What's the tyre life on a California

[KernowLad]

mickyblue

I still like the sound of these tyres for the 4 motion though:
http://www.camskill.co.uk/m56b0s2186p79 ... L_TL_Vw_T5

Probably the best of all worlds, unless somebody else has other ideas?

Is that load rating high enough? They look useful!

 

[stephen]

LOL! Very true and a good point I would make an exception for run flats and the oh so easy to damage rims that BMW and Audi use these days!!

You would not believe how hard it was to find a 335d WITHOUT M Sport stuff (I really don't like it) and WITHOUT 18 or 19" spindly alloys that break at the first sign of a pothole! Managed it in the end, just ended up with 17s that IMO look nice but are a bit of a shocker to keep clean! Just done the full cleaning works and sealed them so they should be good for a little while.

Not only are they much stronger than most 18s and all 19s, they are also MUCH lighter! and they say these big wheels improve performance... :lol: My exasperation with the proliferation of massive alloys on rubber band tyres wider than the Nile still continues...

Apologies for the random rant!

My wife's mini Cooper 'Mayfair' 1.6 diesel, HAD; 17 inch 215/45/17 wheels and were like made from lead in weight, compared to the 15 inch alloy version, and tram lined everywhere, including hopping over every tiny ripple on every bend, and also had a ridiculously hard ride, these things shouldn't be allowed' absolutely diabolical' for this vehicle,
So we change them for 15x7 inch 195/60/R15 continental eco-5, tyres.The weight difference was astonishing they were at least half the weight of the 17 inch OE mini wheel, the unsprung weight of the suspension is massively important to the quality and safety of all vehicles and should be as light as feasible,

Now there's absolutely no Tram-lining, doesn't hop over bumps in the road, grips better in the wet then the Dunlop run flats and a lot lot cheaper, into the bargain, £60.00 from £195.00 for the Dunlop? all we had to do is purchase a BMW compressor with a canister of tire fluid, has the mini had no spare wheel and will never look back on those ridiculous "wagon wheels" which is all the rage, The sooner that these monstrosities are seen for what they really are, better and safer we all shall be. I would imagine they would be good on a absolutely flat racetrack, but that's about it,

it's like everything nowadays ;'form over function' ... also apologies for the rant/Vent... :grin:

 

[KernowLad]

The trouble is, it continues getting worse. I'm an avid Evo reader (even though they hate diesels!) and in each big test they do, the average wheel size is getting bigger. Big saloons now all have 20" alloys, as do super cars. Even the new Boxster is pictured with cartoonish looking 20s too!! :lol:

When will it end?!

If you look at motorsport (which all brands aspire to), they don't have vast alloys on comedy tyres! So it's simply a design fad with Jaguar, BMW and Audi being the worst but others flocking to the party too.

I did some research (because I'm sad) and worked out that a rear wheel and tyre of a 19" BMW alloy weight about 30kgs. My 17s weigh under 20. So that's almost 40kgs of rotating weight extra! And people think they are fitting massive wheels and tyres for performance gains! :lol:

Ditching run flats on ours truly transformed it - like you, we carry Tyre Weld, a 12v compressor and the number for the breakdown services. No more tram-lining, the crashiness went, they grip far better, etc, etc.

The most amusing is Range Rovers (which are excellent off road on the right wheels and tyres) on 22" alloys and comedy rubber - why?!

Anyway I'm glad I'm not the only ranter. Sadly T5s seem to be victims too - there are loads down here and I'd say 30% at least are on 18s or larger - many on 20s or larger. They look cartoonish! Why stick them on utility vehicle? For the looks - that is all!

Anyway, good to have a joint rant!

 

[MickyBlue]

mickyblue

I still like the sound of these tyres for the 4 motion though:
http://www.camskill.co.uk/m56b0s2186p79 ... L_TL_Vw_T5

Probably the best of all worlds, unless somebody else has other ideas?

Is that load rating high enough? They look useful!

103 is the load rating on the OE Dunlops isn't it??

 

[Andy]

103 is load rating on OE Dunlops & is correct for a cali.

 

[stephen]

Mickyblue

This link may explain tire load ratings, much better than me... May interest the anoraks out their. :grin:


http://www.rotationuk.com/gbu0-display/ ... tings.html

 

[jerrythegerman]

Just my 10 cents.

I got 37k out the original michelins that came on my 18" Sportline rims (dealer fitted from new).

I couldnt get any whaen it came to replace them so was left with few options. I ended up putting on the Falken ZEIX 912's. They have done 15k so far and have been great. Plenty of grip, wet or dry. Snow was not a issue (relatively speaking) and have prob 5-7k left on them. It was a harer compond they had just released and at £90 a corner, pretty good value.

