i30 Owners Club
MODIFYING OR DETAILING YOUR I30 => TYRES | WHEELS | BRAKES => Topic started by: Surferdude on June 11, 2010, 06:14:17
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Hi,
Thought it might be worthwhile to offer some suggestions as to what to look for when choosing new tyres for your car.
Before making any decisions it's important to realise that the design of every tyre requires compromise on th epart of the manufacturer.
In other words, the things which make a tyre hang on better work against it in the amount of tread life you can expect. Features which provide better steering response generally produce more road noise.
There are certain things a designer can do to maximise one of other of the above desirables without having a noticeable effect on others but in general, you need to work out what is most important to you and then consider what the downsides to that is and if you can live with them.
A good tyre sales person will do two things.
Firstly they will look at your old tyres (they are like a diary of your driving habits and your car's strengths and weaknesses (to someone who knows what to look for).
Secondly, they should ask you some questions about how happy you've been with your existing tyres, any special needs you might have, your expectations from your car for the future and so on.
If the salesperson is any good, the questioning process will be more like a conversation than and inquisition.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, if they don't ask questions, just launch into, "this is the best etc etc...". Leave and find another outlet.
And be prepared to invest some time in the process yourself. You can't do it over the phone.
If all goes well, you'll live with your choice for the next 40 - 60 thousand klms. It can be a pleasant experience or a nightmare.
Consider the following..........
Have you been happy with your existing tyres?
Expected tread life?
Dry weather handling?
Wet weather handling?
Steering reponse?
Road feel (feedback on road surfaces etc)?
Road noise?
Cost (or rather a price range you would be happy within)?
Brand reputation?
Warranty?
After Sales Service?
Road Hazard Warranty availability?
Are you a fast driver (around corners or on the highway - 2 different things)?
Any current or planned vehicle modifications?
Towbar and what are you towing?
That's probably enough for now.
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Great thread Trev (thanks...) :wink:
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A good tyre sales person will do two things.
Firstly they will look at your old tyres (they are like a diary of your driving habits and your car's strengths and weaknesses (to someone who knows what to look for).
Secondly, they should ask you some questions about how happy you've been with your existing tyres, any special needs you might have, your expectations from your car for the future and so on.
Well it must be a lot different in Australia compared to the UK. I have driven over 1.8 Million miles in about 40 years of driving and must have bought a few tyres in that time, never once have I been asked any questions at all.
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My experience of tyre buying is
Unless I have a tyre brand in mind the chap will ask
What type - cheap and cheerful or something with rubber on :lol:
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A good tyre sales person will do two things.
Firstly they will look at your old tyres (they are like a diary of your driving habits and your car's strengths and weaknesses (to someone who knows what to look for).
Secondly, they should ask you some questions about how happy you've been with your existing tyres, any special needs you might have, your expectations from your car for the future and so on.
Well it must be a lot different in Australia compared to the UK. I have driven over 1.8 Million miles in about 40 years of driving and must have bought a few tyres in that time, never once have I been asked any questions at all.
A good salesperson will soon suss out if you know what you are about and leave you to it.
I've had some experience in the UK as a visitor to stores and found questions being asked in some stores, esp that big chain (Kwik Fit?)
Also (was it?), Tyre Services (or is that the same one?). Pretty sure Goodyear owned it back in the day. God my memory is hazy this morning. I'll come back to this when the names come back to me.
Also, Maybe your driving conditions are less varied than ours here???
All in all, I still think it's important for some questions to be asked, regardless of where you are. After all, many people develop their options based on the feedback of mates, relatives, neighbours etc and often those people have different requirements, thus the tyre which suits them may be totally unsuited to someone else.
How often have you heard someone talk about an unpleasant experience with a tyre and their attitude is, "i'll never buy another Bridgestone/ Dunlop/ Goodyear/ Yokohama (insert brand name here)". More often than not the problem relates to a wrong selection of tyre for their use. Most major manufacturers have several totally different tread and carcass designs available in each of the common sizes. There's a good reason for this and choosing which one to fit should not be based soley on price or how much the dealer stands to make from that particular tyre (or he's aiming to win a trip to somewhere bases on how he performs against some arbitrary target set by the tyre wholesaler).
Having said that, it may well come down to price but unless you ask a few questions you won't know if that's all that's important for a particular customer.
