# UK X-Trail. Tyre Choice?



## Enufsaid (Aug 21, 2006)

My Aug 2006 2.2dCi Columbia at 15,500 miles looks as though new front tyres are needed 
The measurements of tread depth are nearside 1.6/4/1.6mm (inner/middle/outer), offside 2/5/2mm. Such measurements suggest under-inflation but I have been quite careful at maintaining correct pressures, particularly as over 50% of the mileage has been towing a 1500kg caravan. The tyres are Dunlop ST20 Grand Trek All Season M+S 215/60 R17.

What mileage have other users been getting out of their tyres?


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## Manuelgamex (Jan 12, 2007)

I took out the Duelers with aprox 25k miles & they still got 40-60% of life with 34-35psi*, and... our roads are very agressive & with hot weather, but it's never being used to tow anything.

Now I got the Pirelli Scorpion & love 'em, they are way better draining water & much better speed rating.


*I've tested many different tyre pressures & noticed the best one for daily/road it's 34 or 35 (depends on load) it's being tested at different roads (highways, stone paved, cobblestone paved, etc) and at different weather & speeds (slow, fast, dry, rain, hot & cold... never snow), maybe it could be different towing.


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## GGG-Man (Jan 31, 2008)

*Tyre Choice*

I have decided to put Coopers ATR 80/20% on the Xtrail.. These are Guaranteed a 50,000kms or 31,000 miles from the delear. The Tread is dobule than most tyres on the Market, and handle very well in the Wet. Only thing to consider they do add a little more road noise, but well worth the choice if used off road..


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

I have General Grabber AT2's on mine. 
An increase in road noise, but nice and chunky for off-road use - would highly recomend them if yu use the car off-tarmac.
I normally go through a set of tyres every 18-20,000 miles, but most of my driving is through residential estates which scrubs the front tyres quickly.


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## trifon (Jan 12, 2008)

Hello,

Hard to find tyres in 17" in the requsted size due to very little choice unless you change for 225/55 or 235/55.

Dunlop ST20 35000Km on front wheel at TWI mark. Rear only one milimeter on right tyre(possibly due to roundabout). If no permutation rear can last up to 150000Km(100000miles). 80% 2WD mode 20% AUTO

I consider they are too noisy, german people experienced some aquaplanning problem.

My next tyres in 17": Pirelli Scorpion STR.

Pneus 4x4 Pirelli - Scorpion STR

Possibly I consider to go for the GoodYear Wrangler HP All season but only available in 235/55 17. But the price here is 50% higher. The Pirelli is worth under 100 Euro

Cheers


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## ChrisBeezer (Dec 29, 2007)

My first Xtrail had Dunlops. I drove for 8000 miles with the selector on 2WD and the tyre wear on the front was alarmingly high. I switched to AUTO and tyre wear on the front decreased dramatically. I traded it in before the tyres needed replacing.

My second Xtrail had Bridgestone Duelers. I always drive on AUTO now and I got 38000 miles before one of the tyres reached 3mm while the others were about 4mm. I replaced them all. (I rotated them front to rear every 12000 miles at service to even out the wear.)


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## trifon (Jan 12, 2008)

ChrisBeezer said:


> My first Xtrail had Dunlops. I drove for 8000 miles with the selector on 2WD and the tyre wear on the front was alarmingly high. I switched to AUTO and tyre wear on the front decreased dramatically. I traded it in before the tyres needed replacing.
> 
> My second Xtrail had Bridgestone Duelers. I always drive on AUTO now and I got 38000 miles before one of the tyres reached 3mm while the others were about 4mm. I replaced them all. (I rotated them front to rear every 12000 miles at service to even out the wear.)


Hum....8000miles.....very strange.

here we have several reports regarding the 35000km ST20 TWI mark limit. Unless of coarse one live in mountains area. 

There is a debate regarding permanent usage of the AUTO mode. Nissan people told us is not very good for certain elements of the transmission.


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## davec (Jan 10, 2006)

I run on Pirelli Scorpions as I found the stock fitted tyres were no good in mud. 
I have had the scorpions on for 15,000 miles now and they are wearing really well, and apart from a little more roar on the motorway they handle just as well as the stocks on the road and are far better on mud.


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## clydesider (Jan 1, 2008)

Run my X on Pirelli Scorpions. Have always rotated my tyres around 6000 miles for all the front wheel drive cars that I have owned.
FWD tyres wear at 2.5 times the rear tyres according to some manufacturers.


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## trifon (Jan 12, 2008)

davec said:


> I run on Pirelli Scorpions as I found the stock fitted tyres were no good in mud.
> I have had the scorpions on for 15,000 miles now and they are wearing really well, and apart from a little more roar on the motorway they handle just as well as the stocks on the road and are far better on mud.


Hello davec,

Is the ST20 less noisy than Scorpion? Found the ST20 especially terrible on granite road surface.

Thks


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## davec (Jan 10, 2006)

Bonjour Trifon, (are you an Englishman in France or a Frenchman with excellent english??)

In my opinion the st20 are quieter, the scorpions I find hum more, especially at motorway speeds but I tow a horse box regularly and need a bit more grip in muddy fields and I found the St20's let me down too often, their tread were much quicker to clog with mud.


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## trifon (Jan 12, 2008)

davec said:


> Bonjour Trifon, (are you an Englishman in France or a Frenchman with excellent english??)
> 
> In my opinion the st20 are quieter, the scorpions I find hum more, especially at motorway speeds but I tow a horse box regularly and need a bit more grip in muddy fields and I found the St20's let me down too often, their tread were much quicker to clog with mud.


Hello Davec, I am not englishman but married with english teacher.....that helps sometimes

Is your X_Trail fited out with 17" or 16"???

In case of 16", I can ask our "gourou"(Eric) on 4 wheel drive french forum to find the best tire .
Pneumatiques et suspensions - Forum 4x4
Eric's job is to test 4WD tires. 

Sometimes I consider to change for 16". The choice is amost unlimited and one can choose the right tire according to personal demand.


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## trifon (Jan 12, 2008)

As a result from my investigations, only highly specialised mud tires can do the job on wet grass. THis is definetly one of the worst driving situation, similar to ice.

That means to accept serious trade off on other roads.


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## trifon (Jan 12, 2008)

davec said:


> Bonjour Trifon, (are you an Englishman in France or a Frenchman with excellent english??)
> 
> In my opinion the st20 are quieter, the scorpions I find hum more, especially at motorway speeds but I tow a horse box regularly and need a bit more grip in muddy fields and I found the St20's let me down too often, their tread were much quicker to clog with mud.


Just found clever suggestion for usage on wet muddy field:

Use chains for moutains! It appears that works!

Besides this suggestion, you should use very specific and expensive mud tires unusable on motorway.


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## davec (Jan 10, 2006)

Bonsoir Trifon,

The scorpions tread pattern is more open than the ST20's (there are two types, the ST and STR, the ST's have the better tread pattern for mud, the str's are like normal raod tyres), hence it lets go of the mud a bit easier so you dont end up with a "slick mud tyre" wrapped around the tred. Yes it is a compromise but as you say specialist tyres would be expensive and terrible on the road.

Chains would be too much work, get the horse box out of the field then have to take them off, getting very muddy in the process!!


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## withabix (Aug 9, 2007)

I replaced the front ST20s with Scorpion STRs at 15000 miles - down to the TWI.

Seem to be better so far....

I do approx 30,000 miles per year. A lot of motorway and A-road driving, but also quite a lot of farm tracks and wet fields, muddy construction sites and pipeline routes etc


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