Buying new tyres - an art form?

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Aaroona

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#291922 13-Dec-2021 17:28

I took my car for a WOF the other day, and found I am due a new set of tyres (1 tyre front and rear just below min. spec, so all 4 have to be replaced.)

What I am trying to work out is what brand and model I should go for... I've never had to buy tyres for any vehicle I have owned before, as I generally never kept them long enough to so do. But I've had this car for about 4-5 years.

Currently the vehicle has Pirelli P Zero tyres (runflat) on them - from what I can tell probably one of the more expensive tyres from my basic research.

I'm not looking to put P Zero's back on, mainly due to expense, spending 3k on tyres at this moment doesn't fill me with joy. However trying to find what options I have available to me, and actually getting pricing without having to call a bunch of places is exceedingly difficult. That layered with every tyre salesperson has their own opinion on the best tyre and may have ulterior motives for moving certain stock.

I've been told the following are good options;

- Continental (as a brand), but not given a specific model
- Bridgestone S001
- GoodYear Eagle F1 Asymmetric (I'm guessing the latest version 5? but first quote came back for V2) - But I have equally been told that the F1's are also not that great...

I'm just trying to work out what exactly are the best options here; I had expected around 2k for tyres, given they are run flats.

Are there any good resources for working this stuff out and where the prices are readily available?

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Mad Scientist
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#2831640 13-Dec-2021 17:38

If you want best performance all round then michelin pilot sport 4. But the peers are not too bad. I change my tyres a lot. Have tried re003, sportcontact, eagle f1, they're all the same when new. Amazing.

If you don't care then go to hyperdrive they have 40% of so but whatever you want

Batman

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#2831641 13-Dec-2021 17:45

Pirelli runflats ... BMW?

if i were you i would buy a spare and ditch the run flats

Aaroona

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#2831642 13-Dec-2021 17:46

Batman: If you want best performance all round then michelin pilot sport 4. But the peers are not too bad. I change my tyres a lot. Have tried re003, sportcontact, eagle f1, they're all the same when new. Amazing.

If you don't care then go to hyperdrive they have 40% of so but whatever you want

From what I can tell the Pilot Sport 4 don't come in Run flat, correct? So would need to have a can of goo and/or mobile compressor on hand in case?

duckDecoy

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#2831643 13-Dec-2021 17:46

I know very little about tyres, but someone told me recently to check the date the tyre was made and make sure it isn't old stock. Look for the "DOT" serial number printed on the side, last 4 numbers in that serial number are <week of year made><year made>

Perhaps someone else can confirm is this is something worth checking.

Aaroona

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#2831646 13-Dec-2021 17:49

Batman:

Pirelli runflats ... BMW?

if i were you i would buy a spare and ditch the run flats

Spot on - the only thing holding me back from doing this is; no spare for a.. spare. I regularly fill my boot, so don't have space.

I've also been told that most tyre shops/all tyre shops won't repair a punctured tyre that has used the tyre repair sealants. So would be up for a new tyre regardless, whereas the runflats I've had repaired before, and didn't need to use the sealant.

Also been told that the cars are "tuned" suspension wise for the harder/thicker sidewalls of the tyres, so going for anything non-runflat would result in potentially not desirable ride.

Batman

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#2831647 13-Dec-2021 17:49

get a spare

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Batman

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#2831649 13-Dec-2021 17:51

Aaroona:

Also been told that the cars are "tuned" suspension wise for the harder/thicker sidewalls of the tyres, so going for anything non-runflat would result in potentially not desirable ride.

absolute rubbish. the exact opposite is true. i've had a high performance M car. almost went Audi because of the RFTs but decided to go M and ditch the run flats.

google bmw non run flats the internet will explain

Technofreak

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#2831653 13-Dec-2021 17:56

Aaroona:

Batman: If you want best performance all round then michelin pilot sport 4. But the peers are not too bad. I change my tyres a lot. Have tried re003, sportcontact, eagle f1, they're all the same when new. Amazing.

If you don't care then go to hyperdrive they have 40% of so but whatever you want

From what I can tell the Pilot Sport 4 don't come in Run flat, correct? So would need to have a can of goo and/or mobile compressor on hand in case?

That's what my car came with. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubRG9d219wQ

I've since bought a space saver spare as another option.

Currently have Conti Sport Contact 5's fitted. They have been OK but shortly about to fit Pilot Sport 4's.

You might want to do some checking around to see what tyres are available in the size you need. Last year I bought tyres for another car and couldn't get what I wanted. This time around I bought the tyres ahead of time to ensure I got what I wanted.

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vexxxboy

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#2831654 13-Dec-2021 17:57

first thing first is find the tyres that you need for what driving you do in the car, if you just do town driving then you dont need the high performance tyres .

Common sense is not as common as you think.

eracode

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#2831655 13-Dec-2021 17:58

Sorry no good if you’re not in Auckland but in case you are, I can unreservedly recommend this North Shore tyre shop. This guy is the best and most honest retailer I have ever dealt with, bar none. He’s got a small shop but is an expert, including Euro cars and tyres. Worth talking to even if you’re not on the Shore.

http://jptyres.co.nz

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Aaroona

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#2831657 13-Dec-2021 18:04

vexxxboy:

first thing first is find the tyres that you need for what driving you do in the car, if you just do town driving then you dont need the high performance tyres .

Performance profile I would say is;

- Spirited driving/cornering (when I can)
- Around (Auckland) town mostly. Though some road trips etc.
- Motorway driving reasonably often.
- Out of town state-highway couple of times a month at least.

eracode:

Sorry no good if you’re not in Auckland but in case you are, I can unreservedly recommend this North Shore tyre shop. This guy is the best and most honest retailer I have ever dealt with, bar none. He’s got a small shop but is an expert, including Euro cars and tyres. Worth talking to even if you’re not on the Shore.

http://jptyres.co.nz

Thank you. I will give them a call tomorrow and see what is on offer :)

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Aaroona

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#2831659 13-Dec-2021 18:07

Technofreak:

That's what my car came with. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubRG9d219wQ

I've since bought a space saver spare as another option.

Currently have Conti Sport Contact 5's fitted. They have been OK but shortly about to fit Pilot Sport 4's.

You might want to do some checking around to see what tyres are available in the size you need. Last year I bought tyres for another car and couldn't get what I wanted. This time around I bought the tyres ahead of time to ensure I got what I wanted.

Ah yes, I saw mentions of that kit around elsewhere. Looks like a decent package, if I can find one locally, which may be an option.

I considered a space saver spare, but given how often I fill my boot, it is probably not as much of an attractive option

Stock wise, you are right there, I think there are some challenges with some brands, but so far I've found a couple of places with stock for certain brands.