FragaL

iTrader: (1)

Hi all

I have just had my car on the ramps and found that the inner front drivers tyre is bold, the other front aint much better. The car currently has 4 x Avon ZZ1 225/40 18 which the rears are almost as new.

I have just been to a tyre shop who advised that the ZZ1 is a discontuned model and that I will need to change all 4 as the tread has to be the same on the front and on the back. Is this true?

I knew that the left and rights need to be the same but do the front and back have to match or will this knacker the diff?

Thanks

Sy

crusher

Opinions vary on this one...If you were on trac I'd recommend the same tyre all round everytime as you are more likely to be pushing to the limit. On the road you should be ok to have different tyres front /rear WITH SOME CAUTION... I would only do this if one of the pairs has so much tread left that you don't want to change due to costs...and that if you decide to do this that you end up with four tyres on the car of similar quality, so that the limits of adhesion are likely to be the same. The problem is that even though the tyre might be of the same size/speed rating etc.etc the different tread patterns/sidewall designs/compounds WILL have different characteristics,hence why some people will always strive to have four tyres of the same type on the car. Goodyear F1's for example have softer sidewalls than Brigstone SO2's...so the will feel different to drive on,the softer sidewalls flexing more...

Different tyres won't knacker the diffs...different sizes of wheel/tyre could do that...but the diffs have to have enough tolerence to some variation as your front/rear wear is going to be different,and the difference between new and worn out tyres of the same size is well within the diffs design limits...

As I recall the ZZ1 is not as good in terms performance as F1's or many others,and could let go before the new tyres, so I would put them on the front of the car so that you should be able to feel their limit approaching and react accordingly...it should also wear them out more quickly so that you can get the same tyre all round....I think the ZZ3 is meant to be a better tyre...if you are thinking of Avons...

Hope this helps..