Think of tire years like dog years. Would you push your 7 0r 8 year old dog at the same pace as when he was a young pup? Your 8 yeal old tires are about 8 in dog years. Time to let those tires rest in the garage,they've done their work. Time to get some fresh new dogs, er tires, to keep the Dino handling like it was new. D
Having a car that i havent got much to do on (apart from the poxy ignition set up) means i have too much free time to waste!
Tom, Tom....you obviously live a charmed life "pop a few quid!" You gotta be joking right? 4 of the tyres at their prices is over a months salary for me. A month and a half if I want to change the spare. Increasing the price of the tyre by 500% for NO GOOD reason is as good as holding us to ransom. Pure greed by the manufacturer exasperated by the dealers mark up. We need to dig our heels in and get them to drop the price. It's ridiculus, the tyre is not low profile or extra wide, its an old fashioned standard tyre.
Ha Ha very good. just because the weather in the UK is often perishing that doesn't mean our tyres are. We are distributers for Michelin and we sell the newest stock tyres. a glance at our stock of 205/70VR14 Michelin XWX tells me they were made in 2013. we recieve deliveries from Michelin on a very regular basis so the tyres on our shelves are as fresh as the tyres in the Michelin wharehouse. The value of a car is not the determining factor when it comes to the price of tyres. So in the UK now if you buy an XJ12 Jaguar that is heavy and is capable of about 150MPH but is only worth about £ 2,000. It does make it difficult to justify spending £ 1,000 on a set of tyres. however i don't think it acceptable to drive around on a set of low speed rated cheap rubbish tyres. It is what the car is that determins what tyres you need not what it's worth. These are genuine Michelin tyres. if you change the wheels so you can fit other tyres part of the reason these other tyres will be cheaper is because they are not Michelin. The Michelin XWX range; are tyres built to the highest standards in unusual sizes which demand manufacturing smaller batches. High performance tyres cost. you can find yourself paying similar prices for mass produced tyres for your modern car. That all got a bit serious. My apologies Longstone tyres supply unusual rubber equipment for a gentleman to pleasure himself at the weekend.
Tom? Who's Tom?? I'm Dave. Increase the price by 500% of what? A regular Michelin (mass produced for an Audi A4 as an example) can run north of $330 per tire, these are $455, less 10%, or approximately $410.00, which is 24% higher for a tire they probably run in batches of 100-200 pieces, vs. 1000's at a time for the Audi tires. Yep, they're expensive, but not crazy out of line with other Michelin tires. Sure, they cost more than Sumitomo's, but they are a better tire, are they not? D
You can ask that question, but good luck in getting a clear answer. You might also want to ask: When was the last time the XWX was tested to its V speed rating? I have been asking that last question for over the last 10 years. Can't get an answer from Coker, Longstone, or Michelin. Maybe one of these days the US DOT, NTHSI, the FTC, or one of the German safety authorities can force the issue and get an answer. And think about it - if a new XWX is made using modern construction techniques and new modern materials, shouldn't it have to be tested again to verify the claimed speed rating on the sidewall?
might be too expensive to test for the volumes involved might be that no one really expects exotics to be run at that pace anyway might be they are thinking we should be thankful they have decided to make a few now and then wonder what the annual consumption of XWXs is
Some say that is a matter of debate. But I thought that maybe Germany TUV authorities might have something to say about this.
Where do i start. let me ask this question, if tyres 2013 are they using a new rubber formulation? This one is easy; yes they are. Tyre manufacturers sre not allowed to use a lot of the chemicals that were used in tyre production in the 70's when these tyres were originaly made. I don't think i can be more clear than that. does the US not have the most stringent laws on product description/liability? Hmm i'm not 100% sure but i would suggest when it comes to tyres probably German TUF. When was the last time the XWX was tested to its V speed rating? The Michelin XWX tires are constantly tested and they all pass the E marking and DOT code standards. To add to that they are not V rated they are W rated; which is 170mph Pricing:- As someone has alreday posted these are not expensive for what they are. there are 3 contributers to tyre prices. Quality Performance specifications Batch sizes these are high performance top quality tyres by Michelin in a size that demands small batches. If you want Countache Tyres they are more than twice the price if you want Veyron tyres i think they are about 17 times the price of a 205 / 70 VR 14 Michelin XWX However i agree that a set of tyres makes for a big credit card bill; they are a good price for what they are. specialy if you take advantage of our " RubberGoods " offer while it lasts. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I paid about £250 per tyre about 5 years ago and so don't think the price is outrageous. Trouble is, if the rubber does go off, my tyres will still have 98% of the tread left before I have to replace them..gulp
