When to change tires for a car in Bangkok? Garage says it is time...

[yimlitnoy]

When to change tires for a car in Bangkok? Garage says it is time... I have a Citroën Xantia 1997, I assume I will need Radials Michelin? Is there any specials this week in Bangkok?

[doctorproc156]

Put in a 5 baht coin upside down in the threads, if you can see above the top of the Kings head then you need to change your tires.

[Curt1591]

5 years is what most "experts" suggest as the useful life of the tire. That is 5 years after manufacture. You can determine the date of manufacture from this:

[ignis]

I assume I will need Radials Michelin?

No...... no idea of present day Michelin and older Citroen s, but they were about the worst tyre you could fit.. have had many Citroen s, back in the days of the ID and DS models very difficult to find any other make that made 19" tyres + directional [if i remember all 3 DS I owned had Michelin X tyres].... mostly found Dunlop were a better tyre, the BX GTI was better on Dunlop, one car a Saxo VTS I did get a free set of Michelin as the old set were worn out in less then 13,000 miles, the new FREE set did not make 15,000 miles.... that car I put on a set of Continentals after another 40,000 miles sold the car tyres were still good.

Friend still has a Xantia in the UK but the TD model, he always buys Dunlop has owned the car over 20 years.

Edit: maybe of interest just walked up the Village as there is a Xantia here, tyres fitted are Bridgestone

Edited November 23, 2013 by ignis

[Curt1591]

A couple years back, I got a set of Michelin Pilot Sports for my jazz. They set me back 10,000 for 4.

They are wearing well and are about the quietest tires I have owned.

[billd766]

I have had a Ford Ranger 4x4 since 2001 and I have always had Michelin tyres.

Last year I got my 4th set but the truck has done 292,000 km so for me they are worth it.

[FritsSikkink]

5 years is what most "experts" suggest as the useful life of the tire. That is 5 years after manufacture. You can determine the date of manufacture from this:

It depends how many miles you drive. Your tires can be useless after 2 years,

[Curt1591]

5 years is what most "experts" suggest as the useful life of the tire. That is 5 years after manufacture. You can determine the date of manufacture from this:

It depends how many miles you drive. Your tires can be useless after 2 years,

In my youth, I had been known to wear out tires in a couple months!

But considering "age" alone, 5 years is often the reference. Exposure to UV, heat and other conditions can also play into the longevity.

[manarak]

5 years is what most "experts" suggest as the useful life of the tire. That is 5 years after manufacture. You can determine the date of manufacture from this:

It depends how many miles you drive. Your tires can be useless after 2 years,

usually people get 35000-40000 Km out of a tire.

the 5 baht rule is too lax in my opinion, you need at least 5mm, the King's head is only 4mm away from the edge. the difference doesn't sound like a lot, but 1mm /4mm is 25%.

you will rely most on your tires when it's wet on the road and then the remaining millimeters are crucial for keeping the car under control.

[paulchiangmai]

5 years is what most "experts" suggest as the useful life of the tire. That is 5 years after manufacture. You can determine the date of manufacture from this:

It depends how many miles you drive. Your tires can be useless after 2 years,

usually people get 35000-40000 Km out of a tire.

the 5 baht rule is too lax in my opinion, you need at least 5mm, the King's head is only 4mm away from the edge. the difference doesn't sound like a lot, but 1mm /4mm is 25%.

you will rely most on your tires when it's wet on the road and then the remaining millimeters are crucial for keeping the car under control.

You must be joking with your 5 mm, doubt if they have any more than that new. Depth gauges sold for this purpose are 1.5 mm. Unless your name is Vettel you should have no problem going down to 1mm of tread left before replacing.

[manarak]

5 years is what most "experts" suggest as the useful life of the tire. That is 5 years after manufacture. You can determine the date of manufacture from this:

It depends how many miles you drive. Your tires can be useless after 2 years,

usually people get 35000-40000 Km out of a tire.

the 5 baht rule is too lax in my opinion, you need at least 5mm, the King's head is only 4mm away from the edge. the difference doesn't sound like a lot, but 1mm /4mm is 25%.

you will rely most on your tires when it's wet on the road and then the remaining millimeters are crucial for keeping the car under control.

You must be joking with your 5 mm, doubt if they have any more than that new. Depth gauges sold for this purpose are 1.5 mm. Unless your name is Vettel you should have no problem going down to 1mm of tread left before replacing.

1.6 mm is the legal minimum in Germany.

