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ZrByte
04-01-2005, 15:44
yet again another car thread, this time Im guessing its an obvious one but I figured I would ask anyway (never hurts to be cautious).

I have low tread (still legal, got about 2mm) and a slow puncture in my front passenger side tyre and cant afford to have anything done about it for at least the next 3 weeks.
I was thinking for safety reasons swapping the tyre in question with one of my rear tyres, since the front wheels do all the work I'd rather not have a blowout there.
Does anybody think this is a bad idea?

also is there anything special I have to do when changing wheels around? or is it as simple as unlock 4 bolts, move wheel round to other hub relock 4 bolts?

Thanks in advance everybody.

Jon M
04-01-2005, 15:48
What sort of condition is your spare in?
Surely it's no worse than the troubled tyre?

One problem is tracking, you'll find big differences between right and left hand wheels as well as difference between front and back, you'll most likely get very different patterns of wear if you swap them.. plus you may find the car has vastly less grip.

Nugget
04-01-2005, 15:50
What sort of condition is your spare in?
Surely it's no worse than the troubled tyre?

I was just about to suggest the same thing - I had a 6" screw through one of my front tyres and just put the spare on until I could afford to get it sorted. Definitely the best way to do it!

ZrByte
04-01-2005, 15:50
What sort of condition is your spare in?
Surely it's no worse than the troubled tyre?

virtually no tread left sadly, Since getting the car I have had no spare money to sort out the spare or the troubled tyre :(

jellybaby
04-01-2005, 15:54
I would try your local scrapyard for a used tyre, will cost between 5 and 10 pounds, and will be alot safer than swapping tyres round

bopdude
04-01-2005, 15:57
If your a bit strapped for cash you could always try a scrap yard, get the tyre and rim for next to nowt :shrug: better than getting 3 points and cheaper than the fine that goes with them, it'll last you till payday :tu:

EDIT: beaten to it, must type faster ... lol

Nugget
04-01-2005, 16:00
Sorry Zr, I can't remember what car you've got, but wouldn't it just be cheaper to replace your punctured tyre? It might be worth ringing round a few places to get a decent price (on my old car, I saved 15 quid just by ringing round) or, as some of the others have said, try a scrappies.

It might cost you a bit but, as bop said, it's defing a fine.

punky
04-01-2005, 16:16
yet again another car thread, this time Im guessing its an obvious one but I figured I would ask anyway (never hurts to be cautious).

I have low tread (still legal, got about 2mm) and a slow puncture in my front passenger side tyre and cant afford to have anything done about it for at least the next 3 weeks.
I was thinking for safety reasons swapping the tyre in question with one of my rear tyres, since the front wheels do all the work I'd rather not have a blowout there.
Does anybody think this is a bad idea?

also is there anything special I have to do when changing wheels around? or is it as simple as unlock 4 bolts, move wheel round to other hub relock 4 bolts?

Thanks in advance everybody.

It is called a tyre rotation, and it is very common, especially out here. It is normally done like every 12,000 miles, I don't know about back home though. It would make sense to rotate them as a blowout on a rear wheel is OK, but on a front wheel can be real dangerous. Most wheels can be rotated fine, only some very high end tyres can't be. If you do have them rotated, you may need to pay for another balance though.

ian@huth
04-01-2005, 16:28
If I only had 2mm tread and a slow puncture to boot the car would stay on the drive. I have only one life and I want to hang on to it and don't want to put other lives at risk either by using the car.

altis
04-01-2005, 16:54
It won't pass an MOT with a bald spare!

ZrByte
04-01-2005, 16:58
It won't pass an MOT with a bald spare!

Yes it will, they dont check the spare and it has just passed about 4 weeks ago :) check on the RAC site about Tyre conditions if you dont believe me :)
Personally I think it shouldnt have passed, a good condition spare really is a must IMO, if I had any money at all mine would have been replaced by now.

EDIT: ive just found £30 of wich I only need £10 for other things so I guess I'll get a new tyre tomorrow with the spare £20.
Is there anything special I need to do with it or do I just goto the scrappies and ask for a 13" vauxhall wheel & Tyre? or do I just ask for the Tyre?

