# tyres



## nudda (Oct 28, 2008)

I have a mercedes c class 2008 C280 (w204) - see profile pic.

The tyre sizes are 225/40/R18 (fronts) and 255/35/R18 (rears)

The tread on both tyres are plenty but all of them have developed hairline cracks on the walls and lose pressure over time (a few months) so I am thinking they need changing because I will be doing a few motorway miles.

The tyres are atleast 2 years old but the problem is I hardly drive the car (24k on a 58 plate).

I wanted to ask if someone could recommend tyres with the following qualities

* Not too expensive (looking at around £300 at most)
* Dry rot isnt that big an issue (as the car is mostly standing in the weather)
* They are softer than continentals, grip well and comfortable to ride (heard the goodyear f1's do this but dont know for sure)

I am near heathrow so being able to get them fitted as part of the buy is certainly a plus.

Thanks all!!!


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## R7KY D (Feb 16, 2010)

Not sure of the prices for your car , But I'm a convert from Continentals and until I find something better , The only rubber I will put on my car is Michelin Pilot Sport 3


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## nudda (Oct 28, 2008)

thanks for the super quick reply
I'm very disappointed from the continentals all-round. Poor grip, hard ride, and now cracking walls (although that may be common in tyres)

PS3's are what I thought of too (PS3 XL to be accurate, although not sure what XL is for) but I want to spent liess than about £550 on all tyres hence the change in heard of typre brand/model. I have haerd good things about goodyears and uniroyals but am not experienced enough to say they will be good on the car.


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## nudda (Oct 28, 2008)

also reading rave reviews of Kumho KU31's


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## Cookies (Dec 10, 2008)

Hi nudda. There should be a date stamp on the tyres indicating the age. It'll read 46 13 or something like that. That means they were manufactured in week 46 of 2013. The cracking side walls sounds like an age related issue, with the walls having degraded over time. 

I'd delinitely get these changed as soon as possible as it's a huge safety risk.

Cooks


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## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

Uniroyal rainsport 3

Nice and soft, made by continental but better imo

Also very cheap

Everyone I've recommended them to has been very surprised and happy


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

R7KY D said:


> Not sure of the prices for your car , But I'm a convert from Continentals and until I find something better , The only rubber I will put on my car is Michelin Pilot Sport 3


I have the PS'3s on my car and they are superb.


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## nudda (Oct 28, 2008)

thanks all. Still many points for PS3 ... 
first time ive heard someone say uniroyal is a good option but not discounting it.

Also, openeo seems to be a good place to buy. Any recommendations, please?


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

I have always had brilliant service for Blackcircles,they had no problem sending up to Shetland aswell.


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## nudda (Oct 28, 2008)

Cookies said:


> Hi nudda. There should be a date stamp on the tyres indicating the age. It'll read 46 13 or something like that. That means they were manufactured in week 46 of 2013. The cracking side walls sounds like an age related issue, with the walls having degraded over time.
> 
> I'd delinitely get these changed as soon as possible as it's a huge safety risk.
> 
> Cooks


thanks didnt know this. Seems like mid 2012 ...


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## Dannbodge (Sep 26, 2010)

I've had both the PS3s and Eagle F1s and they are both brilliant tyres.

The Eagle F1s are a lot softer than the PS3s which give more comfort but less turn in. The Eagle F1s are slightly cheaper too and cope with 300bhp very well.

Although this year PS4s and Eagle F1 Assym 3s are being released/sold


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

I think there is an awful lot of crap written / spoken by people (on forums / pub talk in general - not necessarily in this thread) when it comes to tyres and the way in which the majority of people drive their cars (at sensible speeds on public roads) 

The majority of branded tyres (Kumho, Uniroyal. Michelin, Dunlop, Pirelli, Continental, Vredstein, Toyo, Yokohama, Hankook, Falken etc) will be fine for the majority of people most of the time

Talk of crispness on turn in, balance at the limit etc, yes there will be differences between tyres but not so much that most people under normal driving conditions would notice a difference - most difference is felt between switching between a worn tyre and a brand new one


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## m4rkymark (Aug 17, 2014)

Loosing pressure is normal if the car isn't being driven - they aren't likely to be loosing pressure because of the hairline cracks. Hairline cracks are quit normal on tyres and if you look closely most cars will have tyres on them with cracks in them.


