2003 Forester Tyres

[Petrolhead159]

a friend has Yoko Geolanders on his Pajero, he got stuck a couple of weeks ago…they are a nice looking tyre & say its bad driving over tyres.

im liking my Falken's & given my decision again i would purchase them again, my Mrs has Falken Ziex on her car & I had them fitted on my previous car & had good wear & grip from them.

not had Michelins for years so don't know what their current range are like.

[david1972]

I do still like your falkens too....can envisage much too-ing and fro-ing in the next few months haha

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[Petrolhead159]

I'm sure whatever you get you will be happy with them.
best way of getting the best out of your tyres is ensuring pressures are correct & that the geometry on the car is good.

previous cars i took to http://www.wheels-inmotion.co.uk

 

the forrester seems good on tyre wear so its just a case on keeping an eye on tracking

[david1972]

Good effort...where are they? (Not easy to see on phone)

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[Petrolhead159]

Chesham, Buckinghamshire. but i think they have approved locations too

[bitman]

I'm sure whatever you get you will be happy with them.

best way of getting the best out of your tyres is ensuring pressures are correct & that the geometry on the car is good.

previous cars i took to http://www.wheels-inmotion.co.uk

 

the forrester seems good on tyre wear so its just a case on keeping an eye on tracking

 

ah ha at Tony, he's good guy and Hunter alignment teacher ;)

[Petrolhead159]

yup, Tony's a good guy

[david1972]

Another cheaper option that seems well rated 

 

Nankang N607 205/70 R15 96H XL

 

 

http://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?s_p=Nankang-N607-205_70-R15-96H-XL&details=Ordern&typ=R-173379&cart_id=18843824.110.22699&ranzahl=4&Breite=205&Quer=70&Felge=15&Speed=H&weiter=0&last_sort=tests&Ang_pro_Seite=50&sort_by=Lable_DEX&Transport=P&F_F=1&dsco=110&rsmFahrzeugart=PKW

 

 

Anyone have any experience of these they'd care to share?

 

Thought I'd bump this question again in case any new-er members are able to comment on this brand?

[Mr B]

Thought I'd bump this question again in case any new-er members are able to comment on this brand?

that particular model Nankang is not too bad for budget price & you can buy worse. Probably wouldn't buy them myself but have driven the odd forester with them without issue & owners seemed happy enough.

For prices you have quoted above I would be inclined to go with the Falkens if price has some play in the decision, if not then the Michelins could be a good deal pending on exact model you getting at £85.

Would imagine Michelins would last very well on a Forester & good set of branded boots keeps resale value bit higher too.

[david1972]

Cheers Mr B

[Gambit]

I killed some Nankangs within 6 months I wouldn't use them again as they don't suit my driving style :D 

[david1972]

Thanks for the feedback mate. I asked about them as they are better rated than most for wet grip (B) and noise is lower too at 69db.

Funnily enough, Falkens are rated poorly for wet grip, despite the experiences of members on here.....all very confusing!

[david1972]

That should have read ( B ) for wet grip lol !Removed! emoticons haha

[Mr B]

Confusing indeed. What sort of driving are you doing & what sort of annual mileage. I'm not the biggest Falken fan myself but they are not too bad & expect you could get LA/AT around £70 fitted. Nankang 607 can be had £50 a tyre unfitted so with a cheap tyre fitter they are a cheap way reboot  the Forester. Yokahama Geolanders are good for the price if need a more A/T tyre. I have a set of Toyo open country all season M+S on one of my foresters mainly as set of 4 fitted was £284 & Toyos on our 205 diesel pug been great in all use & wear. Toyo OC's been fine to date (wet winter, muddy back roads, towing, bit of motorway) though ratings worse than Nankang it is a tyre I could recommend without loosing sleep especially if get price same or better than mine.

Hard call really, Nankang is a bit of a Marmite type affair & will be all love or all hate but wear is not going be the best so if doing high mileage spending on a better range tyre could be best. I too am surprised at the good ratings on the Nankang !

[david1972]

I do around 15k, all on road per year. Wet and winter grip are important to me, as is a decent wear rate.

Oh...it has to look a good tyre too ;)

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[Mr B]

With that sort of annual mileage you need better than Nankang, Have a look at Hankook Optimo 4S as another you may want review !

[david1972]

With that sort of annual mileage you need better than Nankang, Have a look at Hankook Optimo 4S as another you may want review !

 

 

They don't seem to make them in my required size, namely 205/70/R15 H  :(

[Mr B]

Think they do the size but speed rating T

[david1972]

Ah yes, so they do  ^_^

 

Ok - so I'm going to be replacing 2 at a time......where do I stand using a different speed rating to the OE recommended tyre - both for insurance and safety purposes? Is it a no no really? 

[Mr B]

Worth checking with insurance company to see they ok on it, T is 118mph & one rating lower than OE H 130mph rating.

Did see them when wanted some for mine but as local tyre shop had the Toyos on shelf from failed deal I decided try them as our run around pug HDI been good on the Toyos plus price was favourable. That Hankook is quite a nice tyre but no idea why they didn't do an H rating !

 

Really not keen on mixed tyres on 4wd such as Subarus, prefer set fitted as 4, better safety & better for transmission too. If you have 2 tyres very good it maybe worth rotating & using a little longer & also reviewing spare status as if that an old wrinkly, one of the better tyres will go as a spare.

[david1972]

I'll check tread depths front and back, then post back here for some further wisdom from you, if that's ok B?

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[david1972]

Right....I'm running at between 3 and 4mm on the fronts and between 6 and 7mm on the rears.

Too late now for a front to back swap to have all 4 needing changing the same time? Happy to hear your thoughts Mr B

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[Mr B]

I would do a rotate & keep going till near 2mm on rears & then get all 4 renewed. Should work well as will have new boots before weather gets bleak.

I was in similar situation to you but ended with 2mm on lowest 2 & 4mm on best, my situation was made sweeter by the spare being a perished mess so best of old at 4-5mm replaced that so spare is now sensibly good.

If replace whole set you should be able wear matched set down quite evenly with bit of effort on rotation & assuming tracking & suspension are in good order.

I find Foresters & AWD Subarus in general very good on tyre wear & get long life from my tyres so i'm happy to sacrifice a bit of tread on a tyre or 2 to keep the whole set brand/model & wear matched, your reward is better fuel economy, better tyre performance & vehicle handling plus less risk of odd hassles caused by mixed tyres.

Your subaru manual will have a guide on tyre rotation & permitted wear variation so worth reviewing before making up your mind.

[david1972]

Thanks very much for all that....think I've decided to rotate. Going to get a local mobile tyre fitter I use to do it. He's priced it at £20 and includes balancing the current rears. No need to balance fronts as no judder or vibes from them currently through the steering. :)

[david1972]

Thanks very much for all that....think I've decided to rotate. Going to get a local mobile tyre fitter I use to do it. He's priced it at £20 and includes balancing the current rears. No need to balance fronts as no judder or vibes from them currently through the steering. :)

 

Swap around arranged for next Wednesday - best get saving for a full set of 4 later this year now