[Ticketmaster]

Yeah, listen to PaulCM. If I listened to every Thai that told me I needed new tires, I'd be replacing them every six months. I do not know what it is with Thais and tires. They have no idea about them. The shops want to sell tires and I guess everybody else believes their bullshit to the point that there has been mass indoctrination.

I had the Toyota dealer tell me I needed new disk brake pads when I still had 50% left. Scam, scam, scam.

I feel sorry for all the people that do not know how to check things for themselves. They are constantly held in the bent over position for some action to the rear.

[Curt1591]

Took my truck into a SEARS for tires once, because I had a SEARS charge card and lived practically next door. Came back about an hour later to find that the tires hadn't been touched, but it was stripped down to the axles and was told I needed new brakes.

I said I would wait a while before I replaced brakes. They said that they legally couldn't release an "unsafe" vehicle. I said we had 3 options: Put the truck back together, report me to the police, or I will report them to the police. I drove off within 15 minutes. You would think these tires guys worked for an F1 pit crew as quickly as the replaced the brakes, drums and tires.

Later that year, SEARS was hit with a class action suit for this scam.

but we digress ….

[SantiSuk]

Yeah, listen to PaulCM. If I listened to every Thai that told me I needed new tires, I'd be replacing them every six months. I do not know what it is with Thais and tires. They have no idea about them. The shops want to sell tires and I guess everybody else believes their bullshit to the point that there has been mass indoctrination.

I had the Toyota dealer tell me I needed new disk brake pads when I still had 50% left. Scam, scam, scam.

I feel sorry for all the people that do not know how to check things for themselves. They are constantly held in the bent over position for some action to the rear.

Asian deference culture. Medieval, but the young are quickly growing out of it, thankfully.

[Bpuumike]

5 years is what most "experts" suggest as the useful life of the tire. That is 5 years after manufacture. You can determine the date of manufacture from this:

It depends how many miles you drive. Your tires can be useless after 2 years,

usually people get 35000-40000 Km out of a tire.

the 5 baht rule is too lax in my opinion, you need at least 5mm, the King's head is only 4mm away from the edge. the difference doesn't sound like a lot, but 1mm /4mm is 25%.

you will rely most on your tires when it's wet on the road and then the remaining millimeters are crucial for keeping the car under control.

You must be joking with your 5 mm, doubt if they have any more than that new. Depth gauges sold for this purpose are 1.5 mm. Unless your name is Vettel you should have no problem going down to 1mm of tread left before replacing.

But if your name is Hamilton...

[manarak]

usually people get 35000-40000 Km out of a tire.

the 5 baht rule is too lax in my opinion, you need at least 5mm, the King's head is only 4mm away from the edge. the difference doesn't sound like a lot, but 1mm /4mm is 25%.

you will rely most on your tires when it's wet on the road and then the remaining millimeters are crucial for keeping the car under control.

You must be joking with your 5 mm, doubt if they have any more than that new. Depth gauges sold for this purpose are 1.5 mm. Unless your name is Vettel you should have no problem going down to 1mm of tread left before replacing.

1.6 mm is the legal minimum in Germany.

I don't know if readers understood me well - anyone driving in Germany with less than 1.6mm profile left will get fined by the police.

New tires have either 8mm thread depth for "summer" tires or 9mm for "winter" (snow) tires.

If you drive with 1.5mm profile, you are risking your life. No problem on dry road, but when it rains, you will be driving a jetski without steering.

Of course, I base my statements on normal car usage including highway speeds, because I guess now the "hat people" will come out of the woodwork saying they are fine with 1.5mm profile because they always drive "defensively", meaning 30 Kph in the middle lane on Sukhumvit being a traffic hindrance and accident hazard.

Edited November 24, 2013 by manarak

[Gonsalviz]

I have had a Ford Ranger 4x4 since 2001 and I have always had Michelin tyres.

Last year I got my 4th set but the truck has done 292,000 km so for me they are worth it.

My Isuzu Cab 4 has 2 of the original tires (Bridgestone Dueller) at 167,000 km. Beginning to wonder if they will ever wear out.

The other 2 were replaced because I punctured them.

[smccolley]

5 years is what most "experts" suggest as the useful life of the tire. That is 5 years after manufacture. You can determine the date of manufacture from this:

It depends how many miles you drive. Your tires can be useless after 2 years,

In my youth, I had been known to wear out tires in a couple months!

But considering "age" alone, 5 years is often the reference. Exposure to UV, heat and other conditions can also play into the longevity.