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## Caledoniandream (Oct 9, 2009)

That's a bit early for cracking, would definitely contact the manufacturer.
Airleaks are more common on the tyre bead and rim, many alloys corrode ( tyre soap causes a lot of this) 
If you change your tyres it maybe wise to clean your alloy up ( inside the tyre) sand smooth, primer and paint, change the valve.
I am a big fan of Nokian tyres, good grip, don't dry out very quick and good grip, reasonable price, last and environmental friendlier manufactured.

I use to be a big fan of Michelin, but if you don't do much mileage, they seem to dry out rather quickly. 
Pirelli is a nice driving tyre, but don't last ( use to do half the mileage of the Michelin)


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## nudda (Oct 28, 2008)

Caledoniandream said:


> That's a bit early for cracking, would definitely contact the manufacturer.


Even thought manufacturing date is mid 2012 and I dont have receipt for the tyres?
Continental HQ is actually not far from me.


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## Caledoniandream (Oct 9, 2009)

It's worth a try, no is what you have, yes is what you can get if you ask.
Tyres 3-4 years old should not crack already, after 8 years ok, but not 3 years.


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## Andyg_TSi (Sep 6, 2013)

nudda said:


> thanks for the super quick reply
> I'm very disappointed from the continentals all-round. Poor grip, hard ride, and now cracking walls (although that may be common in tyres)
> 
> PS3's are what I thought of too (PS3 XL to be accurate, although not sure what XL is for) but I want to spent liess than about £550 on all tyres hence the change in heard of typre brand/model. I have haerd good things about goodyears and uniroyals but am not experienced enough to say they will be good on the car.


XL stands for Extra Load - or is sometimes referred to as Reinforced.
Essentially, tyres bearing this stamp are designed for heavy cars rather than ones that carry big loads. They constructed to cope with weight, but also the higher tyre pressure these vehicles need to run at.
If you have two identical tyres one is XL rated & one is not, the maximum load carrying capacity of the wheels across an axle will be achieved at a higher psi pressure on the XL tyre and a lower psi pressure in the ordinary one.

I have PS3's all round on mine. Really good tyre, offer some rim protection and perform well all year round


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## nudda (Oct 28, 2008)

thanks all. Looks like PS3's it is.


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## nudda (Oct 28, 2008)

just took a better picture so you guys can see what I mean ...


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## Sicskate (Oct 3, 2012)

That's not pretty 

I've heard some tyre dressings can cause premature cracking. 

But it could also be to do with the weight of the car while its sat for long(-er than average) amount of times.


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## Harry_p (Mar 18, 2015)

Wow, that's pretty bad for less than four years old!

I'm assuming they've been driven on at low pressure at some point too given by how far round the sidewall they've been wearing.

For decent branded tyres I'd go for Michelin or Goodyear. Pirelli last well but don't tend to have a lot of grip. Bridge stones tend to grip and last well but can be noisy. Never got on with continentals, hard riding and noisy but without the feel or grip to make them worth it.

Mid range, khumos tend to get decent reviews, I used to rate falkens as good value until they started to rise in price making the savings not really worth it. I like how toyos grip and feel, but they wear fairly quickly. Uniroyal rainsports are decent in the dry, very good in the wet but they don't seem to last that long.

At the Budget end of the market I've been more than impressed with nexen tyres, they seem to last well and feel more like a decent mid range tyre than a budget one.


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

PS3's are good, have them on the rear of my STR (had them on the front but got a puncture and replaced both with Pirelli P7's).

I see you mentioned KU31's earlier, also very good but they were replaced by KU39's about four or five years ago.

I'm going to try Nexen N'Fera tyres next time round, they seem very reasonably priced and are getting great feedback in tests and reviews.


