Aurion tyre wear

[Bob.Pitt]

Really unimpressed with the tyre wear on my wife's Aurion. The car is two years old, done just 30,000Kms and the tyres are shot. The tyres weren't rotated at the first service (should have been but the Toyota dealer simply didn't do it) yet the rear tyres are worn out as well. The Toyota service dept tells me that I'm doing better than average, many Aurions don't even get 20,000Km out of a set of tyres.

My wife is a very sedate drive and doesn't carry anything in the boot so in my view the tyre wear on the AURIONs is really bad, I think unacceptable.

So either the OEM tyres are really poor quality, or the Aurions are really really hard on tyres. Either way, I'm very disappointed with Toyota.

[DJKOR]

What pressure did you keep your tires at for the majority of their life? This can play a large role in how long they may survive for. As well, which model Aurion do you have... or better still, what tires were the ones that you had fitted to them from factory?

I can see how you would like to simply blame Toyota for the issue... but it's not Toyota that makes the OEM tires that are fitted to them, and considering it's the tires that are wearing out, I don't think Toyota is where you should be directing your disappointment to.

Of the two Aurions I have had, with proper care the Sportivo which had Michellin Energy MXV8's went for 45,000-50,000km before requiring a change and the TRD (on Dunlops) went for 60,000km. Not bad for OEM tires I would say. And my driving isn't exactly gentle.

My second set of tires (which have not had a rotation) are up to 32,000km now and the rears (Federal 595SS) look as good as new and could get another 50,000km at least if they stayed there, and the fronts (Maxxis MA-Z1) are pretty much nearly worn down to the wear indicators, however these were given a lot of harsh driving conditions. With a rotation, I reckon the set could have made it to 60,000km easily but I wanted to get rid of the Maxxis. I wouldn't say the Aurion is harsh on tires, so I think the problem lies in either the care of your tires, bad alignment, or an unfortunate case of bad tires.

[Adamsy]

Yeah it sounds more like a tyre pressure and lack of rotation thing to me. Yes a large powerful Fwd sedan isnt going to be the nicest car ever made on its tyre but with some simple care you can get the best life out of your tyres.

I have directional tyres on my Sportivo (245/35ZR19 93Y) and they have so far done 29000kms and still have an easy 55% - 60% left on them and that's on a car that cops a fair bit of stick on some brutal Tasmanian road trips so they certainly havent had an easy life. Paradigm got just over 90,000kms on his standard Michelin Energy tyres before they got a bit dicey to drive hard on.

I have my tyres rotated front to rear every service and at my last service a few weeks ago they measured all around the tyres and they all seem to of warn almost exactly the same.

Might just pay for you to get your wheel alignment checked and keep an eye on tyre pressures and rotate those wheels :)

[Buff Hamster]

Sounds like you and your wife don't really know or care much about tyres. I'm asuming you are on stock tyres (dunlop 300E) and i know they can last 50000+km no issue. Also tyre pressure plays an important role in maintaining tyre wear. If you never pumped or rarely pumped up your tyres then that's your fault for causing the tyre to wear prematurely.

[METAL13]

They recommend you check your tire pressures EVERY RE-FUELING or at least ONCE A WEEK.

For us "Hoons" we MUST check them every week as the pressure can drop dramatically from hard cornering etc... (mine drop anywhere between 1-5 PSi in 7-14 days All round). Don't forget to check the spare atleast once a month too

Besides that get your car checked by a suspension shop for a All 4 Wheel alignment as this can be a big issue on wear.

Here is a brochure on Wheel Alignments from Pedders and it pretty much sums it up!

[ Wheel Alignment Brochure ]

[lasertip]

For us "Hoons" we MUST check them every week as the pressure can drop dramatically from hard cornering etc... (mine drop anywhere between 1-5 PSi in 7-14 days All round).

[ Wheel Alignment Brochure ]

Mine hardly drop 1psi in 2 weeks o.O

I do around 500ks in that time... I guess I'm just not hoon enough ;)

[mpresara]

I've done 88k on my Michellins and told at 85k service I had 4mm left on them. I do City driving and M7, M5 bmotorway driving in Sydney. I've been impressed by the tyres generally.

Always rotated at service and aligned every 6 months.