The sun really plays havoc on the tires as well, I only had 20k km on my 5 year old tires and they looked brand new, but the entire sidewall blew out on the highway one day. The tire that blew out was the one that got the most sun in my carport... I replaced them all to be safe.

[prestburypark]

Whats with the huge over-inflation that the Thais seem to think is needed on tyres?

10psi over the manufacturers recommended pressures when I checked my truck. Pointing out that Isuzu probably knew their product better than anyone just got me funny looks. TIT.

[Curt1591]

The sun really plays havoc on the tires as well, I only had 20k km on my 5 year old tires and they looked brand new, but the entire sidewall blew out on the highway one day. The tire that blew out was the one that got the most sun in my carport... I replaced them all to be safe

Curbs can also damage sidewalls. it's amazing to see all the scarred up wheels on cars. If the metal is damaged, you can imagine how much beating the sidewalls take.

[i claudius]

As we are in Thailand and not the UK i find that tyres are good untill you get to the canvas ,then its about time to change them .

[mgjackson69]

I replaced the original tires on my Vigo 4-door Prerunner at 4 years/115,000 km. The tread probably could have gone a bit further (not much), and the dreaded weather-checking was just starting to appear. They were Michelin something or other.

I have not noticed over-inflation of tires here. It seems the Thais believe that every tire in every situation, be it motorbike, car, or light truck, gets 32 psi. My Vigo gets 42 psi at all four corners. The motorbike gets 40 psi front, 50 psi rear.

Sent from my Xoom using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[yimlitnoy]

The tires are like new in apparence but they only suffered in the heat of Bangkok. I have only driven 10,000 Klms in the last 9 years and i bought them in 2004. One tire is loosing some air slowly and there are small cracks on the tires surface. Concerning wear and tear, there is no wear at all, they are like new except that the rubber has reached old age. Hence the need for a change... The Citroen Xantia 1997 is like new.

I am considering the Dunlops 195/60R15 (SP Sport LM704) as they are 2400 Baht cheaper than Michelin (Primacy 3ST) for a set of four. Safety is my concern, I go for Dunlop or Michelin?

[PeterSmiles]

Is there any specials this week in Bangkok?

I don't know if there are any specials this week in Bangkok, but I guess that the protesters will be interested in your old tires

[PeterSmiles]

The tires are like new in apparence but they only suffered in the heat of Bangkok. I have only driven 10,000 Klms in the last 9 years and i bought them in 2004. One tire is loosing some air slowly and there are small cracks on the tires surface. Concerning wear and tear, there is no wear at all, they are like new except that the rubber has reached old age. Hence the need for a change... The Citroen Xantia 1997 is like new.

I am considering the Dunlops 195/60R15 (SP Sport LM704) as they are 2400 Baht cheaper than Michelin (Primacy 3ST) for a set of four. Safety is my concern, I go for Dunlop or Michelin?

If you're looking for safety, then go for the tire with the softest rubber, as you will not get them outworn before they need to be replaced due to age anyway.

[yimlitnoy]

The tires are like new in apparence but they only suffered in the heat of Bangkok. I have only driven 10,000 Klms in the last 9 years and i bought them in 2004. One tire is loosing some air slowly and there are small cracks on the tires surface. Concerning wear and tear, there is no wear at all, they are like new except that the rubber has reached old age. Hence the need for a change... The Citroen Xantia 1997 is like new.

I am considering the Dunlops 195/60R15 (SP Sport LM704) as they are 2400 Baht cheaper than Michelin (Primacy 3ST) for a set of four. Safety is my concern, I go for Dunlop or Michelin?

If you're looking for safety, then go for the tire with the softest rubber, as you will not get them outworn before they need to be replaced due to age anyway.

How do I know which tire has the softest rubber? When new I imagine that they all looked soft. Is there a hardness index for tires?

[transam]

Look on the Net, you will find the tyre your interested in and they will quote the characteristics of it, including wear.

[Pacificperson]

Tires now have a built-in wear gauge. There are cross bars spanning the gap between the treads, but they are recessed below the level of the treads. When the treads wear down to the levels of the cross bars, the tire manufacturer is telling you to replace the tire. On a new tire you can feel the cross bars if you run your finger inside the gap. On a worn out tire, you can see the cross bar even with the tread.

[maccaroni man]

I found a good tire shop around soi 130 on ramkumhamg and many auto parts and tire shops near minburi

[yimlitnoy]

It is ok and thank you all. I bought Michelin again (Primacy 3ST) as my last set has lasted 9 years from 2004...