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## nudda (Oct 28, 2008)

Harry_p said:


> I'm assuming they've been driven on at low pressure at some point too given by how far round the sidewall they've been wearing..


not at all. I am very particular about pressure. Although I hardly use the car, I do try to keep it in check (full serviced by mercedes since new)I check the pressure at least once a month. I agree there is a lot of cracking there but also its just me in the car when it is used, no luggage etc


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## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

millns84 said:


> PS3's are good, have them on the rear of my STR (had them on the front but got a puncture and replaced both with Pirelli P7's).
> 
> I see you mentioned KU31's earlier, also very good but they were replaced by KU39's about four or five years ago.
> 
> I'm going to try Nexen N'Fera tyres next time round, they seem very reasonably priced and are getting great feedback in tests and reviews.


I don't rate either the kumho 31s or 39s. They're an ok cheap tyre, don't remember whether falken fk453s were better or not though..

It's a pain about the lack of brands in my sizes.


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## nudda (Oct 28, 2008)

RisingPower said:


> I don't rate either the kumho 31s or 39s. They're an ok cheap tyre, don't remember whether falken fk453s were better or not though..
> 
> It's a pain about the lack of brands in my sizes.


just read sme reviews and not confident about nexen for sure (check youtube) and kumho is very touch and go. Still feeling the PS3's are my best bet


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## tyreman (Jan 28, 2007)

Have a look at the Michelin website,they do another tyre called the Super Sport which is a step up from the PS3 but it may not be suitable for your usage.


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## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

nudda said:


> just read sme reviews and not confident about nexen for sure (check youtube) and kumho is very touch and go. Still feeling the PS3's are my best bet


Of course ps3s are a better bet. I have kumhos because most tyres won't fit and before that the choices are limited. Contis I don't think are worth spending a heck of a lot more atm.

But tbh I guess it depends how you drive and what conditions you drive in as to whether you'd ever notice.


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## nudda (Oct 28, 2008)

tyreman said:


> Have a look at the Michelin website,they do another tyre called the Super Sport which is a step up from the PS3 but it may not be suitable for your usage.


sounds more expensive!


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

RisingPower said:


> I don't rate either the kumho 31s or 39s. They're an ok cheap tyre, don't remember whether falken fk453s were better or not though..
> 
> It's a pain about the lack of brands in my sizes.


The FK453 seems to get very average feedback, I liked the 452's and would have thought the next generation would be much better as they were around for years!


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## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

millns84 said:


> The FK453 seems to get very average feedback, I liked the 452's and would have thought the next generation would be much better as they were around for years!


Iirc the fk453s were a little better in the wet but maybe not as good in the dry.


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## B17BLG (Jun 26, 2012)

In all honesty it down to you. Are you going to get everything out of the PS3 tyres or would your driving style allow a more mid range tyre.

Your front tyres are a common size, the cheapest 18" tyre you can buy. Your rears however are another matter. 

sometimes you can also be very surprised by a tyre that you underestimated!


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## spursfan (Aug 4, 2009)

Caledoniandream said:


> That's a bit early for cracking, would definitely contact the manufacturer.
> Airleaks are more common on the tyre bead and rim, many alloys corrode ( tyre soap causes a lot of this)
> If you change your tyres it maybe wise to clean your alloy up ( inside the tyre) sand smooth, primer and paint, change the valve.
> I am a big fan of Nokian tyres, good grip, don't dry out very quick and good grip, reasonable price, last and environmental friendlier manufactured.
> ...


yep, they are good, good grip and seem to be very good in the wet, best thing I like about them is the softer ride compared to my Michelin primacy's I had on before, even noticed by the other half , without it seems, sacrificing any handling in the corners, I chose the Nokian line..., they got a cracking review on tyre review site ..http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Nokian/Line.htm


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## Clarkey-88 (Apr 29, 2014)

andy665 said:


> I think there is an awful lot of crap written / spoken by people (on forums / pub talk in general - not necessarily in this thread) when it comes to tyres and the way in which the majority of people drive their cars (at sensible speeds on public roads)
> 
> The majority of branded tyres (Kumho, Uniroyal. Michelin, Dunlop, Pirelli, Continental, Vredstein, Toyo, Yokohama, Hankook, Falken etc) will be fine for the majority of people most of the time
> 
> Talk of crispness on turn in, balance at the limit etc, yes there will be differences between tyres but not so much that most people under normal driving conditions would notice a difference - most difference is felt between switching between a worn tyre and a brand new one


Nail on the head :thumb:


