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Post by Blarno on Jan 8, 2021 12:40:22 GMT
As most of you will know, I'm a massive advocate of budget tyres and with only a couple of exceptions, have run them for the past 22 years without any issue. The old Schnitzel deserves a bit of love in its old age and after fighting on and off with what I thought was a duff steering angle sensor causing my DSC to fail, it turned out to be the tracking being massively out. This has had the knock on effect of uneven wear on the rear tyres, meaning I've had a little over 12 months out of a brand new set. After I did a basic reset of the front toe angles to get the DSC to work properly, I figured that getting a full 4 wheel alignment done was the best thing to do. It also transpired that my rear tyres are down to about 3mm, so shopped around for replacements. I was given a set of brand new (2020 manufactured) Michelin PS4 for the front of my car after a work colleague was sent 2 too many for his 140i - I fitted and balanced his tyres and he gave me the spare set, winner. I thought I'd give it a go having a full matching set for once so spunked out on a pair of rears in 255/35/18 flavour for £285 delivered (I couldn't find them any cheaper). 4 tyres for under £300 is bob on, let's see what the fuss is all about.
Hopefully, after a visit to ABP Motorsport tomorrow morning, it will drive in a straight line and not tramline as much as it does.
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Post by Martin on Jan 8, 2021 12:52:47 GMT
That has worked out really well! It's the PS4S that everyone raves about, but the PS4 get excellent reviews as well. If you don't notice a big improvement across the board, it's you not the tyres!  Chris and team will do a good job of setting it up properly for you, me and my family has used them for over 30 years. He made a few quid off us putting new bumpers on my sisters car, which after the first brand new one, my dad subsequently sourced from Transplants (whatever they're called now)! |
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Post by PG on Jan 8, 2021 13:14:29 GMT
I'll be interested to hear how 4 wheel alignment works out. Despite having the fronts tracked and balanced, our Shogun suffers from horrible front tyre wobble between 40 and 60 mph.
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Post by Blarno on Jan 8, 2021 13:16:57 GMT
I've used ABP many times in the past, back when I had the 205 and 405 and also had the Mondeo aligned there. Great bunch of guys.
Transplants are still going, but they're not a 'proper' scrapyard any more. All the parts have to be pre-ordered for them to remove for you and subsequently cost a lot more. I remember going in to get a new rear lamp after I punted the Clio off at Oulton and they wanted to charge me £45 for it.
Gone are the days that you could wander in and spend a day there pulling bits of mangled cars.
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New tyres
Jan 8, 2021 23:13:08 GMT
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Post by Andy C on Jan 8, 2021 23:13:08 GMT
The PS4’s will be great but advocate for budget tyres ?
I had what you’d call mid range on my car when I first got it , falken 452s, and they were ok at best in the dry, plenty of squirming but just about manageable. In the wet was the real eye opener though. I moved to Michelin ps3s and the difference was startling to say the least.
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New tyres
Jan 9, 2021 10:29:18 GMT
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Post by Alex on Jan 9, 2021 10:29:18 GMT
I think budget tyres can be a good option for some cars, such as my wife's Panda which has barely 60bhp and isn't ever driven on motorways or for long distances. If kept in good condition on a suitably maintained car they will be fine for most driving in most conditions. She doesn't corner hard or have the performance to even contemplate overtaking other traffic so going for cheaper tyres causes no problem.
That's not to say they won't be outperformed by most premium tyres because of course they will and there is always still the old adage that you should fit the best given they're the only thing in contact with the road. I wouldnt ever advocate budget tyres for performance cars though, especially as most people who drive such vehicles don't necessarily have the skills to match their cars power (I'll accept I'd fall into that category if you gave me a 911 GT3). If I was choosing tyres for a car like my Ioniq I'd probably go mid-range rather then budget but I don't think that not going for premium tyres would be a particular issue on such a car.
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New tyres
Jan 9, 2021 11:23:06 GMT
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Post by LandieMark on Jan 9, 2021 11:23:06 GMT
I had Toyos on the TVR and they were superb for that car - £70bper tyre! I tried them on the MX-5 and they were awful. So much so that I got rid of them when they were only half worn.
