[Inchindown]

For those who have Motability cars, you will know that Kwik Fit is the required tyre fitter specified by Motability.
I have found what may be a problem with Kwik Fit for those of us who have the 19 inch wheels.

Looking on the Kwik Fit website, they do not have the 19 inch Antara tyre listed as anavailable size. They only list the 17" and 18" tyres.

I've emailed Motability to ask for clarification on where those of us who have the 19 inch wheels can get replacement tyres if needed. I'll post an update when I get it.

For those who don't know how the Motability scheme works, you are given an allowance,included in the lease,of up to 4 new tyres at no extra cost over the 3 year lease of the car. It's for that reason they can specify who you have to useto have any tyres repaired or replaced.

Edited by: Inchindown

 

[Grumps]

I think it's going to a problem anywhere you go. I'm pretty sure it will be an order only replacement. I can't see very many tyre fitters stocking them even the online places don't always list them.

 

[Off Road Doc]

I am not on Motability Inchindown but the main reason I decided on the Exclusive over the SE was because of the tyres. There were none available locally except on order. Kwik Fit were one of them, they had none available but would order them in, quoted a couple of days.They can get most tyres so dont go by the website.I was more concerned about having to replace one because of a puncture rather than due to normal wear, when I could wait a couple of days

 

[Grumps]

Prices vary from reasonable to stupid. To be honest I thought about buying a couple and keeping them just for that reason. I think it was camskill that was selling off their stock cheap for £125 each but mytyres still do them at a decent price.



MytyresEdited by: Grumps

 

[Grumps]

Or even cheaper

http://www.tyres-pneus-online.co.uk/car-tyres-HANKOOK/OPTIMO,K,415/235,50,R19,99,H.html



Edited by: Grumps

 

[Inchindown]

I've seen plenty of 19 inch tyres in the online tyre seller sites. So actually getting tyres is not a problem
The problem is Kwik Fit do no even list the 19 inch tyres as an item in their inventory.

I've even been considering replacing the Hankook tyres with something else as I find the grip in the wet a bit iffy. But that seems to cause all sorts of ructions at Motability. If I buy my own tyres, they might not provide the 4 replacement tyres normally allowed in the lease.

I've spoken to Motability, and they say Kwik Fit would have to supply the 19" tyre, even if they didn't normally stock that size. Having to order them in could be a problem, if you turn up for a puncture repair and they don't have a proper tyre in stock for your car.

Maybe I'm just being a little paranoid.

 

[Antarius]

I am not on Motability Inchindown but the main reason I decided on the Exclusive over the SE was because of the tyres. There were none available locally except on order. Kwik Fit were one of them, they had none available but would order them in, quoted a couple of days.They can get most tyres so dont go by the website.I was more concerned about having to replace one because of a puncture rather than due to normal wear, when I could wait a couple of days

I totally agree Doc, it is a travesty in this day and age that if the owner of an Antara was unfortunate enough to have a double puncture, then their car is off the road for a couple of days while the tyres are ordered in.

 

[Inchindown]

Or even cheaper

http://www.tyres-pneus-online.co.uk/car-tyres-HANKOOK/OPTIMO,K,415/235,50,R19,99,H.html

The trouble is Grumps, Motability have a contract with Kwik Fit to manage all the tyre requirements for the whole of the Motability scheme. You have to go to them when you want tyres replaced under the scheme.

Buying your own tyres seems to cause nine types of confusion at Motability in respect of whether or not they would still supply replacements in the same way as if you still had the original tyres fitted.

I've been considering fitting all season tyres as an all year roundreplacement for the Hankooks on the car, or at least getting winter tyres next winter. It's looking like if I fit a replacement set of any tyresI'll be on my own. At least I would still have the original tyres on hand should I need them.

 

[Antarius]

For those who have Motability cars, you will know that Kwik Fit is the required tyre fitter specified by Motability.
I have found what may be a problem with Kwik Fit for those of us who have the 19 inch wheels.

Looking on the Kwik Fit website, they do not have the 19 inch Antara tyre listed as anavailable size. They only list the 17" and 18" tyres.

I've emailed Motability to ask for clarification on where those of us who have the 19 inch wheels can get replacement tyres if needed. I'll post an update when I get it.