Nugget
04-01-2005, 17:04
Depends on whether your wheel's cream crackered or just the tyre - will you be able to put the tyre on yourself, or would you need someone to do it for you?

jellybaby
04-01-2005, 17:05
Just ask for the tyre, most places will put it on your wheel either for free or for a couple of quid

ZrByte
04-01-2005, 17:07
Depends on whether your wheel's cream crackered or just the tyre - will you be able to put the tyre on yourself, or would you need someone to do it for you?

Well I dont know how to do it so I dont know if I can. Im a fast learner and Im quite good with this sort of thing but have never done it before so I really dont know :)
The wheel I have is fine but as you say it will save me putting the tyre on the rim myself if I buy the whole lot.

MetaWraith
04-01-2005, 17:33
I always thought no spare was not a failure
but if you had a spare, it had to be roadworthy.

orangebird
04-01-2005, 17:36
I always thought no spare was not a failure
but if you had a spare, it had to be roadworthy.

Correct - a bald/illegal spare tyre will get you points on your license if you should get spotchecked by police just as it would if it were the wheels you were driving on.

altis
04-01-2005, 17:47
ZrByte appears to be correct:
http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosa/publications/mot%20-%20issue%2010%20-%20jan%202001.pdf
(bottom of page 3)

Wanders off grumbling 'cos I once failed an MOT 'cos the spare wheel was padlocked and the tester couldn't gain access. :(

ZrByte
04-01-2005, 18:20
ZrByte appears to be correct:
http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosa/publications/mot%20-%20issue%2010%20-%20jan%202001.pdf
(bottom of page 3)

Wanders off grumbling 'cos I once failed an MOT 'cos the spare wheel was padlocked and the tester couldn't gain access. :(


Maybe its a more recent change?
Seems like a step backwards to me if it is. Even though I wouldnt have passed my MOT with my spares current condition it seems too important to me to miss such a thing.

ZrByte
04-01-2005, 18:26
Ive decided im just gonna buy a new tyre on the rim if I can get one for £20 or less, then I'll put the current slow puncture wheel in the spare bay temporarily, that should avoid any fines and such if I get spot checked as the tyre has road legal tread.
what exactly does a remould involve? its something ive heard mentioned a few times recently but im not sure exactly what it is.

altis
04-01-2005, 18:55
Remould: take an old, worn out, tyre and bung it back in a mould with some new rubber. Great, until the two part company as seems to happen often with lorry tyres.

homealone
04-01-2005, 18:55
Ive decided im just gonna buy a new tyre on the rim if I can get one for £20 or less, then I'll put the current slow puncture wheel in the spare bay temporarily, that should avoid any fines and such if I get spot checked as the tyre has road legal tread.
what exactly does a remould involve? its something ive heard mentioned a few times recently but im not sure exactly what it is.

simply put it is a bald tyre that has had a new tread stuck on. The worst that can happen is that the new tread can delaminate if it gets too hot, e.g if the tyre is run under-inflated or too fast for too long. Otherwise, its a better compromise than 'part worn', imo. ;)

<edit> must type faster - nice one altis :tu:

Escapee
04-01-2005, 19:09
You have to be carefull swapping certain types of tyres becaue they are marked with direction of rotation.

remoulds are much better these days than they used to be, they are very selective now with the old tyres they choose to remould, I would be quite happy with a remould in your situation if you dont drive long journeys.

I always have smile when people say "Avoid part worn/second hand" I often wonder if these people buy a secondhand car that happens to have good tyres, then drive straight to the tyre depot to have them changed because they are part used. :D

I have bought tyres from the scrapyard, I have a number of old/classic cars and have no problem because I only use these vehicles pottering around locally or trailered to a car show. My local scrappy is a metal dealer and not a car breaker, he will usually put good tyres to one side, although I believe he is not legally able to sell them. I think he had a visit from trading standards who were not happy about his pile of tyres, or it could of been environmental health. (sorry cant remember full details) I am always lucky because he sells me the tyre and wheel for a fiver, I am also lucky in having a tyre changer so it's no problem swapping them over to my wheel and returning the wheel to the scrap pile.

