[narayan]

Dear Bhpians,

am facing a peculiar issue with tyre wear and need to take a decision amongst various options that come to my mind


The problem

most likely due to improper rotation, I now have 2 tyres ( one on each directional rotation ) that are almost at the end of their "tread" life ( maybe 1000km more of tread ) and 3 tyres that have, in my assessment another 8-10k more to go.

the tires are YOKOHAMA AVS SPORT purchased in June 2006 @ odo 55k. odo now reads 78k.

I am quite displeased with the life of these tires. Performance was also not that great. but thats a different discussion all together.

the size i am running for my OHC is 195/55/15 - i know this is NOT the right upsize ( its off the mark by around 2-3mm).

given the above facts what do i do in terms of tyre replacement ??


OPTION - 1 - KEEP RUNNING AS IS

run the poor tyres at the rear. good ones at the front for another 10k. keep driving in city and not undertake any long drives. wear out the good tyres and then go for a 4 tyre change.

if so, should I run 3 good tires plus 1 bad one to maxmise grip

or

should i run 2 good ones at front and 2 bad ones for rear so as to " balance out " grip between front and rear


OPTION - 2 - CHANGE ONLY THE WORN OUT TYRES (2 )

now here, one needs to look at the fact that i am running not the BEST UPSIZE as i mentioned earlier.

SO CAN I GO FOR A DIFFERENT BRAND OF SAY 195/50/15 OR 205/50/15 ( since AVS SPORT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE AND I ANYWAY DONT LIKE IT ).
in this case, i need to run these 2 tyres ( of different tread/size ) at the front and push the good YOKOS to the rear )

IS THIS AN ACCEPTABLE/SAFE WAY OF RUNNING TYRES ?? IF SO, SHOULD I CHOOSE 195/50 or 205/50 ?

my priority is comfort and tyre life and acceptable grip. I am not into corner carving, entry/exit speeds, brushing the apexes etc etc


OPTION 3 - CHANGE ALL TYRES RIGHT AWAY

this is the most expensive option and i absolutely don't want to do it unless its the only way out


In all the above options, I want to retain one of the older 195/55 as the spare wheel. Is this OK ?


Kindly make your suggestions in terms of the above options OR ANYTHING ELSE. and also please suggest tyre brands with their approx prices


thanks guys

if its required, I can post pictures of one good tire and bad one.

Regards

Narayan

[tyrestore]

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[DieselFan]

Please change all the tyres right away. For the safety of people this is small price to pay. I changed my tyres with old tyres still having tread to go another 5 K kms or more.

[ThE_DoN]

If you decide to stay with your current tyres - Please keep the better tyres in the rear and the slightly used ones at the front.

However, I don't understand how you analyzed that 2 of them have 1k of life remaining. I think in such a case you are better of changing them right away.

My suggestion is buy two new tyres and use them as rear tyres and use 2 out of the 3 'better off' tyres in the front. After around 5-10k usage, replace them and rotate carefully going ahead.

Edit: Didn't read your size problems clearly. I think you are better off with changing all tyres right away..

[narayan]

Originally Posted by ThE_DoN

If you decide to stay with your current tyres - Please keep the better tyres in the rear and the slightly used ones at the front.

However, I don't understand how you analyzed that 2 of them have 1k of life remaining. I think in such a case you are better of changing them right away.

My suggestion is buy two new tyres and use them as rear tyres and use 2 out of the 3 'better off' tyres in the front. After around 5-10k usage, replace them and rotate carefully going ahead.

Don - i always thought the better tyres need to be at the FRONT because most of the braking force is applied there - all the more for a FRONT WHEEL DRIVEN CAR

i just made a educated guess by looking at the tread depth that it might last 1 more month

[Hoopoe]

Although you do not mention it, I am assuming it is your Honda City we are talking about here. In my honest opinion, it is best to change all of your tyres in one go (read all five). If not five then keep one good for spare and change the four immediately and try to economize on other things (relinquish unnecessary drives, spend less on beer etc) to make up. Tyre safety is directly related to your safety and those of other road users. It is false economy to try to prolong life in a situation you describe.

[ThE_DoN]

Originally Posted by narayan

Don - i always thought the better tyres need to be at the FRONT because most of the braking force is applied there - all the more for a FRONT WHEEL DRIVEN CAR

i just made a educated guess by looking at the tread depth that it might last 1 more month

Regardless of front or rear wheel drive it is always recommended to have better tyres at the rear. I just found this link on some random googling. Please go through it-

Michelin - Fitting tyres - Why fit new or less worn tyres to the rear?

I think mixing tyre sizes will lead to unknown handling issues. If you are averse to spending a lot right away - I suggest finalise a set of tyres which you want; Buy 2 of them and replace it with the rear and put the best of the existing in the front. Now drive around for a few days to see of you feel any adverse reacting in handling/breaking. If you feel so then buy off 2 more tyres immediately and replace the front as well.

This is like a last resort incase you dont want to buy 4 tyres right away. Please be very carefull for the first few days after using mixed spec tyres. If you think that there seems to be no adverse issues then you may delay changing the front tyre after next 5-10kms.