I read somewhere that if the pressure of cold tyre increases by 4 psi after driving, then the air pressure is set correctly. If the pressure increases only by 1-2 psi, then the tyre has been overinflated to begin with.tex wrote:With your tyre pressure try an experement measure the tyre preasure when cold then again when warm ideally after some hard driving if the preasure increases by about 4 psi then they are under inflated if they only change by1 maybe 2 psi then the tyres should be close to the perfect preasure.
Performance tyres for Outback ?
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OK, so I sorted out the tyres, and now I started to think about getting a rear sway bar. The question where do I get one for Subaru Outback 1997 ?discopotato03 wrote:To sharpen things up a bit you can fit larger diameter ani roll bars and in a genetically front drive vehicle like all Subarus start at the back .
I did a search on the Internet, and there are plenty of shops offering links for the sway bars, but not the bars themselves. I think I could come to a specialist shop which does upgrades for the cars but I am not willing to pay their, I am sure, exorbitant prices. I could drop in to the local Subaro wrecker and ask him whether they have rear sway bars for my car, although the chance could be low and who knows what condition this sway bar is. Also, the other issue is whether I could fit it by myself, or I need to ask a mechanic to do it.
I have done about 600 km on my new tyres (BF Goodrich Long Trail T/A Tour). I am rather aggressive driver (I turn around the corner at a speed of 60 km/h where it is possible, but I do not do burnouts). I noticed that the tyre showed signs of feathering -- about 1-2 mm are taken off the edges of the blocks and of the sipes. The surface of the blocks now looks worn -- I do not know, may be 0.5-1 mm is worn out. If the wear continues at such a rate, then the tyres will be worn out in 4k km. That's no good ! That's not what I expected from the tyres !
Maybe the next time I will get Michelin Latitude Tour HP which is claimed to be made from the hard material (and thus would resist wearing more). The problem is that I have not found the direct comparisons of these two tyres, so I do not know if Michelin is made from a harder rubber. Oh well.
Maybe the next time I will get Michelin Latitude Tour HP which is claimed to be made from the hard material (and thus would resist wearing more). The problem is that I have not found the direct comparisons of these two tyres, so I do not know if Michelin is made from a harder rubber. Oh well.
I have done around 1000 km on my tyres BF Goodrich Long Trail T/A Tour. The tread blocks which had sharp edges now have rounded edges. Obviously, they were weared out due to lateral forces when I was doing aggressive cornering. I have ceased driving aggressively around the corners since then, as it is useless with this tyre.
A while ago, I wrote an email to Joe Mazur, the BFG marketing manager in the US. I asked him a question what is the difference in driving between this tyre and its Michelin closest equivalent, Michelin Latitude Tour HP. Joe said that the handling of the Michelin tyre would be slightly better just owning to the fact that Michelin is rated for V/H speeds, and the BFG tyre is only a T-rated tyre.
I am yet to try the tyre on an unsealed road. We had heavy rains recently, and the wet grip was as good as it was in dry. Apparently, the increased amount of sipes is for increased traction in wet and in snow.
A while ago, I wrote an email to Joe Mazur, the BFG marketing manager in the US. I asked him a question what is the difference in driving between this tyre and its Michelin closest equivalent, Michelin Latitude Tour HP. Joe said that the handling of the Michelin tyre would be slightly better just owning to the fact that Michelin is rated for V/H speeds, and the BFG tyre is only a T-rated tyre.
I am yet to try the tyre on an unsealed road. We had heavy rains recently, and the wet grip was as good as it was in dry. Apparently, the increased amount of sipes is for increased traction in wet and in snow.
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discopotato03
- Senior Member
- Posts: 2134
- Joined: Sun Mar 18, 2007 9:29 am
- Location: Sydney
If you can take some of the body roll out with higher rate anti roll bars it reduces the roll camber change when cornering .
Wear on the outsides of the front tyres usually indicates positive camber geometry . You may be able to have some of this adjusted out with the std camber bolts and more with aftermarket ones for the other nuckle/upright mounting hole where they bolt to the struts .
Just be aware that if you make the front grip more you lose the std understeer characteristics and can be caught out by snap oversteer .
Geometrically speaking the best place to adjust a macpherson strut is at the top , most roos need a tad negative camber and as much positive caster as you can get because this gives dynamic camber change when you need it and not when you don't . Sadly it means using a spherical joint and when they wear they click/clack/rattle which can be annoying . The ones with the bearing encapsulated in urethane are best for road use .
A .
Wear on the outsides of the front tyres usually indicates positive camber geometry . You may be able to have some of this adjusted out with the std camber bolts and more with aftermarket ones for the other nuckle/upright mounting hole where they bolt to the struts .