The MOT has never included the spare tyre, refusal of an MOT because the spare tyre was locked could of possibly been more to do with a grumpy MOT inspector who was using it as an excuse for not being able to inspect the petrol tank. (Possibly)

MOT Inspection manual section 4.1 Tyre Inspection:

This inspection applies to the road wheels only. the vehicle presenter should be informed when it is noticed there is a defective tyre on a spare wheel.

ie" Inform owner but not fail vehicle for this reason, there is no mention of spare tyre in the opposite "reason for rejection column"

ZrByte
05-01-2005, 15:38
Is there a certain condition a tyre must be in to be remoulded?
Also, do I just take the trye down? or the tyre on the rimm? or take the whole car and they remove the tyre to do the remould?

altis
05-01-2005, 16:38
They can't do it there and then - it has to go to the factory.

You just buy a remould as you would a new tyre.

Matth
05-01-2005, 19:03
My recollaction, is that radial tyres (they all are now), are best not having their direction reversed, even if they are not directional, as it can increase wear while they "bed in" to the opposite direction.

While old hands would have put on, and taken off tyres with the old tyre irons, it's now a swine of a job!

Not least, that it's very difficult to get a tubeless tyre to seat and seal - the garage fitters would use air pressure, with enough power to kick it into place - your average 12v or foot pump won't do that, and also reinflating a completely flat tyre if disturbed from the rim would be difficult.

I think you need to have it fitted, and the wheel balanced.

Another alternative may be a complete wheel & tyre from a scrapper.

Ideally, you should put two new, or equal condition tyres on the front, so if nothing better, the best of the rest should be paired with it.

SMHarman
06-01-2005, 19:28
It is actually safer to have your bald tyre on the front. The loss of grip on the front (assuming FWD) will result in understeer, a rear losing grip on a FWD is almost impossible to control and usually results in a big pirouette and being slowed down by the nearest lamppost.

It won't pass an MOT with a bald spare!
Actually if you remove the spare when you take it for an MOT it will pass. The requirement is that if there is a spare it has to be legal. There is no requirement for a spare. Many High performance cars (Ferrarris, M BMWs etc) have no spare as they are toooooo big.

Escapee
06-01-2005, 20:42
It is actually safer to have your bald tyre on the front. The loss of grip on the front (assuming FWD) will result in understeer, a rear losing grip on a FWD is almost impossible to control and usually results in a big pirouette and being slowed down by the nearest lamppost.


Actually if you remove the spare when you take it for an MOT it will pass. The requirement is that if there is a spare it has to be legal. There is no requirement for a spare. Many High performance cars (Ferrarris, M BMWs etc) have no spare as they are toooooo big.

I think a lot of confusion on certain MOT items stem from certain items being testable if fitted. This does not apply to the spare tyre.

MOT Inspection manual section 4.1 Tyre Inspection:

This inspection applies to the road wheels only. the vehicle presenter should be informed when it is noticed there is a defective tyre on a spare wheel.

ie" Inform owner but not fail vehicle for this reason, there is no mention of spare tyre in the opposite "reason for rejection column"

iron25
06-01-2005, 23:08
It is actually safer to have your bald tyre on the front. The loss of grip on the front (assuming FWD) will result in understeer, a rear losing grip on a FWD is almost impossible to control and usually results in a big pirouette and being slowed down by the nearest lamppost.


Actually if you remove the spare when you take it for an MOT it will pass. The requirement is that if there is a spare it has to be legal. There is no requirement for a spare. Many High performance cars (Ferrarris, M BMWs etc) have no spare as they are toooooo big.

Whenever I used to get new tyres, I always put the old tyres on the rear and the new ones on the front. After a bit of investigation, general concensus is that the best tyres should always be put on the rear.

