Service Today - Tyres Needed

[idlerobbo]

Hi My 2.0 VTS C4 is in for a service today - just had a call that front tyres aren't road legal due to wearing. Quoted £81 each for new ones, is this right? I forget the make that he said... it wasnt one id heard of though think it began with an M.

[Rich_Eason]

Prices of tyres vary from place to place and be warned that this price may not include

VAT,

Fitting,

Valves and Balancing.

 

Phone round your nearest tyre places to get an idea of a "fully fitted" price.

 

Dealers are always the last place you'd normally buy a tyre however at that price I'd snap his hand off

[idlerobbo]

Prices of tyres vary from place to place and be warned that this price may not include

VAT,

Fitting,

Valves and Balancing.

 

Phone round your nearest tyre places to get an idea of a "fully fitted" price.

 

Dealers are always the last place you'd normally buy a tyre however at that price I'd snap his hand off

 

Thanks! Just wanted a rough idea of what id be looking at... all in all the 20k service and two new tyres is goint o be under £400. Which I suppose is ok? Annoying, but ok! Do VTS 2.0 diesels eat tyres then? My last C4 didn't need any new ones after its 20k service...

[wozza]

Your last one was a lighter car with less power through the front wheels though. Makes a difference.

 

And £80 each for tyres seems rather cheap the standard Michelins on the car are £130 each. Most of the top end tyres are around £130 and id be looking to put similar back on.

[idlerobbo]

Your last one was a lighter car with less power through the front wheels though. Makes a difference.

 

And £80 each for tyres seems rather cheap the standard Michelins on the car are £130 each. Most of the top end tyres are around £130 and id be looking to put similar back on.

 

Cheers for the advice. They are fitting the tyres they could get hold of. If they only last 6 - 12 months then so be it ill absorb the cost of better branded ones later I guess!

[Stuey]

dont let them put "what we had lying around" tyres on it. You are used to the the Exalto's and the extra grip they provide over "normal" road tyres. Pay the extra for the good stuff!

[idlerobbo]

Starting to regret the decision now - too late I suppose though!!

[Stuey]

just dont go round corners at the same speed you did with the old tyres...you will find that new tyres in general dont have the same grip levels anyway but if the tyres that they have fitted are the same as the ones I saw in the dealers the other day then you wont have as much grip when they are run in. If you dont go hair arsing round country lanes then you probably wont notice that much difference anyway.

 

Stuey "trying to keep C4's out of hedges since 2005"

[lab44]

Doesnt sound too bad. I've done 20,000 and dont need any just yet (though sure I will soon). Probably a combination of having a less powerful car and mainly motorway driving.

 

Its always worth paying the extra for decent tyres - can make a big difference to the way your car handles/stops and could one day save your life.

 

For that price I would go with the dealer. Watch out for some of the cheaper local garages. Last time I used a cheap garage he managed to stick them the wrong way round (despite the big sign on the side saying these tyres are directional) ;)

[Johndouglas]

My C5 got through its front tyres in 8000miles from new. The tyre depot advised having the alignment checked - it was a mile out. Now at 20000 the replacements seem to be lasting much longer.

[wozza]

Stuey since you had the energy tyres on before on the 16's how much extra grip you noticed on the Exaltos and the 17's?

 

I know mine tends to grip well but just curious how much of a difference it made since you have had both wheels and tyres etc and what kind of effects you have noticed changing to the bigger wheels.

[lab44]

I would be interest to know too if different tyres have made any difference to peoples cars. Mine came out at 4mm front on my service so will probably need replacing soon (change them about 3mm is recommended i think) - not sure whether to go for the same again or something different.

[Welshguy]

Ont point I have to raise...did the dealership 'bully' you into getting new tyres? I think technically they are within their rights to stop you leaving with the car on defective tyres, which means of course you can't shop around so you have to go with the prices they are offering?

