Pajero Sport - New Tires /Wheels, Recommendations?

[SoloFlyer]

Only done 40k, but the original tires have worn down to the 'bridge' and are a little flakey in parts. (Could this be due to poor 'balancing'?? - I check the pressure every couple of weeks, and rarely lost any).

We swapped them around at the 40k service, but service guy reckons I should change them within the next 5k km.

I had been hopin I'd get at least 50k from new tires. Was thinking I would get new wheels at that stage ... but if Im gonna need a tire change every 18months I dont think I wanna bugger around with fancy wheels and lesser lasting tires.

Recommendations ... long lasting, comfortable, and of course, safe.

[mogandave]

40K is low, but if they are down to the indicator it's time to change.

Are they all worn about the same?

Is the wear pretty even?

Not sure what you mean by “flakey”, but out of balance can cause cupping or fluting, but it should only affect the tire that is out of balance, not all of them. Also, tires almost never come out of balance, but are easy to knock them out of alignment. Poor alignment gets a lot more tires than does poor balancing.

I drive a dmax, but I think I got 60K out of my last Bridgestones and similar out of my last Michelins. I drive 40 to 50k a year.

[transam]

If the tread edges are ''flaking'' it sounds like you need to get the tracking done at a reputable garage.

Michelin Cross Terrain are a nice quiet ride. If your tyres are over inflated the centre will wear out quicker. Don't trust garage guages. Buy one at Tesco's to be sure of correct pressure.

[Spoonman]

Why would a tyre on a "fancy" wheel have less of a lifespan than one on the "standard" wheel ?

[JaiLai]

40K is low, but if they are down to the indicator it's time to change.

Are they all worn about the same?

Is the wear pretty even?

Not sure what you mean by “flakey”, but out of balance can cause cupping or fluting, but it should only affect the tire that is out of balance, not all of them. Also, tires almost never come out of balance, but are easy to knock them out of alignment. Poor alignment gets a lot more tires than does poor balancing.

I drive a dmax, but I think I got 60K out of my last Bridgestones and similar out of my last Michelins. I drive 40 to 50k a year.

What indicator, a mark on the tire?

I also have MPS and got about 40K, outer edges of all tires had a few cracks in them, these were not on standard rims though and were Yokohama tires.

New set 50K, not cheap!

[mogandave]

^{Wear indicators or “bars” are high spots in the tire grooves that when worn flat show that the tire no longer meets the minimum thread depth standard. I think all automotive tires (at least in the US) have them. A little more accurate than a penny...}

^{Google “wear bars” and you should see some pictures and descriptions.}

[thailoht]

40K is low, but if they are down to the indicator it's time to change.

Are they all worn about the same?

Is the wear pretty even?

Not sure what you mean by “flakey”, but out of balance can cause cupping or fluting, but it should only affect the tire that is out of balance, not all of them. Also, tires almost never come out of balance, but are easy to knock them out of alignment. Poor alignment gets a lot more tires than does poor balancing.

I drive a dmax, but I think I got 60K out of my last Bridgestones and similar out of my last Michelins. I drive 40 to 50k a year.

What indicator, a mark on the tire?

I also have MPS and got about 40K, outer edges of all tires had a few cracks in them, these were not on standard rims though and were Yokohama tires.

New set 50K, not cheap!

It looks like tire life expectancy in LOS is 40km +....jeez!

What size and model of Yokohama tires did you have on your MPS?

[SoloFlyer]

40K is low, but if they are down to the indicator it's time to change.

Are they all worn about the same?

Is the wear pretty even?

Not sure what you mean by “flakey”, but out of balance can cause cupping or fluting, but it should only affect the tire that is out of balance, not all of them. Also, tires almost never come out of balance, but are easy to knock them out of alignment. Poor alignment gets a lot more tires than does poor balancing.

I drive a dmax, but I think I got 60K out of my last Bridgestones and similar out of my last Michelins. I drive 40 to 50k a year.

The wear seemed to be on the front - outer edges. I wouldn't say even either...

