New Tyres

[dipstick]

Well, have just put four (ouch) new tyres on the GS.

Went to a pukka place to have it done who were well recommended. Very happy with the service. Got the feeling they definitely knew what they were about vis a vis wheels and tyres, having phoned then 25 times first to check what I could have.

Drove it home and the car was as hard as nails - every pebble made the windows rattle. Checked the pressures at home. Manual says 32 psi. I have in the past run them at 35 psi just to try, and prefer the 32. However, this tyre place had racked them up to 42 psi. Crikey!

Put them back to 32 and all is superb now, quiet as anything, grips like a werewolf, smooth again.

Why would they put them so high though? (I KNOW I could ask them, I wondered if there were opinions here!). They're a "performance tyre" centre; would you run a performance tyre higher than normal perhaps?

[ColinBarber]

They seem to put them high so the pressure seals the tyre and valve to the rim. I guess they get fewer leaks that way.

What tyres did you get in the end?

[flotsam]

Nope they made a mistake.

They should be at the correct tyre pressure. They apply a sealant and the correct pressure should be enough.

I would have made sure they used stick on weights on the anodised part of my wheels too rather than the clips on the painted side which would scratch the paint.

[dipstick]

Well, they didn't do anything at all with weights I don't think; haven't looked to be honest!

Colin, I got Goodyear Eagle F1s, with a rather interesting tread pattern. Apparently useless in snow, but they are very quiet indeed and were a good price.

Done a few hundred miles on them now and they are a distinct improvement on the old Yokohamas - they grip like one of Jules Vernes' giant squids.

[ColinBarber]

See how the noise is after a few thousand miles. Normally tyres start to make more noise as they wear. Trouble is you have forgotten what the old tyres were like by then so you cannot compare!