Tyre wear and Grip

[don4l]

Hi folks,

My DB9's tyres are due for replacement soon. I've noticed that the back end is not very "grippy". Do tyres lose grip as they wear? I've probably got less than 2mm of legal use left.

The reason for my question is that there was a thread a while back that mentioned slightly wider tyres and people thought that they got more grip with these. However, if new tyres will give more grip, then I will probably go for the standard Bridgestones.
TIA

Don
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[MarsellusWallace]

I think that once tread depth wears to less than 4mm then the level of grip drops,dramatically so once under 2mm

[bogie]

wider tyres dont necessarily give more grip, as the contact patch wont change.....this is a common misconception ...its usually down to different tyre compound/tread

and yes, they soon start to go off when you get down to the last couple of mm ...then when you fit new ones of course they feel great

good article here on why certain cars of weight/type need a certain sized tyre to work most efficiently.........

http://autospeed.com/cms/title_Tyres-Grip-and-All-...

[Zod]

Mine is down close to the telltale bands and the rear is getting very excitable. I've ordered new tyres.

[Murph7355]

Noticed barely any real world difference on my V8 when it was within a few mm of the legal limit. Still drove very nicely.

Possibly broke traction a little bit more readily, but not a huge difference.

Be careful on fresh tyres too for the first few hundred miles - releasing agent is slippy stuff.

Always check your pressure regularly though.

[RichB]

don4l said:

Hi folks... Do tyres lose grip as they wear?

Certainly do in my experience.

[djakarta]

the original tires on mine were really dangerous (25000 miles). The rears were worn down past the wear indicator bars.

The car used to slip even on really slight accelerations, especially in the wet.

I went ahead and replaced all four with Michelin PS2s and the car is now quiet, predictable and very grippy

[Murph7355]

djakarta said:

...The rears were worn down past the wear indicator bars....

That is, however, seriously different to having tread left

[don4l]

djakarta said:

the original tires on mine were really dangerous (25000 miles). The rears were worn down past the wear indicator bars.

The car used to slip even on really slight accelerations, especially in the wet.

I went ahead and replaced all four with Michelin PS2s and the car is now quiet, predictable and very grippy

I think that PS2s are the ones that have been recommended. Did you get them in the same saze as the originals, or are they slightly oversized?


Also, thanks to everybody who replied. The link to the width vs grip article was very interesting.


Don
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[djakarta]

Murph7355 said:

djakarta said:

...The rears were worn down past the wear indicator bars....

That is, however, seriously different to having tread left

hah! yah totally.

it was downright scary - the tires were cracked too even though the front ones still had good amounts of tread left.

i got the ps2s in 275/35/19 (stock size) on the back and 245/40/19 up front (slightly wider than the stock 235/40/19). they fit fine, ride and look great. Keep in mind though that the PS2s do tend to look 'fatter' than the bridgestones