With regard to the spare tyre situation, I don't have one in my car and it's past the last three mots.



Grabbed from the michelin website:

Why put new or less worn tyres at the rear ? Back to "Advice from Bibendum"

Whether you have front or rear wheel drive, we recommend that you use newer tyres for the rear set, for extra safety in unforeseen or difficult situations (emergency braking, tight bends etc) particularly on wet surfaces.

Numerous tests have shown that it is easier to control the front wheels than those at the rear.

Front tyres generally wear quicker than those fitted at the rear, particularly on front wheel drive cars, which are currently in the majority.

New tyres fitted in front :
- The behavior of the car will change, because the front / rear balance will be reversed.
The driver, used to a car with less grip at the front, will therefore be taken unawares.
- On a slippery road, the rear will lose traction before the front of the vehicle.
The driver will have no chance of controlling the rear, and will be tempted to accelerate further, which will amplify the spin effect. Only an experienced driver will be able to recover from this dangerous situation...


New tyres fitted at the back :
- The handling of the vehicle will be similar to that known by the driver before the tyre change, because the traction balance will be the same.
- Rear traction will be better, and the driver will be able to control and steer their vehicle without a problem by decelerating and turning the steering wheel in the direction of the bend.

That's why Michelin advises you to reduce the risks you take by fitting new or less worn tyres at the rear of the vehicle for:
- better grip on bends
- extra safety.

russell@home
06-01-2005, 23:22
.
I always have smile when people say "Avoid part worn/second hand" I often wonder if these people buy a secondhand car that happens to have good tyres, then drive straight to the tyre depot to have them changed because they are part used. :D
I had the same discussion today. Would you feel safe driving around on tyres if you saw the remains of the previous car after an RTA?

Also, tyres are only supposed to be fitted to rims once.

Let's be honest, it's only those 4 bits of rubber holding you to the road!

ian@huth
06-01-2005, 23:39
I would have thought that heavy braking would put most of the vehicle weight onto the front wheels of the car and better tyres on the front would be more useful. Also it is the front wheels that steer most cars and more grip on these would be more benificial than less grip. If you corner really fast you may end up with only three wheels on the ground, the fourth wheel off the ground always being a back wheel.

hoggyspuds
06-01-2005, 23:43
Whenever I used to get new tyres, I always put the old tyres on the rear and the new ones on the front. After a bit of investigation, general concensus is that the best tyres should always be put on the rear.

With regard to the spare tyre situation, I don't have one in my car and it's past the last three mots.



Grabbed from the michelin website:

Why put new or less worn tyres at the rear ? Back to "Advice from Bibendum"

Whether you have front or rear wheel drive, we recommend that you use newer tyres for the rear set, for extra safety in unforeseen or difficult situations (emergency braking, tight bends etc) particularly on wet surfaces.

Numerous tests have shown that it is easier to control the front wheels than those at the rear.

Front tyres generally wear quicker than those fitted at the rear, particularly on front wheel drive cars, which are currently in the majority.

New tyres fitted in front :
- The behavior of the car will change, because the front / rear balance will be reversed.
The driver, used to a car with less grip at the front, will therefore be taken unawares.
- On a slippery road, the rear will lose traction before the front of the vehicle.
The driver will have no chance of controlling the rear, and will be tempted to accelerate further, which will amplify the spin effect. Only an experienced driver will be able to recover from this dangerous situation...


New tyres fitted at the back :
- The handling of the vehicle will be similar to that known by the driver before the tyre change, because the traction balance will be the same.
- Rear traction will be better, and the driver will be able to control and steer their vehicle without a problem by decelerating and turning the steering wheel in the direction of the bend.