The next stage in the process, after determining which tyre (or maybe a couple of options) is right for you is to chase price and that CAN be done on the phone if you want to. Although, you may find if you go with the cheapest, when you arrive on site you aren't prepared to subject your pride and joy to this particular workshop and its workers. :eek:
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couple of times i've bought tyres in the past i have been asked along the lines of 'am i happy with what i have' and did want similar or maybe softer/harder etc. they usually pick up straight away i have no clue about tyres, then ask what price range i'm looking in. and that would be it, i guess for me (and with the little hatch i had) that was really all that was needed
anyway good thread, few things there to consider i hadn't thought of. i am quite unimpressed with the kumho's so will be looking to upgrade to something better when the time is right
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the stock kumho's are HORRID... but i think the steel wheels are compounding it too feels like the rims and tyres are going to roll off the car if you corner at any speed over 2 kph
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I believe the 15" Kumhos on the base model (SX) are fairly ordinary but I found the 16" ones on the the SLX at least acceptable.. Suprised to hear you say the 17" ones on the top model SR are sub standard snowcherry :question: :question:
What is wrong with them apart from some tyre noise?
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I believe the 15" Kumhos on the base model (SX) are fairly ordinary but I found the 16" ones on the the SLX at least acceptable.. Suprised to hear you say the 17" ones on the top model SR are sub standard snowcherry :question: :question:
What is wrong with them apart from some tyre noise?
Some good points here as examples.
As I said, you can't write off a brand because of one bad experience.
If the 16" Kumhos are OK and the 15" ones aren't that's a classic example of the need to choose carefully. And if the 17' ones aren't any good - why? If they are noisy that's a negative but they may also be very good in the wet and on windy roads. So some drivers are prepared to put up with some noise as a trade off for the grip and handling ability.
BTW. My 15" tyres are Hankook, not Kumho.
I would rate them as "adequate". They are a bit noisy on the open road but it's bearable. I can feel them at their limit when I push the car in corners and the limit ie, IMO, too low. But they are predictable. Some tyres will let go more quickly at the front or the back whereas these tend to let go evnely F & R, so you don't upset your line and you can just back off a little bit and the car will tuck back in nicely.
I'd like to be able to justify the cost of some 17" rims and tyres but you must expect 17" tyres will always be more harsh to ride on than 15" or 16" and they can "tramline" a bit more on uneven road surfaces.
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Trev.. I was told Kumho and Hankook are basically the same tyre coming out of different doors of the same Korean Manufacturer....Does that fit with what you know.. :question:
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17's!! 18's and up is where its all at man! i personally wouldnt put anything less than a 18'' on an i30 it will look silly and small or have too much sidewall
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When my originals had to be replace, see posting elsewhere on site, they were replaced with the same - Hanook Optima 415's
Now the originals where made in Korea whereas the new ones are made in Hungary.
I think my replaced one are better than the originals and they are an exact replacement.
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yer that has happened here with dads work truck... the factory fitted tyres are made in japan! the replacements are exactly the same, same brand, same model just made here and he says they make the car wonder, are noisier and handle worse... and the other guys with the utes say the same thing
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When my originals had to be replace, see posting elsewhere on site, they were replaced with the same - Hanook Optima 415's
Now the originals where made in Korea whereas the new ones are made in Hungary.
I think my replaced one are better than the originals and they are an exact replacement.
They probably use a different formulation for Europe. I've got the Hungarian ones and not really found any fault with them yet.
Due to the number of puntures I had in my last car I had to get whatever was available some times so sometimes had a mix, though ended up with Firestones all round. They weren't too good for grip in the wet and were very noisy as well.
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Trev.. I was told Kumho and Hankook are basically the same tyre coming out of different doors of the same Korean Manufacturer....Does that fit with what you know.. :question:
I've mentioned this elsewher.
Pretty sure they're sister companies.
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17's!! 18's and up is where its all at man! i personally wouldnt put anything less than a 18'' on an i30 it will look silly and small or have too much sidewall
Mine's on 15s. Don't think it looks silly. 8)
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yer that has happened here with dads work truck... the factory fitted tyres are made in japan! the replacements are exactly the same, same brand, same model just made here and he says they make the car wonder, are noisier and handle worse... and the other guys with the utes say the same thing
Must have had them for a while. Goodyear closed its last Oz factory some years ago and Bridgestone's gone now too.
No tyres made in Oz at all these days.
On the other side of that story we had Asian made Goodyears coming in through the back door some while ago purporting to be the same as the OE Falcon tyres made in Australia. Not only were they a different tread pattern (basically like a light truck pattern) but had a lower load rating than was allowed on the Falcon.
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i belive they have bridgestone on the new hilux's, i know they all complained about them... aussie tyres arent up to the same specs as the good japanese ones... and all the cheaper asian ones ive used are horrid... they put "corsa" on the maxima when i got the wheels (they didnt have anyother in stock at the time) and they handle terrible
personally i like the upper end falkens they seem very much up to the job...