For those who don't know how the Motability scheme works, you are given an allowance,included in the lease,of up to 4 new tyres at no extra cost over the 3 year lease of the car. It's for that reason they can specify who you have to useto have any tyres repaired or replaced.

Afternoon Inchindown, I hope and trust that you'll get the answer that your looking for on this one.


Can I ask you, if you were buying the Antara SE NAV and it came with 18" wheels as standard but there was an option to upgrade those wheels to 19", would you have "upgraded" to the 19" wheels in any event ?

 

[Grumps]

I'm surprised you don't think the Hankooks are that good in the wet. I think they are very good. i have never felt I was pushing them to the limit. The car has always felt like it had plenty grip.

I must admit I was very dubious about them when I got my Antara because as a rule I never fit cheaper brand tyres but I like them and I will probably buy them again.

What tyre pressures are you running your Antara on.

 

[Grumps]

I am not on Motability Inchindown but the main reason I decided on the Exclusive over the SE was because of the tyres. There were none available locally except on order. Kwik Fit were one of them, they had none available but would order them in, quoted a couple of days.They can get most tyres so dont go by the website. I was more concerned about having to replace one because of a puncture rather than due to normal wear, when I could wait a couple of days

I totally agree Doc, it is a travesty in this day and age that if the owner of an Antara was unfortunate enough to have a double puncture, then their car is off the road for a couple of days while the tyres are ordered in.

You find that tyre fitters only stock to common sizes. I remember a friend had a Renault Laguna and he had a nightmare getting tyres and he paid a fortune for them. The best bit was one of his friends was a tyre fitter and even he had problems.

 

[Antarius]

http://www.oponeo.co.uk/tyre-details/hankook-k415-235-50-r19-99-h

 

[Antarius]

[/QUOTE]
You find that tyre fitters only stock to common sizes. I remember a friend had a Renault Laguna and he had a nightmare getting tyres and he paid a fortune for them. The best bit was one of his friends was a tyre fitter and even he had problems.[/QUOTE]


About four years ago, a female ex-colleague of mine was looking to replace the four tyres on her BMW 335D which had 19" run flats.


She must have made about 8 calls to the bigger tyre companies but none of them had any in stock and were quoting between 3-5 days for delivery. I know that two of them (I can't remember which two), quoted her a price but then told her that because the tyres were so uncommon, she would have to pay the delivery cost as well.


She finally ordered her tyres from Kwik Fit. Surprisingly they were very competitive and only charged her £1200 but they did throw in the wheel alignments free of charge.

 

[Off Road Doc]

My last car Rav4 T180 had runflats. It was a runflat system using normal tyres not enhanced sidewalls like in the BMW system. There is a supporting ring that keeps the tyre on in the event of a blow out etc, the problem I had was that you needed the specific kit, which was seemingly very expensive, to remove and fit the tyres. Mostly only Toyota dealers had this kit with the odd independant having it. The tyres although normal had markings to show that there was a runflat system and Toyota would only use these tyres, Bridgestone Duellers. The dealers would not stock much, if I had to replace one it would be a couple of days to get the tyre then you had to wait to see when they could fit you in to replace it !!!
We do a lot of holidaying in the Lakes and North Wales so the last thing I wanted was to be down there stuck requiring a tyre. There was no room in the boot for a spare so when we went away I had kept a tyre that had about 4mm left on it ( I replaced 4 at once) and carried it in the roof box. ( A spare wheel with fitted tyre was too heavy for the roof box)

This is why my priority was to ensure that I could get tyres for the Antara. If the SE had come with the option to have 18" tyres then I would have went fot that over the Exclusive. The inconvience and planning not knowing if you could get a spare tyre or not was at times stressful.

 

[Dilligaf]

Probably a daft Question, but has anybody checked that these cheaper tyres are suitable for SUVs and not just standard wheels.
I'm considering all weather tyres next time.

 

[Inchindown]

I'm surprised you don't think the Hankooks are that good in the wet. I think they are very good. i have never felt I was pushing them to the limit. The car has always felt like it had plenty grip.

