AVON ZV5 TYRES???

[mickmick]

avon zv5 tyres, anyone have any problems with these tyres??

i am asking as i just cannot justify £400+ to reboot my car with the current job situation (i have one, but my wife just cannot find something to suit our needs, term time only sort of thing)

so, i can get these at 256 fitted if i want them

now i understand that if i want the best i should get "******" <-- insert your own preference

but what i want to know is does anyone have any history with these tyres please

Cheers in advance

Mick

PS, i have also been looking at millenium tyres too, similar price, alledgedly good tyres on a budget, any ideas?????

http://www.tyre-shopper.co.uk/ts/search ... 055015AV5V

http://www.tyre-shopper.co.uk/ts/search ... 055015ML2V

[mickmick]

ffs

i have now found this offer on toyos

http://www.blackcircles.com/public/order?view=

£236 all 4 corners, all inclusive (alledgedly)

i know many have had toyos fitted, and at that price i'm now torn between 3 choices

and this is now turning into a "whats your tyres" thread, like most of the rest, and thats not what i wnated to do, of course ideally i'd love to get the best there is, but thats not an option at the minute...

so, i now have a question to ask

with a budget of £250 max, whats the best option for me to go for, and i do need all 4 corners sorting, and i dont want to go get some part worns done, thank you very muc richard (he's my brother and wont spend a penny on his car, but its not a lotus elan, so fair play i suppose)

cheers in anticipation of not many answers

Mick

[ailwyn]

I've had Avon in the past, they seemed ok, but I'm not sure I'd put them on the Elan.

I've had T1-Rs all round on the Elan, twice, and also on my Accord. I found them to be good for grip in wet & dry but the wear rate was a little below expectation.

[mickmick]

well, as i now live 10 miles from work and do almost al my miles in the rover diesel workhorse crapmobile and do less than 5k a year in the little shoe i'm not that bothered about wear, if i can afford to keep the car through the next year, cos it is gonna be tough running 3 cars on 1 job when the country is feeling the pinch AND i need to get a house with enough bedrooms to fit all the family in, cant have an 11 yr old and 13 yr old sharing for much longer, the lads are gonna need their own w@nking space soon enough and the cost of extra washing powder is going to be tough enough

and breathe

but an almost recomendation from Ailwyn is making me tend to drift towards the toyos right now

maybe a new years present for the car..........

[Jackonicko]

I use Toyo T1Rs, and I've been VERY pleased with them. They cost me £46 each, fitted and balanced at Micheldever.

Will B recommends http://www.camskill.co.uk/

Either way, all four corners for less than £200......

[Jon]

The Avons are a hard compound hard wearing tyre (I did 15k miles and they still had more tread on when they were taken off than the new replacements) - but the Elan does benefit from a soft compound sticky tyre (these do sub 6k miles but are glued to the road).

Depends what you want - lots of mileage...go with the Avons, or buy a second car (better option)....otherwise buy sticky compound tyres - they rock!!!

Hope this helps......

[thewheelrestorer]

I've had Avons on a V6 Vectra a while back but all the torque from the v6 and the "taxi" chassis handled like a wet jelly, so I couldn't really tell how good the tyres were!

I've just done approx 50 miles ONLY on a set of brand new 215/40/17 NEXEN N3000 from Black circles @ £200 inc delivery.

The first test was last night at 10.00pm and the roads were quite greasy, which on new tyres was ok but I wasn't being silly with the driving.

I left a mates house at 11.00pm and then had another 30 minute run getting more confident in their abilities and they were very good, I just need to give them a "WET" test to be 100% convinced. This morning's run to work usually 10 mins turned into a 45 minute test session and I couldn't get them to loose any traction front or rear.

I've run these N3000 NEXEN's on my 18" Vivaro which I drive like a Demon to say the least and they are so good.

The other good news is the wear rate should be quite good as they are Treadwear 300, which is not soft but more medium to hard, which may appear not the best idea with a light car........? but I'm only running 26psi pressures and this lower pressure compared to 28 or 30psi gives the chassis and feel a bit more give and compliance.

I'm 99% sure I will be reccomending these, I just need to give them a good test in the wet, which is where they have been especially good on my 18" Vivaro Wheels over the last 2 years.