By flakey, I just mean a few cracks where the rubber seems particularly hard, or less soft than other areas. Its dark now, so I'll have another looksie in the morning and give a more detailed description. Also I may have meant alignment rather than balancing, but I would have thought regular 10k services would fix/prevent that.

[SoloFlyer]

If the tread edges are ''flaking'' it sounds like you need to get the tracking done at a reputable garage.

Michelin Cross Terrain are a nice quiet ride. If your tyres are over inflated the centre will wear out quicker. Don't trust garage guages. Buy one at Tesco's to be sure of correct pressure.

Have my own in the drivers door. I had some Goodreach (??) on-off road tires on my old suzuki, they were good, but went through two with minor tears in the side from light curve bumps etc.

[SoloFlyer]

Why would a tyre on a "fancy" wheel have less of a lifespan than one on the "standard" wheel ?

I gather nice rims that require a lower profile tire wear out a bit quicker. I know a Yokohama was highly recommended by MRO as a good tire to match larger rims on a PJS, but the downside was quicker wear.

[mogandave]

40K is low, but if they are down to the indicator it's time to change.

Are they all worn about the same?

Is the wear pretty even?

Not sure what you mean by “flakey”, but out of balance can cause cupping or fluting, but it should only affect the tire that is out of balance, not all of them. Also, tires almost never come out of balance, but are easy to knock them out of alignment. Poor alignment gets a lot more tires than does poor balancing.

I drive a dmax, but I think I got 60K out of my last Bridgestones and similar out of my last Michelins. I drive 40 to 50k a year.

The wear seemed to be on the front - outer edges. I wouldn't say even either...

By flakey, I just mean a few cracks where the rubber seems particularly hard, or less soft than other areas. Its dark now, so I'll have another looksie in the morning and give a more detailed description. Also I may have meant alignment rather than balancing, but I would have thought regular 10k services would fix/prevent that.

That sounds like an alignment problem.

Were it me, and if the tires aren't all that bad I'd move the front to the back and have it aligned.

[JaiLai]

40K is low, but if they are down to the indicator it's time to change.

Are they all worn about the same?

Is the wear pretty even?

Not sure what you mean by “flakey”, but out of balance can cause cupping or fluting, but it should only affect the tire that is out of balance, not all of them. Also, tires almost never come out of balance, but are easy to knock them out of alignment. Poor alignment gets a lot more tires than does poor balancing.

I drive a dmax, but I think I got 60K out of my last Bridgestones and similar out of my last Michelins. I drive 40 to 50k a year.

What indicator, a mark on the tire?

I also have MPS and got about 40K, outer edges of all tires had a few cracks in them, these were not on standard rims though and were Yokohama tires.

New set 50K, not cheap!

It looks like tire life expectancy in LOS is 40km +....jeez!

What size and model of Yokohama tires did you have on your MPS?

Yokohama Prada spec X. 265/40/22

[JaiLai]

40K is low, but if they are down to the indicator it's time to change.

Are they all worn about the same?

Is the wear pretty even?

Not sure what you mean by “flakey”, but out of balance can cause cupping or fluting, but it should only affect the tire that is out of balance, not all of them. Also, tires almost never come out of balance, but are easy to knock them out of alignment. Poor alignment gets a lot more tires than does poor balancing.

I drive a dmax, but I think I got 60K out of my last Bridgestones and similar out of my last Michelins. I drive 40 to 50k a year.

The wear seemed to be on the front - outer edges. I wouldn't say even either...

By flakey, I just mean a few cracks where the rubber seems particularly hard, or less soft than other areas. Its dark now, so I'll have another looksie in the morning and give a more detailed description. Also I may have meant alignment rather than balancing, but I would have thought regular 10k services would fix/prevent that.

This description sounds almost identical to what i had at 40K kms.

[Spoonman]

Why would a tyre on a "fancy" wheel have less of a lifespan than one on the "standard" wheel ?