That's why Michelin advises you to reduce the risks you take by fitting new or less worn tyres at the rear of the vehicle for:
- better grip on bends
- extra safety.

how about you get a job with Michelin?...free tyres to employees

ian@huth
06-01-2005, 23:47
I always have smile when people say "Avoid part worn/second hand" I often wonder if these people buy a secondhand car that happens to have good tyres, then drive straight to the tyre depot to have them changed because they are part used. :D


Some people do just that because they know their life depends on their tyres and you can never be sure of the quality of part worn tyres. I can remember buying a second hand car which looked to have nearly new tyres on it. I was flashed by another car whilst driving a couple of days later and when I pulled up was told to check my rear tyres, one of which had a very large egg shape coming from the sidewall. That could have blown at any time and I would have dreaded being on a busy motorway doing 70 when it did.

SMHarman
07-01-2005, 11:21
I always have smile when people say "Avoid part worn/second hand" I often wonder if these people buy a secondhand car that happens to have good tyres, then drive straight to the tyre depot to have them changed because they are part used. :D
I had the same discussion today. Would you feel safe driving around on tyres if you saw the remains of the previous car after an RTA?

Also, tyres are only supposed to be fitted to rims once.

Let's be honest, it's only those 4 bits of rubber holding you to the road!
Thats the key point, my experience is similar to that described in the Michelin site, I totalled a 205 with 500 mile old tyres on the front and 10k mile tyres on the back, it span out on a bend. I was is a steady line of traffic when this happened and the car behind stopped and the car in front went round the bend at the same speed (me trying to indicate speed was not the primary factor).

So this car when it went to the scrappy had two brand new looking Michelin tyres on the front, I'm sure any 205 owner on a budget would have liked the look of them, but they had been driven over a big kerb at over 50 mph and then battered on all sides as the car did a 360. I would not have wanted to put them on a car driven at any speed. I know you can xray tyres for damage, but thats almost as expensive as buying new AFAIK (unless you are talking about 19in P0s or something equally esoteric).

I would have thought that heavy braking would put most of the vehicle weight onto the front wheels of the car and better tyres on the front would be more useful. Also it is the front wheels that steer most cars and more grip on these would be more benificial than less grip. If you corner really fast you may end up with only three wheels on the ground, the fourth wheel off the ground always being a back wheel.
It would, the front wheels steer and provide power (in most instances), but in your example you point out in hard cornering the back of the car could be held in place by one tyre. Now do you want that to be the newer grippier tyre, or one of the older ones. IMHO your example is a perfect example of why the newer tyres should be on the back.

Escapee
07-01-2005, 11:34
Some people do just that because they know their life depends on their tyres and you can never be sure of the quality of part worn tyres. I can remember buying a second hand car which looked to have nearly new tyres on it. I was flashed by another car whilst driving a couple of days later and when I pulled up was told to check my rear tyres, one of which had a very large egg shape coming from the sidewall. That could have blown at any time and I would have dreaded being on a busy motorway doing 70 when it did.

I know there are the minority who have had a bad experience and would change the tyres for this reason, but my point was really more concerned with people who wouldn't dream of buying "Dangerous" part worn tyres from a dodgy back street garage. These same people do generally buy a secondhand car and not change the tyres as a matter of course.

I would never but part worn for my everyday car, but on the other hand I have used part worn for my old/classic cars. One of them I have even bought brand non "E" marked tyres from abroad after writing to them and stating I was not going to use them on the road, they were for display purpouses only. It is not illegal to use non "E" marked tyres, but it is illegal for a manufacturer to sell them. The company (Large one beggining with M) said they do not make them with E markings because there is no demand in this country, because the size is not available in this country, and no other size tyre will fit due to width and weight rating I have no option. Many odd size tyres around the classic car scene are imported, just try getting 10 inch crossply tyres (radials too wide to fit) say 10x4.00 or 4.20 that are suitable for cars, there are trailer ones about but they handle like s**t on a car.
The vehicle with non E marked tyres will only do 40MPH flat out down hill, so theres not much of a problem considering it gets trailered to car shows and drives on the occasisonal road run at about 30MPH.

