Recommendations Tyres - 235/60R18 - Kia Sorento 4x4SLI 2.2D MY14

grang on 07/11/2016 - 22:16

Hi

Hard to find decent tyre comparisons for this SUV.

Our current tyres have done just over 50k (Factory default) - which includes about 7500 KM of caravan towing (a jayco Swan). In WA. so wetish winters, but mostly hot and dry. Occasional beach driving with 18PSI tyres…. mostly city mileage.

Three options on the run:

1. Continental Contisport Contact5 235/60R18 103W
They are 3 for 4 offer at $287 = $861 for the 4 tyres good reviews
[But wear seems to be poor, so won't last??? - http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Continental… - also, lower load rating at 103 or 875kg per tyre]

2. Pirelli Scorpion Verde All season 235/60R18 107V
They are $235 each much cheaper than the price of the dealers = $940 for 4 tyres also has good reviews
[Wear seems good, but gets noise after 60% wear - don't perform as well as teh Continentals … but we probably won;t notice. Higher load rating of 107 or 975kg per tyre]

3. Hankook Ventus Prime2 K115

They are $203 each with a $100 cashback = $712 not a lot of reviews
no reviews…

Any advice appreciated!

Automotive

Comments

  • Matt P on 07/11/2016 - 22:21
    +1

    I've run Continental SC 3's on hot hatches in the past, found them to be good tyres

  • apple2016 on 07/11/2016 - 23:38

    My personal preference is for Michelin. But both conti and Pirelli are good.
    Tyres using softer rubber compound wear fast but provide better traction and shorter breaking distance.
    The last time I checked contisportscontact 5 was only available as run flats.

  • resisting the urge on 08/11/2016 - 09:58
    +1

    Contis and Michelins are 'known to wear' because they have come standard on BMW X5 and Hi-output MLs in super-wide form for years and years. Many of them are optioned with stiff, sporty suspensions and enormously powerful engines, and people drive (even the stock ones) real hard. These chassis' handle better than other SUVs, so drivers feel safer and more confident. The result is that they drive faster and harder, wearing the brakes and the tyres as if they were made of butter.

    However these tyre's performance in all aspects is top-notch. Hankook's are known to stick and be cheap mostly, but I've no experience with the ones you mention.

    If your car has stock shock/spring/sway-bars, you could buy the factory tyre or something less expensive without noticeable difference, however at 50k you may want it to handle better, so if at some point in the near future you change to stiffer settings, you will then benefit greatly from better tyres.

    The reality is that tyres wear when they are poorly made, put to a use they are not designed for, or are made out of a softer compound. As softer compounds perform better but do not last as long, this is the cheap way to get better stickiness, you must be careful to compare tyres by looking at their wear ratings.

    Now similar to OzBargainers, Accountants like tyres that go further. However Accountants are the kind of people that take care driving, do not lose it more often than the rest of the population when cornering in the rain. But when you consider that tyres fall foul of road debris, gutters and all kinds of sharp objects, it really isn't worth putting up with hard ones. At the end of the day, better tyres are quieter, better in the rain, but disposable. They also go hard if you keep them too long in the sun or in one position, so freshening them up every now and then anyhow isn't a bad thing.

    Tyres with lower load ratings btw are often lighter. If you don't need the load, you don't need the weight- a boon, because the car feels nimbler and reacts better IF the manufacturer manages to maintain lateral strength. It is often somewhere that you can get good value out of spending more. If considering cheap, light tyres, look for proof that they are not poor performers as they are usually not very good!

    • grang on 08/11/2016 - 22:13
      +1

      Reads like prose. Thanks for the informative contrabution!!!

      • resisting the urge on 10/11/2016 - 14:38

        Sorry for the TL/HR. I come across the wrong tyres on cars all the time, just because people get whatever is quickest to fit. When you consider that manufacturers go to a lot of trouble to find the ideal type for the car, it is sort of sad, let alone less unsafe. but as time passes, tyre tech progresses, and choices get wider.

        With this choice comes the opportunity to choose less suitable commodity tyres, as well as a few better ones.

  • JediJan on 08/11/2016 - 11:13
    +1

    I have always had a good run, city and country, with Bridgestones, so I have stuck with them. I am wondering if you would be better off contacting the local RAC or caravanning club in your state.

  • brad1-8tsi on 08/11/2016 - 11:17
    +1

    I'd go with Michelin Primacy SUV. The Conti would be my 2nd choice of what you posted. You'll get good mileage out of both. I got 75,000km out of my Primacy LC on a Skoda Octavia (much lighter).

    Wouldn't wish Pirelli on anyone. they are great when new but a perenial disapointment once they wear a bit.

    my wife's fleet manager just fitted Hankook "somethings" to her fat slug Honda Odyssey. We now get wheel spin and front wheel drifts in the wet. It didn't do that with the Yokohama Blue Earths before that and they weren't the best tyre in the world. I've tried Hankook a couple of times and never been happy.

    • JediJan on 08/11/2016 - 13:32

      Oh rat; new car coming on Wednesday is fitted with Hankooks too; I thought they had a good reputation too.

      • brad1-8tsi on 08/11/2016 - 13:42
        +1

        You can get much worse but given the choice I wouldn't have them.

        On the plus side, they let go progressively, so you don't get a shock when you start sliding.

        I may (or may not) drive a bit quicker than many people. My wife hasn't complained about them.

        I wouldn't worry too much. just buy better when replacement tyre time comes & it will be like buying a new car. :-)

        • JediJan on 08/11/2016 - 14:32

          Yes; back to my favoured Bridgestones; one fish-tailed sliding years ago for me was enough. I rely on brakes and tyres to work when i want them to. I am more of a passive driver than most, although I do keep up with the traffic; only one speeding ticket (so far).😉

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