Company "sweary" up, so im getting a good deal?

Soldato
Joined
14 Nov 2002
Posts
5,715
Basically, i bought a set of 19" oz superturismo gt's with tyres brand new from a company who shall stay nameless (goes by the same name as that notorious motors fave tv show (A)). Had kumho supra ecstas on it, which at first i wasnt happy about, found the traction in the wet was appaling, but in the dry they were pretty good. Done about 20k miles on them mainly motorway and on the way home the other day one of the tyre walls collapsed.

First thing dad recommended was ring kumho direct and see about warranty.

Now the dodgy part. Having got through direct to a japanese technical guy, he proceeded to tell me kumho dont do a tyre for the mondeo st220. Slightly bemused i asked him to clarify, and he said that even theyre most expensive performance tyre is only suitable for 550kgs. per wheel, apparently 100kgs less than the manufacturers standard :eek:

First thing i then did, was ring insurance and see what the situation would have been in an accident (gaining ammunition really). They told me that had they spotted the tyre was at fault for the accident or even checked them and saw that they werent upto manufacturers standards my insurance would have been void :eek: :eek:.

So i then rang up the company, and politely asked them what the hell they was playing at? After getting the run around by some of the people, i eventually got through to the MD who was actually quite helpful. I had already searched and found the only tyres that his company sells that are made for the mondeo st220, are michelin pilot sport 2's. he said they were about £179 each, but due to the fact is was their fault alltogether, he was willing to pay all costs except £37 each tyre.

So long story short, im getting a full set of new tyres fitted and wheels balanced, for £148. I probably shouldnty have had to pay anything but i have had 20k ish miles out of the original tyres.

So just a warning, dont always expect a company to know what its talking about and double check - i know i will in future.
 
And also don't expect your insurance company to cover you if you're in an accident or if it's stolen. They will find any little detail to not cover you whether it's your deliberate fault or not. Been there, done that :mad:
 
the tyres werent going on a st220 alloy tho, so they would fit one that fits the alloy and respective speeds.

or am i missing something?
 
Morba said:
the tyres werent going on a st220 alloy tho, so they would fit one that fits the alloy and respective speeds.

or am i missing something?

I am not a expert but I think he was referring to car weight per wheel. And the Mondeo being too fat.
 
what im getting at is, if you goto a company and ask for a set of wheels and tyres for a mondeo st220, you expect them to supply wheels and tyres that are upto standards at least.
 
Wayn0r said:
what im getting at is, if you goto a company and ask for a set of wheels and tyres for a mondeo st220, you expect them to supply wheels and tyres that are upto standards at least.

When I took the TDCI to Micheldevers, they also picked up on this detail and ensured the fitter put on the GY EF1 Extra load version.
 
I have kumho ectas on my E39 they came with the m5 alloys from a bmw specialist Do you think i should go get them changed aswell ?
 
Check the load rating on the tyre and the load rating given in the vehicle specs.

Sometimes things are a little strange though. A friends parents ran a Renault Laguna and the factory fit tyres (also listed in the handbook) don't actually have a speed rating suitable for the performance of the car.
 
there is nothing wrong with the tyres performance etc wise, just i was sold wheels with tyres on that were a) not wide enough and b) not strong enuf load wise.
 
Yeah, id always research the tyre yourself beforehand (same as you would with the wheel) and find out which one YOU want, dont just opt for whatever they're bundling in a wheel and tyre package as they're bound to be on the dodgy side.
 
The ST220 and ST TDCi come with tyres with a 92 load rating as standard.

You've done well gettin 4x Pilot Sport 2's for that price - I paid £275 for 2 225/40/18's for my ST TDCi.

Did you get 20k out of the fronts on the ST220? Mine ate the OE Conti Sport Contact 2's in 13k on the front!
 
That gives 372.5 kg per wheel. Even when you take into account un-even weight disribution that still isn't 550kg per wheel.

Or am I missing something?
 
Last edited:
Cornering forces? or the maximum permissable weight of the car fully laden? Dunno

20k miles, wow. The FTO gets 6k on the same fronts as you and I get 8k if I'm luck on the rear of the E36. :confused:
 
Back
Top Bottom