SMHarman
07-01-2005, 11:44
I know there are the minority who have had a bad experience and would change the tyres for this reason, but my point was really more concerned with people who wouldn't dream of buying "Dangerous" part worn tyres from a dodgy back street garage. These same people do generally buy a secondhand car and not change the tyres as a matter of course.
<snip>
I would be in the catagory you describe above, however if you have some degreee of confidence as to the provenance of the car and that it has not been in an accident, then you should have a degree of confidence that the tyres on it are also safe. A recent MOT cert also indicates that on that day the tyres had adequate tread and no noticable bulges.
Also if you are checking your tyre pressures regularly (along with fluid levels etc) then you are likely to see any damage. This is probably the bigger risk these days, people driving cars who perform 0 maintainance / checks on them between scheduled services (which could be every 18k miles).

Escapee
07-01-2005, 12:52
I would be in the catagory you describe above, however if you have some degreee of confidence as to the provenance of the car and that it has not been in an accident, then you should have a degree of confidence that the tyres on it are also safe. A recent MOT cert also indicates that on that day the tyres had adequate tread and no noticable bulges.
Also if you are checking your tyre pressures regularly (along with fluid levels etc) then you are likely to see any damage. This is probably the bigger risk these days, people driving cars who perform 0 maintainance / checks on them between scheduled services (which could be every 18k miles).

I agree entirely with you, I remember having a bulge on a tyre after it had only done a few thousand miles. I admit it was a budget variety as it was all I could afford at the time.

The set of front tyres before my current Michelin set were "Camac" ? These were budget ones and were all I could obtain, as the old ones were getting down to 2mm and I was travelling about 500 miles over the weekend I took the camac ones. When I recently booked my car in to have the cam belt changed, I said put 2 new tyres on the front while youre at it please. The guy pulled a face when he saw the tyres on there and assumed I would be looking for the cheapest. I told him though, the car handled perfectly and those tyres had outlasted any michelin, dunlop or pirelli's I had put on there before. My current milage is around 35K a year, so I have got through a few sets on the front of this fiesta in the last 3 almost 3 years.

Matthew
07-01-2005, 21:12
If you take the car to the garage they will repair the slow puncutre for about a £10, we did this before.

ZrByte
07-01-2005, 21:31
If you take the car to the garage they will repair the slow puncutre for about a £10, we did this before.

I considdered this originally but in light of some of the things I have read so far in this thread I now want to replace all my tires since I dont know the history of them. Also considdering how little tread I have left its probably not worth the money.

Shameless plug: im hoping to make enough money from the stuff im selling on eBay at the moment to but a whole new set of tyres, and if im real lucky maybe swap off my old rimms and get some alloys (Not boy racery, but nicer than the whole black and rust thing my current ones have got going on).
Wich actually raises another question. Do alloy wheels require a different type of tyre or are they interchangable?

paulyoung666
07-01-2005, 22:06
Wich actually raises another question. Do alloy wheels require a different type of tyre or are they interchangable?


no difference in tyres , what you need to make sure is that the offset , width and diameter are the same as you have got now , go too much in any direction and you might think you are driving a shopping trolley :disturbd: :disturbd: :disturbd: :disturbd:

ZrByte
07-01-2005, 22:55
no difference in tyres , what you need to make sure is that the offset , width and diameter are the same as you have got now , go too much in any direction and you might think you are driving a shopping trolley :disturbd: :disturbd: :disturbd: :disturbd:

Im planning on doing all of them at the same time for matching sets so that wouldnt be a problem would it?
I want to buy 5 tyres at the same time and use them on my current rimms then upgrade to alloys afterwards.
Hmm, though on reflection that probably wont work, I have seen very few 13" alloys so I will likeley need to get 14" or 15" alloys, wich will make my tyres useless :) , back to the drawing board I guess :) I'll just have to buy the tyres and the alloys at the same time.
How much of a difference do different size wheels make to the speedo? and any idea how much a recalibration would be? Im on 13" wheels at the moment.

paulyoung666
07-01-2005, 22:59
Im planning on doing all of them at the same time for matching sets so that wouldnt be a problem would it?
I want to buy 5 tyres at the same time and use them on my current rimms then upgrade to alloys afterwards.
Hmm, though on reflection that probably wont work, I have seen very few 13" alloys so I will likeley need to get 14" or 15" alloys, wich will make my tyres useless :) , back to the drawing board I guess :) I'll just have to buy the tyres and the alloys at the same time.
How much of a difference do different size wheels make to the speedo? and any idea how much a recalibration would be? Im on 13" wheels at the moment.


