in here!
Another thread ive missed recently!In my opinion tyres are very important and i never now buy a tyre because its the cheapest or because its the only one in stock. I have done in the past and always regretted it. So now i always research and look at online tyre tests, reports and users reviews. Boring i know but generally tyres last 15-20K miles so thats a long time to wait if you buy a duff brand.
Michelin Energy (E3A & Savers):
Ill start off with michelins then, i do not rate them. However there are two recent types of energys and i find the slilghtly older version (Energy E3A) better than the newer one (Energy Saver) My C5 has the older E3As on the rear and the newer energy savers on the front. It uses the same size tyres as both Xms - 195/65/15H
Really cant stand these newer energy savers, they are poor to say they least. Ok they do grip ok, however they squeal and howl really badly if even slightly pushed. The tyre shoulders have scrubbed off leaving the edges almost bald now. They always look soft even at the correct pressure and the steering feel is nonexistant.
Even putting slightly more pressure in than recommended doesnt help much, just wears the centres quicker, so i just stick to the normal 32/33 in the front. They seem to have worn ok, if shoulders first, at about 20K miles they will be finished, which i think id good as ive rarely had tyres do near that many miles. However i could not live with them again, you seem to have to make constant small adjustments just to keep in a straight line, in a slight wind it feels like your driving on really soft tyres. I know C5s are not the most communicative of cars but this is a bit much for me. Ive tried it with some other C5 wheels (from our C5 estate) which improved things a lot, so i know its not all down to the soggy car! (Why arnt C5s as nice to drive as Xms, im dissapointed!)
I quite like E3As though, ive had these on another car too and the only way i can fault them is cornering grip is bettered by some brands, wet cornering isnt great but it is more of an eco tyre. Wear, ride and noise levels are good, which is probably a big reason why people choose Michlins, there are better tyres for grip though, which also do things the Michelin does best almost as well. However i dont think these are in production now, so its just the awful energy saver which is available now.
However ive not had michelins on the front of an Xms yet, so this is purely from my expereince of them on C5s and my old Seat. The 2.1TD estate does have michelin rear tyres though, one E3A and one original MXV - which could do with replacing as its 14 years old
Vredestein Sportrac3:
The 2.0 auto Xm has a pair of vredestein sportrac3, which are a very very good tyre. Quiet, seem to wear well, look great, handle great and grip in the wet is good too. They provide a noticable improvement in ride over the old tyres. They have a nice V shaped tread so ideal for standing water too. I think these were £115 for the pair last year, which is about the same as Pirellis and cheaper than the Michelins. These are now on the back of the white Xm, so its been a while since ive experienced them on the front, but i do like them, ill get a matching pair for the fronts in about 10 years when these Lassas have worn down
I did have them on the front with the Lassas on the rear, the front had far more grip and made the back end slightly unpredicatable at times on wet roundabouts. P6000:
The last silver Xm we had fitted with P6000s and ive just had a pair put on the front of the 2.1TD estate too. Im more than happy with them and will probably get a set for the C5 soon once these squidgy michies are totally done. They seem to be a good all round tyre, a nice ride, they seem quiet at the moment but will have to see how they are once worn, the steering feels nice, grip is very good although have not fully experienced them in the wet yet, they dont flex too much and look good too. Not quite as good in standing water as the Sportracs but still very good. Compared to michlins i do much prefer these P6000s.
They seem to have been slightly updated, as the P6000s i got a few months ago for the silver hatch had a slightly different looking sidewall to the ones i just got last week.
Now im quite fond of driving hard at times, so i like a grippy tyre.
The main problem with the C5 and Xms tyres, all 195/65/15, is the profile. Its a deep section tyre so when being pushed they want to lean over onto the shoulders of the tyre, they then lose grip. I find the Pirellis quite good for resisting this, they still provide a nice ride but dont flex quite as much. With the michelins you can clearly see wear on the sidewalls after a spirited drive.
Toyo T1-Rs
My Peugeot 206 has the slightly larger Peugeot wheels with low profile tyres. I love this car for its handling, its so much of a contrast to the C5. The steering is pin sharp, the grip is fantastic and its really well balanced. It does do lift off over steer incredibly well! Anyway, since i like driving it hard i have some sticky tyres. Toyo T1-Rs, im impressed with them, for more of a performance tyre they do seem to deliver. Very positive with steering feel, great grip in the dry and good in the wet too, noise is very good and so is resisting aquaplaning too. The only negative is that they do wear fast, but then they are a soft compound and are very sticky.
So dean i can see the need for lower profile tyres, they provide a better steering feel and grip due to less tyre flex.
I can understand all the comments in this thread though, but we all want different things from our cars. However i wouldn't want to change the Xms tyres or wheels, for a bigger size, i think the Xms suit 15" and their nicely styled alloy wheels.
Dean: If you want a good grippy tyre for the rain but still a performance tyre for the rest of the year id go with a Uniroyal Rainsport tyre (The rain experts aparently!) heard very good things about those, but yet to use them myself.
Wow, long post!
Chris
My fronts usually do 30k+. The only tyres I would pay extra for are ones that would give an exceptionally soft ride - but they don't sell cross plys any more 