Tyre depths

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stevethejambo

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Just wondering if anybody could give me a bit of advice guys...

Had my car in at the dealers today to have my passenger seat fixed. I have a 1.9Tdi sport, and Edinburgh Audi do a standard check of the tyre depths.

My front is coming in at 4mm, and my back 7mm. The car has done about 9500 miles.

My dad seems to think its my driving, but I have assured him that this is perfectly normal! Haha. Can anyone shed any light on whether this is right or am I just using crap tyres. (Think the standard ones are Contis).]

Cheers for any help!
 
Sorry, but if you've eaten your fronts down to 4mm in 9500 miles, I think it's more likely to be your driving than the tyres.

I've got an 2.8 V6 putting out 193bhp & the fronts (Michelin Pilots) still have 6mm on them after 21,000 miles of fast but smooth driving.

Moving off topic, noting you're a Jambo, having seen the way Celtic played against Clyde on Sunday, I reckon your boys shouldn't write the title off just yet. Good luck! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beerchug.gif
 
I wiped out my fronts completely in 12k, and I have heard (on here I think) about people needing fronts in 9k, so you are probably OK. I think it depends a lot on which tyres you have fitted though.
 
Don't forget, Dads come from a parallel universe where their old cross plys did 100,000 miles no problem.

Even on their tuned hillman imp.
 
[ QUOTE ]


Moving off topic, noting you're a Jambo, having seen the way Celtic played against Clyde on Sunday, I reckon your boys shouldn't write the title off just yet. Good luck! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beerchug.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I think we deserve a bit of luck - came so close in the past. The game on new years day will probably be the decider - cant see us getting 7 back on them but you never know! Cheers mate.
 

I did my Rosso's by 12K on the front and a lot of my commute is up the M3... I pput it down to the A3 being a heavy car, not me having a heavy right foot /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Don't forget, Dads come from a parallel universe where their old cross plys did 100,000 miles no problem.

Even on their tuned hillman imp.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hhhrrumpphh! I had a tuned Hillman Imp once! Actually it was a Sunbeam Stiletto, & belonged to my mother. And it was on radials. Being rear-engined, the fronts tyres didn't have too much work to do. All they needed to do was provide enough grip for me to steer and brake.

You would have they would have been well up to this relatively undemanding task, but sadly no. The combination of zero front end weight and servo-assisted drum brakes all round meant that any attempt to slow down or change direction at anything above a walking pace, on anything other that a hot, dry summer's day, resulted in total front-wheel lock up & a desperate plough straight-on. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Still, that tiny little all-alloy 875cc engine would rev to 8000 & sing its heart out in the process.
 
Normaly get about 22k from front tyres. Found Goodyear F1 or HydraGrip to be superb....
 
Dad always loves to show the pictures of his hillman imp with the back end and window coverd in black oil after he 'threw a rod' racing someone to impress my future mother!

He was from Essex, by the way, so my mother obviously was impressed, some things never change...........


Back on thread..... Swapped fronts with rears at 16k, all four gone at 27K. (Dunlop SP9090, made of stone)
 
I used to have a Hillman Imp Sport at one stage and always used to drive around with 3/4 of a road kerb in the front boot to give some weight to the front !

My current A3 2.0 TDI is an SE model so comes with 205/55 R16 tyres. The car came with Dunlop Sport 01 tyres and I put 2 new Dunlops on at 20k. Most of my driving is now fairly local but do still go on some motorway trips were I tend to average around 90mph and also a couple of contintental motorway trips were again I average around 90mph except in Germany where it tends to be 100-120mph.

I also do quite a lot of quick 'country lane' driving just for the enjoyment of driving.
 
Surely mileage depends on when you change them ?
I doubt all of us change tyres at the same tread depth.
My fronts are probably nowhere near the legal minumum (just over 10000 miles) but they'll be getting replaced soon.
The stability of the car has gone out of the window and it follows every little mark in the road now,which is annoying.
The only thing that puts me off changing tyres is the thought of my immaculate rims being raped... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

I had a Fiat 850 in the early 80's.
More or less an Imp,but with Italian flair.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Man,that thing had lift-off oversteer like you wouldn't believe.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
I used to have a Hillman Imp Sport at one stage and always used to drive around with 3/4 of a road kerb in the front boot to give some weight to the front !


[/ QUOTE ]

LOL

My mate used to do the same in his 1983 Skoda 130 rapide! Boingy Boingy Boingy!
 
I got 33k miles out of my front Michelins Pilot Sport 2s on my Golf PD150, I've got the same brand on the A3 and I'm expecting the same sort of return.

I changed the fronts with 3mm on them, but they still felt planted on all but the greasiest roads.