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New tyres
Jan 9, 2021 11:33:55 GMT
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Post by Andy C on Jan 9, 2021 11:33:55 GMT
I think of budgets as ditchfinders , ie brands you’ve never heard of , more than half the price of a decent tyre.
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Post by johnc on Jan 9, 2021 11:54:24 GMT
I'd only ever buy premium tyres unless I had specific experience of a mid range tyre that might just be a lower priced bargain. From my early days driving I have too much experience of cheap tyres that went so hard in the cold you would swear it was icy even when it wasn't or in the wet they gave you the feeling of being disconnected from the world. You only get one life so it's non negotiable for me.
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Post by Martin on Jan 9, 2021 12:00:17 GMT
I’ve not had to buy a huge amount of tyres thanks to years of company cars, but the second cars have always had the best available tyres fitted. Not just the cheapest premium tyre.
Cheaper ones (not ditchfinders!) may be fine, but if I or a member of my family had to take avoiding action / brake hard in poor conditions then I’d want the best possible tyres fitted.
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Post by Roadsterstu on Jan 10, 2021 17:04:41 GMT
The PS4’s will be great but advocate for budget tyres ? I had what you’d call mid range on my car when I first got it , falken 452s, and they were ok at best in the dry, plenty of squirming but just about manageable. In the wet was the real eye opener though. I moved to Michelin ps3s and the difference was startling to say the least. Aside from perhaps one or two stand out examples every now and again, I reckon budget tyres should be avoided at all costs. I haven't touched any budget cheap shit tyres since having some on a Volvo 850 resulted in every wet roundabout being an understeery mess. |
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Post by Roadsterstu on Jan 10, 2021 17:06:36 GMT
I’ve not had to buy a huge amount of tyres thanks to years of company cars, but the second cars have always had the best available tyres fitted. Not just the cheapest premium tyre. Cheaper ones (not ditchfinders!) may be fine, but if I or a member of my family had to take avoiding action / brake hard in poor conditions then I’d want the best possible tyres fitted. Didn't you used to have to put up with the cheapest available from Nobby's Tires? |
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Post by Martin on Jan 10, 2021 17:19:21 GMT
I’ve not had to buy a huge amount of tyres thanks to years of company cars, but the second cars have always had the best available tyres fitted. Not just the cheapest premium tyre. Cheaper ones (not ditchfinders!) may be fine, but if I or a member of my family had to take avoiding action / brake hard in poor conditions then I’d want the best possible tyres fitted. Didn't you used to have to put up with the cheapest available from Nobby's Tires? Wow, that’s a blast from the past and you’re right!! Well, right about using Nobbys, but that was mainly for servicing and when they did fit tyres they were a premium brand but not RFTs. |
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Post by Roadsterstu on Jan 10, 2021 18:27:02 GMT
I had a vague recollection!!
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Post by Stuntman on Jan 10, 2021 21:10:13 GMT
How much does a 4 wheel alignment cost at ABP?
I'm thinking of having one done on the M3 and am interested in what a fair price is these days.
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Post by Martin on Jan 10, 2021 21:14:57 GMT
I paid about £130 to get it done on the Boxster at our local specialist. I’m sure you could get it done cheaper, but they have an excellent reputation for all things Porsche, are only a couple of miles away and it was about half the price the OPC wanted.
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Post by Stuntman on Jan 10, 2021 21:17:29 GMT
Cheers - good to know  |
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New tyres
Jan 10, 2021 21:45:29 GMT
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Post by Andy C on Jan 10, 2021 21:45:29 GMT
Dan Jackson charges £75 I think (or £49.99 if you’re having other work done)
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Post by alf on Jan 11, 2021 10:44:28 GMT
I really hope you notice a difference Blarno compared to budgets (says the person whose ultimate employer is Bridgestone). Though it may be a couple of months before you can really tell, all summer tyres are pretty rubbish in the weather we've had for a few weeks now.
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Post by Tim on Jan 11, 2021 11:05:38 GMT
I always try to buy something reasonable, the Falkens that Andy referred to earlier were highly thought of by the Fiat Coupe experts but clearly suit that car more than his Focus.
When I bought my 2nd Stilo it had some cheapo crap on the front wheels and they were atrocious in the wet.
