New aquisition - tyre question !

[DaveC19]

Hi All,

After much searching around I bought myself a new toy, '96 850R manual estate, (T4/16t/M59), 140K, FSH, all the bells & whistles, everything works, orig. spec., not messed around with and in great condition. Figure this qualifies as a "performance" car, so, as this is my first experience of one of these, I will be looking for advice from ye experts from time to time :-)
Not sure yet whether to keep it original and bring it up to mint or to mildly mod it (engine strut, bigger brakes and RICA stage 1).
Anyone know the car - it was around Scotland for most of its life?

For a car capable of 155mph (not on the public roads of course) I suppose the first thing to get right is the boots (not a good idea doing that speed on the wrong rubber :-)). As ye knows they came originally with Pirelli P zeros (on the 17" Volans) but it is presently fitted with:

Front:
Avon ZZ3, 205/45 ZR 17 88 W
DOT AT3M JS (4909)
Treadwear 240, Traction AA, Temperature A
ell 020684-5
Ell 024731
ACR75, 02796M Radial

Rear:
WANLI (Made in China!) 205/45 ZR 17 88 W XL
DOT WPNW 3109
Treadwear 280, Traction A, Temperature A
E4 011224S
0243715
S1063, EXTRA LOAD

I can just about figure out that these are 17" low profile but the rest is gobbledygook to me :-) Are these good, bad or indifferent for high speed stuff (Obviously anything is OK for pottering to the supermarket :-) and if no good what would ye lot recommend?

They are all relatively new with plenty of deep tread - be a shame to throw them away !!

Ta muchly for any help you can give.

Here's some pics of the motor:

[DaveC19]

Couple more shots:

[T5frankie]

front tyres are good but the rears are a bit naff mate just swap the fronts for the rears that way the crap tyres will wear out much more quickly on the front to get your moneys worth

[AndysR]

Sweet a grey estate :)

Looks like a nice car, interior is nice a tidy especially considering it's the lighter version.

Tyres sound like cheaper end tyres and tbh I'd be looking to change them all, perhaps not all at the same time, but I'd be looking to go for something more high end. Be it either Goodyear, Michelin, Toyo, Yokohama or Bridgestone as I'd be looking for more traction and grip especially if your looking to increase the power output with a remap.

[merc85]

Use to
sell em, Your avon's are Good buddy, The Rear's are 100% Budget's expect uneven wear on the inside edge on the rear.

[nobananas]

I'm going to throw my two pence worth in. I've come to the conclusion that higher end tyres really don't seem worth the wedge for me. I work at an independent which also fits tyres. I've had just about all makes of tyre on my T5 but can't get more then about 6000 miles out of the front ones. I've given up now and started using more middle range tyres. Nexen N6000 or N8000 have done well in the past and I've noticed no difference in grip levels in the wet or dry and I'm currently trying Events which so far seem good. Price has never really been a worry for me as the tyres come to me trade and fitted free (by myself !) but I begrudge paying over the odds for a product that performs no better then one at half the price. Just my view.

[DaveC19]

Talking of tyres here's something to ponder:
My Avons & Chinese thingys have a max pressure rating of 50 & 49 psi respec. I suppose other makes are similar.

The 850 Handbook quotes tyre pressures (205/45ZR17) for the turbo estate as (front/rear):

0-100 mph - 1-3 occupancy: 33/32, fully loaded: 36/41
100+ mph - 1-3 occupancy: 45/39, fully loaded: 48/46

The inside petrol filler cap has the same numbers.

Given that these are cold tyre pressures and that tyres heat up on driving and pressures increase then this is cutting it a bit fine at high speed !!

One can only imagine that driving down the autobahn fully loaded at over 100 mph the tyres will just eventually explode !!!!!!!!!

Not a pretty sight :-(

[AndysR]

Tyre pressures are generally quoted as being correct for a cold tyre. I actually run my 850R tyre pressures at 36 front 34 rear with less than 3 passengers so higher than advised anyway ;)

[LiamT4]

I have the exact same avons on my car and although i can't complain about the allround grip they have, they are the worst tyres i'v had for tramlining. Anything more than the slightest camber and they want to follow it, they are ok when they are brand new, but as soon as they start to wear you can feel it.

[Volvostorm]

Mine has Falkens ZE-912's on it, seem really grippy, and good wear, but, I have yet to see what they will make of the new engine!

[DaveC19]

Tyre pressures are generally quoted as being correct for a cold tyre. I actually run my 850R tyre pressures at 36 front 34 rear with less than 3 passengers so higher than advised anyway ;)

But with 4 passengers (& driver) + luggage would you put in 48/46 and thunder down the autobahn @120 ??? :flying:

[DaveC19]

I have the exact same avons on my car and although i can't complain about the allround grip they have, they are the worst tyres i'v had for tramlining. Anything more than the slightest camber and they want to follow it, they are ok when they are brand new, but as soon as they start to wear you can feel it.

Had a search round the net yesterday for a couple of hours for reviews on the Wanlis. Opinion varied from absolute rubbish to absolutely fantastic - and everything in between.

Trouble is got pretty much same range of opinion on Pirelli P zeros as well.

What is one to make of all that? Seems you can pay £250 a corner or £50 a corner and be lucky or unlucky with any of them :confused:

[AndysR]

But with 4 passengers (& driver) + luggage would you put in 48/46 and thunder down the autobahn @120 ??? :flying:

No chance, probably more like 140...lol

Seriously I'd put another 2 psi in each tyre and that's that :)

[nobananas]

Had a search round the net yesterday for a couple of hours for reviews on the Wanlis. Opinion varied from absolute rubbish to absolutely fantastic - and everything in between.

Trouble is got pretty much same range of opinion on Pirelli P zeros as well.

What is one to make of all that? Seems you can pay £250 a corner or £50 a corner and be lucky or unlucky with any of them :confused:

Maybe because in the last decade or so regulations regarding tyres have been tightened up a fair bit making the gap between 'premium' and 'cheapo' far smaller. Also take into account that a vast quantity of cheaper 'brands' are in fact made by the big boys (false competition ) then the quality of those cheap brands is going to be pretty good. Also I've found some makes/tyre patterns seem to work better on some vehicles then others. The Events I have currently on the front of my T5 seem pretty grippy in the wet and dry but I have heard someone complain that they made his 406 coupe' 'lethal, completely unable to cope with the power !!'........hmmmm, 280 odd bhp Volvo versus 160 bhp Peugeot.

[mick850R]

I have currently still got pirelli p zeros right round on the R and am well impressed with them and will stick to them in my opinion, on my old Saab though I loved goodyears and nankang????

I think it's driving and habits that rate tyres more than out else at the moment, see how you go at the moment then swap them front to rear and get a feel of how they differ.

[Flatout Phil]

I use Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta 215/40/17 which are so good I bought a second set for my Titans. The PZero lacks lateral grip and sidewalls are too flexible for my liking.

[Flatout Phil]

FWIW Wanli came up as a Which? Magazine 'don't buy' because it was so useless in the wet and dry.