LV XR5 tyres gone in 15,000

[mrbaxr6t]

I have an LV XR5 09 plate and it has just had its first service at which point they informed me I need 4 new tyres as all 4 are scrubbed out on the inside edges, imho this sucks such an expensive car and new tyres in under 12 months can't say I am impressed with this why wasn't I told when the 3k check was done?? I would have got an alignment to save the tyres scrubbing but as I wasn't told they are ruined and I am left to foot the damn bill for tyres is this normal or has my car tore its tyres up real fast due to being out of alignment from day dot? or whats the story, should I kick up a fuss with Ford??

[XR5-Boy]

Yeah man, those conti's are soft as. The old man got 24,000 out of his on the Mondy XR5.

Also, what pressures are you running? Should be at least 38 at the front and 36-37 on the back.

If you need to change, i recommend the Hancook Ventus V12 evos. Great tyre according to dad.

[casabonka]

Wow, I thought it was nuts that my old man got 25k on his XR8. Thats really bad as its clearly an alignment issue if its the insides that are wearing - have you spoken to the service mgr?

[DBourne]

Yup as XR5 boy said, conti's dont last too long.

I HIGHLY recommend Kumho KU31's in 235 form.

Reasonably cheap but bloody top grip both in straight line and twisty stuff.

Don't buy new contis as they are STUPIDLY expensive and much better alternatives are out there for much cheaper.

Also, incase you don't know, our cars can safely run 235 (standard is 225) which brings the price of tyres down dramatically.

[MickG]

Originally Posted by XR5-Boy

Should be at least 38 at the front and 36-37 on the back.

I have wondered what pressures to run but I'm sure the placard says to run them at 30psi rear and about 33psi front.......at least I think that's what it said.

Would you still recommend 38 and 36?

Sorry for the highjack and yes that's rubbish wear and I would be talking to the service manager about it.......unless of course it's a track day car

[XR5-Boy]

Originally Posted by MickG

I have wondered what pressures to run but I'm sure the placard says to run them at 30psi rear and about 33psi front.......at least I think that's what it said.

Would you still recommend 38 and 36?

Sorry for the highjack and yes that's rubbish wear and I would be talking to the service manager about it.......unless of course it's a track day car

Yeah that's the standard ST placard that comes in from Europe. Remember they get 17" rims on the ST-1 so for comfort ride, those pressures are correct. 18" with the contis need to be run at 38 at least on the front for even wear. The car feels soooo much better on the road too

[MickG]

Originally Posted by XR5-Boy

Yeah that's the standard ST placard that comes in from Europe. Remember they get 17" rims on the ST-1 so for comfort ride, those pressures are correct. 18" with the contis need to be run at 38 at least on the front for even wear. The car feels soooo much better on the road too

Thanks XR5-Boy, off to pump them up right now!!

[Velociraptor82]

The front tires wear an aweful lot faster than the rear ones especially if they are not rotated regularly. I ran my last tires down to the wire without rotating and they lasted about 25k.

Ford service say they rotate the wheels during service but I've never seen them do it so make sure you do it yourself.

If you have lowered the car and not put a camber kit on then you will definatly scrub out the inner edge of the tires. I would definatly be going to a suspension place (preferrably not pedders or beaurepairs) and getting an alignment.

I've got 18x8 on my car with Yokohama Advan Sport V103s. I'm running my tyres at 36psi as recommended by the place who sold me the tyres, but I have been tempted to increase air to 38psi since that is what the police cars run.

[20focus05]

I would be asking questions of the dealer about the Pre Delivery and if it was checked for a wheel alignment. Its part of the PD process!

I got 17s on our focus and get 60odd out of them, cheap and expensive

[Mad_Aussie]

I run continental gatorskins on my roadie, and used to use contis religiously when I had my r31 track car. Fantastic tyres, but they are a very soft compound. Go find some Yokos if you want a good quality tyre that'll last a while.

[svo supporter]

Originally Posted by Velociraptor82

If you have lowered the car and not put a camber kit on then you will definatly scrub out the inner edge of the tires. I would definatly be going to a suspension place (preferrably not pedders or beaurepairs) and getting an alignment.

.

Any chance of posting up a link for a camber kit to suit a Focus? I can't say I can even see where one would go? Not even a camber bolt. So any link would be appreciated.

From what I have seen with Focus's, they tend to run high negative cambers from the factory. (1+DEGREES NEG). This is the main reason behind the inside edge wear problems, rather than a pressure related issue, as has been eluded to in this thread.

I do find that it is necessary to align and rotate these tyres very reguarly to help get some life from the tyres.

The rears on these cars are basically there to hold the bum off the ground. So by rotating them, it prevents the rears going all lumpy as well.

Hopefully someone gets some use from what I have posted and good luck with the tyre mileage

[Velociraptor82]

Originally Posted by svo supporter

Any chance of posting up a link for a camber kit to suit a Focus? I can't say I can even see where one would go? Not even a camber bolt. So any link would be appreciated.

http://www.whiteline.com.au/
The site won't give me a direct link to the product but you'll find the one i purchased through pedders listed on there.

I'm still questioning getting the spherical links. I'm not really sure what they are or what they do but apparently they are race only and that has got me intrigued (It was also mentioned in an older thread they make a huge difference to the handling). Will void the insurance through!

I'm not technical enough to be able to tell you where the camber kit was installed, sorry, but as far as i can find on the net, they are only available on the rear.

[SCXR5T]

Yeah..The top rear control arm is replaced with the adjustable rear camber arms.

Just put a set on my new whitey...As I dropped the car 20mm...My last XR5 used to squat down in the back and carve up the inside of the rear tyres..This one is set permanently at neg 1 degree camber...Perfect...

Wheel alignments are really important on these cars too...I get mine done every 15000k's.Definately rotate and balance every 10000k's if you can..

25k's out of Contis is about the norm though...