Numpty post about mixing tyre brands front and rear

[darrellr]

My e350 Coupe is 14 months old and my fronts had worn to "4-6-6-4" whilst the rears were a uniform 3 four weeks ago.

I was thinking that I would simply replace the rears with new ones of identical make/spec etc form black circles the same as I did with my previous CLK. The tyres are all Continental Contact Sport 3.

Problem is Black Circles don't seem to do them anymore. More to the point the whole tyre selection thing has upped itself with wet grip, noise and fuel economy ratings.

Given the wear reported I think I ought to replace just the rears but I'm totally unsure as to whether I can 'mix and match'. Looking at the black circles site the best price/performance is 'Dunlop SP Sport Maxx RT'.

Am I worrying unnecessarily? Can you mix tyre manafacturers front and rear?

 

[renault12ts]

Yes...of course.

 

[nigel cross]

I think the latest conti's are 5's now

 

[markjay]

MB stipulate that all four tyres should be of same type and wear.

The reason is that using tyres with different characteristics (friction, rolling resistance, deformation etc) can lead to eronous ESP and ABS readings.

But the reality is that I have never seen this happen.

I am lucky in that my povery-spec car has very common tyres size, resulting in a set of four top-of-the-range Continental MO tyres costing £360 fitted... Some tyre sizes cost as much for a single tyre. Therefore I always replace them in sets of four, and always have four identical tyres on my car.

But to be honset if the cost wasn't as cheap as it is, I would probably suffice with having same make and model on each axle.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

I replace tyres in pairs to try and keep things even on the same axles.

Try these Car Tyres - MPV Tyres - People Carrier Tyres - 18" for tyres, very competitive...

 

[Paparazi]

Fitting in pairs on each axle is perfectly acceptable as long as they are 'Similar'. By similar I mean not a pair of winter M&S's on the front and normal summer tyres on the rear.
Michelin/Continental/Pirelli/Goodyear/Fulda (in that order), personally I prefer European rubber as the tyres are generally more suited to our climate but admittedly that is a massive general statement as there are also many fine tyres made in the far east like Bridgestone/Yokohama/Hankook and of course these are global companies often having production plants in Europe. Then there are other middle ranking Euro brands like Uniroyal/Firestone/Avon/vredestein which are also decent if you want to save a few quid.
Given the age ...I would choose from the first 5 mentioned.

Martin

 

[E55BOF]

You might also like to raise your front tyre pressures by a few pounds to even out the wear across the tread.

 

[Paparazi]

As an ex Mercedes Technician (in another life) this type of wear characteristic is normal (rounded....wearing edges more than the centres on the front and the opposite on the rears....wearing the centres more than the edges)

That is why Mercedes and others manufacturers, recommend a wheel rotation regime as part of the service to get the maximum wear from the tyres.
Whatever you do DO NOT increase pressures to try and compensate, with respect, that is just poor advice, unless of course Fully laden/high speed settings apply.

Martin

 

[markjay]

As an ex Mercedes Technician (in another life) this type of wear characteristic is normal (rounded....wearing edges more than the centres on the front and the opposite on the rears....wearing the centres more than the edges)

That is why Mercedes and others manufacturers, recommend a wheel rotation regime as part of the service to get the maximum wear from the tyres.

Martin

Indeed, each service I rotate the front and rear tyres. Not feasible if you have stagared wheels of course...

In the olden days, the manufacturers' recommendation was to cross-rotate tyres around the vehicle (unless the tyres are unidirectional), however current wisdon says that one should not reverse the direction of rotation hence only back-forth swaps are permissable.

 

[andy27168]

I have just bought a full set of four 235/40/18 95Y Dunlop SportMaxx RTs for my Audi I can thoroughly recommend them it has transformed its handling, it was pretty good being a Quattro, but now the car is like it is on rails in the wet or dry, and they are supremely quiet.

 

[markjay]

My Owners Manual says (page 232):

'Only fit tyres and wheels of the same type and make'

Make of it what you will...

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

On 2WD cars I replace tyres in pairs from time to time, but always buy the perfect match for the pair that are staying, and only switch brands when I replace all four tyres.

If I'm honest I would probably replace all four, but there's probably no real need to. I would however stick with the same brand as an absolute minimum - it looks better if the time comes to sell too.

 

[thecolonel]

couple of points.

you dont need the same make / model tyre on each corner, although at least matching pairs is advisable.

when you swap your tyres out, try and keep the tyres with MORE tread at the rear (ie new tyres) as it is better in life to have understeer than over steer.

I would also look at getting some wheel alignment done, which in fairness is a good thing to get done when you change tyres. Doesnt cost much and if your tyres are scrubbing badly, it will only kill new tyres quicker.

 

[markjay]

Another interesting point from the Owners Manual - single new tyres should go on the front.

I am assuming this is because having tyres with different tread deapths on the rear can trigger the traction control.

 

[350_Coupe]

short answe yes, i have not read all the replies, but i too had those contact 3's and they were good, even in the winter, i was very impressed with them so i stayed with that range and got sport contact 5's up front and 5p's at the back end and they have been fine

 

[350_Coupe]

Whatever you do DO NOT increase pressures to try and compensate, with respect, that is just poor advice, unless of course Fully laden/high speed settings apply.

Martin

agreed, that will cause all sorts of problems not least of which could be reduced performance in poor weather

 

[grober]

My Owners Manual says (page 232):

'Only fit tyres and wheels of the same type and make'

Make of it what you will...

I hate vague advice like this from manufacturers which leads to unnecessary worry for some owners:-

'Only fit tyres and wheels of the same type and make'= hint round ones are a good start .
= search high and low to get the same model of tyre which we bought as a cheap job lot from Yokohama because Michelin had run out that week of production and have stopped making now.

 

[darrellr]

Many thanks to all that have replied.

What a great forum this is

 

[350_Coupe]

lol grober, love the reply.... and i too hate that