How Long Do Your Tyres Last?

[Mord]

I bought my car brand new 16 months ago and done 12k miles.. and today I had to change my front tyres because the thread on them was less than 1mm

That's bit quick for a little underpowered car I think. Today my Aygo was at Toyota dealer to fix some other fault under a warranty and they told me about it and wanted to change one tyre for 60 quid for me. I thank them for their concern and booked a fitting of 2 front tyres for 80 quid somewhere else.

Anyway 12k miles that's a short distance to kill tyres. Your thoughts?

[mjrose]

Just changed my two fronts after 27k. Rears still appear almost unworn.

Try Michillen Energys.

[T.F.S.B.I.G.W.S.]

I think I needed 2 new tyres after approx 12k

[Jimmy Grimble]

my last car ate tyres at about 6-8,000 miles

[zakelwe]

The standard fit continentals are quite soft so wear quickly, upside of this is that they should be good in colder weather! However change to another brand if you want longer lasting.

Andy

[daveyjp]

OEM Contis were down to 3mm after about 9,000 miles. These are now on the back, once all four are down to about 3mm I'll be looking for some tyres which aren't made of licorice.

[toyboata]

I was hoping to make a saving on tyres but if they wear down that quick then thats a disappointment,.

[ihpj]

Well, firstly thanks to this Forum, we were aware of the issues around the Aygo so we were able to enter into ownership with our eyes open. Thankfully the MKII Aygo is better, but the tyre issues persist.

I have been keeping an eye on my [front] tyres and note that after about 7K miles (in nearly as many months) the front tyres are down to about 3MM. To me, this is :censor: unacceptable and I have resolved that I shall not be paying for their replacement. So when our car goes in for some Warranty work on 23/1 - I am sure the Dealer will gleefully tell me that my car needs new [front] tyres...at which time the battle will begin.

I will be :censor: if I'm going to pay...

[gordonh]

It depends on how you drive and the problem with the Aygo is it's so light and front wheel drive with thin tyres, making it very easy to spin the wheels. At least the tyres should be fairly cheap from a non-Toyota tyre shop, and probably better quality as well.

Think yourself lucky, I bought a new bike in April'09 and at the 4k service the back tyre was bald already ... £130 at 4k is bad.

[toyboata]

I agree the tyres should last longer than 7K even if you do drive it "quick" but i doubt toyota will change them, they will just say its a wear n tear item...£70 per tyre please..

[daveyjp]

My Mk1 Fiesta was lighter and had similar tyres and used to spin wildly. I never needed to replace front tyres in the 20,000 miles I ran it.

[gordonh]

My Mk1 Fiesta was lighter and had similar tyres and used to spin wildly. I never needed to replace front tyres in the 20,000 miles I ran it.

I expect the compound was harder, I wouldn't be suprised if Toyota use softer tyres on their car when sold so they grip better and handle better on test drives. It probably helps sell the cars.

[PaulT]

I expect the compound was harder, I wouldn't be suprised if Toyota use softer tyres on their car when sold so they grip better and handle better on test drives.

Exactomondo. It's a balance of wear, fuel economy, cost and grip.

Incidentally, if your choice of tyre gives you 50mpg for 7000 miles instead of 40mpg, then you save over £150 which is about than the cost of four new tyres fitted

Paul.

[ihpj]

...but i doubt toyota will change them, they will just say its a wear n tear item...£70 per tyre please...

I have no doubt that is what they will say. I will then pay for the tyres and issue summons against them in the Small Claims Court - knowing full well that wont ever defend a £100 claim (£60 x2 tyres + £25 Court Fee + Misc. Costs) against them. So we will agree to settle on a 'without prejudice and question of liability' basis which I will be more than happy to accept.

All I am after is for them to pay for two tyres because 7K front tyres is unacceptable given the car and how it is driven. If the replacements do another 7K miles, then that'll be 14K miles from new and I will be more than happy with that.

I am one awkward :censor: - and refuse to take any :censor: from Toyota GB/Dealer/Continental.

I have my strategy all planned out - we'll see how it goes ;)

[Mord]

I agree the tyres should last longer than 7K even if you do drive it "quick" but i doubt toyota will change them, they will just say its a wear n tear item...£70 per tyre please..

They said that to my wife. They thought they can say anything to a woman and she will pay. Luckily she doesn't decide about things like that and always contact me first. So I told them to f*** off.

I can have 2 tyres fitted for 70 quid at my local tyre shop. At Toyota I do only warranty jobs.. if they tell me that there is a problem with my i.e. brake discs or pads I'll get cheaper aftermarket parts and do it myself. It doesn't void my warranty in any way and saves me a lot of money. Once the warranty period is over I'll service Aygo by myself.

[another_pleb]

Anyway 12k miles that's a short distance to kill tyres. Your thoughts?