I must admit I was very dubious about them when I got my Antara because as a rule I never fit cheaper brand tyres but I like them and I will probably buy them again.

What tyre pressures are you running your Antara on.

Maybe I'm imagining it.

I'm currently running the Eco pressure at 38psi.

There are times when I feel like the tyres are slipping sideways when accelerating fast out of a corner or when pulling out of a side road onto a main road. Maybe it's the stability control making it feel that way.

It could just be the Antara feels different to the Volvo I had.

The main reason I was thinking of changing the tyres was as an alternative to buying winter tyres. My Volvo had all season tyres and they always felt great in the winter. So I was thinking about buying a set of all seasons for the Antara.

It looks like if I do that I will lose the free tyre replacement from Motability, and would have to pay for any repair/replacement myself. At least if I did buy a set of all seasons, I would still have the original tyres to put back on at the end of the 3 year lease.

Edited by: Inchindown

 

[Grumps]

I'm surprised you don't think the Hankooks are that good in the wet. I think they are very good. i have never felt I was pushing them to the limit. The car has always felt like it had plenty grip.

I must admit I was very dubious about them when I got my Antara because as a rule I never fit cheaper brand tyres but I like them and I will probably buy them again.

What tyre pressures are you running your Antara on.

 
Maybe I'm imagining it.
 
I'm currently running the Eco pressure at 38psi.
 
There are times when I feel like the tyres are slipping sideways when accelerating fast out of a corner or when pulling out of a side road onto a main road. Maybe it's the stability control making it feel that way.
 
It could just be the Antara feels different to the Volvo I had.
 
The main reason I was thinking of changing the tyres was as an alternative to buying winter tyres. My Volvo had all season tyres and they always felt great in the winter. So I was thinking about buying a set of all seasons for the Antara.
 
It looks like if I do that I will lose the free tyre replacement from Motability, and would have to pay for any repair/replacement myself. At least if I did buy a set of all seasons, I would still have the original tyres to put back on at the end of the 3 year lease.

Good idea about trying the all season tyres.

I would also try running your tyres at 35/36 I find it much better but other prefer 38 but to be honest I didn't see any improvement in mpg and prefer a less harsh ride over the bumps.

 

[Inchindown]

Afternoon Inchindown, I hope and trust that you'll get the answer that your looking for on this one.


Can I ask you, if you were buying the Antara SE NAV and it came with 18" wheels as standard but there was an option to upgrade those wheels to 19", would you have "upgraded" to the 19" wheels in any event ?

Probably not.

 

[Inchindown]

Good idea about trying the all season tyres.

I would also try running your tyres at 35/36 I find it much better but other prefer 38 but to be honest I didn't see any improvement in mpg and prefer a less harsh ride over the bumps.

Next time I fill up the tank, I'll lower the PSI to 36 and see how that feels. I prefer to do changes like that when filling the tank, so I can see how the change affects the mileage over a complete fuelling cycle.

 

[Inchindown]

Afternoon Inchindown, I hope and trust that you'll get the answer that your looking for on this one.
Can I ask you, if you were buying the Antara SE NAV and it came with 18" wheels as standard but there was an option to upgrade those wheels to 19", would you have "upgraded" to the 19" wheels in any event ?

Probably not. But we have to deal with the reality that some of us have to live with these 19 inch wheels.

The one hopeful thing I've noticed when looking for replacement tyres, issomeDunlop235/50R19 tyres are listed as standard equipment on some BMWs. So maybe there will be more of that size about than we might otherwise have thought.

I went into Kwik Fit yesterday to get a price for some tyres and theyhad some 19 inch tyres in stock. Mind you, they wanted over £1000 for a set of four fitted. Only problem was the tyres they have quoted me for are winter tyres and not the all season tyres I was looking for

I've got a quote from my local Goodtread fitter of just over £600 for 4 Dunlop Grandtrek TouringAll Season235/50r19 tyres.

I'm still waiting for Motability to confirm whether or not I can change out the tyres. I'm beginning to regret ever having asked them, as when I have been talking to them, they seem to have no idea which brand or type of tyre is fitted to the cars anyway.

If they ever do get round to say OK, I'll probably go with the local Goodtread guy

Edited by: Inchindown