I gather nice rims that require a lower profile tire wear out a bit quicker. I know a Yokohama was highly recommended by MRO as a good tire to match larger rims on a PJS, but the downside was quicker wear.

I still do not understand why a tyre that has the same tread depth regardless of sidewall profile would wear any differently.

[transam]

Why would a tyre on a "fancy" wheel have less of a lifespan than one on the "standard" wheel ?

I gather nice rims that require a lower profile tire wear out a bit quicker. I know a Yokohama was highly recommended by MRO as a good tire to match larger rims on a PJS, but the downside was quicker wear.

I still do not understand why a tyre that has the same tread depth regardless of sidewall profile would wear any differently.

Perhaps less radial side wall flex.

[thailoht]

I gather nice rims that require a lower profile tire wear out a bit quicker. I know a Yokohama was highly recommended by MRO as a good tire to match larger rims on a PJS, but the downside was quicker wear.

That's why I bought mine, too!

They do handle very well on the road, though, especially on those steep, tight and curvy mountain roads as well as on wet pavement. But I hope I can stretch their life up to 60k km.

[thailoht]

Why would a tyre on a "fancy" wheel have less of a lifespan than one on the "standard" wheel ?

I gather nice rims that require a lower profile tire wear out a bit quicker. I know a Yokohama was highly recommended by MRO as a good tire to match larger rims on a PJS, but the downside was quicker wear.

I still do not understand why a tyre that has the same tread depth regardless of sidewall profile would wear any differently.

Perhaps less radial side wall flex.

....due to less sidewall (height)?

I sure hope that proves to be the case because my 20 inch Paradas have 1 inch, (26.4mm), more sidewall height than Jai Lai's 22 inch tires!

Maybe that will translate into 10k km to 20k km more tread life.

[mogandave]

Generally traction is a trade off to wear. Softer "rubber" grips better but wears out faster then does hard "rubber".

[Jitar]

Morgandave is spot on, tyre wear is largely down to the hardness of the rubber compound. However most of the lower profile tyres available to suit bigger diameter wheels tend to be softer compound, higher performance and more expensive. The cheaper longer wearing medium compound tyres are mostly offered in sizes up to 17 inch wheels and 65% profile.

The standard Bridgestone Dueler HT on PJS, Fortuner etc. should last a lot longer than 40,000 km. The Fortuner we have with these tyres currently has done 70,000 km and will do maybe another 10,000km. We have had Michelin and Maxxis tyres running similar distances. I reckon there would need to be an alignment or tyre quality problem or extreme driving to wear a set at 40k.

The 20" Yokohama Parada Spec-X tyres on my PJS seem a little softer compound than the standard Bridgestones but they grip better. They have done 35,000km and I reckon will go to around 60,000 km. I doubt the lower profile will effect wear much but sidewall damage may be a little more likely. The Yokohamas are good if you want more performance but not good if you want low cost.

[JaiLai]

Generally traction is a trade off to wear. Softer "rubber" grips better but wears out faster then does hard "rubber".

Also the lower profile tires around town on these roads in this heat will also wear quicker, a previous vehicle i had i only got 16K kms out of a set!! Needless to say the new tires i bought were not as low profile!

[DJH77]

You never mentioned what model PJS you have. My PJS 3.2Lt GT got 80,000 from the origional Bridgestones on the 17 inch standard wheels and i drive at any average speed of about 120 Ks. I thought about putting Bigger Diameter wheels etc on the car but after a lot of research i decided to stick with the standard 17 in wheels and fitted Michilin Latitude Cross Tyres which are Manufactured in Poland, Not Thailand. These have now done 20,000 Ks and are fantastic. The Wet Weather Grip is so good that i rarely have to go to 4 Wheel Drive where as with the Bridgestones i would engage 4 WD in even the lightest rain and the Michilins out handle them in 2 WD. I Compare these tyres to the Michilins of the early 1970's. If you drove on Michilin X tyres which had a very high milage factor but where Not good in the Wet and then Bought the then New Michelin XAS the transformation was unbelievable on both Dry and Wet Conditions. These Latitude Cross are exactely the same, In fact the tread pattern even reminds me of the XAS which i actually Raced on in Touring Cars in Oz before Slicks hit the market.. When you look at them on the Michilin Site or at a dealer which is the way to go you will see what i mean. And don't think that because of the Chunky Tread Pattern that they will be Noisy because they are Not, they are just as quiet as Highway style tread patterns and the wear factor seems to be very good, mine have worn from 1 to 1,5 mm in the first 20,000 K's. The recommended Retail Price from Michelin is 7,690 Baht per tyre so don't be ripped off as in Ubon i was quoted 8,500 Bht but in Mukdahan they actually Discounted them to 7,500 each. So my recommendation is to Save Your Money and Stick to the Standard 17 inch Wheels that the car was designed to run on and Fit these Michilin Latitude Cross Tyres and you will be Super Happy and a Whole Lot Safer.