go up an inch in sixe and roughly you need to go down 10% in profile , i.e. 13" - 14" , go from 70 - 60 profile , and before anyone says anything i did say roughly :dozey: ;)

ZrByte
07-01-2005, 23:22
go up an inch in sixe and roughly you need to go down 10% in profile , i.e. 13" - 14" , go from 70 - 60 profile , and before anyone says anything i did say roughly :dozey: ;)

I see, and this will negate the need for a speedo recalibration?

paulyoung666
08-01-2005, 01:19
I see, and this will negate the need for a speedo recalibration?


yup , its all about keeping the rolling diameter roughly the same :)

ZrByte
08-01-2005, 01:24
yup , its all about keeping the rolling diameter roughly the same :)

Excelent :)
With a bit of luck I should have all 5 tyres changed and on alloys by the end of the month :)

Hmm, actually, I have another question. If I do have alloys would it be acceptable to have my spare as a normal steel wheel? (obviously only a wheel of the same size etc) as this would no-doubt be cheaper.

paulyoung666
08-01-2005, 01:29
Excelent :)
With a bit of luck I should have all 5 tyres changed and on alloys by the end of the month :)

Hmm, actually, I have another question. If I do have alloys would it be acceptable to have my spare as a normal steel wheel? (obviously only a wheel of the same size etc) as this would no-doubt be cheaper.


a spare is a spare is a spare , many cars are supplied with a steel rim spacesaver tyre , nothing to worry about in this regard :)

ZrByte
08-01-2005, 01:35
a spare is a spare is a spare , many cars are supplied with a steel rim spacesaver tyre , nothing to worry about in this regard :)

Good good, that should save me a few quid :) Thanks a lot paul, and everybody else for your contribution.

bopdude
08-01-2005, 01:40
Excelent :)
With a bit of luck I should have all 5 tyres changed and on alloys by the end of the month :)

Well pleased your nearly sorted out, just remember, with new tyres and alloys, get a decent set of locking nuts :rolleyes: :p: otherwise all that hard earned cash is gone...............

in 60 seconds :Sprint: :Sprint: :D :tu:

ZrByte
08-01-2005, 01:47
Well pleased your nearly sorted out, just remember, with new tyres and alloys, get a decent set of locking nuts :rolleyes: :p: otherwise all that hard earned cash is gone...............

in 60 seconds :Sprint: :Sprint: :D :tu:

Yeah, looking on ebay every other set of alloys beeing sold are only on sale due to one or more having been stolen :shocked:

SMHarman
08-01-2005, 16:32
Excelent :)
With a bit of luck I should have all 5 tyres changed and on alloys by the end of the month :)

Hmm, actually, I have another question. If I do have alloys would it be acceptable to have my spare as a normal steel wheel? (obviously only a wheel of the same size etc) as this would no-doubt be cheaper.
Size = rolling diameter so you could keep a 13in with a 70 tyre as a spare.

ZrByte
09-01-2005, 17:56
Size = rolling diameter so you could keep a 13in with a 70 tyre as a spare.

Does that mean I currently have a balance problem then?
I currently have 3x 145/75/R13 and 1x 155/80/R13

paulyoung666
09-01-2005, 18:08
Does that mean I currently have a balance problem then?
I currently have 3x 145/75/R13 and 1x 155/80/R13


no it means you have mismatched tyres across an axle and i believe illegal :disturbd: :disturbd: , a balance problem would be indicated by the steering wheel wobbling or the car body shaking :disturbd:

altis
09-01-2005, 18:08
Try the explaination here:

http://www.chris-longhurst.com/carbibles/index.html?menu.html&tyre_bible.html

ZrByte
09-01-2005, 18:14
no it means you have mismatched tyres across an axle and i believe illegal :disturbd: :disturbd: , a balance problem would be indicated by the steering wheel wobbling or the car body shaking :disturbd:

Its on the rear axle anyway so this wouldnt make the steering wobble would it?