Just be aware that if you make the front grip more you lose the std understeer characteristics and can be caught out by snap oversteer .
Geometrically speaking the best place to adjust a macpherson strut is at the top , most roos need a tad negative camber and as much positive caster as you can get because this gives dynamic camber change when you need it and not when you don't . Sadly it means using a spherical joint and when they wear they click/clack/rattle which can be annoying . The ones with the bearing encapsulated in urethane are best for road use .
A .
Over the festive season, I have done 2000 km travelling to Gawler Ranges National Park and Lincoln National Park, and within them. I have done about 200 km on unsealed smooth limestone roads and packed gravel roads, and about 20 km on "4WD only" rock roads within those parks.
To my surprise and satisfaction, the BF Goodrich Long Trail T/A Tour tyres did not have any bits of the tread chipped off. I subscribed it to the softness of rubber and of the tyre's carcass. But then, what do I know ? Maybe any (cheaper) tyre from competitors would not have any material chipped off anyway. The tyres did not have any cuts on them either -- neither on the tread nor on the sidewall. Actually, the possibility of cuts to the sidewall had worried me most. There were scribbling marks from the rocks all over the sidewalls of the tyres. I subscribe the lack of cuts to the softness of the carcass (i.e., the sidewall could be pushed in instead of resisting the sharp rock and thus be cut). Also, the sidewall was smooth with no design on it. Thus, there were no weak points where the sharp rock could pick up the sidewall and start tearing it. Thus, the plain-looking design of the sidewall was actually a plus
.
I did not go on sand because I did not have an air pump. But I think these tyres are most suitable for driving on sand. Due to its weak construction, the tyre would readily spread over the ground when deflated. As I said above, the weak construction of the tyre also seems to me to be the contributing factor to the tyre's resistance to tearing and cutting by the rocks. It also occurs to me that the weak carcass structure is the reason behind the claimed improved fuel economy of the tyre (it occurs to me that a fraction of the energy of the rolling tyre is spent for the continious energy-losing deformation of the (strong) carcass; the tyre with the weak carcass has a lower resistance to the deformation). Maybe the weak carcass is the direction where the modern "green tyres" are going.
Anyway, if I get 50k km out of this tyre, I will think I've got my money's worth. (In the US, this tyre carries a manufacturer's warranty of 60k miles, or around 100k km.) When the time to get replacement comes, I will probably get another brand of tyre, with a speed rating of H or higher (this one has a lower speed rating of T), which should add to the handling precision when on bitumen road.
To my surprise and satisfaction, the BF Goodrich Long Trail T/A Tour tyres did not have any bits of the tread chipped off. I subscribed it to the softness of rubber and of the tyre's carcass. But then, what do I know ? Maybe any (cheaper) tyre from competitors would not have any material chipped off anyway. The tyres did not have any cuts on them either -- neither on the tread nor on the sidewall. Actually, the possibility of cuts to the sidewall had worried me most. There were scribbling marks from the rocks all over the sidewalls of the tyres. I subscribe the lack of cuts to the softness of the carcass (i.e., the sidewall could be pushed in instead of resisting the sharp rock and thus be cut). Also, the sidewall was smooth with no design on it. Thus, there were no weak points where the sharp rock could pick up the sidewall and start tearing it. Thus, the plain-looking design of the sidewall was actually a plus
.I did not go on sand because I did not have an air pump. But I think these tyres are most suitable for driving on sand. Due to its weak construction, the tyre would readily spread over the ground when deflated. As I said above, the weak construction of the tyre also seems to me to be the contributing factor to the tyre's resistance to tearing and cutting by the rocks. It also occurs to me that the weak carcass structure is the reason behind the claimed improved fuel economy of the tyre (it occurs to me that a fraction of the energy of the rolling tyre is spent for the continious energy-losing deformation of the (strong) carcass; the tyre with the weak carcass has a lower resistance to the deformation). Maybe the weak carcass is the direction where the modern "green tyres" are going.
Anyway, if I get 50k km out of this tyre, I will think I've got my money's worth. (In the US, this tyre carries a manufacturer's warranty of 60k miles, or around 100k km.) When the time to get replacement comes, I will probably get another brand of tyre, with a speed rating of H or higher (this one has a lower speed rating of T), which should add to the handling precision when on bitumen road.
