Tyre recommendations
Discussion
Car is a BMW X1 2016 4wd and currently fitted with Bridgestone 225/50R18 99W. I need to replace two tyres or four if deemed necessary due to the 4wd. Two of them have at least 6mm. on one axle but although the other two still have 4mm. of depth they have cracks appearing around the edge of the treads.
Anyone have experience of other brands, or are these the best brand for this car, and could I mix a different brand with the two that have 6mm.(obviously new tyres on the same axle). I am aware of all the thoughts about the 4wd on these cars and that it seems that they must be star rated. I do not want budget tyres but by the same token I need value for money with a decent brand. The car is mainly used on rural pot holed roads plus some motorway work, and gentle off road ocassionally.
Look forward to your thoughts.
Anyone have experience of other brands, or are these the best brand for this car, and could I mix a different brand with the two that have 6mm.(obviously new tyres on the same axle). I am aware of all the thoughts about the 4wd on these cars and that it seems that they must be star rated. I do not want budget tyres but by the same token I need value for money with a decent brand. The car is mainly used on rural pot holed roads plus some motorway work, and gentle off road ocassionally.
Look forward to your thoughts.
On a fairly normal car, I'd go with two criteria.
1. Have I heard of the brand?
2. Which is the cheapest of these in stock at the local independent tyre place?
Whether it's a Michelin, Bridgestone, Continental etc really won't make any difference while you're driving to the shops.
Just don't buy a budget tyre, and be very careful if a tyre shop tries to sell an unknown brand they have in stock and tells you it's mid range. Some of the so called "mid range" tyres can just turn out to be more expensive budget tyres, whilst others such as Nexen and Falken are genuine mid range tyres which are OK. If you're not sure though it's better to avoid and go with the cheapest available premium brand.
1. Have I heard of the brand?
2. Which is the cheapest of these in stock at the local independent tyre place?
Whether it's a Michelin, Bridgestone, Continental etc really won't make any difference while you're driving to the shops.
Just don't buy a budget tyre, and be very careful if a tyre shop tries to sell an unknown brand they have in stock and tells you it's mid range. Some of the so called "mid range" tyres can just turn out to be more expensive budget tyres, whilst others such as Nexen and Falken are genuine mid range tyres which are OK. If you're not sure though it's better to avoid and go with the cheapest available premium brand.
I have a F30 335d xdrive. I have been using Goodyear EfficientGrip for the last 6 years. They are good all round, especially in the wet. I live in coastal NW Wales, so wet performance is top of my list. The tyres start with a full 8mm tread, not all tyres do. I have never needed winter or all-season tyres. They are runflats, and the roads are pretty good around here. My favourite tyre brands are Goodyear or Continental.
SkodaIan said:
On a fairly normal car, I'd go with two criteria.
1. Have I heard of the brand?
2. Which is the cheapest of these in stock at the local independent tyre place?
Whether it's a Michelin, Bridgestone, Continental etc really won't make any difference while you're driving to the shops.
Just don't buy a budget tyre, and be very careful if a tyre shop tries to sell an unknown brand they have in stock and tells you it's mid range. Some of the so called "mid range" tyres can just turn out to be more expensive budget tyres, whilst others such as Nexen and Falken are genuine mid range tyres which are OK. If you're not sure though it's better to avoid and go with the cheapest available premium brand.
Broadly I'd agree with that with one caveat; the premium tyres tend - on the whole - to deliver higher levels of performance in the wet, even under 'normal' driving (eg. to the shops). The difference between something like a SportContact 7 and a midrange tyre such as a Vredstein or Falken in the wet can be surprising - the SportContact 7 stops nearly a car-length sooner from 100km/h to 0 which could be the difference between having a crash and avoiding one:1. Have I heard of the brand?
2. Which is the cheapest of these in stock at the local independent tyre place?
Whether it's a Michelin, Bridgestone, Continental etc really won't make any difference while you're driving to the shops.
Just don't buy a budget tyre, and be very careful if a tyre shop tries to sell an unknown brand they have in stock and tells you it's mid range. Some of the so called "mid range" tyres can just turn out to be more expensive budget tyres, whilst others such as Nexen and Falken are genuine mid range tyres which are OK. If you're not sure though it's better to avoid and go with the cheapest available premium brand.