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I believe the 15" Kumhos on the base model (SX) are fairly ordinary but I found the 16" ones on the the SLX at least acceptable.. Suprised to hear you say the 17" ones on the top model SR are sub standard snowcherry :question: :question:
What is wrong with them apart from some tyre noise?
sorry for not replying sooner, haven't visited for a few weeks.
i didn't say the tyres were sub standard, i said i was unimpressed. they are 'adequate' and i'll use them a bit more yet to justify any price of buying new ones, but i really don't like them. the tyre noise is a major factor, i think it's more than what should be standard in a car, and the highways are quite bad up here so i need something better. at times i find the grip a little lacking i guess, i'm not an expert here so i'm not sure exactly how to explain this, whether its steering or softness or grip itself. i dunno. the front tyres 'look' like they get squishy easily with that little bulge - not sure if its common on 17's. i feel the potholes and bumps in the road a lot, this is more suspension related i guess (not talking about the hardness of the tyre inflation) but coupled with the road noise, after a long trip i can get a little grumpy. i need a better ride - quieter and more comfort and maybe better grip.
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Snowcherry, some info which might help put things into perspective for you.
1/ All radials have the bulge at the bottom and it would be the same, regardless of brand, given the same tyre pressure. It's a design feature which helps give a better footprint (grip) on the road.
2/ 17" tyres will always be harsher to ride on than 16s or 15s, simply because there is less actual sidewall to absorb imperfections in the road surface. When you go to 18s, 19s or 20s, the sidewall becomes even less. I saw a Commodore in one of our stores yesterday being retrofitted from 20" rims and tyres, to 17s because the guy had just given up - preferring a better ride to go-kart handling.
3/ Within the 17" options, some brands do develop their tyres with a carcass which will ride a little bit better. However, most people buying 17s are looking for performance/ handling in preference to ride comfort.
4/ Some tread designs are noisier than others, sometimes because the manufacturer is giving the tyre a "performance" pattern, again without consideration for noise. Others are simply noisier because the manufacturer has spent less on testing. For instance, the company I used to work for ran a fleet of test vehicles (between 6 and 12) for almost every day of the year on all sorts of road conditions. If you think about the cost of the vehicles, maintenance, wages, accommodation, food and tyres (including pretty well every competitor's offering on the market), you can appreciate how big a financial commitment that was.
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Hi Snowcherry...Have you got a note to explain your absence please :lol:
The only thing I can add to what Trev says is that the i30 is better than the 2008 model Mazda 3 and Mitsubishi Lancer from my test driving experiences when buying my car (as far as tyre noise is concerned .. but even on 16" tyres it is still a bit noisy)
I wouldn't expect a huge improvement in ride or tyre noise from an upgrade of your tyres..
The i30 handles quite well for a car in its class but the ride can be a little on the harsh side..
The firm ride and tyre noise are the two main reasons I am considering going up to the next class of car.. :cool:
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1/ All radials have the bulge at the bottom and it would be the same, regardless of brand, given the same tyre pressure. It's a design feature which helps give a better footprint (grip) on the road.
i sort of knew that, it just seems more obvious on the 17's, and i have more bulge on the front than the back even though the pressure is the same. maybe because the weight is more in the front? i'm not sure it's because the car is heavier overall as i don't seem to notice it on my fathers XR6. i think he might have 16" or 17" as well.
cheers
Hi Snowcherry...Have you got a note to explain your absence please :lol:
The only thing I can add to what Trev says is that the i30 is better than the 2008 model Mazda 3 and Mitsubishi Lancer .......
:lol:
and no i don't have a note :P
....well i was on hols in brissy for a bit and it was birthday in there somewhere, so that'll have to do
i do remember reading the mazda 3 was worse, and that the ford focus was worse as well. these were both on my short list with the i30.
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1/ All radials have the bulge at the bottom and it would be the same, regardless of brand, given the same tyre pressure. It's a design feature which helps give a better footprint (grip) on the road.
i sort of knew that, it just seems more obvious on the 17's, and i have more bulge on the front than the back even though the pressure is the same. maybe because the weight is more in the front? i'm not sure it's because the car is heavier overall as i don't seem to notice it on my fathers XR6. i think he might have 16" or 17" as well.
cheers
Yep. The XR6 should be on 17". But your Hyundai has considerably more weight on the front being FWD. As long as your pressures are correct, don't worry about the bulge.
I agree with Dazz about the Mazda 3. I expect it has to do with the tyre brand as I had (I suspect) the same brand on my Subaru when I bought it and on my wife's Pulsar Q. All noisy until I changed tyres.
However, my son's Mazda 6 Sports is quiet and smooth at any speed (maybe more sound deadening). I'll know more about that in a week as he and I are off to Carnarvon Gorge for a few days.
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on the SX diesel there is 840kgs on the front axle and 490kgs on the back axle with a FULL tank of fuel... thats some pretty chronic weight distrubution... (yes i weighed it on the freshly calibrated weigh bridge at work)
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I'm currently doing a bit of research on tyre options.
Can someone please confirm for me what size 16" and 17" they have fitted from the factory.