[mickmick]

restorer dude bloke person

i have had my eyes on your wheel posts, as i'd like to think that someone in your job would know a little about wheels

however i havent yet been able to find these nexens in a 205-50-15 version yet

if you have any input towards that problem i'd def add them to the list of options

but so far i am def leaning more and more toward the toyo's, i'd think about avons on my rover 200 or the mazda 6 (maybe), but i'm getting more and more offput (sp) about having them on the shoe

cheers

Mick

PS, any chance we could have a real name, as thewheelrestorer is a lot to type into a message!!!!!

[Enright]

I use Toyo T1Rs, and I've been VERY pleased with them.

Same here. Can't remember how much they were, but I know the answer is "not very".
They have a nice shoulder to them which protects your rim, and the tread pattern seems to inspire even more confidence in the wet than in the dry.

[rip]

Is a hard wearing compound a false economy? AFAIK, rubber goes off a little after a couple of years, so why pay more for a compound which will outlast this time?
For the Elan, stickyness is more important to me than wear.

Which is why my next tyres will be Toyos.

[thewheelrestorer]

I'm not sure if the Nexen's are available in the 15" size I will check for you,


Re: Hard wearing is never something I have considered in my life, I've always steered well clear of it....... thinking I'd rather have a great gripper informative (feel) tyre and not something I could boast I did 20,000 miles on!!!

Saying that technology has and does keep improving and I believe now that a the compounds such as "silica" have very good properties for adhesive to tarmac (Grip) but just happen to also be a material that does not degredate fast (wear and loose it's substance or rubber molecules) and hence why the treadwear rating is no a low number like a sticky tyre but a little higher indicating it may be quite hard?I

I'm impressed with these Nexen's which I've now had on my Elan for 2 days, and since they have been on I have done nothing but drive with complete analysis on how they feel through the steering wheel and also the chassis (seat of the pants). So far I can not really get them to "Chirp" or loose grip a touch at either end, and I do have a very non standard set up on the car right now.. 7.5 wide x 17" BMW Mini Alloy Wheels and 215/40/17 size tyres. Also the front rims are et48 and the rears et42 because I have spaced them wider by a total of 12mm!! (Kart set-up) - Wider track less grip....long story.

It seems to work very well and I'm very unsure to exactly what should wear or what should not handle well with this non standard offset package because It's pretty good to me.........and I don't drive like a snail ??

Saying that because everthing else is standard and also 18 years worn !! this tells me that my set up has good compliance in the suspension (Worn) department (shocks / springs /bushes) but good crisp sharp "steering" , "turn in" and Braking abilities due to the wheels (40 profile tyres 215mm width and wide 7.5" rim widths front and back.

I used to use nothing but Toyo's all the time, I used gthem first on a 225bhp 2300cc 5 cylinder Turbocharged Volvo T5 (6 years ago) and they were awesome in the wet, I also had them on a 4.7 litre v8 Porsche 928 with 320bhp and they were awesome, on a track day at Silverstone and in the wet on the roads of Milton Keynes..............

So Toyo's I would reccomend for sure any day, I only went for these NEXENS because I've been driving my Vivaro Van so hard over the last 6 months that I've been so impressed with the wet grip, I can literally nail it around bends (Mostly roundabouts) around the outside of a lot of cars................and the Braking ability is awesome.

In the summer this year I took of off the 8x18" alloys and repainted them in custom colours, in the meantime I used the original van steel wheels 6x16" and conti tyres and I nearly killed myself 10 times, the braking ability had disapeared and felt like I had huge fade, and the cornering ability was terrible, of course a wide rim and lower profile even on a pesky van would improve it, but the tyres were the real star.

If I had a really exotic car ferrari, lambo, Mac F1 i wouldn't put Nexen's on it.......because I wouldn't think they would be any good!! unyet I thought I'd try them on the Elan partly because I could buy them so cheap (less than £40 for a 17"!!!!) that it was worth doing just to see .....and if they were no good, I would take them off, sell them part worn and go for something else.

Working with wheels and tyres all day , every day enables me to get tyres throught he business at good prices and also I can change 4 tyres and balance them in 20 mins, so it's not an issue or hassle to try things out.

