Preferred Tyres

[sp_en_ny 17 1 Cars]

Hi Everyone,

 

Having recently had a near death experience in my cti pug I thought it best that I invest in a pair of decent boots. Before doing so and being a newbie when it comes to owning a pug I was hoping some of you would share with me your personal tyre preferences or any that should be avoided.

 

My pug kindly had me sliding down the middle of a dual carriageway backwards so that I was facing the oncoming traffic on my side. A delightful experience but one I wish not to encounter again.

 

Whilst there is plenty of tread on the current tyres i was led to believe the car had stood still in a barn for about 8 years so no doubt the tyres are old and probably had it.

 

Thanks

[welshpug 1,657]

michelin is a preferred brand, though depends which wheel you are using there isn't a sporty tyre available from them in a 14", though the energy seems ot perform outstandingly on a friends standard 1.6 road car especially for the type of tyre!

 

a 195 50 PE2 is a very good performer though is being replaced by the PS3.

[sp_en_ny 17 1 Cars]

I have the standard pepper pot alloys, current tyre size is 185/60/14. I don't want track tyres as this will only be driven on the roads, I guess I am looking around the £60-£70 a tyre price range. in order to fit a 195/50 tyre I am guessing I would need to invest in some new alloys ?

[jackherer 543]

If the tyres are over 8 years old you need four new ones, not a pair. What circumstances led to you spinning? There are a few common handling faults with 205s that a 'barn find' car is very likely to suffer from e.g. wishbone bushes, rear beam mounts and even the beam itself.

[sp_en_ny 17 1 Cars]

Yes sorry I meant 2 pairs not just 2 tyres. The road I would class as damp, I entered a roundabout as I turned slightly left to exit the roundabout the car just planned straight forward, I broke, felt the back of the car snake a little which I tried to correct and then next thing car spun 180 and ended up in the middle of the dual carriage way facing the opposite direction.

 

The car past its MOT only a couple of months back and i recall it needed something being replaced to do with the steering. (need to check the bill) I also had a mechanic look over the whole of the car to make sure everything was in order before I got the cam belt done and started investing any money into it. He was off the opinion there was little wrong with the car and quite tidy for its age......(mechanically)

 

I have noticed that when I accelerate away I often get a pull to one side of the steering wheel, not sure if this means anything or helps. When you break it breaks in a straight line without wandering or pulling to one side.

[welshpug 1,657]

ahh the old brake and lift off when it gives a hint of understeer/oversteer, a classic newbie to 205's move

[jackherer 543]

I have noticed that when I accelerate away I often get a pull to one side of the steering wheel, not sure if this means anything or helps. When you break it breaks in a straight line without wandering or pulling to one side.

That sounds like worn wishbone bushes to me.

 

205s are unusual in that they can pass MOTs but still handle awfully, they are very sensitive to certain things, wishbone bushes in particular.

[dcc 855]

Tyre pressure, tracking, wheel balancing, oval hubs, worn ball joints, perished bushes, bent subframes...

 

Just to name a few of the common faults.

[Goliath 94]

Tyre pressure, tracking, wheel balancing, oval hubs, worn ball joints, perished bushes, bent subframes...

 

Just to name a few of the common faults.

Common with the way you drive yeah

[Nath88n 37]

Unfortunately us SL201 guys are quite limited in tyre choice.

The best I have found are the Continental PremiumContact 5, they can be found for £50-60 and the have an A rating for wet grip;

 

[Nath88n 37]

Forgot to say that they are used on a 167bhp car.

[johniban 59 1 Cars]

it has no effect on the tyre performance no matter what bhp your engine is, if you simply cannot drive your car properly and learn how to control it no tyre will help you.

 

you should be checking the tyre condition before driving the car, the DOT 4 digit code will tell you the age of the tyre.

 

Michillins are good but you will find they will perish quickly

[Nath88n 37]

it has no effect on the tyre performance no matter what bhp your engine is, if you simply cannot drive your car properly and learn how to control it no tyre will help you.

 

That's not what I was implying. My comment was to point out that the grip levels of the said tyre are sufficient to transfer said power to the road.

eg Coming off a roundabout in second gear, the Continentals grip much more than the previous Yokohama's I had. Furthermore I would say the Yokohama's didn't have a sufficient grip level for a car runing that power.

Nothing to do with 'driving ability' as I didn't end up in a situation. I just drove it to the tyres ability, knowing its capabilities.

Edited December 5, 2013 by Nath88n

[johniban 59 1 Cars]

That's not what I was implying. My comment was to point out that the grip levels of the said tyre are sufficient to transfer said power to the road.

eg Coming off a roundabout in second gear, the Continentals grip much more than the previous Yokohama's I had. Furthermore I would say the Yokohama's didn't have a sufficient grip level for a car runing that power.

Nothing to do with 'driving ability' as I didn't end up in a situation. I just drove it to the tyres ability, knowing its capabilities.

 

i know what you are saying, it may have come accross in the wrong way..

But there is some pretty good tyres out there, most modern tyres even the cheaper ones are coming up on par with the brand names. but if you are running 167 or what ever bhp it doesnt matter, its all down to the driver if it starts to spin then feather the throttle

[Nath88n 37]

 

i know what you are saying, it may have come accross in the wrong way..

But there is some pretty good tyres out there, most modern tyres even the cheaper ones are coming up on par with the brand names. but if you are running 167 or what ever bhp it doesnt matter, its all down to the driver if it starts to spin then feather the throttle

What about the higher lateral forces on the entrance/exit of a corner that a more powerful vehicle could be carrying as it's arrived there quicker, it's not just about 'feathering the throttle'.

 

Generally high performance cars have high performance tyres.