ZrByte
09-01-2005, 18:16
Try the explaination here:

http://www.chris-longhurst.com/carbibles/index.html?menu.html&tyre_bible.html

Thanks, thats very useful :D

ZrByte
09-01-2005, 18:25
Actually Ive just realised they are 3x 145/80/r13 1x 155/75/r13. and according to that site that altis listed this is less than 0.09% difference wich is acceptable :)

paulyoung666
09-01-2005, 18:26
Its on the rear axle anyway so this wouldnt make the steering wobble would it?


no , but it could induce body shake if the imbalance is bad enough :)


Actually Ive just realised they are 3x 145/80/r13 1x 155/75/r13. and according to that site that altis listed this is less than 0.9% difference wich is acceptable :)


but is it legal ?????? , i might be wrong but there you go , dont wait for a roadside spotcheck to catch you out :disturbd: :disturbd: :disturbd:

ZrByte
09-01-2005, 18:32
no , but it could induce body shake if the imbalance is bad enough :)





but is it legal ?????? , i might be wrong but there you go , dont wait for a roadside spotcheck to catch you out :disturbd: :disturbd: :disturbd:


As I said im changing the lot of them when I get my money from my ebay sales so it wont be a problem for long anyway :)
Also as ive said previously my car has just passed an MOT, it took a lot of effort to get it through and it has gone through 3 full tests between 2 different test centers, this is part of the MOT criteria so im sure one of them would have spotted it if it was illegal.

Matth
09-01-2005, 19:53
Reading the front/rear issue, I'm convinced - the best tyres on the REAR, for more grip, to reduce the tendency to oversteer or swap ends.

If you replace as a whole set, then you'd normally get a set of four and use the best of the old ones as a spare.

The other issue, is how long will the car last, you don't want to buy a whole new set, and then find that next year it's an MOT failure for rust or something!

ZrByte
09-01-2005, 21:15
Reading the front/rear issue, I'm convinced - the best tyres on the REAR, for more grip, to reduce the tendency to oversteer or swap ends.

If you replace as a whole set, then you'd normally get a set of four and use the best of the old ones as a spare.

The other issue, is how long will the car last, you don't want to buy a whole new set, and then find that next year it's an MOT failure for rust or something!

One of the tyres was brand new on my car when I got it (it still had those thin bits of rouber off the moulds that you see on tyres in shops) so I plan to keep that as the spare.
I think ive got about 3 - 4 years left in my current car but you never know. Regardless im planning to get an ok set of tyres/alloys and if the worst comes to the worst im going to put my old rimms onto the car for sale and to keep the nice set for whatever I get or to sell if they are unsuitable for my newer car.

ZrByte
21-01-2005, 04:44
UPDATE: Ok ive got my money and I will be going to get my tyres sorted tomorrow.
Im going to take my car to KwikFit tomorrow luchtime and get a full new set of tyres and keep my current 13" Rimms. (Unless anybody can think of somewhere better, or has a good reason to stay away from Kwikfit).
They currently have an offer on wich I thought looked good...


Make Model Tyre Size Price Quantity Total
Arrowspeed T100 165/70T13 £24.00 4 £96.00
Arrowspeed Tyre Discount £26.00 1 - £26.00
Valve and Balance £7.99 4 £31.96
Tyre Disposal Charge £1.00 4 £4.00
Total £105.96

Does that look good? or is it a rip off?


After I have had this done and my car is safer I plan to work on other bits such as Alarm/Immobiliser, central locking and replacing my broken parcel shelf. then in about 6months - 1 years time I plan to upgrade my rimms to something nicer. My Dads car has the exact same size Rimms/tyres as as I will be getting tomorrow so they will make more than adequete spares for him so its not like they will be a waste of money :)

Any comments/suggestions please tell me before 11:30am or I wont see them until its too late :)