Maybe its my smooth driving? But I doubt it.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I got 33k miles out of my front Michelins Pilot Sport 2s on my Golf PD150, I've got the same brand on the A3 and I'm expecting the same sort of return.

I changed the fronts with 3mm on them, but they still felt planted on all but the greasiest roads.

Maybe its my smooth driving? But I doubt it.

[/ QUOTE ]

really? My PS2s were looking tired on the front at about 14k so I've swapped them to the back, and the 4 of them will expire in the next month or so (24k)
 
[ QUOTE ]
Hillman Imp , Fiat 850, Skoda Rapide, all rear engine, understeer to oversteer in nothing flat! Or vice versa.

[/ QUOTE ]

Time has maybe muddied the memory,but I seem to remember the Fiat 850 had exactly the same sort of rear suspension as a Porsche 911 ?

The fact it handled like a 911 made me feel a bit better when I was driving such an utter pile of /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/swear.gif....

Character building though eh ?
Every journey was an adventure.

It's all a bit 'antiseptic' these days. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
Mine's at 16k and the fronts are toast, there's still 2.5mm of tread but absolutely no grip whatoever, its not funny!

having a battle getting them replaced though, lease company say i should wait - guess I should ask if they would prefer paying for two new tyres of have their car bent
 
Mines at 12.5k and my front Rosso's are dead in the middle but average 2.8mm all over so I can't get them replaced on the Maintance plan, they wont touch them until they reach at least 2mm even if they are dangerous, so like you say what would they rather have a bent car or have to pay for 2 new tyres!
 
[ QUOTE ]

I had a Fiat 850 in the early 80's.
More or less an Imp,but with Italian flair.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Man,that thing had lift-off oversteer like you wouldn't believe.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

When I lived in hatton I used to do a milk round a guy who lived in hatton farm gardens used to have one, always wanted one when I was a young lad...

J.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Mine's at 16k and the fronts are toast, there's still 2.5mm of tread but absolutely no grip whatoever, its not funny!

having a battle getting them replaced though, lease company say i should wait - guess I should ask if they would prefer paying for two new tyres of have their car bent

[/ QUOTE ]

Yup,usual crap from them.

Go out and destroy the tyres. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile_smoking.gif

I mean deliberately wheelspin up a damp hill like something from a Brighton Max-Power meet.

A week or so of deliberate chav-style abuse should net you new tyres. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/groovy.gif

End of problem. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beerchug.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Mines at 12.5k and my front Rosso's are dead in the middle but average 2.8mm all over so I can't get them replaced on the Maintance plan, they wont touch them until they reach at least 2mm even if they are dangerous, so like you say what would they rather have a bent car or have to pay for 2 new tyres!

[/ QUOTE ]

Unfortunately the law takes a different view to your maintenance folk.

The police would say the tyres are on your car, your responsible if they are worn, Ker-ching! Points and a fine which I bet your company plan would'nt pay for no matter how many times you told them.. That will be the accountants running the company then.....you cant get them changed till theyre bald, then they pass some felt tips to draw more wiggly lines on to get an extra few miles out of the carcass

Good luck getting them changed..
 
two interesting approaches, I'll suggest the law to the lease guys, if that doesnt work I guess its time for an evening in the local supermarket carpark with the TC off, hmmm, choices choices!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Surely mileage depends on when you change them ?
I doubt all of us change tyres at the same tread depth.
My fronts are probably nowhere near the legal minumum (just over 10000 miles) but they'll be getting replaced soon.
The stability of the car has gone out of the window and it follows every little mark in the road now,which is annoying.


[/ QUOTE ]

I agree, my conti 2's on the front are at about 3mm and the grip or rather lack of is astounding. When they wer new the grip was amazing, now it feels like i'm driving on snow when the roads are bone dry /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Surely mileage depends on when you change them ?
I doubt all of us change tyres at the same tread depth.
My fronts are probably nowhere near the legal minumum (just over 10000 miles) but they'll be getting replaced soon.
The stability of the car has gone out of the window and it follows every little mark in the road now,which is annoying.


[/ QUOTE ]

I agree, my conti 2's on the front are at about 3mm and the grip or rather lack of is astounding. When they wer new the grip was amazing, now it feels like i'm driving on snow when the roads are bone dry /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I suspect your tyres have reached the end of their 'heat cycle' life Japper.

Tyres can only stand being heated up and cooled down so many times before the compound starts to 'break down' and grip suffers.

They can 'look' okay,treadwise,but be knackered gripwise.

I've seen many a rider beg/steal/buy apparently 'good' tyres from racers,only to find that they offer zero grip,because they've completed their heat-cycle life.
 
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