Tyre Pressures and Tyre Wear

[keddzs]

Hello All,
I have Goodyear F1 GSD3's all round on my car. I regularly check and keep the pressures at the recommended 2.4 bar at the front and 2.2 bar at the back - as per the manual and stickers on the car.
But thefront tyres have worn down in the middle of the tread to just about the legal limit in about 8000 miles - the outer sections are still at 3mm, so plenty tread left in half the tyre. This is a big waste of tyre life as far as I am concerned.
This obviously looks like overpressure on the fronts but I have been very careful to follow the recommedations.
This also happened in the Sport Contacts before as well, so it's not a tyre problem as I previously thought.
First Question - what tyre pressures should I use then?
Second question - Any ideas as to a good long lasting tyre as I am sick of changing tyres too early - I used to rep a lot and got 30 to 40,000miles from a set of front michies several times.

Sorry for the long ramble
BTW, Love the forum - great to see evryones questions and answers - I am gobsmacked at Baker21's dedication to clean cars - he is welcome to come and do mines anytime he wants - how much do I have to pay!!!!

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.
Cheers

[sidewaze samm]

What size/section are your tyres?

I run Michelin Pilot 225/55 x 17 and changed the fronts at 28000 miles. Wear was pretty even.

[keddzs]

Originally Posted by sidewaze samm

What size/section are your tyres?

I run Michelin Pilot 225/55 x 17 and changed the fronts at 28000 miles. Wear was pretty even.

Sorry about that - Should have said.
Mines are 225/45 R17 91Y

Aren't the 55's bigger than specified and wouldn't that change the accuracy of the speedo due to slightly greater circumference to the tyre?

Cheers

[rotodiesel]

Checked your gauge recently?

rotodiesel.

[keddzs]

Yep,
Cross checked it with 2 different pen guages I have and they all come up with the same result, so I know it works.

Cheers

[numskull]

Mine has Conti 225/45/R17's all round and a new pair were fitted on the front when I took delivery 10 months ago and these have covered 21,000 - the rears are original and have covered 32,200. I'd suspect there is at least another 10k's worth of mileage, both front and rear. Even when I drove like a nutter in company cars in my 20's - in the likes of Sierra Cosworths (4 or 5 I think- both 2 and 4x4), RS Escort Turbos (4), a Lotus Carlton blah, blah..... I really can't remember ever getting as low as 8k on a set of fronts. I suspect your tyres are over inflated - wear in the centre is normally a sure sign. Get yourself a Race X Tyre Pressure Guage - Here - I've checked this against a fully calibrated guage and it is perfect. Another, more expensive guage my mate had was under reading by 6psi

[keddzs]

Originally Posted by numskull

I suspect your tyres are over inflated - wear in the centre is normally a sure sign. Get yourself a Race X Tyre Pressure Guage - Here - I've checked this against a fully calibrated guage and it is perfect. Another, more expensive guage my mate had was under reading by 6psi

Thanks Numskull for the pointer to a good guage, but I am already certain that the tyres are more inflated than they need to be. But the rears are fine done with the same pressure pump and cross chekced with 2 diff pen guages - they can't all be exactly the same "incorrect" reading. Remember the backs are wearing just fine with the correct pressure, so the fronts must be to the "correct" pressure.
My real question is whether I can trust the requested pressures on the fuel filler cap. The care has the optional 17" Solids, but the Comfort of the age came with a steel set of 16"s as normal. So is the filler cap sticker for those wheels, not the ones I have.
If I don't hear anything to persuade me otherwise, I will start putting all the tyres at 2.2 and ignore the 2.4 on the label.
Poor show from Skoda

Thanks for all the help and cheers all.

[Baker21]

Originally Posted by keddzs

BTW, Love the forum - great to see evryones questions and answers - I am gobsmacked at Baker21's dedication to clean cars - he is welcome to come and do mines anytime he wants - how much do I have to pay!!!!

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.
Cheers

Sorry to hear about your tyre issues mate but I am going to struggle to comment with my setup in relation to yours........

Thanks for the comment and if you do want yours 'detailing' then feel free to drop me a PM.............