I don't want to sound like a troll but maybe you should try driving less aggressively. By rotating my tyres between sides and axles regularly, avoiding harsh acceleration and braking and keeping the tyres inflated to the correct pressures, I was able to get 24000 and 28000 thousand miles out of my first set and I expect similar results with my current boots. I have had no problems keeping up with traffic either.

A good website for tyres is Black Circles.

[Mord]

Anyway 12k miles that's a short distance to kill tyres. Your thoughts?

I don't want to sound like a troll but maybe you should try driving less aggressively. By rotating my tyres between sides and axles regularly, avoiding harsh acceleration and braking and keeping the tyres inflated to the correct pressures, I was able to get 24000 and 28000 thousand miles out of my first set and I expect similar results with my current boots. I have had no problems keeping up with traffic either.

My wife drives our Aygo 95% of time and she does it gently. Since I started riding motorbikes I've been driving cars like a granny, and mine is only 5% of the mileage our Aygo has done. It's not that sweet with motorbikes though ;) So 12k seems to be a poor result. Tyres in my Astra SXI 1.6 lasted much longer than that, and that car I used to drive rather fast.

I'll see how it goes with the new tyres.

[Cyker]

My Mk1 Fiesta was lighter and had similar tyres and used to spin wildly. I never needed to replace front tyres in the 20,000 miles I ran it.

I expect the compound was harder, I wouldn't be suprised if Toyota use softer tyres on their car when sold so they grip better and handle better on test drives. It probably helps sell the cars.

I don't know about the Mk1, but my Y-reg Fiesta had thicker tyres than my Yaris, and presumably the Ayg, which would affect wear rate too.

[Teemu]

There are huge differences between different brand of tyres. On my previous car had the original tyres about three years the second set was gone after about one year only! Don't remember the name of the bad tyres, the good ones where local Finnish brand Nokian tyres.

I bought my Aygo with a set of Nokian tyres again (asked the dealer to change them) and after the first summer and about 15 thousand kilometers they are in very good shape, only 1-2 millimeters gone.

I would agree the original tyres are really bad if they need to be replaced so soon! But getting them replaced under warranty is probably possible and the dealer can claim the cause is the driving style.

[Birddy]

im getting Bridgestone performance tyres on. good all year round and long lasting. quoted £100.04 for 2 fitted and balanced by kwikfit.

[Lakeuk]

Still on original set of tyres, still going strong at 34k miles

[DONFRAMAC]

My Wife's 1st Aygo, on Conti Eco 3's, lasted 22,000 miles on the fronts. The dealer offered a price of £50 each, prior to replacement being urgent, so my wife waited until close to the limit, then paid £115 for a pair at our local McConachey's.

The car is a real GO-KART of a fun drive, so I expect there will be a wide range of mileages, just due to fast cornering even in town, and around roundabouts especially. I drive her car the 110 miles to the dealer for servicing, and I feel I have to drive 10 MPH slower than in the Yaris D-4D I had, due to this enhanced inpression of speed, and the scrubbing feel of the tyres.

My own Toyota had misaligned front wheel geometry, that was only discovered at the 2 year service, by the mechanic checking the wear-pattern. I was not offered anything for the checkup and rectification of the wheel alignment (a known problem with much earlier Toyotas), and fitted a new pair of Hankook tyres, at 7,000 miles.

I would suggest a request to the dealer for a "contribution" towards the new tyres, on the basis of "goodwill". Dealerships do have some leeway, as when my Wife was getting her 3-year service/MoT, and negotiated for an outgoing Aygo Platinum, they gave a 50% cut in MoT fee, and a really great deal on the new car, with 36 month finance at 4.9 APR, with a £500 bonus towards the deal from Toyota Finance, and the trade-in allowance was so big, she had to take a cheque back from the deal, due to a top limit of 33% on the deposit. (Effectively, the new car was at Aygo+ price with no interest charge.)

Niether of these cars has had water ingress problems. The 1st needed a new water pump and radiator, and rear hatch latch/button. The new one has no trouble with the glove compartment lid, although a newer version is now in use, with a sliding latch action, but looks just like my Wife's hinged one.

The grippiness of the Continental tyres, and the handling and braking I get with my current Fiesta, will secure my allegience to the brand. I have already paid for a pair for our Son via the website Tyre Shopper, which is the online selling/discount arm of National Tyres, where I saved ~£8/tyre for a pair of 185/65R14 Conti contact 2's, for his IBIZA. Distance buying via plastic was a pleasant experience, with him 200 miles away. (£110 all-in)

[chilaspt]

Hi Everyone!

Well, it seems I have not been doing so bad regarding tyres... my Aygo has 30.000 km's on the clock, and only needs tyres now! :) nevertheless, this time around I will get wider tyres, or maybe some michelin energy. has anyone tried these out? is the grip substantially different to the contis?

Regards,