[thailoht]

Morgandave is spot on, tyre wear is largely down to the hardness of the rubber compound. However most of the lower profile tyres available to suit bigger diameter wheels tend to be softer compound, higher performance and more expensive. The cheaper longer wearing medium compound tyres are mostly offered in sizes up to 17 inch wheels and 65% profile.

The standard Bridgestone Dueler HT on PJS, Fortuner etc. should last a lot longer than 40,000 km. The Fortuner we have with these tyres currently has done 70,000 km and will do maybe another 10,000km. We have had Michelin and Maxxis tyres running similar distances. I reckon there would need to be an alignment or tyre quality problem or extreme driving to wear a set at 40k.

The 20" Yokohama Parada Spec-X tyres on my PJS seem a little softer compound than the standard Bridgestones but they grip better. They have done 35,000km and I reckon will go to around 60,000 km. I doubt the lower profile will effect wear much but sidewall damage may be a little more likely. The Yokohamas are good if you want more performance but not good if you want low cost.

Very informative....

It's refreshing to hear you're getting somewhat decent tread life from your 20" Paradas.

These are my first uni-directional tires. Did you rotate and align your tires at set kilometer intervals?

Generally traction is a trade off to wear. Softer "rubber" grips better but wears out faster then does hard "rubber".

Also the lower profile tires around town on these roads in this heat will also wear quicker, a previous vehicle i had i only got 16K kms out of a set!! Needless to say the new tires i bought were not as low profile!

In the LOS market, should the informed tire buyer consider a tire's degree of 'softness' and 'hardness' when choosing tires, and if so, what factors should be considered?

Edited August 21, 2012 by thailoht

[SoloFlyer]

You never mentioned what model PJS you have. My PJS 3.2Lt GT got 80,000 from the origional Bridgestones on the 17 inch standard wheels and i drive at any average speed of about 120 Ks. I thought about putting Bigger Diameter wheels etc on the car but after a lot of research i decided to stick with the standard 17 in wheels and fitted Michilin Latitude Cross Tyres which are Manufactured in Poland, Not Thailand. These have now done 20,000 Ks and are fantastic. The Wet Weather Grip is so good that i rarely have to go to 4 Wheel Drive where as with the Bridgestones i would engage 4 WD in even the lightest rain and the Michilins out handle them in 2 WD. I Compare these tyres to the Michilins of the early 1970's. If you drove on Michilin X tyres which had a very high milage factor but where Not good in the Wet and then Bought the then New Michelin XAS the transformation was unbelievable on both Dry and Wet Conditions. These Latitude Cross are exactely the same, In fact the tread pattern even reminds me of the XAS which i actually Raced on in Touring Cars in Oz before Slicks hit the market.. When you look at them on the Michilin Site or at a dealer which is the way to go you will see what i mean. And don't think that because of the Chunky Tread Pattern that they will be Noisy because they are Not, they are just as quiet as Highway style tread patterns and the wear factor seems to be very good, mine have worn from 1 to 1,5 mm in the first 20,000 K's. The recommended Retail Price from Michelin is 7,690 Baht per tyre so don't be ripped off as in Ubon i was quoted 8,500 Bht but in Mukdahan they actually Discounted them to 7,500 each. So my recommendation is to Save Your Money and Stick to the Standard 17 inch Wheels that the car was designed to run on and Fit these Michilin Latitude Cross Tyres and you will be Super Happy and a Whole Lot Safer.