Also, please add you Load Index and Speed Rating. It'll be something like 87W or 91V or some other number and letter but the number sequence will probably be within the 2 I listed above.
Thanks
Trev
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Hankook Optimo K415 205/55R16 91H
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Hankook Optimo K415 205/55R16 91H
Same for me.
Find them a to be somewhat noisy tyres however.
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Same for me...
Hankook Optimo K415 205/55R16 91H
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on the SX diesel there is 840kgs on the front axle and 490kgs on the back axle with a FULL tank of fuel... thats some pretty chronic weight distrubution... (yes i weighed it on the freshly calibrated weigh bridge at work)
when i first read your post i thought you had been to a race track LOL thats were i always weigh in, did you weigh the front right side while your in it?
to me the stock Kumho's are ok i had 15" for 15,000k then picked up some new SLX mags with brand new Kumho's same as the 15" . could not notice a great deal of difference just at speeds steering felt slightly better. but i'm just useing car for transport not racing it.
cheers
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to me the stock Kumho's are ok i had 15" for 15,000k then picked up some new SLX mags with brand new Kumho's same as the 15" . could not notice a great deal of difference just at speeds steering felt slightly better. but i'm just useing car for transport not racing it.
I agree that my stock kumho's are OK for the driving I do.
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did you weigh the front right side while your in it?
no i weighed it with out me in the car, i needed to go inside the blast proof shelter to read the display!
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did you weigh the front right side while your in it?
no i weighed it with out me in the car, i needed to go inside the blast proof shelter to read the display!
still handy to have accurate scales.
i know the diesel motor is heavy, but i drove a 2L petrol SX for one day around Syd & on motorways the diesel felt more planted and stable but not that much diff, still i would have expected the lighter motor to feel better but was not the case.
cheers
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The 205/55R16 seems to be the easiest one to replace with something quiet.
I've found a tyre available in Oz which has silica based tread and spiral overlay with a tread pattern which is pretty quiet. It comes on things like Ford Focus and some Mercedes models out of Europe but the Australian version has been seriously tweaked in the tread design for quiet ride as an OE tyre for Falcons.
Made in Asia now but seems to be to the same standards as the original Oz design.
Not sure if I'm allowed to mention it here but it's a Goodyear NCT5 eco.
Mods can delete all the brand names if they want to. If they disappear from this post pm me and I'll provide the details.
To balance things out, there's also a Yokohama which seems pretty good but it's directional.
And for the budget minded, a Kenda Komet with a wider than expected footprint and a quiet, smooth looking tread pattern, however I don't know how hard the compound is and this may have a bearing on noise.
Still working on the 15" alternatives.
And waiting for someone who has 17" wheels to tell me their tyre details.
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Thanks Trev.. I can't see any reason why we can't mention brands on here you are only giving your opinion and we aren't affiliated with anyone... :wink: :D
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And waiting for someone who has 17" wheels to tell me their tyre details.
this is on my tyres
Kumho KH15 225/45 R17 91V
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225/47? wtf...
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^hmmm that could have been 45 :-[
i've been doing many things and writing lots of numbers today
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^^^ Yep. 225/45R17 sounds about right.
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Hi Trev..
The Tyres on my Camry Hybrid are Dunlop SP Sport 300E 215/60 R16 (do you know much about them - are they any good) Assume E is for economy?
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^oi i'm next! back of the line you camry heathen :wink:
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^oi i'm next! back of the line you camry heathen :wink:
:-[ :-[ :lol:
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^oi i'm next! back of the line you camry heathen :wink:
snowcherry, I need to do some research on the 17" stuff.
As I may have said before, once you get into 17" and 45 or 40 series you are never going to get a genuinely smooth and quiet ride.
These sizes are designed with grip and performance in mind, not so much ride comfort or mileage.
I'll come back to you in a day or two.
Hi Trev..
The Tyres on my Camry Hybrid are Dunlop SP Sport 300E 215/60 R16 (do you know much about them - are they any good) Assume E is for economy?
The Dunlop 300e had been around for some years now - well before I left Goodyear in 2004.
Not sure where they are made now that there's no factories in Oz but if fitted as OE they'll be made in an Asian factory to our standards (more importantly, to Toyota's standards).
An excellent tyre and up till that time, the only "D" tyre I'd consider fitting to my car.
In fact, they are on my wife's Corolla.
Pretty sure they are silica tread. Also have jointless nylon band construction which means the outer belt of nylon is constructed in the way of true high performance tyres. So it's not just a rubber impregnated sheet wrapped over the belt package. It's wound on in a narrow ribbon giving more accuracy in the roundness (highly technical term, that :-[)
Anyway, they should be quiet, smooth and pretty good grip. I think they were originally developed in Oz for the upper ranges in the Camrys. And yes the "e" is for "eco" as in the Goodyear NCT5 eco which is a very similar tyre (same company :wink:)
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i have an idea snowcherry... ill swap you the stock SX 15's for your 17's... straight swap too!