Funk said:
Broadly I'd agree with that with one caveat; the premium tyres tend - on the whole - to deliver higher levels of performance in the wet, even under 'normal' driving (eg. to the shops). The difference between something like a SportContact 7 and a midrange tyre such as a Vredstein or Falken in the wet can be surprising - the SportContact 7 stops nearly a car-length sooner from 100km/h to 0 which could be the difference between having a crash and avoiding one:
Your post really cheered me up. 
I needed a couple of tyres for my car last week for a trip to Scotland on Thursday and all they could get in time were Hankook Ventus, but it looks like I got lucky by accident as the weather forecast for the weekend up there is rain, rain and a bit more rain!
king arthur said:
The Hankook Ventus S1 Evo3 are good tyres, I have them. Well rated for stopping distances in wet and dry. The only thing that lets them down a bit is traction off the line on a wet surface but in a 4x4 that wouldn't be so much of an issue.
That's a shame as mine are on the rear of a BMW Z4M so I'll find out soon!Magnum 475 said:
I ve got two go to tyres for our normal cars:
- Michelin Cross Climate
- Continental AllSeason Contact
These offer the best combination of wet / dry / mud / snow performance, seem to last well, and aren t unreasonable in terms of price.
Both excellent tyres, although my personal preference is the Goodyear Vector. The Goodyear and Continental tyres seem to start with more tread depth than the Michelin, around the 8mm mark, the Michelin is 6.8mm.- Michelin Cross Climate
- Continental AllSeason Contact
These offer the best combination of wet / dry / mud / snow performance, seem to last well, and aren t unreasonable in terms of price.
MustangGT said:
Both excellent tyres, although my personal preference is the Goodyear Vector. The Goodyear and Continental tyres seem to start with more tread depth than the Michelin, around the 8mm mark, the Michelin is 6.8mm.
I contacted Michelin regarding the new tread depth of their Primacy 4 tyre and they replied with…"Tread depth is no longer an indicator of tyre life. It has much more to do with the technology behind the rubber compound. We actually have several tyre models with the same starting depth, but with a different tyre life. This is because we at MICHELIN are constantly striving to improve our products. In fact, one of the ways we do this is by reducing the tread depth as much as possible, while maintaining or even extending the life of the tyre. By reducing the depth of the tread, we can improve stability, thus safety, and by manipulating the rubber compound, we at the same time maintain the life of the tyres. In other words, the tread depth is only an indicator of when it's time to replace the tyre - and not how long it will last."
They also answered my question 7,0 (+/- 1) mm.
nlel1975 said:
I contacted Michelin regarding the new tread depth of their Primacy 4 tyre and they replied with
"Tread depth is no longer an indicator of tyre life. It has much more to do with the technology behind the rubber compound. We actually have several tyre models with the same starting depth, but with a different tyre life. This is because we at MICHELIN are constantly striving to improve our products. In fact, one of the ways we do this is by reducing the tread depth as much as possible, while maintaining or even extending the life of the tyre. By reducing the depth of the tread, we can improve stability, thus safety, and by manipulating the rubber compound, we at the same time maintain the life of the tyres. In other words, the tread depth is only an indicator of when it's time to replace the tyre - and not how long it will last."
They also answered my question 7,0 (+/- 1) mm.
I would rather manage ‘the stability’ myself and have the extra 1mm."Tread depth is no longer an indicator of tyre life. It has much more to do with the technology behind the rubber compound. We actually have several tyre models with the same starting depth, but with a different tyre life. This is because we at MICHELIN are constantly striving to improve our products. In fact, one of the ways we do this is by reducing the tread depth as much as possible, while maintaining or even extending the life of the tyre. By reducing the depth of the tread, we can improve stability, thus safety, and by manipulating the rubber compound, we at the same time maintain the life of the tyres. In other words, the tread depth is only an indicator of when it's time to replace the tyre - and not how long it will last."
They also answered my question 7,0 (+/- 1) mm.
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