Tyres are so personal some people reccomend them to others who then don't like them etc...................so it can be a gamble......I think a lot of it can be the car, it's suspension condition and the way people drive.

If anyone would like a quote for Tyres please don't hesitate to call me and I'll do my best to offer a competitve cost for all LEC members.
Regards
www.thewheelrestorer.co.uk
Tel 01978 352980
Ciao.

[JIMBO]

Hi Mick,
The Avons are perfectly acceptable and can often be had foer sensible money.
Millenium and Nexon are not up to that standard. I have two almost new Nexon
tyres that I had to remove from my wifes Z3. The car was very unstable on them,
but was transformed by fitting Michelin. (OE fitment at the time)
Some tyres suit some cars, and some drivers, better than others.

A good quality, economically priced is a Lassa. Probably not a name you have
heard of, but I am sure you have heard of Bridgestone.
Dealers who know this product will refere you to the "technical links" between
the two companies and may refer to them being produced in the same factory
in Turkey.
Some people refer to them being produced from the same "green casing", but I
couldn't possibly comment on this as it could seriously effect my companies position.
Needless to say, most of my children's cars run on Lassa as they need a "good
quality tyre that is economically priced".
Regards
Jim

[Rambo]

When I took my knackered Dunlop Sport SP 01's (only 12K miles on a Ford Focus ) back to Blackcircles HQ down the road from me I asked them about about Nexen's. They told me they were a budget tyre and, despite being V rated, wouldn't use them on a performance car. I have since looked at their customer's comments and star based system on their website and it's blank.

Personally, I would always put the best tyres on a car I could afford but I guess in the end that budget and personal choice are the overriding factors.

[Monty]

Mick,

Don`t know what size wheels you have but what about FEDERAL SS595? i`ve not used them but Federal seems to have a good name as i`m going to try there trackday tyres next year. Have a search to see if you can find any reviews on them
http://www.camskill.co.uk/products.php? ... 0s344p9656

List for 15" wheels
http://www.camskill.co.uk/products.php?plid=m4b0s93p0

list for 16" wheels
http://www.camskill.co.uk/products.php?plid=m4b0s344p0

[dapinky]

Jay,

I had a pair of Federal SS-535's on the back of the blue one when i bought it - loads of tread, no problems in the dry at all.

Maybe it was because the front has new Michelin Pilots, but on a wet roundabout i have twice had a rear end slide (lift-off overstear),

Have now put the Feds on the front and Michelin on the rear - no more lift off overstear, but a bit of understear.

As such, my highly scientific tests have given us the surprising conclusion that SS-535's aint as good as Pilots

In fairness, they are cheap (but at what cost?) and they will be replaced with either Proxes, NCT5, or Kumho soon (unless someone convinces me as to a better option).

I couldn't find any good reviews on Federals, but i appreciate that the SS-935 may perform better (not available in a 15"), and their track tryres are reputedly verry good.

All comments from my personal experience - I dont like them

[Paul.P]

Dave, if you've already got 2 good pilots, i would buy 2 more, in my experience, although they are probably the dearest, they are the best road tyre overall, having said that, i can see why people don't wanna spend £400 re-shoeing there car !

[thewheelrestorer]

Rambo,

Not sure why the black circles info on the nexen's wasn't available...........????

I've just found it ok on tyre size 215/40/17 as copied and pasted below::

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dynamic 'V'-shape aqua pattern design. Wet weather performance has been maximized and driving comfort is excellent. Reduced noise and vibration with a new dynamic pattern and sidewall design, the wider tread block in the center of tyre gives stable handling, improves the high speed confort and increases impact absorption during driving at the rough road. The wider block design at shoulder part increases the turning ability and stability through cornering.