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## Clarkey-88 (Apr 29, 2014)

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

This might help you out. When I need new tyres, I always have a look at the reviews on here. Click on a certain make of tyre and it shows a bar chart covering wet grip, dry grip ect based on the reviews and feedback left by users.
They also have sections on there like 'Autocar's 2015 Summer Tyre Shoot Out' (or something like that anyway lol) Which obviously puts all the premium branded tyres head to head and they give a detailed verdict on how they perform


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## tyreman (Jan 28, 2007)

The one thing that often causes people to give bad feedback about tyres is choosing the wrong type,ie,if you want high mileage and better MPG don't choose a sports tyre and the same the other way,if you want outright grip at the expense of all else don't choose a eco/touring tyre,just because it's black and round doesn't mean it'll do the job.


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

nudda said:


> just read sme reviews and not confident about nexen for sure (check youtube) and kumho is very touch and go. Still feeling the PS3's are my best bet


The N'Fera SU1 or SU4 are the only Nexen tyres I'd try. They're newish and they're the only decent rated Nexen tyres I've seen. Older versions seem touch and go I agree but they must be doing something right to get OEM fitment for some cars.


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## robertdon777 (Nov 3, 2005)

As mentioned earlier, Uniroyal Rainsport 3.

Cheap, usually cheaper than Falkens etc.

Good brand, and fantastic tyre for the UK roads which are always damp.


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## nudda (Oct 28, 2008)

robertdon777 said:


> As mentioned earlier, Uniroyal Rainsport 3.
> 
> Cheap, usually cheaper than Falkens etc.
> 
> Good brand, and fantastic tyre for the UK roads which are always damp.


leaning towards these 
now nee to find a place where they are on for a good price


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## Cookies (Dec 10, 2008)

Have a look at oponeo. Free delivery (to UK mainland addresses). I've bought a few sets of tyres from them and they've all been perfect 

Cooks


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## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

Best price I've had is from strada automotive

They're a sponsor on here


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## B8sy86 (Jan 10, 2015)

I use Evo magazine reviews, I do fast road driving but never on the limit of my car, so I use Evo as those guys do push cars to the limit and can find the difference in tyres. They also do long term tests for mileage. After reading reviews I noticed that conti sport contact 5 was in top 3 on loads of reviews so I tried them and love them, amazing grip in dry and wet, (I have megane r26 and can get foot fully down in 1st gear without losing traction in the wet so long as I feed power in smooth, it's no super car but a lot of power to put through the front wheels). Also wear rate seems great, noise levels are one of the lowest. Appreciate that they are a bit pricey, I've used Kumho ku39, great performance and comfort but poor wear rate.


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## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

B8sy86 said:


> I use Evo magazine reviews, I do fast road driving but never on the limit of my car, so I use Evo as those guys do push cars to the limit and can find the difference in tyres. They also do long term tests for mileage. After reading reviews I noticed that conti sport contact 5 was in top 3 on loads of reviews so I tried them and love them, amazing grip in dry and wet, (I have megane r26 and can get foot fully down in 1st gear without losing traction in the wet so long as I feed power in smooth, it's no super car but a lot of power to put through the front wheels). Also wear rate seems great, noise levels are one of the lowest. Appreciate that they are a bit pricey, I've used Kumho ku39, great performance and comfort but poor wear rate.


Really, conti 5s have a better wear rate than the ku39s? I have wondered as the ku39s seem to wear a little quick, but thought conti 5s were even worse.

The 39s aren't great for performance.


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## B8sy86 (Jan 10, 2015)

RisingPower said:


> Really, conti 5s have a better wear rate than the ku39s? I have wondered as the ku39s seem to wear a little quick, but thought conti 5s were even worse.
> 
> The 39s aren't great for performance.


Conti 5s seem great on wear rate so far, I went off reviews and unless I missed something a lot of websites rate them as a top tyre, I got about 12k out of the 39s, I used them on an mg zs 180 so not sure how they do on more powerful cars but found them great for performance. People rate vredestein but I had them on a fiesta St and thought they were terrible so tyres can differ on feel depending on the car.

Quite a few first places on reviews although the wear rate isn't great from customer feedback so appreciate you might be right and I might be disappointed in that area. Time will tell, I do about 9k a year so looking for 2 years out of them.

