185/50/R16 - recommendations

Hi all,

Looks like the bloke I bought my A2 off, went around a junkyard to source shoes for this car.

The wheels look in good shape and so rather look for wheels and tyres, I'll go the whole hog and buy 4 new donuts.

I'd like to keep the idea of efficiency and hopefully cabin noise down and spend around 100 a corner (if possible) - that's my only guidelines but I'm open to all suggestions!

Mfg!

James
 
Hello James,
For £100 per tyre you should have a wide and varied option. Ive heard the Pirelli,s are a quiet run and for the same price the continentals are good quality too. The budget ones can be bought for £45 each but i personally wouldnt buy them. A lot of people would get Michelins but they are deemed to be "overpriced" and slightly above your budget. Theres nothing wrong with the mid range £70 - £80 tyres like Khumo and Toyo. I think its down to the good old personal preference. The last time i bought some was from "Mytyres" which saved me a small amount (dont think my local fitter liked fitting tyres i hadnt bought from them). I ordered them on line and they arrived next day. Alternatively National tyres offer a good deal for on line services and fit them with no quibbles. I do prefer to have the same make of tyres all round. The A2 ive just bought has a mixture Toyo, continental, Khumo so having heard good reports i may put Pirellis all round when the time comes for replacement.
 
Forgot to mention the Dunlop SP9000 - again highly rated at around £105 fitted. Perhaps others can comment on the wear, noise and comfort factor between makes. Ta
Dave
 
For 185 50 R16's I would probably go either with Continental (good rim protection) for approx £100 a corner or Kumho, brilliant tyres for £60 each approx.
 
If you're replacing all 4, consider the more widely available and therefore cheaper, 195/50/16. Slightly wider so more grip, slightly higher sidewall, so better ride and your speedo will read much more accurately!
 
... For £100 per tyre you should have a wide and varied option. ... A lot of people would get Michelins but they are deemed to be "overpriced" and slightly above your budget. ...


I use slightly nonstandard sized tyres ... one size increase on the profile gives you a much wider selection, and it's cheaper. Using someone like eventtyres to get & fit your wheels, in my experience Michelins will be around the £80-85 mark for my nonstandard size (but note that you need to change all 4 at the same time if you go nonstandard, and you should mention it to your insurance company).
 
It's personal choice, and I know many members have run none standard tyre sizes, but when 185 50 R16 are now readily available I would not choose to run a non-OE size.
I had 195 50 R16's on the front for a while (they came with the wheels that are now fitted to Yorkshirehills broken car!). The speedo was more accurate, but the difference in power and drive was noticeable. I did not see any increase in MPG with the bigger rolling radius.
I also have tried 195 45 R16 (currently my winter rear tyres) and again, I am not happy with the difference in size from the "proper" 185 50 16.
Your car, your choice.
I would buy these:

http://www.blackcircles.com/catalog...=50&rim=R16&speed=V&wintertyre=&tyre=11177980


or these:

http://www.blackcircles.com/catalog...85&profile=50&rim=R16&speed=Any&tyre=20558308
 
re. diameter, 205/45-16 is nearly spot on compared to 185/50.

195/50 is 1,7% bigger, and 195/45 is 1,6% smaller. When new, of course.
 
Chaps,

Big love.

If the Kumho's are as good as mentioned and they are £60 a corner, perhaps they are cheaper at the other sizes. Although I wonder what increasing the footprint does to the economy and tracking of the front end?

Might have a look about on line tonight.

Any thoughts on eco and noise vs tyre width greatly appreciated!

James
 
Chaps,

Any thoughts on eco and noise vs tyre width greatly appreciated!

James

Hi,
Always check the label information that they have to provide now, as for road noise, in my experience anything UNDER 70db is great, anything over 74db will definitely be noticeable (noise wise),

As for the economy and braking in the wet, just try to get the best figures you can afford but I don't pay much attention to the economy figures, the wet braking is a safety measure.

Steve B
 
Any thoughts on eco and noise vs tyre width greatly appreciated!

James, like 'chb' I have used both Kumho Ecsta 185/50 R 16 81V and Continental; currently using Continental PremiumContact 2 185/50 R 16 81H. At my last tyre change I chose to pay the premium over Kumho because this Conti model are reviewed having lower noise and better fuel economy.

I had enjoyed fantastic long life from Kumho e.g. 50,000 miles on the rear of my 1.4 TDi 90.

I'm 5,000 miles into the Contis so no idea how long lived/hard wearing these will be.

Andrew
 
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I think my next tyres will be continental. Not so much for the grip (Kumho are fine), but the sidewall protection is better and as Andrew says....tyres last so long on these cars its not a big expense really!
 
I've got Michelin EnergySavers - very good for rolling resistance, ride, braking and noise. Pretty much what you want from a tyre I'd say.
 
Forgot to mention the Dunlop SP9000 - again highly rated at around £105 fitted. Perhaps others can comment on the wear, noise and comfort factor between makes. Ta
Dave

Dunlop SP9000 are on my new FSI and so far so good, drove home in some torrential rain Saturday fo 400 miles without a problem, quiet too!
Jeffers
 
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