Tyres and comfort/ride on my Scenic - help please!

[moggie 939]

I recently exchanged my Rover 45 03 plate which had 195/65 15" tyres and the ride was superb, nice and soft; this car had Continental tyres.

My car now is a Renault Megane Scenic 53 plate which is great except for the ride which I consider very hard (can feel all the bumps) compared with the Rover. OK, the Scenic is higher off the road and it also has only 185/65 tyres on 15" alloys. The tyres although nearly new are a mixture of budgets such as Hankook - but they match on both 'axles'

The new Scenic has 205 tyres on 16" wheels, but that is no good for my model.

So........is there anything I can do to improve the ride? Have reduce the tyre pressures slightly as there is only me in car which did not help. What if I were to put on better tyres such as Continentals. they are expensive. Would this improve things?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank You

[Toureman]

You could ask here..........

http://www.renaultfor...ex.php?referrerid=599

[Dodger666]

My 2000 Scenic has 185-65-15 tyres and is fitted with Michelin Energy tyres and I've got no complaints.

[moggie 939]

Thank you both.
Dodger.....perhaps the Michelin Tyres are a better ride than the budgets I have on. Can anyone else confirm this or about change to Continentals?

Thanks again

[Andyvon]

Cheap tyres, or a mix of tyres with different wear, can have a very detrimental affect on roadhandling Moggie. Continental 185 tyres were notorious for losing grip, even when the road wasn't wet, yet their 195s transformed the same car when fitted. Continental acknowledged the 185s were a mistake.
Tread depth is just one factor of tyre safety. Just as important is the age of a tyre as the rubber deteriorates over time and old tyres can affect handling quite noticeably. Indeed, the MoT is being changed soon to fail any tyre over three years old - regardless of tread wear.

Tyres are the most important safety devices on the car and you should never cut corners on price. Always avoid budget brands and always fit four new tyres together if possible as they will then wear at the same rate and have the same roadhandling properties. At least always fit tyres as a pair on the same axle - never just one tyre. If you can change your tyres like that you will really notice the difference in handling. That's probably why you car handles badly now.

Although some people will try to save a few pounds on tyres they will then happily spend three or four times the prices of new tyres of sound systems and other bolt-on goodies! Does that make sense?

[Dodger666]

WHAT? Scrapping tyres over three years old?

My Michelins are about 6 years old and look as good as the day they were fitted. I only do about 4,000/year!

Do tyres have the date they were made printed on them?

[moggie 939]

Thanks Andyvon

I think I will change the tyres - it is worth it for the car which although 53 plate has only done 40K and is in pristine condition.
Any ideas as to which tyres might give a 'softer ride' than others?
Regards

[Andyvon]

Hi again Moggie -

If you avoid the cheap 'budget' tyres and buy a higher quality brand then you will probably notice a real difference in road handling. The manufacturer would have recommended several tyre brands when the car was new as they set the vehicle up for optimum performance. If you ask your tyre supplier to fit tyre brands recommended by Renault for your vehicle then it should handle almost like it did when new (depending on the condition of the suspension etc).

Dodger - Yes. Tyres do have the date of manufacture moulded into the wall. However, it's often in the form of a simple code. I think it's going to be a three year age limit for the MoT soon. As I said, the reason is that the rubber compounds in the tyre deteriorate with age through exposure to chemicals, salt, temperature variations etc. As a tyre ages it affects the roadhandling of the vehicle which is the reason for the proposed changes. Tread depth is one safety factor for tyres, but the rubber composition and age of the tyre are just as important.

[gingejbee]

In a recent Which? tyre test, the two Best Buy tyres (185/65) were Michelin Energy Saver and Pirelli Cinturato P6- but both are pricey.

[moggie 939]

Thanks again Andyvon and others.
The original tyre which is a michelin is still in the boot!
Might bite the bullet and go for those after asking renault.
Regards

[gingejbee]

Another thing to consider is that different cars DO have different "ride comfort" - some can feel softer and sound quieter while others are much harder and harsher. This can simply be the way the car is designed, and different tyres can make little difference to ride comfort.
Having had many French cars in the past, I really don't like the harder ride on many others - all to do with what I'm used to.

[moggie 939]

Thanks gingejbe

[White_Cat]

Do tyres have the date they were made printed on them?

Yes. It is in the form of week, then year.
EG 2108, which would be the 21st week of 2008.
It is not printed however, but embossed, like the the other information on the side/wall of the tyre. It is usually in an oval depression, and has lower quality of "printing" than the rest due to the fact the moulds that form it are changed regularly.

[andyc123]

hi mogie939, did the tyres sort the prob? I too have a 53 plate scenic and he ride is bad. was thinking of replacing the shocks.

[moggie 939]

Yes - I replaced the fronts with new Michelins as were on original and improvement was v. good. My other problem was associated with the 'rod' that goes from the engine to the frame? and keeps the engine steady. I had that replaced by local garage for about £30.
Moggie