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Thanks Trev I found a thread somewhere with user reviews on the 300E rated from one to five stars .. but I got the impression they were pretty good (the Camry is certainly quiet although a bit of roar on some surfaces..)
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i have an idea snowcherry... ill swap you the stock SX 15's for your 17's... straight swap too!
from memory her rims have some gutter rash,unless its been fixed. :eek:
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meh gutter rash is better than hubcaps... i cant belive they actually still make hubcaps... didnt they go out in the 1960's
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^^^^ And THERE'S a thing I dislike about my Hyundai.
Bolt on hub caps, which can't be removed without removing the wheel.
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^^^^ And THERE'S a thing I dislike about my Hyundai.
Bolt on hub caps, which can't be removed without removing the wheel.
At least they can't just fall off.. :mrgreen:
With your contacts you'd be able to get 4 nice alloys to suit your existing tyres for under A$80 each I reckon.. :idea: :wink: :D
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i have an idea snowcherry... ill swap you the stock SX 15's for your 17's... straight swap too!
from memory her rims have some gutter rash,unless its been fixed. :eek:
*cough splutter*
it still not be a fair swap! :eek:
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ok ok, ill throw in a towel (used condition), a 6 pack of woodstock, a small african stone carving of an elephant AND a hills hoist to sweeten the deal!!!
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:lol: :lol: :wink:
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With heavy rain last week, making for slippery roads, my
2.5 year old tyres with 64 000 km showed clear signs of
needing immediate replacement.
Ended up with four new 225/45/17 Pirelli P7 tyres at around
$1140 fitted, balanced and aligned.
I'm now looking forward to at least another 60 000 km with
the quieter, smoother Pirellis. :razz:
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With heavy rain last week, making for slippery roads, my
2.5 year old tyres with 64 000 km showed clear signs of
needing immediate replacement.
Ended up with four new 225/45/17 Pirelli P7 tyres at around
$1140 fitted, balanced and aligned.
I'm now looking forward to at least another 60 000 km with
the quieter, smoother Pirellis. :razz:
64,000 kilometres is a good result Russ.. I have always liked Pirellis
Will be interested to hear your feedback about how much better they actually are...
the 16" Blue Streak GT555+ that I put on my i30 at around 55,000 kms cost me well under $500 but I was fairly certain I was going to be trading her fairly quickly and they were quieter than the Kumhos.. :D
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With heavy rain last week, making for slippery roads, my
2.5 year old tyres with 64 000 km showed clear signs of
needing immediate replacement.
What is the legal minimum depth for tyre in OZ?
In UK it is 1.6mm across three quarters but the remaining quarter has to have visable tread.
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when it hits the wear indicator its time for replacement...
or you could be like me...
me - i need 2 rear tyres, some falken ze326's in 215/55 R15 please
tyre guy - ok we have some in stock i can do that for you now
*agent drives car onto hoist*
tyre guy - HOLY SH!7 MATE... ive seen more tread on racing slicks...
*starts removing tyres* WTF they are still sticky and melted, is that what all that noise a few minutes ago was...
me - LOL i like to get maximum usage from my tyres...
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when it hits the wear indicator its time for replacement...
What depth is that set at?
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stuffed if i know... looks about 1mm mabey a little more, all tyres have them just look a touch below the tread on the side wall for a ^ and there will be a raised strip that runs in the groves across the tread, if the tread reaches this point at any spot on the tyre its unroadworthy, im pretty sure...
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just look a touch below the tread on the side wall for a ^ and there will be a raised strip that runs in the groves across the tread,
On the side wall you will see writting and it will say the depth within that.
Sometimes written by the ^
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ok ok, ill throw in a towel (used condition), a 6 pack of woodstock, a small african stone carving of an elephant AND a hills hoist to sweeten the deal!!!
hmmm is it a slightly creaky rusty hills hoist with saggy wires?
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Minimum legal tread depth in most places is 1.6mm.
In the UK, that needs to be around the full circumference of the tyre for the centre three quarters of the tyre. In other words, there is no requirement for there to be any tread visible on the shoulders.
IMO this is crazy, especially in a country where there are often wet and slippery roads.
It is on corners where you are most at risk. And in corners, your tyre has distorted so that most of the car's weight is being carried on the outer half of the tread. In other words, on the part where there is no tread. So, aquaplaning or simply understeering off in a corner is a major risk. I seriously doubt whether too many forum members would continue to drive with tyres in that state but, unfortunately not all drivers are as astute as those of us who frequent these forums.
In Australia, the legal limit is 1.6mm also, but it must be across the full face of the tread which, to me, makes much more sense.