Nexen N3000 215/40 R17 W
Number of ratings: 137
Car feels better to drive: 4 stars from 5
Would buy again: 4 stars from 5
Value for money: 4 stars from 5
Overall Rating: 4 stars from 5

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Customer Comments:

"An excellent value tyre which felt just as good as more expensive alternatives." - 06/11/2008

"brilliant tyre good grip in the rain " - 10/07/2008

"Can not fault the tyres at all. As good as any other more expensive brands." - 29/07/2008

"Excellent value tyres, fitted to a small 4x4 these give a noticably more comfortable ride than the previous standard fit Dunlops, although with slightly more road noise but are so much better in the wet than the Dunlops were. These also look very good, overall you cannot go wrong. " - 22/07/2008

"Fantastic tyres, fitted to my evo, they've been on fast road runs and on track and they've performed impeccably." - 18/08/2008

"Good quality, grips as well as the original fitmet goodyears, quieter and better in the wet" - 14/10/2008

"I was a bit hesitant to purchase with them being budget but they look sportier than most premium buys, the care feels much more comfortable and quieter and although I have travelled several thousand miles already they still look brand new - going to purchase 2 for my front within next few weeks, excellent buy." - 13/07/2008

"Only had them on for 400miles but car has been transfored compared to the khumos ....Excellent wet & Dry weather grip and they look good...Would buy them again" - 16/11/2008

"Really good grip, seem to be lasting too." - 27/06/2008

"the car is now quieter than it was with pirellis on!" - 10/12/2008

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________-



It's always a long thread on tyres, I've been invloved with approx 6 forums over the last 8 years and the "What tyre are best" question just goes on and on.............
It's a mixture of tyres of driver, types of car, power, different types of use, and tyre pressures etc............... and personal choice from experiences.

As mentioned previosuly my Racer Van on 18" alloys has used these Nexens, and I knew it was a big risk to try them on the Elan because they are not a Big branded tyre but as somebody mentioned classed as Budget.................but I've been throwing the car around since they were fitted and I can't get them to misbehave ??? Now they may be noisy or they may wear out quick etc....but all I'm concerned about is feel......., grip...... and performance under acceleration, braking and cornering and I'm very happy with them.

If they were even slighty a bit adverse, or they had a strange feel I would whip they off straight away....... I've spent probably thousands of pounds on tyres in the last 10 years and never really purchased a mid or low range performing tyre.........I want the best. I've used Michelin, Bridgestone, Dunlop, Yokohama, Pirelli, Kumho, Continental, etc........and would go for one fo these if I hadn't come across the Nexen's which came as standard on a set of 8"x18" alloys I purchased for the Van !

I think this is where some of the problems lie that some people are unsure on alternative brands and are only confident to stick with either the reccomended oe brand or an expensive brand as this gives reassurance that they will be ok, with is fine.

If I had never heard of nexen or as somebody wrote nexon! I wouldn't be too keen to try them, but as the cost was so good and I've used them before with success it was a goodd choice.

Federals are BUDGET, but I 've sold loads of them and I also was a bit sceptical about them............I then tried a set of new ones (SS-595) on a 150bhp Seat Ibiza and I thought they were very good.

[dapinky]

Paul,

I fully agree with your logic on the Pilots - but the plan is to put those two on the red car to go with the 2 good ones already on it - leaving me to buy a set of 4 for mine - hence the idea of Proxes (I would like to have Michelin, but for the use it gets, Proxes should be more than adequate)

[L.G.]

A good quality, economically priced is a Lassa. Probably not a name you have
heard of, but I am sure you have heard of Bridgestone.
Dealers who know this product will refere you to the "technical links" between
the two companies and may refer to them being produced in the same factory
in Turkey.

Somebody is talking about a Turkish tyre I'm amazed I've heard their snow tyres are good but don't know much else. That was a useless post sorry...

[Rambo]

That's strange WR - the info on the Nexen's definitely wasn't on the Blackcircles website but it is today. Very strange - perhaps it's because I'm the only person in the world to still use dial up and not broadband !! Sometimes, websites take a long time to load

Anyway, back to the point. Choice of tyre is a personal thing and if you are happy with Nexen that's great. Just because they're not a Pirelli/Michelin/GoodYear etc.. doesn't mean they're not good.

The best tyre I ever had for the M100 was the Goodyear Eagle F1 (quite a few of us drove with them and found them excellent for both wear and wet/dry grip) It's a great pity but they're now long out of production.

Monty - if you're looking for track performance I'd go with the sticky road legal/trackday Toyo's - they had them down on the SW Lotus stand at Donny. I think Nige uses them ?? I know it all comes down to money but it might be worth it in the long term ?