Edited December 7, 2013 by Nath88n

[johnhenry 20]

i picked up 4 falken 912's 185/55/15's about 6 months ago for about £50 a tyre, I love them, i have been backwards into/around a roundabout between dual carrigeway sections after about 4 weeks of ownership and the first time out in the proper rain. I just backed right off after that and tried to understand/learn about its ways.

 

but i would second stuff about tyre pressures and geometry/anything loose is likely to be a cause if the tyres are able to clear water etc etc

[johniban 59 1 Cars]

What about the higher lateral forces on the entrance/exit of a corner that a more powerful vehicle could be carrying as it's arrived there quicker, it's not just about 'feathering the throttle'.

 

Generally high performance cars have high performance tyres.

 

true, but i wouldnt really count a 205 with 160 odd bhp a high performance car

[dcc 855]

That's a car with approx 190bhp/tonne. (based on 167bhp and 850kg's)

 

That's the same as a focus RS with 301bhp

 

It is also better than a BMW 130i.

 

Some of your posts recently John have been very questionable and almost just 'posts for the sake of argument' in my eyes. I do hope that I am wrong.

[RP1983 4]

Do as suggested and check everything is in good condition but to me it sounds like it was mainly your driving and the typical handling characteristics of a 205 catching you out, by all means fit better tyres, it sounds like they need replacing anyway but more grip just means you'll be going faster next time it happens if you don't improve your driving.

 

If your car understeers the last thing in the world you want to do is brake, you need to lift gently and be prepared to input a bit of opposite lock, by lifting harshly or worse braking you exaggerate the lift off oversteer effect and it will be very difficult to catch as itll snap very quickly.

[Nath88n 37]

 

true, but i wouldnt really count a 205 with 160 odd bhp a high performance car

Of course, it's not a Porsche RS but it's all relative. In 205 terms it's fairly high performance, the tyres are also fairly high performance considering the range available in 185/60/14. As it's mainly Eco stuff now, with only two track day tyres above the Continentals. Sadly I don't see the range getting any better.

 

To be frank though, I'm getting quite bored of the obtuse comments and I don't see how this is benefiting the OP.

[Mac Crash 78 1 Cars]

The road I would class as damp, I entered a roundabout as I turned slightly left to exit the roundabout the car just planned straight forward, I broke, felt the back of the car snake a little which I tried to correct and then next thing car spun 180 and ended up in the middle of the dual carriage way facing the opposite direction.

 

 

 

Seems like a strange reaction from the car or understeer you describe as planing, then lift off oversteer followed by over compensation, sounds like you were maybe going harder than you describe.

 

I'm pottering around at the moment on a mix of old tyres and they are dreadful, won't name the brands but I'm putting it down to age of the tyres and hardening. Wheelspin on exiting junctions etc - very vague on the entry into bends with level camber. I'm not planning on using the car much over the winter so I can manage with these until I sort out wheel/tyre options for next year. Have three sets of wheels so intentions are track tyres - summer tyres - all season tyres.

 

I'd recommend you buy new tyres or 2nd hand only if you know their true origin and life. As WP say's, you can't go wrong with Michelins, Alpins for winter and PE2/3's for general use... also I've never seen Michelin's perish unless they are very old. This usually stems from tyres that have been sitting around unused for a long time with the vehicle weight on them and will affect any tyre the same way regardless of brand. I'd check your wishbone bushes too, as already said, very important.

 

Johniban said > i wouldnt really count a 205 with 160 odd bhp a high performance car

 

what is it then? it's a car with roughly the same power to weight ratio as 1600kg car with 320bhp.... hmmm, I always considered the original and still the best Audi Quattro Turbo to be a high performance car and that only had a standard 220bhp from the factory...

 

off topic but we can ask how do we define a high performance car.... in my opinion it's any car in it's class that can accelerate quickly, corner quickly and maintain a high average speed whilst making progress from point A to point B, no? the 205 GTi is all of that, isn't it? maybe I'm wrong but I don't think so, and I'm not attacking your view but I definitely disagree maybe you meant it isn't a high performance "race" car?

[sp_en_ny 17 1 Cars]

Hi Everyone, thanks for all your comments and advice much appreciated, I will certainly have all of the areas mentioned checked out, no doubt the spin was caused by the speed but the speed was not reckless, or excessive. (in my opinion) I had my son in the car with me and My Citroen Xsara Picasso on budget tyres would have handled the speed I was travelling at, hence why I was shocked at what happened, no I was not going faster then said. Anyway lesson learnt without any damage or injury.

[johniban 59 1 Cars]

 

 

Some of your posts recently John have been very questionable and almost just 'posts for the sake of argument' in my eyes. I do hope that I am wrong.

 

You have always thought this about me, ill just stop posting to make you happy

[johniban 59 1 Cars]

Hi Everyone, thanks for all your comments and advice much appreciated, I will certainly have all of the areas mentioned checked out, no doubt the spin was caused by the speed but the speed was not reckless, or excessive. (in my opinion) I had my son in the car with me and My Citroen Xsara Picasso on budget tyres would have handled the speed I was travelling at, hence why I was shocked at what happened, no I was not going faster then said. Anyway lesson learnt without any damage or injury.

 

ive had the same sort of thing happen to me when my old 205 was on the road, used to handle like a boat, as soon as i drove over a drain it would seem to torque steer like it had alot of power. turned out it had the tracking adjusted really poorly and was scrubbing out the tyres a treat

[sp_en_ny 17 1 Cars]

The tyres although old seem to be wearing evenly all over, I had a garage look at the tyres and again whilst old was told they aren't in bad knick. The fronts are Michelin but the rears I think have budgets on. When the car goes in next I will mention all the recommendations and get those checked out and the pulling you get when you accelerate. Having been sat still for 8 years I am sure there will be quite a few things that could do with changing.