The TWI (tread wear indicators) are set to 1.6mm, so once they are exposed in line with the tread (at any point on the tyre), the tyre is illegal and should be replaced.
Interesting about the Pirellis above. Are they a directional tyre? They are certainly among the better options but be careful where they are made.
Thanks to Toyo for this graph which shows the increase in stopping distance from 80kph as your tyres wear.
(http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll46/TrevG27/TYRES/WetBrakingGraph.gif)
Effectively, 20% extra by the time your tyres are at 3.2mm and about 33% extra at the legal limit of 1.6mm. That's a lot more than the width of a pedestrian crossing.
There's a similar chart on etyresUK which shows the distances from 100kph (60mph) and the increase over what happens at 80kph is scary.
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I had this report almost ready to go when the site crashed so i held off. It seems to be reasonably stable at present so here goes. Sorry about the length. After all this, if you have a query about a particular tyre, please feel free to send me a pm and I'll do some digging and report back to you.
17” Tyres for Hyundai i30
OK. Here we go. This has proven to be a bit of a minefield and I’ve done my own research, talked to friends and colleagues in the industry and prowled various manufacturers’ websites as well as dug into a range of discussion forums.
It seems the right size tyre is 225/45R17 with at least a 91V load and speed rating. But, be aware the speed rating can be lower but the load index cannot be a lower number than that shown on your tyre placard.
As I’ve said elsewhere, low profile, high performance tyres offer a trade off. The better the tyre performs, the less likely it will be to be quiet or wear well. Obviously a whole host of variables come into play here but generally speaking, the cheaper tyres will give you reasonably good performance with some noise and shorter life. The more expensive (but not the radical treaded) tyres will give you better wear and be “relatively” quiet and you might expect them to perform better in the wet.
I haven’t gone into specifics with pricing as this can vary dependent upon the supplier but you can expect that the dearer tyres will be Bridgestone, Dunlop, Goodyear, Pirelli, Yokohama and Michelin. And include Toyo and Sumitomo in this group.
In the middle will be the Nankangs, Hankooks, and Kumhos etc.
Down in the bottom end will be Nexen, Clear, Triangle, Diamondback, Silverstone and heaven knows what else. And just to complicate things even further, many of the premium brands also own or have an interest in some of the cheaper brands. A added complication comes from the fact that pretty well any supplier of the second and third tier brands above would dispute my positioning them thus.
So, to some specifics.
Nexen has a variety of options but the N6000 comes with good reports. It is silica tread and should be relatively quiet but its featured soft rubber compound might lead to wear issues. The style of tread pattern also leans toward some uneven shoulder wear unless your alignment stays good. Uneven shoulder wear means increased noise as the tyre wears down.
Toyo Teo Plus has silica tread and is non-directional. I like this tread pattern, especially the solid centre rib and tie bars linking the shoulder blocks together which should minimise noise.
Sumitomo HTR Ziii has a high performance pedigree but I imagine it would be very expensive.
Yokohama C Drive AC01 has an asymmetric tread and silica content. I imagine it would be a very quiet tyre but can’t offer any info on tread life.
The Bridgestone Potenza RE 050A is asymmetric and appears to have a pretty good reputation. Bridgestone, like most manufacturers has a wide range of options but the most favourable comments I got were for this particular tyre.
There’s a couple of options in the Goodyear range (obviously I know more about this lot than most of the other brands).
The Goodyear Assurance has silica tread and extra strength sidewalls. Feedback from users is that the tyre is quiet and smooth with reasonable wear. However, the Goodyear Eagle NCT5 eco is worth a look, especially in its 5 rib style. It is a tyre made primarily for the Original Equipment market and widely used in Europe and Australia. It has a silica tread and spiral overlay (means it’s made to meet the very strict uniformity standards of vehicle manufacturers).
I haven’t made reference to the Hankook and Kumho offerings in this report because a number of members have already commented on them. The general consensus seems to be good wear, reasonable handling, but noisy and harsh.
I summary, for a budget tyre the Nexen seems better than most.
Mid range, stay with the OE Kumho. Or try to get a super deal on the Toyo or Yokohama.
At the premium level, try the Bridgestone or the Goodyear.
For ultra performance I don’t think you could go past the Sumitomo.
