82 v 86 Load Rating, Michelin Cross Climates, and other tyre questions for my Skoda!

[udaman]

Hi all

I am planning on having some Cross Climate tyres fitted to my Skoda Fabia Estate (2003, 1.2) and wondered if anyone could help with some questions please? Three of my current tyres are: 185 - 60 - R14 - 82H. The other one is: 185 - 60 - R14 - 82T.

1. Load Rating. The best matched Cross Climate has a load rating of 86. Is it ok to use this on my car where the existing tyres have a load rating of 82?

2. Speed Rating. Only an “H” rating is available in my size tyre. Do you think this will be ok based on the fact that I currently have a mixture? My manual doesn’t specify which is required for the car.

3. The manual for the car says that new tyres should be “run in” for the first 500km. Is this necessary for the Cross Climates? If so, what would people recommend in terms of “running in”?

4. The manual also states that winter tyres should be inflated +0.2 bar compared to standard tyres. As the Cross Climates are somewhere between the two types, what would folk recommend with regards this?

5. For the time being, I am only putting Cross Climates on the front of the car. Someone I spoke to at a tyre fitting shop said that whilst not as effective as having them on all four wheels, it will still be a lot better than not having any at all. He also said it should be adequate for occasional winter driving where conditions are not too extreme. I wondered what people here think about this? Also, does having different tyres front and back ever affect car insurance claims?

Crikey, I'm tyred after typing all of that.

Many thanks

[Someone-Else]

As for insurance claims. Best ask your insurance company for the definitive answer.

[OchAye]

1. You can use a higher load rated tyre (I always did so in my previous two cars). Inflate it as normal though UNLESS you carry extra loads.
2. Speed rating depends on what is the maximum speed of your car as per the manufactures' specs. You must be at or over the spec with the rating see for example: https://www.blackcircles.com/helpcentre/tyres/what-is-speed-rating. If your car can e.g. theoretically do 125mph you buy H rated tyres.
3. All tyres must be run in or simply do not hammer them as if you leaving the pits on F1.
4. as normal ... if you go to michelin (I can't) it should be possible to double check the recommended tyres for your car, make sure it gives the same size 185/60/14 and see speed ratings. if you email them for tyre pressures they will tell you (they did for me asking me to put higher pressure in the fronts than the book said).
5. Put them in the front if that is what you want. No insurance gets affected as long as your tyres are of the same construction radials or crossply etc. However, I would personally keep them in identical pairs per axle and ideally all 4 the same.

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You might want to consider shifting the rear to the front to wear them out and see if by winter time you can have all 4 the same. See what the book says. My previous 2 or 4 all front wheel cars said new tyres to the rear. The logic being, if your fronts are worn, too worn for the wet or too crap for snow put better tyres on. If you have the worn tyres in the back and you loose the back there is nothing you can do when the back drifts into a ditch.

If it helps a little

[Bob225]

LOl you can fit what ever tires you want as long as there the same size, (if you put alloys on the car that's a different matter) I have just put 4 new avon's on mine

tbh you will not notice the difference on the load rating on a car that size

Tires are a big can of worms - its down to personal choice

Edit. Yokohama BluEarth ES32 and Avon ZT7 are cheaper than the CC and are rated around the same

[dewaltdisney]

Do they still make remoulds? I remember a friend who had some on his car when we were young and he heard a flapping noise as he was driving. On inspection the new bit of tyre had come free and was running around the base of the tyre as he went along. As it was quite new he took it back but the tyre firm argued the toss although they eventually gave him a new tyre after a bit if a row.

I remember a bit of a thing back in the old days too when we joined the EU. A lot of tyres only rated for farm trailers were imported from France, I think, and sold as cheap car tyres. One blew out causing a crash before the scam was uncovered by the newspapers. That is when people started checking car tyre codes for speed and load, not that hey understood it

DWD

[Bob225]

The only remoulds you can get now are for commercials you can get Chinese ditch finders from £15, The op's size there £25 and you know they are making money on them

[udaman]

Hi all

A couple of updates on this after having spoken to Michelin…

1. As per the answers above, they confirmed 86 will be fine, although a bit of a harder ride they said.

2. He confirmed that H will be fine.

3. He said their recommendation is to run new tyres in for 500km. However, when I asked what this entailed he said just driving normally! So perhaps the better way to put it is to not drive like a maniac for the first 500km (or "out of the pit stop" ;) )! I am doing a 300 mile motorway run very soon after having them fitted. I tend to do 80-85mph on the motorways. He said that would be fine.

4. He said: In summer treat them as a summer tyre, and in winter treat them as a winter tyre, all according to car manufacturer specs. So we concluded to run them at normal pressure in summer and at +0.2bar in winter.

5. Michelin’s recommendation is to put them on the rear if only putting on two. I think that is a general recommendation to a certain extent – i.e. always put new tyres on rear. More to do with how they wear… But when I asked specifically about winter performance, he said that if you were to loose traction, you would want the grip where you can't control the vehicle, so that it is less likely for the rear to spin out. I've read that elsewhere too, but also the opposite. I’ve been reading more about it since and it seems a very divided subject and quite hotly debated!

On a more disappointing note, he said that they will be discontinuing this size of the CC tyre, likely within the next 6 months or so :(

Oh, and the insurers.... They said they do not need to know about any of the above, so long as the tyres are road worthy and safe and do not impact the cars performance.

Huge thanks for all the replies and input.

[mikew1972]

Generally your best set of tyres should be on the none driven axle so as to not change the manufacturer's intended handling characteristics ie. A rear wheel drive is usually intended to tend towards oversteer so the best tyres are supposed to go on the front and vice versa.
I run winter tyres all year round but have 2 sets, an older 1/2 worn or more set that I use in Summer and a newer set that I use in Winter. (I have a 4wd (Subaru Forester) and do drive quite a bit off road and in snow and ice. I also have one set of snow chains that I use if needed on the front.)
I run pressures at the upper end of the manufacturer's recommendations all year as I find this leads to more even tread wear (lower pressures tend to wear the edges, especially outer edge more quickly than the centres.

[OchAye]

I run winter tyres all year round but have 2 sets, an older 1/2 worn or more set that I use in Summer and a newer set that I use in Winter. (I have a 4wd (Subaru Forester) and do drive quite a bit off road and in snow and ice.

Be careful with your insurance. If you are involved in anything it might want to throw the book at you. Winter tyres are meant to be used at/or below 7 degrees C. Using them in the summer you are taking chances. Don't confuse your winter tyres with "Town and Country" - if the name still exists - which are for off road driving (and very interesting on snow too).