Rav4 Tyres

[grahammichael]

Going to buy new tyres for my RAV4.2 after Christmas and am considering General Grabbers.Someone that I know told me to be careful which type of tyre I buy as some Insurance companies will invalidate the insurance policy if none standard tyres are fitted, ie winter tyres with certain types of tread.I think I should ok with Grabbers,but does anybody have any EXPERT knowledge on this matter as I am wary of fitting tyres dissimilar to the original tyres fitted by Toyota.

Mike

[redlew]

If you put tyre or tyres into the search box you will come up with numerous threads. If you are thinking of fitting a particular tyre, why not phone your insurance co in advance. That said I think that while at one time some insurance companies ridiculously considered winter tyres as an excuse to load premiums , the trade body has stopped that. I've got Michelin Latitude Tour and they are better than the Toyos.

[Hoovie]

Can't answer the main question, but I will say that the General Grabbers are excellent tyres and really suit the RAV4 well

[three5]

........... I've got Michelin Latitude Tour and they are better than the Toyos.

I have them as well and really like them. Brilliant in the slippy conditions last winter and VERY quite, particularly on motorways, compared with the original tyres. Done about 16,000 miles on them and wear seems reasonable. I might be wrong, but they seemed to have less thread depth than other makes when new. Is there a "standard" depth of tread on new tyres or is it at the manufacturers discretion?

[DjRav]

Tread depth does vary. I had new Geolandars this year and they came with a good 8mm. (excellent Tyres btw)

I've never heard of an issue with Tyres/insurance. Surely as long as they're legal you can put what you like on. May be a call to them to verify and if they're funny about it perhaps it's time for another insurance company!

Dave

[grahammichael]

Thanks for all the comments,I think my mind is made up and will go with the Grabbers.One last thing to ask you- can anybody recommend a supplier where I can get a good deal as I need 4 tyres and as you all know,'times are hard and friends are few' :crybaby

Regards

Mike

[Hoovie]

Thanks for all the comments,I think my mind is made up and will go with the Grabbers.One last thing to ask you- can anybody recommend a supplier where I can get a good deal as I need 4 tyres and as you all know,'times are hard and friends are few' :crybaby

Regards

Mike

Bit tricky as don't know where you are?

I have used Protyre in Exeter for both my General Grabbers on the RAV4 and a full set of Continentals on a Punto Sporting, and I found them excellent for both Price (their quoted price was better then the best On-line quotes from places such as blackcircles.com) and for Service. Worth a little trawl around to get the best all-in prices rather then just phone up

I would expect a decent discount by swapping all four at the same time.

BTW - what are you doing about the Spare on the door? Remember to keep the best tyre of the 5 for it!

[grahammichael]

Hi Hoovie,

A few garages in Lincoln will actually match on line prices even from other parts of the country,so getting quotes from far away doesn't seem to be a problem as long as they can check the price on line.As regards the spare tyre on the door,it hasn't been used,it is the factory fitted Toyo,however I have been told that it is showing signs of cracking due to its age (7 years)but still ok for a spare.Do you know if it would be compatable with a Grabber if I had to use it in the event of a puncture.

Regards

Mike

[Hoovie]

Hi Hoovie,

A few garages in Lincoln will actually match on line prices even from other parts of the country,so getting quotes from far away doesn't seem to be a problem as long as they can check the price on line.As regards the spare tyre on the door,it hasn't been used,it is the factory fitted Toyo,however I have been told that it is showing signs of cracking due to its age (7 years)but still ok for a spare.Do you know if it would be compatable with a Grabber if I had to use it in the event of a puncture.

Regards

Mike

Well, I can only tell you what I would do, and that is keep that as the spare with good confidence given how often that you need a spare, plus it has the same rolling circumference as the General Grabbers.

One of the things that damage a tyre over time is sunlight (UV Rays I think?) so the fact it has been the spare from new and, I presume, in the spare wheel cover, means that aspect will not be an issue.

FWIW, I would prefer an 7 year old tyre as a spare rather then the foam repair kit on my RAV !

[firemac]

Hi Hoovie,

A few garages in Lincoln will actually match on line prices even from other parts of the country,so getting quotes from far away doesn't seem to be a problem as long as they can check the price on line.As regards the spare tyre on the door,it hasn't been used,it is the factory fitted Toyo,however I have been told that it is showing signs of cracking due to its age (7 years)but still ok for a spare.Do you know if it would be compatable with a Grabber if I had to use it in the event of a puncture.

Regards

Mike

Well, I can only tell you what I would do, and that is keep that as the spare with good confidence given how often that you need a spare, plus it has the same rolling circumference as the General Grabbers.

One of the things that damage a tyre over time is sunlight (UV Rays I think?) so the fact it has been the spare from new and, I presume, in the spare wheel cover, means that aspect will not be an issue.

FWIW, I would prefer an 7 year old tyre as a spare rather then the foam repair kit on my RAV !

I agree with Hoovie about thje UV damage. We had a Dueler on the spare under the cover for 8+ years and eventually fitted it to the rear along with a new one from a local Tyre depot. It's been absolutely fine.

Jim

[pmb]

Which GG's are you considering? I have UHP's on mine , they I don't think are classed as winter tyres as they don't have the snowflake symbol. GG do other tyres though which I believe do. Got mine from event-tyres mobile fitting service who were excellent.