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I had this report almost ready to go when the site crashed so i held off. It seems to be reasonably stable at present so here goes. Sorry about the length. After all this, if you have a query about a particular tyre, please feel free to send me a pm and I'll do some digging and report back to you.
cheers for that - a good deal of info there and will definitely be helpful when i go to buy
appreciate it :D
i saved the info to a text file just in case to
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ok ok, ill throw in a towel (used condition), a 6 pack of woodstock, a small african stone carving of an elephant AND a hills hoist to sweeten the deal!!!
hmmm is it a slightly creaky rusty hills hoist with saggy wires?
no.. *paints over rust, oils creaks, and tightens saggy wires* hahaha
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^heh i smell something fishy (painty?) i think i'll keep my rather lovely 17" alloys thank you :P
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talking about low profile tyres, a friend of mine ( youthfull friend ) put 20" low profile ( looks like no profile :lol:) wheels & tyres on his family car. i told him it looked like one of those cartoon dogs runing along on it's toes :lol:
cheers
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Toyo Teo Plus has silica tread and is non-directional. I like this tread pattern, especially the solid centre rib and tie bars linking the shoulder blocks together which should minimise noise.
Am at around 55000km at the moment and will need new tyres in a couple of months I would say. I have the K415 Hankooks at the moment and have been impressed with them ... actually I don't think they are all that noisy! They ride reasonably well for a 17 inch tyre if at 32psi. Since upgrading the rear antiroll bar to 20mm, 32 psi all round is great and gives very predictable handling.
Have researched a lot of tyres and priced most of them. Am going to go with the Toyo Teo Plus which I can get for $2 more each than the original Hankooks. Am anticipating similar handling to the Hankooks with a quieter ride ... will report back as soon as I have some mileage on them. Was also considering the Toyo Proxes C1S which I suspect would be quiet but better handling but have decided I don't need to spend the extra for the increase in performance they would probably give.
Both the Teo Plus and the C1S have a treadwear rating of 300 so would give a similar life.
Andrew
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Look forward to your feedback Andrew.
Your use of the tread wear rating is correct as you are comparing within the Toyo range. Most people use the numbers to compare between brands and that is misleading as the numbers only relate to the range within the brand they are on.
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Just a thought for today.............
A good treaded tyre, no matter the brand, will pay you back in an instant in life threatening situations such as having to brake hard or steer the car at speed to miss objects in your path.
My motto is to look after your tyres, whether they be cheap or expensive, as they will look after you.
ps. Don't forget there is only 4 times 4 to 6 inches square between you and the road............
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Just a thought for today.............
A good treaded tyre, no matter the brand, will pay you back in an instant in life threatening situations such as having to brake hard or steer the car at speed to miss objects in your path.
My motto is to look after your tyres, whether they be cheap or expensive, as they will look after you.
ps. Don't forget there is only 4 times 4 to 6 inches square between you and the road............
Too true.The footprint is all important. It's why correct wheel alignment is critical because that will ensure as much tread as possible is in contact with the road under all conditions.
Try this. Put your two hands (with fingers together) beside one another, flat on the desk in front of you. Each tyre footprint is about the area of your two hands (at the very most).
And just four of those are all that carry all the weight of your car, apply the braking force, acceleration and direction changes.
Think about this. If your brakes fail and there's nothing in front of you, you have time to swerve or let the car slow down naturally. If a tyre fails you have instant loss of control.
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so the 2.5 degrees of camber im running on the maxima is doing it no good?
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so the 2.5 degrees of camber im running on the maxima is doing it no good?
Too true. Well, the tyres anyway.
But, like everything to do with suspension, you compromise to get the result you want. In your case I'm guessing more responsive steering.
Nothing wrong with that. You should have seen what I used to do to the front end of my Datto rally car. :wink:
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file out the holes in the strut top 5mm back and in :) gives you a little caster and camber LOL
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In the Datto, threaded casor bars, and rebuilt lower control arms. Get 4 arms, cut them in half, but a bit more than half on two of them and weld together, then box section them completely. Much stronger than camber pins which had a tendency to move or bend. Carry one spare lower control arm with the steering stop bump removed (so it could be used on either side if you needed a replacement. :cool:
Front springs slightly (Oh so slightly) lowered and stiffened. Most people raised them but this worsened the marque's serious understeer problems. My way barely altered ground clearance (and increased it at full compression, and made the car almost neutral with oversteer available on tap.
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lol you went a bit more crazy than me!!
i just filed the holes!! where as you bloody modified the arms and castor rods!!
*agent tips his hat to surferdude*
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I've seen struts put in a press and bent slightly to gain a little neg camber. :eek:
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I've seen struts put in a press and bent slightly to gain a little neg camber. :eek:
Yep. I've seen that too. Or bend the stub axle where it comes off the bottom of the strut. :eek:
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I've seen struts put in a press and bent slightly to gain a little neg camber. :eek:
Yep. I've seen that too. Or bend the stub axle where it comes off the bottom of the strut. :eek:
ive seen that also. :rolleyes:
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I've seen struts put in a press and bent slightly to gain a little neg camber. :eek:
Yep. I've seen that too. Or bend the stub axle where it comes off the bottom of the strut. :eek:
ive seen that also. :rolleyes:
Many years ago, at least one group I had some experience (note "experience" not "dealings")with had a press set up with a jig especially for this.