I have had to press on hard the od time and done a couple of fairly swift stops when some idiot has been silly in front, all without a problem.

I dont normally use cheaper tyres (Most of my life I have been around motorsport and compete regularly so understand what cheap tyres can do..or not!!) but I'll prob have a set of these again.

Correctly load rated and for fun, I thought I'd try out the nitrogen fil to see what it did (managed to get it chucked in free!). Yes, in short, very impressed.

 

[Martin]

What sort of life are people getting out of their Dunlops on the 17" ? I nave done around 15k and they are getting quite near the minimum

 

[Andy]

My cali has done 9850 miles & fronts have 4mm left, so expect to get about 12000 miles from fronts.

 

[Martin]

Thanks Andy, looks like an expensive month for me then as will get them changed before we head off to Europe next month, i am assuming they are around £200 each?

 

[Andy]

The OEM Dunlops are quite a soft compound. If you go for something harder they should last longer, but of course not grip as well.
Local van centre recommended some brand that I've never heard of, they use on all their vans. So will talk to them nearer the time.

 

[sebking]

16k fronts 26k rears. Using bridgestone Duravis, about 140 a corner.

 

[pirat]

Michelin Agilis 215/65 R 16 - on Myato Alloy = 44 000Mi.

 

[Martin]

I am getting my fronts replaced next week, am I best off sticking with Dunlops?

 

[Stu]

Any of the major brands are good enough I think mate. If you have a Costco account they have 20% off tyres at the moment but it may end tomorrow.

Also worth checking camskill prices.

 

[Stu]

Mine are Continental I think.

http://www.camskill.co.uk/m92b0s0p0/Van ... _-_17_inch

 

[Martin]

Had a phone round today and most tyre centres recommended these, from reviews online they genuinely do last longer, my only worry is possibility of extra noise?

CONTINENTAL - VANCO

Best price I got was £155

 

[choplee]

What's boots does your Cali wear at the moment Martin ????

I have conti contact sport 3 ... Not cheap

 

[Stu]

Seems a good price, where was that??

Have you tried Micheldever Tyres?

 

[Martin]

What's boots does your Cali wear at the moment Martin ????

I have conti contact sport 3 ... Not cheap

Dunlop Sport, they come in at around £180

 

[Martin]

Seems a good price, where was that??

Have you tried Micheldever Tyres?

Local independent garage round corner from me in Southbourne, just calling Micheldever now, cheers

I hate it when there is too much choice of something :doh

 

[choplee]

What's boots does your Cali wear at the moment Martin ????

I have conti contact sport 3 ... Not cheap

Dunlop Sport, they come in at around £180

Not bad .. Just looked mine up and they are roughly £270 a corner :-(
Prob get abit cheaper if a mate gets for me ..
The vanco are a noisy(ish) tyre ,but yours maybe noisier .. There is a review site online you can compare

 

[Andy]

Got Dunlop Sport on my Cali which will need replacing in about 1500 miles. Total of around 11500 miles.

The vanco are a noisy(ish) tyre ,but yours maybe noisier

Are you meaning the dunlop maybe noisier than the vanco ? If so I doubt it as the Dunlop Sport is just that a sport tyre & the vanco will have a much harder compound & definitely noisier.

 

[barry]

I've just replaced my two fronts which are still legal but wearing - I'm about to go to Portugal for about 6 weeks so though it might be advised.
The fronts have done 28K (Goodyear Marathon Cargos on 16" alloys).
I've replaced them with the same - £106 each at KwikFit.

The two rears are the same type and size and have done the same 28K but are nowhere near needing replacing. My guess is they'll need replacing at 35K maybe more.
I'm quite pleased with all this, after all it's a 4Motion and they seem to get a bad press for tyre wear . I guess the extra wear on the fronts comes from the steering forces.

There's a lot of city driving (second car) as well as many outings to the Highlands, Western Isles, Brittany, Masif Central, South of France and I don't think the four who drive it are particularly careful.

The original Marathons appear to have had quite a chunky tread. The new ones fitted seem to have a much more 'sciencey' tread which should be better in the wet I guess.

 

[Custardtart]

I've got the original Dunlop Sport Maxx TT on at the moment. I guess they're nearly half worn at 6000 miles so tallies with Andy's figures at 11500.

I thought that was pretty low mileage so looked at the options but the dunlop's seem to be the best rated for rolling resistance, grip and noise so I guess you take your pick - long life or performance.

I'm not sure but suspect I'll go dunlop again as I don't want to compromise the ride/noise/performance.