Gee, what a crap. I finally got a reply from a Toyo dealer. I had told him that I got offered a great discount for the BF Goodrich Long Trail T/A Tour tyre (from RRP $220 to $159), and I thought the tyre was very much identical to their Toyo Open Country H/T ("OPHT"). I asked him if he could offer a discount for OPHT which had a RRP of $220. I told him OPHT had a higher speed rating (H) while BFG had a lower speed rating (T), and thus I was interested in OPHT more, because I thought a higher speed rating meant the tyre was stiffer, and thus could have a better cornering handling.
The authorised dealer (manager of a chain tyre shop) told me that OPHT was a "much more superior tyre" to BFG because it had a higher speed rating which supposedly meant that Toyo did not compromise on quality and materials.
I thought it was crap, and the dealer was lying straight into my face trying to take advantage of me. I felt my intelligence was insulted. Both tyres were new in the market in 2008, and the description of both boasted a newly-developed wear-resistant rubber. They both were offered at the same RRP ! Moreover, in my homeland the Toyo tyre is 25% cheaper than the BF Goodrich tyre (I suspect in part because BF Goodrich is more prestigeous brand than Toyo).
Yet I could not find any direct comparison of performance of OPHT and BFG tyres on the Internet. Anybody could suggest their considerations ?
The authorised dealer (manager of a chain tyre shop) told me that OPHT was a "much more superior tyre" to BFG because it had a higher speed rating which supposedly meant that Toyo did not compromise on quality and materials.
I thought it was crap, and the dealer was lying straight into my face trying to take advantage of me. I felt my intelligence was insulted. Both tyres were new in the market in 2008, and the description of both boasted a newly-developed wear-resistant rubber. They both were offered at the same RRP ! Moreover, in my homeland the Toyo tyre is 25% cheaper than the BF Goodrich tyre (I suspect in part because BF Goodrich is more prestigeous brand than Toyo).
Yet I could not find any direct comparison of performance of OPHT and BFG tyres on the Internet. Anybody could suggest their considerations ?
The US marketing manager for BFG said in his email in early January 2010 that Long Trail Tour will be released in H speed rating "next year" (is it 2010 or 2011 ?). Currently, Long Trail Tours are all in T speed rating.
Anecdotically, the rubber in my tyres got firmer. I started to get my car sliding when I turn around the tight roundabout. Judging by the wear speed, I am going to get 50k km out of these tyres, which is borderline between "not good" and "very good".
Anecdotically, the rubber in my tyres got firmer. I started to get my car sliding when I turn around the tight roundabout. Judging by the wear speed, I am going to get 50k km out of these tyres, which is borderline between "not good" and "very good".
Here is a question for you. I like to push my tyres. When I drive to work, I turn around a 10 m-diameter roundabout at a speed of 50 km/h -- that's the limit when the tyres start to squeal. Ideally, I would like to corner at a speed of 60 km/h -- that's the speed limit on this road.
Today, My colleague was driving in front of me. At the carpark, he confronted me and said something like this: "Hey, that sqeal was horrible. This is a 4wd, and it should not behave like this. Is anything wrong with the tyres ? Are they bold ? Or are they of bad brand ? Check the front tyres if they are worn at the edge".
I told him that the tyres were only 2 months old, and they were of a good brand, BF Goodrich. My colleague commented that BF Goodrich used to be good but not anymore.
His comment made me thinking. This tyre was the top tyre at tirerack.com, so that it should be OK. It was far from being bold. The only reason why they could squeal was that they were overinflated. The label on the car door jumb recommends the tyre pressure 29/28 psi (front/rear). The cold pressure which I inflated to is 33 psi. This removed the "mushiness" in the ride, and it is the highest tolerable pressure before the ride turns intto harsh and hard. I do not think the tyre is overinflated. But what do you think ?
(Of course, I could let out couple of psi of air from the tyre, and see whether cornering grip is improved and squealing disappears, but I do not want to do it yet.)
Today, My colleague was driving in front of me. At the carpark, he confronted me and said something like this: "Hey, that sqeal was horrible. This is a 4wd, and it should not behave like this. Is anything wrong with the tyres ? Are they bold ? Or are they of bad brand ? Check the front tyres if they are worn at the edge".
I told him that the tyres were only 2 months old, and they were of a good brand, BF Goodrich. My colleague commented that BF Goodrich used to be good but not anymore.
His comment made me thinking. This tyre was the top tyre at tirerack.com, so that it should be OK. It was far from being bold. The only reason why they could squeal was that they were overinflated. The label on the car door jumb recommends the tyre pressure 29/28 psi (front/rear). The cold pressure which I inflated to is 33 psi. This removed the "mushiness" in the ride, and it is the highest tolerable pressure before the ride turns intto harsh and hard. I do not think the tyre is overinflated. But what do you think ?
