75ZT Community

Hi all I wonder if anybody can help. My last 75 with 18" hairpins on would turn on a ten pence in the wet but my new one on 17" starspokes would prefer to go straight. I had tracking checked and adjusted, tyres have got loads of tread left on them but its not just cornering it is also when I am pulling away when it's wet it just won't grip.

What brand of tyres are on the front?

I'm sure they are Fortuna

There's an enormous difference in performance from one brand /price range to the next. Do you recall what you had on the 18"s?

Mick wrote:There's an enormous difference in performance from one brand /price range to the next. Do you recall what you had on the 18"s?

I think they were firestones or pirelli Mick

Just as a down and dirty comparison I've picked 1 from Fortuna and one from Pirelli, the Fortunas are £65.00 and the Pzeros £103.00 both are summer tyres, whatever that means.

So according to that then the Fortuna are better?

No, higher number = poorer performance rating 1-6

Ah so they are naff then

persuer wrote:Ah so they are naff then

Unfortunately yes.......

Looks like it's a trip to the tyre centre tomorrow lol.

Thanks all

Big names don't always mean better performance. For a while in the late 90's early 0's I refused to buy Dunlops as their wet performance was shocking. Our Micra came with them on, and it was almost impossible to prevent wheelspin when damp. Changed to some budget Courier tyres, and the car was a hundred times better.

I also think the ratings on new tyres are largely self certified, so expect some brands to exaggerate their own performance.

I have Uniroyal rainExperts fitted (15 inch wheels) at £50 each, and so far (six months) I am delighted with them, as during that time I have been caught in heavy rain on both Mways and "A" roads several times and the car handles very well indeed...
...

Mine are Yokohama Adavan 103 Sports. Excellent tyre but and awful wear rate. Swings and roundabouts I suppose. Looking at Michelin Pilots next time I change. Had them on an Alfa and they just lasted and lasted and were good in the wet and dry but not great in snow (but then again - get snow tyres )

I had some Yokohamas on my old 416 tourer, on Phoenix alloys and they were absolutely awesome. I had to change two of them because some stupid prat forced me into a curb. Got budgets on the front and they were shocking. There's one particular corner I could take at 65 with wiggle room on the Yokos. I think I pushed 75 once. On the budgets I had to do it at 40-45. Anymore and they just let go suddenly. Awful things they were.

I have to say I only had these as they were a deal I could not pass up. My partners ex is a sales exec at Michelin UK. We get on really well and when he saw I had bought my ZTT, he spotted the collection of mongrel tyres and had a good moan about the quality all but one were no name Chinese with names I have never heard of and they were shocking.

He has a contact at a massive Tyre whole sales company who supply pretty much every tyre distributor in the UK. I assumed they when he told me tt pop over and mention his name to the guy running the place, I would have a set of Michelins to pay for. No they were Yokohamas! but for just under 300 quid for all 4, rather than the 220 a corner I later got quotes for on the internet (brother in law is a mobile tyre fitter, so that bit was free), so I could not moan.

I asked him why not Michelins? when he was in the country next (always off somewhere in europe - lucky beggar). "They are just as good in all aspects" was the reply and he also said he would have them on his cars but for obvious reasons he is not allowed. He used to do a hell of a lot of motor sport and helps a mate run 2 ex Jordan GP cars and even a Ferrari 308 GTB rally car! So, he knows his stuff.

That was a good enough recommendation for me and I have to say i am chuffed with them. He reckons the wear rate is my right foot and weight of the ZTT (so point taken on my earlier post).

But at the end of the day, tyre choice is down to personal choice and budgets.

I have just put a new set of winter tyres on (Nokian WR D3), does anyone else do this each year?
Find once temperatures are below 7C the difference in stopping and grip is really noticeable, and any snow or ice you really see/feel the difference, it beats a 4x4 with summer tyres any day.
I think our friends in Germany have to put on Winter tyres by law, and several other countries in Europe.