Whoa, hold on there cowboy.

there are obviosuly tyres out there that are **** for grip and dont last long.

and on the flip side, tyres that grip well and last long. im not saying PS2's are ****ing R888's or AD408's but they grip better than NS2's and last longer....

or are you saying this is not the case?

I'm saying that you get either Very Good grip and rubbish life or very good life and rubbish grip.

There is a happy medium where you get adequate grip and adequate life.

You say: "and on the flip side, tyres that grip well and last long"

That just does not happen.

Look at F1 - soft tyres grip like sh1t to a blanket or the longer life ones that last a lot more laps but not so good grip therefore slower lap times.

I'm saying that you get either Very Good grip and rubbish life or very good life and rubbish grip.

There is a happy medium where you get adequate grip and adequate life.

You say: "and on the flip side, tyres that grip well and last long"

That just does not happen.

Look at F1 - soft tyres grip like sh1t to a blanket or the longer life ones that last a lot more laps but not so good grip therefore slower lap times.

Um.. I think you're a bit right there, but as I understand it tyres also generate grip by the tread flexing, hence as they wear they loose grip. So although you need to decide on grip v wear, the best engineered tyres will wear less than a poorly made tyre, while also having superior grip.

I'd rather buy a cheaper to run car than cheaper tyres

I see I've got a stutter - this Macbook is rubbish...... back to my trusty PC I think :ROFL:

Tonupkid,

I'm being simplistic with my hypothesis.

If you want maximum grip on a dry road then you need a slick, sticky tyre.

Unfortunately we need to compromise as we get wet roads so we need to introduce some way to get rid of the water - grooves and sipes - so that the rubber meets the tarmac or concrete.

The rubber squirming about creates heat, melts the surface and causes blistering and severe loss of grip - it does not help grip.

You hear expressions such as 'that tread pattern grips the road' - it doesn't - the rubber's coefficient of friction governs grip. I like directionals as I feel they disperse water more efficiently, very complicated tread designs don't.

Real chunky tyres for Offroad vehicles are good(ish) in mud because the mud gets in the tread and the vehicle then has to release that mud from the ground which does help grip however slightly. If a tyre has to remove 50 kilos of mud over time think of how much work that would be with a shovel, that work energy is trying to propel the vehicle forwards so it just might move it a bit +++

As before - grip or life - not both :tuttut:

However really poor tyres can give Rubbish grip and Rubbish life - it sure works that way!

I dont think you really get what people want in a road tyre.

a PS2 does grip well. it also lasts ages.

it doesnt grip as well as a ****ing F1 slick. news flash or what.

however it grips better and lasts longer than an NS2

so it grips well and lasts a long time. its not a theory, its a fact.

it could grip better if it was softer and didnt last as long.

it could also last longer if it was harder.

but it still grips well and lasts ages.

I ended up getting a set of 4 Michelin Primacy Alpin A3 215/55R16 tyres from the place recommended by Sub-Zero. All tyres 6-7mm judging by eye, will make measurements later, manufactured in 2008 and 2009- a bit older then I would have liked for winter tyres but at that price I could not turn down. Paid £120 for 4 tyres including mounting and balancing. A3's are no longer for sale new but equivalent A4's cost £140-180 each now so I got 4 for less then price of one.

So far they feel much softer and comfy then summer Avons that were on the car and react sharper to the steering.

The place is in Oldham near Manchester and while I did 320 mile roundtrip it was worth it.

I have seen similar set going over £300 in e-bay auction recently.

The place is: http://www.dmtyres.co.uk/

Winter tyres and rims - views please...
 

This thread has been really useful in helping to figure out Winter wheel/tyre/price combination. My FE D2 S8 runs on 20 inch wheels, and I’m aiming to swap these over the winter for 18 inch wheels, and sourcing the tyres from DM Tyres, as recommended here by ainarssems/Sub-Zero, and whom I’ll go round to check out tomorrow.

In the meantime, I just wanted to check views which tyre sizes I can run safely. The wheel supplier says I can safely run either 245/45 R18s, or 235/50 R18’s on the 18 inch rims they’d supply, though DM Tyres reckon that I could also fit 245/40 R18s - which the wheel supplier ("Mad on Motors" in Birmingham) says are too low profile for this car. Any views on this would be very welcome before I take the plunge on this.

Well the PF S8 has 245/45R18 as standard so that would be my starting point.
But what tyres do you have on the 20" rims; I'd aim to get as close as reasonably possible the same overall diameter which may mean a deeper profile, supposedly better in winter anyway.
(My PF S8 winters, as noted and pictured elsewhere are 225/55R17)