Thanks. Great post. Its the 2010 2.5L 2wd. 80K on originals???? wow. I drive .... mixed. Dont hoon, sometimes agressive, but never screeching, use gears to help break, try to keep revs moderate ...

If I only got 40k with regular service and keeping an eye on pressure levels, I don't suppose I could make a claim??

[SoloFlyer]

Morgandave is spot on, tyre wear is largely down to the hardness of the rubber compound. However most of the lower profile tyres available to suit bigger diameter wheels tend to be softer compound, higher performance and more expensive. The cheaper longer wearing medium compound tyres are mostly offered in sizes up to 17 inch wheels and 65% profile.

The standard Bridgestone Dueler HT on PJS, Fortuner etc. should last a lot longer than 40,000 km. The Fortuner we have with these tyres currently has done 70,000 km and will do maybe another 10,000km. We have had Michelin and Maxxis tyres running similar distances. I reckon there would need to be an alignment or tyre quality problem or extreme driving to wear a set at 40k.

The 20" Yokohama Parada Spec-X tyres on my PJS seem a little softer compound than the standard Bridgestones but they grip better. They have done 35,000km and I reckon will go to around 60,000 km. I doubt the lower profile will effect wear much but sidewall damage may be a little more likely. The Yokohamas are good if you want more performance but not good if you want low cost.

Thanks Jitar, great info.

[Jitar]

Thailoht, I had my Yokohamas swapped front to rear at 30,000 km. Have not rechecked alignment yet but probably should.

Tyre manufacturer sometime quote indices for tread wear / compound softness but they are not consistent. The easiest crude comparison is the speed rating. Many of the standard light truck tyres like the Bridgestone Dueler HT are S rated. The more performance oriented tyres are rated higher like the V rated Yokohama Parada Spec-X. While either is fine, the higher speed rating usually means a more expensive performance oriented tyre that will wear faster.

Edited August 21, 2012 by Jitar

[thailoht]

Thailoht, I had my Yokohamas swapped front to rear at 30,000 km. Have not rechecked alignment yet but probably should.

Tyre manufacturer sometime quote indices for tread wear / compound softness but they are not consistent. The easiest crude comparison is the speed rating. Many of the standard light truck tyres like the Bridgestone Dueler HT are S rated. The more performance oriented tyres are rated higher like the V rated Yokohama Parada Spec-X. While either is fine, the higher speed rating usually means a more expensive performance oriented tyre that will wear faster.

Very good.

At what air pressure do you keep your Paradas? What is the mfg recommended air pressure for your OEM tires (as posted on a plate inside your lower door pillar)? If these two air pressures aren't the same, what is your thinking for the difference?

[Jitar]

Normally I use 30 psi front / 32 psi rear.

Mitsu recommend (29 Front, 32 - 36 psi Rear) for the standard 265/70x16 or 265/65x17 tyres.

In theory the higher load rating of the Yokohamas could allow a slightly lower pressure but I like the balance between steering precision and ride at the above.

Edited August 21, 2012 by Jitar

[necronx99]

Normally I use 30 psi front / 32 psi rear.

Mitsu recommend (29 Front, 32 - 36 psi Rear) for the standard 265/70x16 or 265/65x17 tyres.

In theory the higher load rating of the Yokohamas could allow a slightly lower pressure but I like the balance between steering precision and ride at the above.

i have maxxis 265/50x20 on mine. the shop guy put it at 35 and 40.

[JaiLai]

Interesting all the different tire pressures, i have 265/40/22 and have 32-34psi all round.

[anon210]

As for me, the dealership pumped it at 32/front 35/back, upon receipt. That makes for a taunt ride (feel every "big" bump), but I don't mind as it gives better gas efficiency.