R36 Wagon - time for new tyres @ 30000kms - What to get?

[Radius]

Hi everyone,

We've just had our 30000km service and the dealer's flagged our tyres as needing replacement. They are the original 235/40 R18 Contisport Contact3s with around 1.5mm tread left above the wear indicators.
Is now the right time to replace them? Or should I run them a bit longer? - The tyres are otherwise in good condition - no blisters, even wear, never punctured touchwood!
Is this roughly the tyrelife people are getting for the CS3s? - My driving is a 50-50 mix of urban and highway - no track days, generally conservative commute driving with occasional weekend fun drive.

What replacements should I consider for an R36?
From what I've gathered, a reasonable current shortlist might be
1. Another set of Conti CS3 - though I've been told by the dealer that they're a bit too soft-compound for Aus coarse-chip roads and consequently wear quicker (???), plus they're pretty pricey
2. Michelin PS3
3. Bridgestone Adrenalin RE002
4. Goodyear F1

Any personal experiences on grip / comfort / noise / life on these options and how they have compared to the CS3 would be great =)

[ope126]

Hey mate,

My thoughts are that you can't go wrong with any other the above mentioned tyres...

Guess price might be a factor?

Maybe steer clear of some of the "no name" brands...

Just my 2cents.

[Radius]

Cheers Ope! Definitely won't be considering the no-name brands.

Not too stressed about the price itself but was hoping to get the best performance / cost ratio, and the Contis seem significantly higher in price than the other options.
Sorry to everyone if this post is a double up to the earlier RE002 specific one earlier too.... should've seen it beforehand!

Still, hoping to hear from some R36 owners as to how they're going with their replacement choices.... have read the mainstream tyre reviews eg. recent Wheels but I'm not sure how relevant the results are for different vehicle applications.... nothing beats hearing from someone with the same car methinks. =)

[hilly61]

I can't comment on the other tyres but I have just had the RE002s fitted and I have tried them on the freeways, the tight and twisties, the urban commute, dry and wet and they are excellent handlers, grippers and riders. Independent trye dealer says I should get 30 thousand+ out of them but told me to run them with 37-38 psi. Good price too anywhwre from 255 to 275 dollars.

[vanDub]

[QUOTE=Radius;719493]Hi everyone,

We've just had our 30000km service and the dealer's flagged our tyres as needing replacement.QUOTE]
This seems to be a standard dealer thing if the shoulders show any signs of wear. We had the same issue @ 45K service done @38K, and I still expect to get 50K from the tyres. An easy driving style, maintaining pressures and regular rotation make a big difference.

[Radius]

Cheers vanDub!

Yes, that was an issue I was alluding to as well with the remaining tread on our tyres.... I'm not planning on running them right down to the indicators, but I thought 1.5 mm to 2 mm of remaining tread above indicators would mean they're still good for a little while yet.... and I was a bit surprised when the dealer autonomously "pre-arranged" a quote for some new replacement tyres during the service.
They've been regularly rotated, balanced and alignment done, pressures kept at 42 psi and I've had uniform wear across the tyre face with the shoulders still preserved.
How close to the tread-wear indicators is a prudent time to replace the tyres?
Perhaps I should keep the tyres a bit longer? Or are they really down for replacement with this amount of remaining tread?

[ADAC]

I wore my original Contisport Contact3's down to the wear indicators in 29,500kms (R36 sedan). Very evenly right across and front/rear at the same time with rotation. In other words they were worn out all over. I replaced with them with Michelin Pilot Sport 3's and they've now done 31,000kms. Tyres have been fine, wearing evenly again and there's probably about 2mm left above the indicators right now. So they are wearing better. [Unfortunately I cut the side wall on one last Sunday.]

[brad]

Yes, that was an issue I was alluding to as well with the remaining tread on our tyres.... I'm not planning on running them right down to the indicators, but I thought 1.5 mm to 2 mm of remaining tread above indicators would mean they're still good for a little while yet.... and I was a bit surprised when the dealer autonomously "pre-arranged" a quote for some new replacement tyres during the service.
How close to the tread-wear indicators is a prudent time to replace the tyres?
Perhaps I should keep the tyres a bit longer? Or are they really down for replacement with this amount of remaining tread?

The indicators are the minimum legal depth (1.5mm) but wet weather performance deteriorates markedly at less than 3mm. So if you think that the weather will be pretty dry for a few thousand km then you may as well run down almost to the TWIs.

The dealership got a quote for tyres because they knew that yours will be U/S before the next service is due - fair enough.

[PA.]

Been looking for 2 new tyres for the front of my CC as the originals have worn the inside down after less than 20,000 km.

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 at $295 each are looking like my possible choice and a wheel alignment.
Bridgestone RE002 @ $335 each or Pirelle P Zero Rosso at $309 each are my other choices.

[PA.]

I put a pair of the Michelin Pilot Sport 3 on the front end and had a wheel alignment. He said the wheels were pointing all over the place. My brother had a wheel alignment on his R36 and the same thing. So a note to new car owners, get a wheel alignment done and save yourself chewing out your front tyres in less than 20,000 km.