much quicker...
obviously.
See what other options there are for 225's around....then decide...
or maybe go for more rubber....?
The standard wheel n tyre setup for a Brab front end is 17"x7" with 
205/40R17. With that setup, at 70mph as a baseline a change to
245/35R17 = 70.97mph !
Loads more meat on the road with them....but more expensive.

If you stick with 225's then you either have more grip but less
tyre life, or less grip and more tyre life depending on compound
and manufacturer. You can't have good tyre grip + tyre life with
the power that you are putting thru your front tyres.
Maybe have a word with musmart and compare tyre experiences.

[funkydoodycool]

That would all make more sense if JJ was here

I have 205/40s all round.

[Scoobysook]

205 40 17 thankfully gave lots if options. I have toyo proxes on mine in that size and they have been good, even in this cold weather. Other wheels I have are the hankook like G and vredestein sessantas which have both been good and no real flashing of traction control.

I'm going to look at yoko parada as they have good reviews and are the only 205 40 17 tyre that is not and XL- so I'm hoping for it to feel more comfy with the less stiff sidewalls

[Brabs]

How are the ZE914s over time?

I have the FK452s and for the first 5000 miles they were great, but now they're terrible.  They still have 5mm of tread, but grip like they have 2, and I spin the wheels on hard acceleration in any gear!

Not impressed overall, think I'll splash out for Pirellis again next time.

Can't comment yet as I've only had them fitted for a couple of days & less than 100 miles BUT the Michelin Pilots I had on before were good for mileage tread wise but the sidewalks had started to degrade... which I believe is a common Michelin trait. Have been pleased with the performance of the Falkens on the Brab... no complaints. Affordable too. Some of the budget tyres from China are just awful. Sure they are cheap but if you look at the stickers showing mpg, grip & noise they are woeful and a waste of money IMHO. Falken is a well respected brand I understand.
 

[basilbrush]

Falkens are a good mid range tyre. I had ZE-912 on my 1.3 Forfour and they seemed as good as the Bridgestones they replaced. It has to be said though that 195/50/15 is a quite common size. For not much more money you could go for the Dunlop Sport Blueresponse instead of ZE-914 that are praised by Autoexpress for their excellent EU tyre labelling and have a top "premium" tyre.
Looking at tyre labelling though it is a little confusing. On rolling resistance D is not used which makes an E rating look worse than it actually is. On wetgrip D & G are not used which makes E and F look a lot worse than C. Some all season tyres show wet ratings of E because they are tested at the same temperature as summer tyres and look worse than they actually are.
On my Corsa I wanted to replace two continentals on the front and 195/55/16 is an expensive and awkward size. I wanted a tyre with similar EU ratings as the Continentals on the back so after searching I went for the Barum Bravuris 2 which although made by Continental are about half the price. Absolutely excellent they are and I'm well pleased and the ratings are the same... E rolling resistance C for wet grip and 71db for noise.
Tyre purchase is all about what you want to pay and how you drive. None of us are going to have the same experience. Also the tyre ratings do not show how much mileage you'll get out of a tyre. So I would say it's difficult to actually interpret anybody else's views and apply them to yourself we're all different.

[Brabs]

Indeedy, it is complex. To add to the mix, some like myself like to patronise a 'local' tyre fitter rather than a national chain one and so may have a different selection of tyres and different 'deals' available to them. At the time the Falkens I bought for me represented a good deal for a well known brand. Next month who knows what may be 'on offer'/available?

 

[basilbrush]

Indeedy, it is complex. To add to the mix, some like myself like to patronise a 'local' tyre fitter rather than a national chain one and so may have a different selection of tyres and different 'deals' available to them. At the time the Falkens I bought for me represented a good deal for a well known brand. Next month who knows what may be 'on offer'/available?

 

I did consider a pair of ZE-914, but on reflection I thought I'd be better off buying them if I needed four. I was parked up next to a Fiesta with a full set on and the owner had slicked them up a treat. They really are a nice looking tyre when you can see the detail clearly. Falkens seem to be one of the few manufacturers that advocate tyre rotation. As you might know they have wear indicators on the edge to let you know when to change. I would take that up and get the full use out of your set.
My rear Continentals are hardly wearing and I didn't want to bring them to the front. That's the trouble these days as most people heed the advice not to rotate most cars a few years old have different tyres front to back.

[CrazyG]

I agree re the ratings thing.....it is confusing.

I took the other approach in that if it had say a B rating for
rolling resistance; which you would interpret as good for mileage;
then conversely I would think that the grip level is low to acheive that !
So I would contiously look to an E, F or G rated tyre for more grip.

However, the wet 'grip' rating is easy to understand....A is tops. Simple

And TBH, there is no way they can rate 'wear'.  It is all relative to the
weight of the car, the journeys you make, and the style in which you drive.

[funkydoodycool]

I definitely need to rotate mine - after my third Brab MOT with nothing wrong but a spoken advisory about the inside edges of the front tyres, I guess it's time

Michelin Pilots are good - at least on the Audi A1.  They are comfy, grippy, and have done almost 17,000 miles with 5mm tread left!  That's the wife driving though, on the Brab they'd still do 10k at least on the front.  I considered them, especially as I believe they were the factory tyre for the Brab, but the thing had Pirellis on when I got it, and they were an awesome fit.

And TBH, there is no way they can rate 'wear'.  It is all relative to the
weight of the car, the journeys you make, and the style in which you drive.

Yeah but a high-rated tyre on MY car with ME driving, would last better than a low rated tyre in the same circumstance.  I assume the rating is considered according to the softness of the compound?

[mozilla]

inside wear = get the wheels alligned

[funkydoodycool]

Been done twice, last two February's. Has made the handling lovely but hasn't changed this. Has improved big time, but they insist the wheels are straight.