Tyres change at 3mm

masterboy123

Getting a routine service done for my Tucson Hybrid 211 and got a call that the front tyres at 3mm and recommending change.

It may last for another few hundred kms but it's coming as a recommendation to change tyres at 3mm.

I do motorway driving 700kms weekly, so I decided to change them today.

What's the opinion of others?

Thanks

Outkast_IRE

Its an RSA recommendation that 3mm is the point at which you should change.

In this country where you can experience 4 seasons in one day, i would be very slow to wear a tyre below 3mm if doing any significant level of driving, especially at higher speeds.

masterboy123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120330835#Comment_120330835

Thanks so much.

Victor

Also be aware of the manufacturer's recommendations, which could be 5mm or more.

The legal limit is [EDIT] 1.6mm, but that was written as a time when hundreds of people were being killed on the roads every year. It's not safe.

Witcher

^^The limit is 1.6mm

bazz26

1.6mm is the minimum legal tread depth, however tyres tend to lose their performance and effectiveness well before reaching that limit. 3mm would be approaching time to change in my view while I'm sure there are others out there who would see 3mm as being practically brand new. Drivers should be inspecting their tyres regularly though especially if doing alot of driving. Them and brakes are all that keep you on the road.

con747

Have a read of this article. https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/Should-we-change-tyres-at-3mm.htm Up to each person to decide though.

masterboy123

Thanks all.

Fronts were at 3 mm and rears at 4.3mm.

The dealer never recommended to rotate tyres but I think next time I will get tyres rotated.

How much does a local garage charge to rotate tyres?

And do they rotate the whole wheel along with the tyre? Or is it like taking off all four tyres first and then rotating?

Thanks

colm_mcm

Get quotes for proper tyres from a tyre place.

Wheel rotation is a load of nonsense IMO. You just end up needing 4 tyres at a time.

con747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120332027#Comment_120332027

Mine charges €25 to rotate the wheels and check balancing. A local country village tyre centre.

Gooser14

I rotate them myself every 8k to 10k km. Takes less than an hour to do it.

zg3409

Don't think at dealer prices. They can often out on the cheapest tyres they can find.

Instead if you can buy 4 tyres online and get fitted locally. I would tend to change at 2mm but for the better half car I always make sure lots of thread on the front and less so on the rear.

Main impact of not charging early is in heavy rain higher risk of losing control.

Neilw

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120333979#Comment_120333979

New guidelines are to have better tyres on the rear. For the average driver understeer is easier to correct than oversteer.

masterboy123

Thank you all.

Drove in snow this morning and on motorway, great handling on the front new tyres:

Continental Ultra contact UC6 SUV. I hope they are not budget tyres.

forzacalcio

Going to jump in and hijack this sorry. Bought a new car in May. Was serviced this week and I was told my tyres need replacing as they are at 1.6mm. 18k km on the clock..is this right? Seems a bit quick to be worn. Of all the cars I've had over the years I've never had to change tyres this early. They are 19" 245 width Bridgestone.

Atlantic Dawn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120335647#Comment_120335647

Depends on the driving style and car, not unheard of. I know someone who got a MKVI GTI from new and had to change them at less than 10k miles back in the day, in his case the reason was that he drove it like it was stolen 😂.

forzacalcio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120335690#Comment_120335690

🤣🤣

Nah I wouldn't be that kind of driver. It just seems mad that my last 3 cars I had for 3 years each I never needed to change tyres on a service and this time, I need to after 10 months. I'm going to try a different brand and see how I get on. If it's known to happen fair enough I'll just suck it up and move on. Cheers for the feedback.

con747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120335711#Comment_120335711

Check the thread depth yourself in case the dealer is pulling a fast one.

forzacalcio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120335742#Comment_120335742

Yeah I actually brought it to their attention that's why it went in and the service was done. I was always suspicious they weren't new tyres when I got the car (One of them was plugged when I got the car) but it's my own fault for not pushing it then. Lesson learnt. I'll go to a local tyre fitter and go through them with eyes open this time.

coylemj

In the matter of getting new tyres, I would take the following view...

• This should be something that is driven by the car owner, not a place doing a service.
• If you accept a reccomendation via a phone call that you get new tyres, you are opening yourself to being royally ripped off in cases where (1) you don't need new tyres in the first place (2) they fit crap tyres (3) they charge way more for a given brand and model than you would have paid if you shopped around.

Just look at post #14 above, OP quotes the brand and model they fitted and says 'I hope they are not budget tyres'. In other words, he hasn't a clue what they sold him. It's completely bonkers to do this transaction over the phone.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120335647#Comment_120335647

Are you driving a big EV by any chance?

masterboy123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120336024#Comment_120336024

I called them back within 10 minutes and they confirmed it is Continental. Although I asked for Michelin 🌞 Primacy 4 which got me running for over 65000 km.

coylemj

Was getting a new exhaust in a place in D4 a few years ago. The guy told me my tyres were 'below the legal limit'. I asked him to state the legal limit and he couldn't. Complete chancer!

bazz26

Continental are a premium brand tyre, not as good as Michelin but certainly a world away from budget tyres.