[matt36415]

I've done 88k on my Michellins and told at 85k service I had 4mm left on them. I do City driving and M7, M5 bmotorway driving in Sydney. I've been impressed by the tyres generally.

Always rotated at service and aligned every 6 months.

I am guessing that the road surfaces make a difference to tyre wear - (on my pushbikes the road surface makes a significant difference to tyre life). The smooth 'tar' surfaces and the co**** blue metal roads have very different effects on tyre noise and probably wear

[matt36415]

I didn't know the word 'co ar se' would be censored.

[jeffy]

I didn't know the word 'co ar se' would be censored.

cos its close to "A R S E"

[Brad - SX6]

Only just changed mine on the SX6 the "Michellin Energy MXV8" at 76,000km. One was at 0mm, the rest had a bit of tread, kept the highest as the spare (being broke sucks.)

[jasonwlin]

:S, I haven't checked my tyre pressures for so long; I feel like I've been neglecting my Aurion. Going to have a look tonight when I fill up; just quickly, what pressure am I supposed to be aiming for? I know it's preferential in most cases and that the door panel tells me how much I should be pumping, but what do you guys have your tyres pumped to?

[DJKOR]

:S, I haven't checked my tyre pressures for so long; I feel like I've been neglecting my Aurion. Going to have a look tonight when I fill up; just quickly, what pressure am I supposed to be aiming for? I know it's preferential in most cases and that the door panel tells me how much I should be pumping, but what do you guys have your tyres pumped to?

36-38 PSI is a good number that will work on 16's, 17's and 18's for the Aurion. For 19's I'd be aiming for 37-39 PSI.

[jasonwlin]

36-38 PSI is a good number that will work on 16's, 17's and 18's for the Aurion. For 19's I'd be aiming for 37-39 PSI.

Cheers, I'll go for a 38 and see how I go from there. Now, to sort out my upcoming engine service :C

[Buff Hamster]

I currently use 36psi front and 32psi back. Was on 40psi/36psi before but found ultimate grip to be a bit lacking even thought steering response was better

[DJKOR]

I currently use 36psi front and 32psi back. Was on 40psi/36psi before but found ultimate grip to be a bit lacking even thought steering response was better

Having lower air pressure in the back seems to be a little on the reverse logic of things with a FWD. Remember that the rears tend to not get as 'heated' from driving as the fronts do. As a result, the front will increase in pressure more than the rears. If using different pressures, you should be going for higher on the rears than the fronts (cool pressure). I would be aiming for a 2 PSI difference.

I run the same pressure all round when measured at warm/running temperature and don't find it to affect the handling in any way as some would imagine with the rear being lighter than the front.

32 PSI is a little on the low side for tires anyways. You should go for at least 34 PSI for better tire wear.

[jasonwlin]

Having lower air pressure in the back seems to be a little on the reverse logic of things with a FWD. Remember that the rears tend to not get as 'heated' from driving as the fronts do. As a result, the front will increase in pressure more than the rears. If using different pressures, you should be going for higher on the rears than the fronts (cool pressure). I would be aiming for a 2 PSI difference.

I run the same pressure all round when measured at warm/running temperature and don't find it to affect the handling in any way as some would imagine with the rear being lighter than the front.

32 PSI is a little on the low side for tires anyways. You should go for at least 34 PSI for better tire wear.

You raise quite an interesting point and one that I hadn't thought of earlier. Anyway, I stopped at the air hose during my fill up today and my front tyres were registering 30 odd PSI and the rears were around 28. So I increased these to 38 and 34 respectively and I can report a difference in handling. At the moment I can't comment as to whether it's an improvement or how drastic that improvement is, but all signs are pointing to a noticeable improvement.

I think I might run with this for a week or so and see how it feels and then maybe drop/raise each of the pressures to 36 all round, then see how that affects everything.

As a reference, prior to the tyre pressure change, handling was never an issue and if I had to rate it, it's be a 6-7 / 10. The rating should probably be higher, but I thought I'd leave some room for further assessment/comparison.

[Eaglemist]

Having lower air pressure in the back seems to be a little on the reverse logic of things with a FWD. Remember that the rears tend to not get as 'heated' from driving as the fronts do. As a result, the front will increase in pressure more than the rears. If using different pressures, you should be going for higher on the rears than the fronts (cool pressure). I would be aiming for a 2 PSI difference.

