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15th April 2021, 08:03 AM
#91
Re: Old Cars
Mazda very good reputation, very reliable, but your tyre fitter needs to brush up on tyre fitting, you see that little red dot on the tyre, that should be fitted where the tyre valve is, as every tyre has a balancing point and the red dot indicates it, it indicates the heaviest part of the tyre/wheel combination, so that when balancing you need fewer compensation weights (in ounces), if you put it diametrically opposite then you need more weights. Must admit that I didn't know that until had four new tyres fitted some weeks ago. Confirmed it with Michelin,
Just one of those daft things you learn in life
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15th April 2021, 08:11 AM
#92
Re: Old Cars
Completely new info for me there Ivan, i,ve been motoring for over 60 years, as have yourself probably, so you learn something every day. I suspect its a relatively new idea, but would save on wheel balancing, kt
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15th April 2021, 08:21 AM
#93
Re: Old Cars
Originally Posted by
Keith Tindell
Completely new info for me there Ivan, i,ve been motoring for over 60 years, as have yourself probably, so you learn something every day. I suspect its a relatively new idea, but would save on wheel balancing, kt
Yes Keith 60+ years driving, another point I forgot to mention, is that the tyre valve is always situated in a narrow bay of designer wheels (see Photo) this is so that balancing weights can be hidden behind the spokes, so instead of have one big 16oz weight behind the valve they put an 8oz weight behind each of the spokes adjacent to the valve, so that it doesn't ruin the aesthetic profile of the wheel. There is a lot of thought put into these things, that we laymen never think about, but when you think that some wheels can cost hundreds of pounds each its quite logical
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15th April 2021, 08:49 AM
#94
Re: Old Cars
I never knew about the Red Dot and aligning it to the tyre valve as said learn every day. How many people or garages do you know that rotate the wheels on their /your car during a service? My current car is not due it's first service until August and even then it will not be on miles done but it will be the compulsory annual service (warranty) I know I will have to ask them to rotate the wheels and I am sure they will ask why?
Simple answer is you will get at least double the mileage out of a set.
My last car was a Renault Captur and I got 120,000kms by rotating the wheels. I had to have the wheels balanced once and also asked for the tracking to be redone as there was wear showing when I came to change them back again. I asked the mechanic why the tracking would have altered. Simple he said two reasons , unless you kerb the car against the pavement. (1) road camber, (2) speed bumps you know the ones that have a square bump one each side of the road.
Last edited by Lewis McColl; 15th April 2021 at 09:22 AM.
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15th April 2021, 08:55 AM
#95
Re: Old Cars
Originally Posted by
Ivan Cloherty
Mazda very good reputation, very reliable, but your tyre fitter needs to brush up on tyre fitting, you see that little red dot on the tyre, that should be fitted where the tyre valve is, as every tyre has a balancing point and the red dot indicates it, it indicates the heaviest part of the tyre/wheel combination, so that when balancing you need fewer compensation weights (in ounces), if you put it diametrically opposite then you need more weights. Must admit that I didn't know that until had four new tyres fitted some weeks ago. Confirmed it with Michelin,
Just one of those daft things you learn in life
its a new motor so the factory would have fitted it.
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15th April 2021, 09:20 AM
#96
Re: Old Cars
Lewis, come to the Isle of Wight, bloody potholes everywhere, and all they seem to do is patch them. We have been named treasure island , by the tourist boards, pretty appropriate really, i think thats what they after digging the roads, kt
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15th April 2021, 09:37 AM
#97
Re: Old Cars
Hi KT
Talk about Pot holes, i am forever having to write in to request fixing them around here, just the other day and again Today to be honest, reported 5 around here.
I see on my Drive to pick her indoors up, that they have now at least marked 4 of them for repair, as i had to phone and tell them that the Holes were not fixed properly, like there they just seem to throw some loose gunk over and thats it! It lasts for a Week if that!
Seems like this is a Problem far and wide mate!
Cheers
Your Customer Service request has been successfully submitted and one of our officers will be reviewing it as soon as possible.
Thank you for lodging your Report a pothole request.
Transaction Reference 360865
Customer Service Type Report a pothole
Lodgement Date 15/04/2021
Report a pothole
Last edited by Doc Vernon; 15th April 2021 at 09:38 AM.
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15th April 2021, 09:52 AM
#98
Re: Old Cars
Another con job with cars and tyres, certainly in France. Get a puncture and take it in for repair. Okay if it can be repaired no problem. If it is deemed to be approaching the legal limit um!!! NON. My daughter in law got a puncture and they said the tyre was damaged and needed to be replaced. Shame as the car was only 3 months old 8k kms on the clock. They said they would have to fit two new tyres as a new EU law states that tyres can only be fitted in pairs. She challenged them on that , so they changed tactics and what they meant to say was that the tyres had to be the same brand on the same axle. So she told them to order in a matching Bridgestone tyre, they were not happy.
When I was riding motor bikes I had a few punctures especially on the rear tyre. No matter what if the tyre was repaired it was always just a get me home repair and the tyre was replaced as soon as possible. Even though the repair was professionally done with large flat mushroom bonded in from the inside and the plug pulled through I was never confident riding a bike knowing I had a tyre that had been punctured. A car is different as it is easier to control if you have a blow out, squeaky bum moment for sure but on a bike a rapid tyre deflation is the moment you find you really do believe in GOD.
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15th April 2021, 10:02 AM
#99
Re: Old Cars
Originally Posted by
Tony Taylor
its a new motor so the factory would have fitted it.
This I am aware of Tony, it was just an observation and comments I'd learnt from a tyre fitter as well as Michelin.
I was also advised that swapping tyres around these days is a waste of time, as the compounds are a lot different as in days of yore when we used to do it, because our fathers used to do it.
Mercedes and Michelin advise that new tyres should always be fitted on the front, as rear tyres are 'trailing' tyres and are not subject to the same wear and tear as front tyres which have to contend with a lot of movement when cornering and parking and get a lot of wear on the shoulders.
Incidentally I use nitrogen in my tyres rather than air, as it is not subject to temperature change like air, air temperature change inside the tyre can cause moisture which can effect the wire rim of the tyre where it meets the wheel. Costs about £1/£1.50 per tyre on the initial fill and subsequent checks and top ups, if any, are free of charge, takes about 15/20 minutes to discharge air, dry tyre internal and refill with nitrogen for all four tyres, as in most things don't mix n match.
I don't believe in skimping on tyres, never have, they are your first contact with the road, and I'm still a rapid progress motorist
Hey but do whatever floats your boat, I'm only passing on comments and info from people who do it for a living.:
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15th April 2021, 10:09 AM
#100
Re: Old Cars
I think the front tyres wear more quickly also because of power steering, how many times do you see a driver pulling the wheel hard over while stationary ?, but we are all used to power steering, and if you ever have to drive a car without it, would be an old car now, feels like driving a tank. My old Subaru Outback, a heavy car, had the power steering belt jam , and suddenly no power steering, quite a shock, and hard work to get it to the garage, kt
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