 

As for me...I have Toyo Proxes...they are the business!!! ;)

 

@ lol at Stuey's motto...maybe you should put that in your signature!

[Stuey]

Stuey since you had the energy tyres on before on the 16's how much extra grip you noticed on the Exaltos and the 17's?

 

I know mine tends to grip well but just curious how much of a difference it made since you have had both wheels and tyres etc and what kind of effects you have noticed changing to the bigger wheels.

 

The is loads of difference! The damp grip was better on the 16's as they had more nobbles than the exaltos but overall the grip is a lot better. they can quite happily do corners at 40-45 when the 16's where getting loose at 35. One thing that does bother me with the exaltos is the almost scary amounts of understeer when the road is damp and a bit greasy. I have found that being progressive with the steering helps but it still wants to go on the same roundabout at the same speed.

 

The ride is the most noticable thing by far, it is now a lot harder but that is due to the lower profile on the tyres and I dont mind it to much, you just have to remeber that the speed bump I used to able to go over at 20 odd is now 10 max.

 

 

@ lol at Stuey's motto...maybe you should put that in your signature!

 

Check the sig!

[Ciaran2903]

Just got back from Italy yesterday, bought new tyres the weekend before, £100 each for the fronts. So much more grip than the old ones. They are michealins (spelt badly! ;) ), but one up from the standard tyres.

[wozza]

Ont point I have to raise...did the dealership 'bully' you into getting new tyres? I think technically they are within their rights to stop you leaving with the car on defective tyres, which means of course you can't shop around so you have to go with the prices they are offering?

 

As for me...I have Toyo Proxes...they are the business!!! ;)

 

@ lol at Stuey's motto...maybe you should put that in your signature!

 

Everyone I spoke to with Toyos said the same thing great in the dry but in the wet theres a good chance after a bend you could be pointing the wrong way.

[C4VTS]

I had new front tyres at 21,000 miles on my HDi VTS so it seems about normal.

 

I decided to try Falken branded tyres that were about £80 each, as they get good reviews, and they grip very well in wet and dry. Look back on old posts if you want the model number of the tyres.

 

Not sure how long they will last, but as they are half the price of the Michelins I would expect to get at least 12,000 miles out of them, and I do drive hard.

 

So far am happy.

[idlerobbo]

off the top of my head they fitted marinello tyres? That sound right?

 

Annoyingly they didnt even bother to valet my car inside or out... it was really dirtly inside - i didnt want them to clean outside but looks like I got neither!

[kfk]

off the top of my head they fitted marinello tyres? That sound right?

 

Annoyingly they didnt even bother to valet my car inside or out... it was really dirtly inside - i didnt want them to clean outside but looks like I got neither!

 

Marangoni?

[idlerobbo]

Marangoni?

 

thats the fella! haha. Are they pants?

[C4VTS]

thats the fella! haha. Are they pants?

 

 

Never heard of them, but did a Google and found them.

 

They are italian and STS and Black Circle are the main UK retailers in UK.

 

I would guess they are absolute bottom of the range, and maybe they are remoulds like Slowfit would sell?

[C4VTS]

Got this from Which members page.

 

 

 

Tyres review

Marangoni Vanto (205/55R16V)

The 205/55R16V Marangoni Vanto can be fitted to various medium and large cars, but it falls short of the mark for wet grip and its overall test performance is low enough that we recommend you Don't Buy it at all.

 

 

I would not believe all Which? reviews though.

[idlerobbo]

Bollocks - thats all I can say. I've been robbed hey! Nothing I can do about it either is there!?

[lab44]

Was it a main dealer you took your car to? Im surprised they would try and fit crap tyres to your car. If they really are rubbish swap them to the back - at least you will have some decent tyres on the front then.

[wozza]

New tyres should always go on the back anyway. Should never put new tyres on the front. Although you would think you should in a fwd car its the wrong thing to do. And can lead to the front end having grip and the rear not having grip.