Which tyres suited for T4 Saloon?

Hi Guys,

I was wondering which tyres you guys generally go for and reasons?

I have a 98 T4 with the standard 205/50 R16 Wheels.

Thanks again,

Neil

Not a T4 saloon, but a V40 2.0T (195/55 R15) and I have Michelin Pilot Supremecy all round. These seem to have very good grip and give good feedback. However, on UK raods they are incredably noisey tyres. How much of this noise is down to poor maintenance of UK roads is up for debate though as I don't have aproblem with noise in the Netherlands.

As far as wear goes, I can't say as I have only had them for 17,000 kms (approx), over the last 8 months.

Stu

[Dommett]

I have kept with the Pirelli P6000 on my T4, but I would be interested if somebody has had particuarly good experience with some others.

I would also be very interested to hear if anybody has fitted 215 tyres on the standard volvo 16" alloys.
I asked the dealer and they said it was possible, and they know people that have done it, but said I could experience some scraping of the tyres on the top of the wheel-arch and/or when on full lock.
Anybody tried it????

I would imagine they would be better (and look cooler!!) and would reduce scuffing of the alloys on pavements :-)

Btw: The Pirelli's are a soft compound, so they are very grippy, and quieter than others', although they dont last very long.
So they are a very good choice for the T4.

They are also very keenly priced; my local garage fits them for £65 each.

I had a pair of new P6000's last week (205/50/16 ZR W91). These replaced old 6000's. I was going to fit Bridgestones, but changed my mind as the P6000's had served me well. Sometimes better the devil you know!

Hi guys, thought I'd share my experiences with you. My stock '98 T4 had P6000s on when I got it, which were fine in the dry, but I wasn't impressed with them in the wet. Seemed very prone to aquaplaning, and the traction was pretty poor.

Looked at various online reviews and decided on Dunlop SP9000s, which at the time were just under £100. On the whole, very impressed. Only minor criticism is they can be a bit twitchy in the dry - eg. tramlining on worn motorway surfaces. Wet performance however is excellent - totally sure-footed and predictable. I'd say they're probably a bit noisier then P6000s, and are very susceptible to early wear at the edges. IMHO however, predictable and safe handling in the wet is essential with 200bhp to the front wheels, and price, longevity, noise and ride quality take second place. On the plus side, they also look OK and have an 'MFS' rim protection system which works very well with the Crater wheels on my car.

I've heard PZeros are very good but wear out quickly. Having said that though, they're currently cheaper than SP9000s at a well-known tyre dealer. I'm shortly going to be forking out for 3 new tyres and will probably stick to the SP9000s though.

I may be mistaken, but I've formed the impression that P6000s are maybe better for more run-of-the-mill cars and aren't quite up to scratch for something as powerful as the T4. Maybe I'm just put off by the fact that my father's Rover 45 has them as standard...;-)

Cheers,

Jon

[GorgeousGeorge]

mornin

just had avon zz3,s fitted to replace the p zeroes, which did spin in the wet but still got 25k out of them on the 2.0T.

so far the avons have been fine, and cheaper than the zeroes.

cheers

scott

[Dan F]

Hi Scott.
I have had the Avons before and I couldn't really fault them. May lack a little grip in the wet but they are very good tyres, and made in the UK too!!

Later,
Dan.

[Dommett]

Dan,

When you say you have had them before, I am assuming you didnt get them again for some reason? did you go back to the Pirelli's?
Is there any reason to choose them over the Pirelli's?

I'll start a new thread in the performance section about tyre size.

Tom

One of the best if not the best tyre on the market for grip and performance in the wet is the Michelin Pilot Sport. There is probably an offer on at COstco in about a month or twos time which gets you £40 off a set. Their prices are the best I've seen for Michelin by quite a way.

Last year my friend bought a set for his Rover 620 turbo, which is a 200bhp car. This car handled far worse than the T4 on his P6000s (2mm-3mm left. However, with the Michelin tyres it is transformed. They grip like mad and more than compensate for the bendy chassis. They are really outstanding in the wet. He can take corners faster than I'd dare (though I am on naff tyres at present). I will definitely go for these when the time comes.

I had P6000s on my Rover 200BRM, with good tread. To be honest they didn't flatter the car, though thats not to say they are not good, or wouldn't be good on a S40

[Dan F]

I said 'had' them because I sold the car before they wore out.
:)

Otherwise I would have bought them again no bother. Very impressed with them.

Vredstein is a good make too, they came top in a recent Auto Express test.

Later,
Dan.