A modern manufactured tyre has a life expectancy of 5YEARS. This applies even if the tyre has not been fitted! This is mainly due to the chemical composition of a new tyre. Before 1995 most tyres were made up of around 40% natural rubber and 60% synthetic rubber. Within the last 15 years the introduction of Silica into the mix has improved performance but reduced longevity. Rubber compounds will naturally degrade, this is greatly accelerated when they contain Silica and is further affected by ultra violet light, and changes in temperature. So the clock is ticking on your tyres before you even begin to use them. Tyres now carry a year of manufacture or a traceable batch code on the sidewall. (This is usually after the DOT mark and contains 4 numbers. The first 2 are the week number and the last 2 are the year) There are certain steps that can be taken to prolong the tyre condition and life. 1. Always run your tyres at the correct pressure, for the task in hand. Tyre pressure is a controversial and personal preference subject. My advice if you are unsure of the correct pressure for your car, is to first check your handbook. You must ensure however that the correct sized wheels and tyres referred to in the handbook are indeed fitted to your car. In the case of upgrades I would initially look to the supplier/main dealer for correct pressures. For example when an approved upgraded alloy wheel is fitted, new tyre pressures will apply in contradiction to a handbook. There is also an element of 1 or 2 PSI either side of a recommended pressure dependant on personal preference of ride quality and loading conditions. Fuel economy can also be affected by tyre pressure. 2. Regularly inspect your tyres. This can be a simple visual inspection each time you wash the car, and a 6 monthly check of tread depth using the gauge available in the standard tool kit. Although the legal limit in UK is 1.6mm, when a tyre gets below 3mm the stopping distance under breaking can INCREASE by 50%. This scientifically proven fact is current being pushed by certain European countries as a reason for increasing the legal limit to 3mm! Check also for any signs of damage from clipping kerbs/road debris and uneven wear. 3. Rotate the wheels. Front tyres can wear unevenly in normal use through steering, and excessively through incorrectly set tracking. Driven wheels can wear at a different rate to non-driven. Certain suspension conditions can also affect wear. For these reasons its a good idea to switch wheels front to rear and left to right on an annual basis. 4. Do not let the car stand for more than a month. The weight of a car is supported through the sidewall of a tyre. In a cross ply tyre the sidewall is constructed of a series of cores. These in turn are strengthened by cords and have far less rigidity than Radial tyres. In a Radial tyre a body ply is used rather than a core, and is strengthened by steel belts not cords. The long-term result of standing on both types of tyre is permanent distortion to the sidewall, known as D shaping of the tyre. The steel belts can fracture in a Radial tyre, and the cores can separate in a cross ply. Both defects can cause catastrophic failure through localised weakness of the sidewall, and are visually difficult to diagnose. For this reason it is important to either raise a car during storage, so that the weight is off the wheels, or regularly move the car so as to ensure it does not sit on the same point of a tyre for prolonged periods. 5. Protect the tyre from Ultra-violet light. As mentioned previously, sunlight will degrade the rubber compound of your tyres. If your car is garaged without natural light this shouldnt be too much of a problem. Otherwise a set of 4 elasticated tyre covers may be required. These could initially be placed over the tyres when in storage to block the light. For protecting the tyres when in use, good tyres cleaners such as Armorall or Autoglym contain UV blockers. There is a good argument for Pre 1995 Tyres that have been stored correctly out of the light being better and longer lasting than their modern counterpart.
From the Michelin site: February 9, 2006 Service Life for Passenger Car and Light Truck Tires including Spare Tires The following recommendation applies to passenger car and light truck tires. Tires are composed of various types of material and rubber compounds, having performance properties essential to the proper functioning of the tire itself. These component properties evolve over time. For each tire, this evolution depends upon many factors such as weather, storage conditions, and conditions of use (load, speed, inflation pressure, maintenance etc.) to which the tire is subjected throughout its life. This service-related evolution varies widely so that accurately predicting the serviceable life of any specific tire in advance is not possible. That it is why, in addition to regular inspections and inflation pressure maintenance by consumers, it is recommended to have passenger car and light truck tires, including spare tires, inspected regularly by a qualified tire specialist, such as a tire dealer, who will assess the tire's suitability for continued service. Tires which have been in use for 5 years or more should continue to be inspected by a specialist at least annually. Consumers are strongly encouraged to be aware not only of their tires' visual condition and inflation pressure but also of any change in dynamic performance such as increased air loss, noise or vibration, which could be an indication that the tires need to be removed from service to prevent tire failure. It is impossible to predict when tires should be replaced based on their calendar age alone . However the older a tire the greater the chance that it will need to be replaced due to the service-related evolution or other conditions found upon inspection or detected during use. While most tires will need replacement before they achieve 10 years, it is recommended that any tires in service 10 years or more from the date of manufacture, including spare tires, be replaced with new tires as a simple precaution even if such tires appear serviceable and even if they have not reached the legal wear limit. For tires that were on an original equipment vehicle (i.e., acquired by the consumer on a new vehicle), follow the vehicle manufacturers tire replacement recommendations, when specified (but not to exceed 10 years). The date when a tire was manufactured is located on the sidewall of each tire. Consumers should locate the Department of Transportation or DOT code on the tire which begins with DOT and ends with the week and year of manufacture. For example, a DOT code ending with 2204 indicates a tire made in the 22 nd week (May) of 2004. PM-06-02 Michelin North America, Inc. One Parkway South, P. O. Box 19001 Greenville, South Carolina 29602-9001