[numskull]

Originally Posted by keddzs

... they can't all be exactly the same "incorrect" reading. Remember the backs are wearing just fine with the correct pressure, so the fronts must be to the "correct" pressure.

That is not totally correct - pen guages become less accurate as the pressure rises and are generally pretty hopeless. Incidentally - the sticker on my fuel flap has the pressures for all vehicle and tyre mixes?

[keddzs]

OK,
I've ordered one of those guages, and I will post up the results when I get it in.

Thanks all

Cheers

[sidewaze samm]

Originally Posted by keddzs

Sorry about that - Should have said.
Mines are 225/45 R17 91Y

Aren't the 55's bigger than specified and wouldn't that change the accuracy of the speedo due to slightly greater circumference to the tyre?

Cheers

Indeed it would - but I meant to say 45 profile not 55. Blame it on a sticky compputer keyboardd. See - it's done it again!

[Supurbia]

My Bridgestones are almost gone @ 9k on the front, saggy suspension allowing the weight to transfer hard on the edge imo, centres going early is defo over inflation.

[Web Ferret]

Originally Posted by numskull

. Get yourself a Race X Tyre Pressure Guage - Here - I've checked this against a fully calibrated guage and it is perfect.

Thanks for the tip - just ordered one

[Web Ferret]

Originally Posted by Web Ferret

Thanks for the tip - just ordered one

Got my pressure gauge. Its a great piece of kit for £10 and I'd recommend it.

My 08 Octy elegance states "2.1" allround.
I had 2.2 in the fronts and 1.9 in the rears - Its only two months old. The spare was at 2.8!!

I did my other car and they were a bit off.

Looks like the gauge on my halfords double barrelled footpump isn't great. It read the same with tyres at 2.2 & 1.9!

[sidewaze samm]

Originally Posted by Web Ferret

Got my pressure gauge. Its a great piece of kit for £10 and I'd recommend it.

My 08 Octy elegance states "2.1" allround.
I had 2.2 in the fronts and 1.9 in the rears - Its only two months old. The spare was at 2.8!!

I did my other car and they were a bit off.

Looks like the gauge on my halfords double barrelled footpump isn't great. It read the same with tyres at 2.2 & 1.9!

2.8 bar in the spare? A bit high maybe, but I'd rather carry a guage in the car and let some air out when fitting the spare wheel, than stand in the rain (cos punctures ALWAYS happen in the rain ) pumping up an under-inflated spare that was the right pressure when I checked it last...er, 12 months ago

assuming there'd be a foot pump in the car, that is!

[numskull]

Originally Posted by Web Ferret

Got my pressure gauge. Its a great piece of kit for £10 and I'd recommend it.

My 08 Octy elegance states "2.1" allround.
I had 2.2 in the fronts and 1.9 in the rears - Its only two months old. The spare was at 2.8!!

I did my other car and they were a bit off.

Looks like the gauge on my halfords double barrelled footpump isn't great. It read the same with tyres at 2.2 & 1.9!

Pleased you're pleased. Yup - The guages on any kind of pump are pretty useless - the one on my compressor reads +.3 to 4 - hopeless!

[smstext]

my cheap one from tesco's does a good job and far more accurate than the garage.

[Captain Sisko]

I keep my spare inflated at 40psi

It's cause air doe leak out over time and just want to be sure its ready in case it is needed.

[keddzs]

Right,
The Race X Guage came in a few days ago, and I tested the tyres this morning and checked how accurate the guage on my pump is compared to the Race X one.
As I thought, the pump guage is accurate, ( or at least it reads the same as the raceX!) so I have been keeping the tyres at 2.4 front and 2.2 rear. - This also means both my pen guages are also spot on.
So - this still leaves the question - is the recommended 2.4 bar on the fronts correct or is a mistake by Skoda leading to premature wear on the fronts by making us overinflate the tyres?

Any ideas anyone.

Cheers

[johannapam1]

I asked this question some time ago of Skoda UK and they said the pressures were correct. The reason I asked was that the ride seemed hard?
I have not had any problems with tyre wear and I have kept them at the correct pressures 2.2 and 2.4.