I run the same pressure all round when measured at warm/running temperature and don't find it to affect the handling in any way as some would imagine with the rear being lighter than the front.

32 PSI is a little on the low side for tires anyways. You should go for at least 34 PSI for better tire wear.

You raise quite an interesting point and one that I hadn't thought of earlier. Anyway, I stopped at the air hose during my fill up today and my front tyres were registering 30 odd PSI and the rears were around 28. So I increased these to 38 and 34 respectively and I can report a difference in handling. At the moment I can't comment as to whether it's an improvement or how drastic that improvement is, but all signs are pointing to a noticeable improvement.

I think I might run with this for a week or so and see how it feels and then maybe drop/raise each of the pressures to 36 all round, then see how that affects everything.

As a reference, prior to the tyre pressure change, handling was never an issue and if I had to rate it, it's be a 6-7 / 10. The rating should probably be higher, but I thought I'd leave some room for further assessment/comparison.

I have 35 all round in the ZR and that seems to be a good compromise. Good handling and no bruised bum.

[Buff Hamster]

I currently use 36psi front and 32psi back. Was on 40psi/36psi before but found ultimate grip to be a bit lacking even thought steering response was better

Having lower air pressure in the back seems to be a little on the reverse logic of things with a FWD. Remember that the rears tend to not get as 'heated' from driving as the fronts do. As a result, the front will increase in pressure more than the rears. If using different pressures, you should be going for higher on the rears than the fronts (cool pressure). I would be aiming for a 2 PSI difference.

I run the same pressure all round when measured at warm/running temperature and don't find it to affect the handling in any way as some would imagine with the rear being lighter than the front.

32 PSI is a little on the low side for tires anyways. You should go for at least 34 PSI for better tire wear.

I might put it up 38/34 psi later but when i put all tyres at equal psi i notice a large increase in body roll.

[matt36415]

I get the idea of tyre heating... but the weight seems to be more over the front tyres - I think that because the rear feels more bouncy when the pressures are the same as the front

[jasonwlin]

As a reference, prior to the tyre pressure change, handling was never an issue and if I had to rate it, it's be a 6-7 / 10. The rating should probably be higher, but I thought I'd leave some room for further assessment/comparison.

So I've been driving in the 38/34 setup for the past 2 weeks, trying to determine how the change has affected the overall ride.

Initially, the change in handling of the car felt more responsive and and turning seemed easier. Now I will admit that perhaps a certain amount of "placebo" effect came into play, which is why I drove the car in this setup for 2 weeks instead of the initial 1. I feel that after getting accustomed to the change, that there is still an improved sense of handling where turning seems easier, but maybe not as much as previously thought. If I had to rate it, it'd be about a 7-8 / 10.

For the moment, I'll remain in this setup and try it out some more. I'll give 36 all round a shot in 2 or so weeks.

[Sunsett]

Dont forget that you have worn your tyres already. You may not necessarily see too much effect until you treat em right from new. The higher tyre pressure prevents side wall roll, keep that in mind. Also a carefuly look at your tyres in between the grooves you will find the wear bars. When the tread is down to the wear bars you need some more. Not many people know about the wear bars that the manufacturer installs for you.

[Adamsy]

i usually try and keep my pressures around 36psi in the front and 38psi in the rear :)

[Aloysius]

Only just changed mine on the SX6 the "Michellin Energy MXV8" at 76,000km. One was at 0mm, the rest had a bit of tread, kept the highest as the spare (being broke sucks.)

My Presara has 70k on it and I estimate another 5k before needing to replace - that's with 38psi - so similar results to yours - I'm happy with that.

[Beep Beep]

Approximately 35,000km on Michelin Energy MX8s for my Presara. I'd say there's probably still about 60 - 70% tread left. At this rate, probably looking at replacing tires well once I get well into the 70 - 80k range.

Tread wear is also very even. Wheels are rotated at every 15,000km when doing the logbook service and alignment done every 10,000km or 6 months. Tire pressures running at 38psi all round, including spare. Standard factory Presara rims & tyres.

It's pretty odd that OP is only getting about 20,000km out of his tires. What are they made out off? Marshmallows?