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Pottsy · 24th August 2007, 18:51

I'm getting 23,000 miles out of a set of tyres (so that's 11,500 out of the fronts - because I rotate). Some may think that's poor - but the tyres on the Civic are 225's made out of the softest "normal" compound. A few years ago these very tyres were on the front of a new Porsche - now we see them on a Civic and are hoping for eco performance!

Driving carefully doesn't help much, since these lovely soft tyres will wear just by transferring the continuous 40 bhp or so that you use on the motorway in a straight line.

If economy is the order of the day, then fitting narrower and harder tyres is the way forward. But then there would be complaints about poor grip - the poor old manufacturer is going to have a hard time winning.

The brakes are an odd one (Ellis - have I said the wrong thing in the past ?

) Non-faulty brakes should last 20,000 to 50,000. Again, eco rubbish nanny state rules combined with a requirement for the brakes to not squeak nor judder leads to soft pads. Accept grinding pads and a dose of cancer and the brakes would last for years. But then come the oddities. If a calliper were to stick, then that pad and disc would wear quickly. It would be odd to have exactly the same on both sides though. You can easily test by driving a few miles without touching the brakes (use the handbrake if needed) and then feeling the front discs (with care!!!). Seriously hot = problem. Furthermore, sticking callipers tend to appear on cars that are not driven much.

If a disc wears out at 25,000 miles (like Andy's) then you'd think that this was probably wrong. I have seen this - but the discs were warped early in their life, and then the warpedness trashed both the discs and pads. But you know if the discs are warped - you come to a halt in a series of increasing and decreasing retardation (or vibration at high speed).

It's true that tyres pads and discs are all consumables, just like oil and fuel, so are not covered by the warranty. But I'd ask the dealer a simple question: Exactly how long should the discs last, as a minimum, on this car?

24th August 2007, 18:51	#34 (permalink)
Pottsy Administrator Civinfo master Join Date: 10th April 2006 Location: Leics Posts: 5,086 Thanks: 17 Thanked 111 Times in 64 Posts iTrader: (0)	I'm getting 23,000 miles out of a set of tyres (so that's 11,500 out of the fronts - because I rotate). Some may think that's poor - but the tyres on the Civic are 225's made out of the softest "normal" compound. A few years ago these very tyres were on the front of a new Porsche - now we see them on a Civic and are hoping for eco performance! Driving carefully doesn't help much, since these lovely soft tyres will wear just by transferring the continuous 40 bhp or so that you use on the motorway in a straight line. If economy is the order of the day, then fitting narrower and harder tyres is the way forward. But then there would be complaints about poor grip - the poor old manufacturer is going to have a hard time winning. The brakes are an odd one (Ellis - have I said the wrong thing in the past ?) Non-faulty brakes should last 20,000 to 50,000. Again, eco rubbish nanny state rules combined with a requirement for the brakes to not squeak nor judder leads to soft pads. Accept grinding pads and a dose of cancer and the brakes would last for years. But then come the oddities. If a calliper were to stick, then that pad and disc would wear quickly. It would be odd to have exactly the same on both sides though. You can easily test by driving a few miles without touching the brakes (use the handbrake if needed) and then feeling the front discs (with care!!!). Seriously hot = problem. Furthermore, sticking callipers tend to appear on cars that are not driven much. If a disc wears out at 25,000 miles (like Andy's) then you'd think that this was probably wrong. I have seen this - but the discs were warped early in their life, and then the warpedness trashed both the discs and pads. But you know if the discs are warped - you come to a halt in a series of increasing and decreasing retardation (or vibration at high speed). It's true that tyres pads and discs are all consumables, just like oil and fuel, so are not covered by the warranty. But I'd ask the dealer a simple question: Exactly how long should the discs last, as a minimum, on this car?