Main dealer will nearly always be more expensive for tyres over a tyre centre. Some dealers will even have an arangement with a nearby tyre centre to supply and fit tyres they sell to customers in for a service and then add their markup to the bill. Some people just go with getting tyres from a main dealer when the car is in for a service as they just want the convenience of a one stop shop maintenance visit. You will pay for that convenience though.

colm_mcm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120335034#Comment_120335034

Great tyres but they may wear pretty quickly. Definitely not a budget tyre.

forzacalcio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120336141#Comment_120336141

Cupra Formentor.

enricoh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120336581#Comment_120336581

I know a tyre fitter, he loves electric yokes- they eat tyre's with the extra weight. A tyre nearly 300mm wide ain't gonna be do 60k kms on a diesel either.

Continental are a great tyre but don't last, taxi drivers always wanted Michelin back 20 years ago when I was at tyres.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120336581#Comment_120336581

Plugin Hybrid?

northknife

While we are on tyres, is there any tyre fitters in Ireland that actually quote you a price online for picking a tyre and getting it fitted?

Very frustrating that you can't book your tyre and fitting on their websites.

HeidiHeidi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120336680#Comment_120336680

I have used Tyreland in Dublin - I didn't do online pricing/ booking - first time I called in (one of their places is nearby where I live), second time I rang, but I got a price and they came out and fitted, excellent service.

colm_mcm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120336680#Comment_120336680

Blackcircles used to be great for that.

masterboy123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120336448#Comment_120336448

Michelin Primacy 4 lasted me for 62000 km. I am hoping this Continental would atleast do 40,000 km.

forzacalcio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120336657#Comment_120336657

No, Petrol. I know someone with the same car (1 year-ish older)and they have it 18 months and only now starting to see wear and tear. I'm still suspicious about the "newness" of the tyres tbh

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120339605#Comment_120339605

Last time I went for tyres for my wifes car I'd asked for some specific tyres and they got them in for me when I went back to get them fitted they said sorry we've got them in but unless you really want them we are going to send them back. The tyres they showed me had half the tread as two of the same tyres that already been on the car for a few thousand miles. The tyres looked brand new but someone was pulling a fast one.

I was in my local tyre place recently, getting the second set for my car. The first original set (Bridgestone Turanza) had lasted 40k and still had a fair bit left. They told me that even if I put the same brand on again, there's no way I'd get another 40k from them and that's just the way it was. Seemed a bit odd.

enricoh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120339747#Comment_120339747

No suspension wear on a new yoke, tracking 100% etc.

ofcork

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120339605#Comment_120339605

Bought brand new?

masterboy123

Hi,

I am back here.

New Continental is more grippy on the motorway but not soft on potholes like Michelin.

Another issue is unequal air pressure. The front new tyres are 2 psi higher than the old rear ones when

warm, despite I put in 35 psi in all four cold tyres. Is it due to new tyres being more rubbery? Pic attached.

magicbastarder

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdPMRMUbMuE

that shows the difference between (just) road legal tyres and ones which have good meat on them, in emergency braking in very wet conditions.

it's a segment from an old fifth gear program.

Arnout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120364910#Comment_120364910

Probably the main reason is that the front tyres have a lot of work to do: acceleration, steering and they do most of the braking.

The rear tyres do a little bit of braking and other than that their only purpose is to keep the back of the car from dragging on the road.

Unless you have a rear wheel drive car or all wheel drive.

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120364972#Comment_120364972

Would be interesting to see the outcome if cars reversed

magicbastarder

a reversing car wouldn't get up to that sort of speed, so far less spectacular...

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120365299#Comment_120365299

I'm not sure if you're simply being facetious or misinterpreted my post (freely admit that would be easy to do!!). The point I was trying to make is it would be interesting to see the outcome if the 2nd car had the good tyres

con747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120364972#Comment_120364972

I'd sooner believe extensive tests done by Michelin than a 10yr old tv show. It is up to each person to decide though.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120365404#Comment_120365404

you say facetious, i say deliberate humourous misinterpretation...

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120365427#Comment_120365427

i don't think the age of the show is that relevant, but agree it was not madly scientific.

however, if i was to choose between a TV show, and a tyre manufacturer whose goal is to sell as many tyres as possible, not sure who i'd (dis)believe more.

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120365507#Comment_120365507

Not into stand up comedy, each to their own

con747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120365517#Comment_120365517

Well if the tyre manufacturer was advocating NOT to change your tyres at 3mm because the tests they done showed it wasn't that much difference to new tyres to warrant changing the law they would hardly be selling more tyres by doing that would they? Also tyre technology has changed a lot in 10 years.

masterboy123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120365105#Comment_120365105

Thanks.

It's a front wheel drive I believe, tucson hybrid.

When all 4 tyres were at the same level in terms of their usage, it used to be equal air pressure in front and rear.

eusap

We had a sportage on Primacy 4 and got about 60,000km, neighbor with same car got 20km as he was pulling a trailer a lot

masterboy123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120366682#Comment_120366682

I am 63000 km and rear tyres still strong at 4.1mm. Primacy 4 are the best.