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Continental/Sport-Contact-5.htm


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## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

B8sy86 said:


> Conti 5s seem great on wear rate so far, I went off reviews and unless I missed something a lot of websites rate them as a top tyre, I got about 12k out of the 39s, I used them on an mg zs 180 so not sure how they do on more powerful cars but found them great for performance. People rate vredestein but I had them on a fiesta St and thought they were terrible so tyres can differ on feel depending on the car.
> 
> Quite a few first places on reviews although the wear rate isn't great from customer feedback so appreciate you might be right and I might be disappointed in that area. Time will tell, I do about 9k a year so looking for 2 years out of them.
> 
> http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Continental/Sport-Contact-5.htm


39's are reasonably slippy on the 350z, not hugely easy to provoke like budgets, but easy enough. Vred sessantas on the m3 were fantastic, almost as good as ps2s.

I got about maybe a year at ~11k out of the 39s... I think at least :lol:

Could have sworn I got more out of fk453s.


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## B8sy86 (Jan 10, 2015)

RisingPower said:


> 39's are reasonably slippy on the 350z, not hugely easy to provoke like budgets, but easy enough. Vred sessantas on the m3 were fantastic, almost as good as ps2s.
> 
> I got about maybe a year at ~11k out of the 39s... I think at least
> 
> Could have sworn I got more out of fk453s.


 sounds like vred are better on rwd and 39s on fwd.


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## robertdon777 (Nov 3, 2005)

nudda said:


> leaning towards these
> now nee to find a place where they are on for a good price


Ears Motorsport are the cheapest usually for these, even cheaper than Camskill.

Get them fitted at a local place for £10 a tyre.


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## nudda (Oct 28, 2008)

robertdon777 said:


> Ears Motorsport are the cheapest usually for these, even cheaper than Camskill.
> 
> Get them fitted at a local place for £10 a tyre.


was skeptical before checking but quite surprised that the uniroyals are a great price there. Wonder why.


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## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

Try strada like I suggested too

£10 cheaper each than camskill on my size


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## nudda (Oct 28, 2008)

Kimo said:


> Try strada like I suggested too
> 
> £10 cheaper each than camskill on my size


a fair bit expensive than openeo, ears and mytyre in my size unfortunately


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## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

Really? Weird

I emailed them tbh and came back with good price lol


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

I've always found Tyre Leader to be the cheapest when I've been buying, always worth checking the others though as they do play around with their prices almost daily.


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## robertdon777 (Nov 3, 2005)

nudda said:


> was skeptical before checking but quite surprised that the uniroyals are a great price there. Wonder why.


They've always been the cheapest for Uniroyal.

I had my last set off them for a Skoda Octavia VRS, the Uniroyals were very very good compared to the Goodyears and Kumhos that went before it.

I'm about to buy a set of 4 255/50/19's off them for a Merc ML. Their price makes a set fitted under 400. Which compared to some national retailers who want over 120 each! for some cheapo brand makes them a total bargain.


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## robertdon777 (Nov 3, 2005)

Ordered my set for £332 for the 4 255/50/19's

Just need to get them fitted tomorrow now or Friday.

Having had the Uniroyals before I would 100% have them on any car in the UK. Their wet weather grip was brilliant.


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## ffrs1444 (Jun 7, 2008)

robertdon777 said:


> Ordered my set for £332 for the 4 255/50/19's
> 
> Just need to get them fitted tomorrow now or Friday.
> 
> Having had the Uniroyals before I would 100% have them on any car in the UK. Their wet weather grip was brilliant.


Where is that from buddy and was that the rain sports


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## robertdon777 (Nov 3, 2005)

ffrs1444 said:


> Where is that from buddy and was that the rain sports


Rain Sport 3's, Ears Motorsport.


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## nudda (Oct 28, 2008)

nudda said:


> just took a better picture so you guys can see what I mean ...


So, thanks for all those that enouraged me to get in touch with the manufacturerer. I got a very significant amount of tyre cost back and it didnt cost me a penny or much effort. The PS4's ended up costing me less than £50 a tyre! (offset)

thanks!!!


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