What are the best tyres for a BX?

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adamskibx
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What are the best tyres for a BX?

Post by adamskibx »

Just noticed how worryingly low the tread on my front left tyre has become, and the other Michelin MXV's that I reckon are original are looking a bit cracked in places, so its time to renew at least the two front ones for safety- I was just wondering what 165 tyres are the best in terms of ride/handling and value for money. Also, I would upgrade to wider tyres but it looks as though the offset of the MK1 wheels is designed for 165 maximum as there is only about 3mm clearance at the back between the tyre and wing. I do have the wheels from the TRS, which also have (cheap) 165 tyres, but the wing clearance is massive: I dont know whether that because the offset is different or if because of the fact that the rear arm bearings are very bad indeed. If the offset is different, I may be tempted to use 185 tyres with these wheels. The reason is that the GT is the first BX ive had that goes fast, but the grip levels dont match the performance. Any advice appreciated.
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DavidRutherford
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Post by DavidRutherford »

The grip level is affected far more by the quality of the tyres rather than the width of them.

I'd be tempted to keep the original wheels, and fit some fairly decent quality Michelin 165's. Not only will the car handle as intended, but they will be (slightly) cheaper than 185's.

Wider tyres look good, but the grip isn't increased very much, the steering gets heavier, and the car will "tramline" more on the first lane of the motorway, in the ruts made by trucks.

I made this mistake with my 405. It should have 185's on it, and I had a set of 195's that would fit. So I fitted them. Definitely not as good, and there is slightly less grip available. As soon as I can, it's getting a set of 185's again.
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Post by Way2go »

The MXV are no longer current and Michelin Energy are now replacements on mine. They are however 185-60 giving excellent cornering and grip so you may find a benefit in making the change if your problems are not just attributable to the degradation of the rubber in your MXVs.
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Post by Way2go »

Just read David's posting above & thought I'd mention that the 185 was standard fit on the GTi.
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Post by M »

I did pick up a set of Goodyear GT2 175/65/14 on Pug 206 rims off fleebay very cheaply - sadly before I had chance to fit them I wound up selling them on again (at rather a tasty proffit) - but I gather these would have been OK on the BX.
I have just ordered up some 165 section Goodrides - so will let you know the outcome of these. Presently I have a startling assortment of 165 section tyres including a 1991 Yugoslavian one adorning the BX!
(The car itself was made in 1993!)
On the last TZD I had some 185's which handled OK
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Post by tim leech »

Michelins are excellent tyres, continentals although softer compond and wear quicker are also excellent.
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Post by Ian_Fearn »

I'd previously sworn by the Michelin Energy's. I had the 185's on my last GTi and they were great and very hardwearing.

In fact i've never had a set of tyres last as long as a set of Michelins.

Sue's GTi auto has got Pirelli P6000's all round which stick to the road like glue (best gripping tyre i've ever used). I doubt they'd last long though the way i drove it last week :lol:
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Post by tim leech »

Pirellis are a softer compund rubber than michelins or dunlops I think, as are continentals and yokohamas, if you want longivity aswell as good grip I agree with Ian Michelins are a good bet.
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Post by Mr B »

I've fitted today a full set of Bridgestone Potenzas (195/60/14) Not had chance to try them yet so I'll report back when I have (too much beer!)
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Post by Philip Chidlow »

As Ian says, the P6000 is a grippy thing. I have to say as a compromise (and I emphasise the word) between initial outlay, wear and grip, as well as general road noise the Pirelli P6000 is unbeatable. I think the fact it is a line that has continued for years and is a clear favourite amongst those who won't go for 'budget' tyres says a lot.

I had P6000's on our Mercedes but when we changed to Michelins noticed a considerable lowering of road noise, though. Worth considering.

As a final point I had P6000s on a previous BX (a 'chipped' GTi manual) - the only one I really abused around a track, and found the tyres generally good, but not particularly good on the smoother sections under braking. But again pretty good in the damp/wet.

So, overall, they get my vote.
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Post by AlanS »

Just read a test on tyres last night that gave best marks to Continentals over Michelins.
Heard a lot of good reports on Contis but never used them personally. I have had a lot of success with Falken tyres which were originally Ohtsu and found them faultless in ride, performance and wear over most other tyres I've had on a BX but did discover that the directional versions can give a few thrills if you have dodgy swing arm bearings as the torque steering was quite violent with them on the front.
I keep hearing all the good reports about Michelin and I wish I could add to that, but every time I get Michies on a car I seem to have nothing but dramas and bad luck with them, as a result I now avoid them like the plague.
In all fairness though, most of the Michelins we get out here seem to come from either Banana republics, exotic South Sea Islands or places not renowned for their engineering skills so you guys possibly see them from other sources.


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Post by cavmad »

Not a fan of Pirelli`s myself. Good grip for sure but they just don`t last long enough. I`d personally go for Michelin but I`ve had an array of various makes on my BX`s and not had any problems yet, though some Dunlop`s I had on one seemed to wear out in no time.
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Post by tom »

The best tyre is that specified by the manufacturer. In the case of most BXs it is a Michelin of 165 section. Four of them, fitted and balanced will cost £195.34 from ATS and will last for four years or 70,000 miles, even the way I cane them!
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Post by richard »

Tom has a point. Car manufacturers most likley fit a tyre syize for a reason.

However, many years back I changed the 165's on my BX16 to 175's. I found the grip slightly better with the 175's. Both sizes were Michelin. A few years later I got hold of a set of GTi Alloys. These came with 185 section montana tyres. These tyres had the worst wet weather grip I have ever experienced. Every start in the wet resulted in a wheelspin, and dont even think about braking :evil: I promptly swapped them for Michelin XH1's which changed things. I could not say if the 185's are any better or worse than the 175's.

My Xantia wears 205 section Michelin Pilot Primacy. I find these quite grippy. They cost £69 icl Vat from Costco.
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