When I bought decent tyres I got the cheap ones put on the back and they were absolutely fine, even severe provocation on a wet roundabout couldn't make them relinquish their grip but they'd struggled to put down 80BHP in a straight line previously!
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Post by Blarno on Jan 11, 2021 12:08:56 GMT
How much does a 4 wheel alignment cost at ABP? I'm thinking of having one done on the M3 and am interested in what a fair price is these days. I paid £100 for mine. It should have been £95 but they charged me for acetylen usage to shift some stubborn bolts. It's light years better than it was now - it doesn't hunt or 'sniff' across the road surface and the back end feels like it's actually attached to the rest of the car now. Apparently the rear toe was so far out on the driver's side that the car was basically a crab.
Tyres are noisier than what was previously mounted, but that's just an excuse to turn the tunes up. Not had a proper drive on them yet, only back from work on Friday, ABP and back and to work today. I will give them a 'test' on my favourite roundabout (traffic permitting) on the way home.
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Post by Stuntman on Jan 11, 2021 21:47:26 GMT
Hope the car feels transformed Iain, once the tyres have bedded in.
Thanks to all who've posted about alignment prices. The M3 doesn't seem to exhibit any obvious alignment issues but I haven't paid for an alignment on the car in nearly 12 years of ownership, so it's almost certainly worth doing anyway.
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Post by Roadsterstu on Jan 11, 2021 21:56:46 GMT
No alignment in 12 years? That's almost negligent! I reckon you will feel a difference then.
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Post by johnc on Jan 12, 2021 9:39:09 GMT
I have had a few bad experiences with alignment and generally don't get it done unless I know I have hit something hard. I had the alignment done by the BMW dealer I won't use any more and the car felt horrible - all light and disconnected at the front end. I took it back and they checked it and told me it was fine. A friend of a friend said he would put it on his all singing and dancing digital tracking machine and he said all 4 wheels were out. He changed the tracking and it was certainly a lot better but I was never convinced it was how it used to be. I think there is a lot of potential for the clamp they put on the wheel to be just a tiny bit out and then all measurements are crap.
If you can get someone who is well trusted and takes a pride and care in what they are doing then that is more than half the battle won.
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Post by michael on Jan 14, 2021 20:28:21 GMT
Hope the car feels transformed Iain, once the tyres have bedded in. Thanks to all who've posted about alignment prices. The M3 doesn't seem to exhibit any obvious alignment issues but I haven't paid for an alignment on the car in nearly 12 years of ownership, so it's almost certainly worth doing anyway. Aren't you in the vicinity of Dan Jackson at Jackson Ford? He did my Alpina and even I could feel the difference. |
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Post by Stuntman on Jan 14, 2021 20:40:03 GMT
I'm probably about an hour away at a guess. But yes, that would probably be my first option. Might also get the GTS aligned there too, if I can't persuade the supplying dealership to do it (possibly again) for me at no charge if I ask them nicely.
Anyway I've been using the M3 for the last two weeks and it drives very well at the moment. Even the steering seems to have more feel than usual!
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Post by johnc on Jan 15, 2021 9:11:01 GMT
Are you still not convinced with the way the GTS feels Dan?
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Post by Stuntman on Feb 9, 2021 21:51:52 GMT
Nope. It moves around a bit too much when you wouldn't expect it to, and it feels a lot more numb on corner entry than I was expecting, given that I have nearly 15 years of experience in Caymans. Now that the car is officially run in (hurrah!) I want to feel confident in its behaviour when I properly give it some.
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Post by Blarno on Feb 16, 2021 12:09:41 GMT
1 month in and really happy with the Michelins. They're even really good in the ice and snow - you can get a lovely low speed progressive drift on without much effort, provided you switch the DSC off - so no need to bother with winter tyres IMO. Awesome in the wet, not that I push my car to the limits anyway. If I can make them last 12-18 months, I'll be happy as I'll be replacing the car then anyhow.
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Post by alf on Feb 23, 2021 13:28:44 GMT
Nope. It moves around a bit too much when you wouldn't expect it to, and it feels a lot more numb on corner entry than I was expecting, given that I have nearly 15 years of experience in Caymans. Now that the car is officially run in (hurrah!) I want to feel confident in its behaviour when I properly give it some. Do you want a second opinion   |
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