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I've straightend diff housings and axles with a press,but never steering components. :eek:
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I've straightend diff housings and (axles :eek: :eek:) with a press,but never steering components. :eek:
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:question:
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LOL that stuff is crazy... worst ive seen is dad straighten motorbike forks with a press...
*agent gets in a car with 2i30's straightened axles and has his eyes vibrated out of his head*
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i can straighten one to within a few thou using a dial indicator. :wink:
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im just gobsmacked that you do it! a very smart and paitent man!!
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17's!! 18's and up is where its all at man! i personally wouldnt put anything less than a 18'' on an i30 it will look silly and small or have too much sidewall
Personally, I don't go for all these huge diameter rims and low profile tyres......To me (and I'm probably showing my age here), they look like they belong back in the horse & cart days....bloody wagon wheels in other words! :-[ :lol:
To me, I reckon the 16's on my SLX are a reasonable compromise between comfort, handling and looks....
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your only showing your age when your in a pine box mate. :wink: IMHO
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2nd that statement 2i30s!!!
i guess its each to their own! i personally dont like the look of big rubber! BUT it does make the car a lot smoother! so it has its merrits!
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To me, I reckon the 16's on my SLX are a reasonable compromise between comfort, handling and looks....
I'm with you Rusty.. I liked the look and ride compromise of my SLX..
I do like the look of the SR wheels but haven't actually driven an SR to compare the ride. :cool:
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nice and firm. :wink:
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i wouldnt mind driving an SR to compare!
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its only the rims and tyres that make it firm on the road,I've read posts claiming the Sr springs and struts/shockers are the same as mine and yours,stock.
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strange... i do know there is a genuine set of lowered springs for the i30... i wonder why they didnt put them in the SR's?
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visit the UK Hyundai accessories site,the goodies they have are better than the stuff we get in oz. :mad:
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i would think everything you can get there, is avaliable here! just hyundai dont push the stuff here!
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17's!! 18's and up is where its all at man! i personally wouldnt put anything less than a 18'' on an i30 it will look silly and small or have too much sidewall
Personally, I don't go for all these huge diameter rims and low profile tyres......To me (and I'm probably showing my age here), they look like they belong back in the horse & cart days....bloody wagon wheels in other words! :-[ :lol:
To me, I reckon the 16's on my SLX are a reasonable compromise between comfort, handling and looks....
Rusty, here I'm in complete agreement with you. As an old fart I think really low profile tyres belong on the track. I find the slx profile near to my comfort limit and I do still like to push it occasionally.
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As an old fart I think really low profile tyres belong on the track.
lol you cant be that "old"
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As an old fart I think really low profile tyres belong on the track.
lol you cant be that "old"
his profile doesn't say. :wink:
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:cool:
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Nuthin' wrong with being an old fart...... :D
Oh, and a tip for young agent.....size is not important.... :wink:
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HAHAHAHA
its how you use it aye!!!
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I've got the 16" rims with Hankook tyres on it at the moment (came with the car).
The Hankooks are a bit noisy, but grip seems to be ok with them (although compared with the understeer on my old clio, anything looks ok).
I'll probably replace them with Vredestein tyres when I change, they seem to have a good mix of performance, lifespan, and price, and I've been happy with them in the past.
Interestingly my 2011 model i30 has noticeably stiffer suspension than my 2010 model one had, and this has improved the cornering (although obviously at the expense of a little comfort).
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Interesting feedback Dave.. don't try out the handling on that dodgy gravel section with that large tree near your place... :wink:
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lucky it was the bumper and not the drivers door. :idea: the i30's in other countries may get the same suspension as us Aussies get.
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would be interesting to compare the springs... any O.S members got a set of springs lying around that they want to measure up?
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Is there any recommendation for 195/65R15 tyres to replace the stock SX ones?
I'd like something with increased safety (esp in wet), reasonably quiet and good value, and was wondering whether it's worth replacing the stock tyres immediately after I pick up a new SX?
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Is there any recommendation for 195/65R15 tyres to replace the stock SX ones?
I'd like something with increased safety (esp in wet), reasonably quiet and good value, and was wondering whether it's worth replacing the stock tyres immediately after I pick up a new SX?
There's plenty of options out there.
Wear (tread life) is always a factor when you look for replacement tyres. Good tread wear means less grip and sometimes a bit of road noise. Softer tread rubber gives better grip and is generally quieter but will wear more rapidly.
Somewhere back in the tyre thread I've given some options but it's still early days yet s most of us are still on the original tyres and therefore don't have feedback on what works on the i30. (different cars will produce different results on the same tyres).
Whereabouts in Oz are you? I may be able to recommend a couple of places to go to for advice.
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Hi Trev, please see PM'ed mesage. Thanks a lot.