(Of course, I could let out couple of psi of air from the tyre, and see whether cornering grip is improved and squealing disappears, but I do not want to do it yet.)
the squeal is a combination of a few things. one of these things is that you are driving an AWD car with a tall tyre and a reasonable amount of body roll around a tight bend at speed. Can you see where this is going?
It was recomended to you that you look for a more street orientated tyre for your driving style, and its apparent that you just about need a full street tyre for your driving style. Im not having a go at you here, im just saying that you cant have a good firm sidewall, great grip on the road and in the wet and a tyre that performs offroad whilst driving at 60 clicks around australias substandard surfaced roundabouts. If thats the way you want to drive, and do the very very rare offroad "soft" driving, look at a michelin catalogue. You get what you pay for, but dont expect the best thing since sliced bread either. tyres are a wear and tear item and as such, arent manufactured to last for ever. there is a compromise between lifespan and performance with ALL tyres. If you want to stick with the same tyre/rim combo's then i suggest looking at your suspension geometry, get a FULL 4 WHEEL alignment, these are about 140 bucks and can do wonders for a cars handling. remember when u are getting it done that you mention your "spirited" driving style and the wheel tech should be able to set it for you.
Good luck, and safe motoring
It was recomended to you that you look for a more street orientated tyre for your driving style, and its apparent that you just about need a full street tyre for your driving style. Im not having a go at you here, im just saying that you cant have a good firm sidewall, great grip on the road and in the wet and a tyre that performs offroad whilst driving at 60 clicks around australias substandard surfaced roundabouts. If thats the way you want to drive, and do the very very rare offroad "soft" driving, look at a michelin catalogue. You get what you pay for, but dont expect the best thing since sliced bread either. tyres are a wear and tear item and as such, arent manufactured to last for ever. there is a compromise between lifespan and performance with ALL tyres. If you want to stick with the same tyre/rim combo's then i suggest looking at your suspension geometry, get a FULL 4 WHEEL alignment, these are about 140 bucks and can do wonders for a cars handling. remember when u are getting it done that you mention your "spirited" driving style and the wheel tech should be able to set it for you.
Good luck, and safe motoring
Hmm... I went to the nearest Bridgstone tyre shop, and asked for a "full 4 wheel alignment". They told me it would cost $59. I asked: "What about the one for approximately $140 ?" They told me there ain't such thing, but they could take my $140 if I insist".ORX-18 wrote:... get a FULL 4 WHEEL alignment, these are about 140 bucks and can do wonders for a cars handling.
I was away on my leave. Now I am driving the car quieter, without pushing it around the corners and roundabouts. So that the tyre is OK for me. There is a tirerack article comparing BF Goodrich Long Trail T/A Tour, Dunlop Signature CS and Kumho Road Venture APT KL51. It says: "The Long Trail T/A Tour was somewhat more responsive than the Kumho tire, but ended in greater understeer that limited its cornering speed".
This was my observation, too. The BFG tyre is competent at precision of steering, however I experienced more cornering understeering than I wanted. I think the unusual and excessive siping of shoulder blocks is responsible for that. Just as I said, I am not pushing the tyre now. But my new tyres (still 2 years away !) will be Michelin Latitude Tour HP or Toyo Open Country H/T, or some other "H" speed-rated tyre. A higher speed rating, besides temeparture endurance, also means that the sidewall is stiffer.
What makes a tyre good for driving on gravel ?
My "off-road" driving consists mostly of driving on country roads with lose gravel on it. The surface is slippery when I am braking or turning, so that I have to keep the speed down.
I imagine a Mud-Terrain would make a good gravel tyre, because it has chunky thread. The gravel fits between the lugs; the lugs bite into the road. Also, I imagine the lugs should have generous siping on them, so that to grip onto dusty road surface under the gravel.
Also, the thread should be made of a soft rubber, so that the tyre would "hug" the larger gravel stones and still keep in contact with the road.
Am I correct ?
My "off-road" driving consists mostly of driving on country roads with lose gravel on it. The surface is slippery when I am braking or turning, so that I have to keep the speed down.
I imagine a Mud-Terrain would make a good gravel tyre, because it has chunky thread. The gravel fits between the lugs; the lugs bite into the road. Also, I imagine the lugs should have generous siping on them, so that to grip onto dusty road surface under the gravel.
Also, the thread should be made of a soft rubber, so that the tyre would "hug" the larger gravel stones and still keep in contact with the road.
Am I correct ?
Nobody answered my question, so that I try to answer at a best of my abilitiesvalerian wrote:What makes a tyre good for driving on gravel ?
.Here is a BF Goodrich Rally tyre, designed specifically for rally on gravel. One could see the tread has lots of grooves which I think are supposed to "hug" the gravel particles and do not let them rotate, thus do not allow the "ball bearing" effect.
http://secure.subesports.com/products/c ... rodID/1980
Part Number: BFG-60526
Brand: BF Goodrich Rally
Model: 195/70-15 GZS5R
Description:
BF Goodrich 15" standard gravel specification tire for 4-wheel drive Group A and Open class rally cars. Directional tire with curved radius pattern producing maximum ground force under rotation. All-around performance on hard packed, loose, and sandy surfaces. Right side hard compound.
A quick update. After about 5 months and 5k km, the ride improved, i.e. it became firmer. At the same time, the tyre pressure went down from 32-33 psi to 30.5 psi and is now close to the recommended by manufacturer (29/28 psi F/R). I presume it take this long for the tyres to cure and became firmer. The ride is more pleasant, although I had a number of drives in passenger cars, and they are more responsive when turning.
The othet thought which occured to me is that one should not trust the reviews and rankings from American website. Americans value the wear and comfort above of all, and do not care much about handling. As for me, I care more about handling and lateral grip, and do not mind much if the tyre wears ot quickly and provides a bit hard ride. In fact, Europeans value performance over comfort, so that I am finding the reviews on the English and German websites which I am happier with.
I've decided when my tyres finish off in a couple of years, I will get any highway-terrain tyre with a speed rating of H or above. My criterion will be the price -- the cheaper the better, and hopefully it will be Michelin Latitude Tour HP.
The othet thought which occured to me is that one should not trust the reviews and rankings from American website. Americans value the wear and comfort above of all, and do not care much about handling. As for me, I care more about handling and lateral grip, and do not mind much if the tyre wears ot quickly and provides a bit hard ride. In fact, Europeans value performance over comfort, so that I am finding the reviews on the English and German websites which I am happier with.
I've decided when my tyres finish off in a couple of years, I will get any highway-terrain tyre with a speed rating of H or above. My criterion will be the price -- the cheaper the better, and hopefully it will be Michelin Latitude Tour HP.
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discopotato03
- Senior Member
- Posts: 2134
- Joined: Sun Mar 18, 2007 9:29 am
- Location: Sydney
I heard the general opinion that Michelin tyres last long because they are made of hard rubber. On contrary, my Yokohama tyres lasted very short, but this was because they were made from a super-soft rubber -- and this showed its result in handling, which I appreciated most !discopotato03 wrote:When the result is everything most go looking in the Michelin range .
My conclusion has been that the Highway-Terrain tires are no different from passenger tires on unsealed roads in terms of grip. (All-Terrain tyres might be better.)
Anyway, I found this appealing passenger tyre in my size made by Vogue, http://www.antiquetyres.com.au/node/694 . It has a white wall and a golden strip. Unfortunately, the dealer said they ceased bringing them to Australia as the demand was not there.
Anyway, I found this appealing passenger tyre in my size made by Vogue, http://www.antiquetyres.com.au/node/694 . It has a white wall and a golden strip. Unfortunately, the dealer said they ceased bringing them to Australia as the demand was not there.
Hi everyone,
I am looking for a 205/70R15 tyre with a speed rating no less than "V".
The problem is that all the available tyres are S, T or H rated. I want something with a stiffer sidewall and with softer tread rubber. Bob Jane offers Pirelly P4, but I think they might be too stiff (W speed rating).
I am looking for a 205/70R15 tyre with a speed rating no less than "V".
The problem is that all the available tyres are S, T or H rated. I want something with a stiffer sidewall and with softer tread rubber. Bob Jane offers Pirelly P4, but I think they might be too stiff (W speed rating).
http://www.marangoni.com/conf/pro_sched ... 4&CCA_ID=0
i have the mythos tread on my liberty. Cant recommend them highly enough. A GREAT tyre.
205/65/ r15 is the only size with a V rating.
do some research into them.
alex
i have the mythos tread on my liberty. Cant recommend them highly enough. A GREAT tyre.
205/65/ r15 is the only size with a V rating.
do some research into them.
alex
my07 Outback
my13 Hyundai i45(shhhh)
my02 Gen3 Liberty limited ed.
previously
L-series wagon, LSD, EJ20turbo, 29in tyres, 'wanky wagon'
2000 gen3 outback, lifted, otherwise stock.
my13 Hyundai i45(shhhh)
my02 Gen3 Liberty limited ed.
previously
L-series wagon, LSD, EJ20turbo, 29in tyres, 'wanky wagon'
2000 gen3 outback, lifted, otherwise stock.