Hey,
I just got a flat and needed to get a new tyre, bought my crossfire Roadster to Sutton motors in Sydney and was charged $890 for tyre and fitting, the replacement is the same tyre it came with but without the tyre lip of the alloy. My questions are does $890 sound right for one OEM 18" tyre fitted and secondly, why is there no tyre lip on the replacement, I actually think it was a great idea as it protected the wheel from hits etc somewhat.

Cheers

 

Hey Bloke
Tyres for the crossfire are pretty expensive. I have just had a range of pricess for two 19" for the back. I blew a rear tyre and luckily they had a 2nd hand one at Eagle tyres at Granville. Now I have a great Conti on the back.

Here is the problem. I have a good Continental with plenty of tread and on the other side a Michilan tyre on the other which has now done 100K and warn out.

The guy at eagle tyres suggested I go 275/35/19 on the back instead of 255/35/19 as they are only on the Crossfire and BMW M3 and quite rare.

I priced a new Continental Contact (not the contact 3 whcih are more expensive) and they are $780 each

for the larger size 275/35/19
KU31 = $315
KU19= $325
Bridgestone Adrenalin=$670
FALKEN 452 =$480
Toyo T1R =$425

I have gone with the Toyo's as there were no Kumho in that size in Aus. Pick them up tomorrow from CC Tyres in Penrith.

As far as the price you paid for the 18's I think you paid too much. Mind you I didn't price Michilans in this run as they are also quite expensive.

Hope this helps some....

On your second note I am not sure exactly what you mean. Continentals have a tyre lip if thats what it is called so there may be a model difference between the two types of tyre you now have maybe.

 

Hi fellow Aussie Crossfire owners

The time finally came @ 45,000km for me to replace the original rear Michelins on my Crossfire - not fully worn out but getting below legal particularly on the inside section of both tyres - so I started to search for options. I will be happy if I get 45,000km's out of my next set of rears - and the front tyres probably have another 5,000km's left on them.

I just wanted to let anyone looking for Michelin Pilot Sport 2 255/35 19 tyres for the rear that the guys at St George Tyres have a great deal on these tyres - We all know these tyres are no cheap - I got quoted $830 each at Bob Jane T-Mart - but you can't beat the price St George Tyre are doing them at- $950 a pair - plus $20 for fitting and balancing - thats a great price of $485 each fitted - anyone able to beat that one?

I got a pair on my car today and they're good friendly guys who operate out of a small workshop in Arncliffe - I suggest you ring ahead if you are after a set and make sure they have them in stock. Sam's a good friendly guy. Have to say it sure feels nice with fresh rubber (at least on the back) - makes for a nice soft (by Crossfire standards) ride.

It's a no frills tyre shop - no free coffees or lounge area and they don't do wheel alignment for example - but there's plenty of places around who can do that once you have your new rubber fitted.

They do sell on eBay for those who aren't able to go to their shop and have a good feedback record. They have some of these tyres up for auction now - but if you're in Sydney I suggest you just ring them and organise to buy them (save them some eBay fees!)

Before I found these guys I was going to be moving to Goodyear F1's or Pirelli P Zero's - I was getting quoted around $650 each fitted. But really glad I did a little bit of searching for the Michelins.

 

Interesting perspective on the cost of tires, gents.

Here in Amerika, we greedy capitalists are able to procure, mount and balance all four quality tires for about a thousand dollars.

I can't wait until our government discovers the wisdom of assessing the Value Added Tax - one of the social benefits that you blokes so enjoy - which makes the cost of anything and everything beyond reason. It's the cost of feeling guilty, I suppose.

Regards.

 

Cheap tires, I'm sure that those without a job, those that used to live in New Orleans and those sick and without any medical coverage will be glad to hear it.
Maybe Australia is better at looking after the less favored among us, "I'm alright Jack" is not their Country's motto.

 

let's put the kabosh on the political opinions...take it to the political forum...


to the OP, did you pay $890 for just the rubber or for the rubber and rim?

if you paid $890 just for the rubber then yes, I believe you paid to much...even if you are speaking in AUD.

 

I suspect the OP is long gone from active participation in the forum but I strongly believe that would be a tyre (tire ) only price- no rim
Remember I just got quoted A$830 at a "specialist" tyre shop.

Ouch - I just realised the OP was talking about an 18" tyre so it must have been a front wheel - they should be a lot cheaper (relatively) than the rears.

For those trying to do the math on currency - the Australian $1 is currently buying around US$0.93 (or 93 cents) - so take 10% or so off the prices we're talking about to see what we pay in US$.

and not to perpetuate the political argument but the Goods and Services tax of 10% here doesn't apply to a number of items, a notable exception is food which isn't processed - so it's not a full GST. Don't most US states have sales tax - seems it's pretty siimlar...

 

Plus, being a country with a 10th the population of the US in the middle of Asia, of course we are going to pay more, but our minimum wage is not AUD$8, but AUD$15.50.

I was quoted $750 for rears and $650 for fronts ( Contis), ended up with Kuhmos $375/$320.
Cheers Terry

 

Seeing as this has turned into an Aussie tyre experience thread I just wanted to let other members know I've just replaced by original Michelin PS2's on the front - as one of them developed a bubble on the sidewall (think it came from pot hole caused by all the recent rain in Sydney)

Anyway after much comparing I ruled out putting on new PS2's (they are just an indecent price although St George Tyres did offer them at $475 each which was a lot cheaper than others) - I looked Continentals (Contact's were around $300)...

But after thinknig about the options I've opted for a pair of Hankook Ventus K104's 225-40-18's @ $160 each fitted and balanced - at that price if they're a total disaster then it's not a particularly expensive error to fix. The St George Tyres guys still have some in stock if anyone else is interested

I've still got the Michelin PS2's on the rear

So far they're handling well and have a good ride - reviews on other forums seem to be favourable

I never thought I'd go with one of the "new" brands but it looks like it's time for me to readjust my traditional thinking!

I'll report back on how they wear and handle on a testing drive when I get a chance

 

I actually imported my own tyres through tirerack and even though the shipping was exxy and the dollar was a paltry US$0.63 at the time it was worth every cent. I have a pet project '97 EL Ghia that I'm slowly modding up and the 225/60/17 front and 255/55/18 rears were the only sizes I wanted. At the time Koomys were the go. The Aussie importer could not have been less interested so I rang the very helpful call centre guy at Tirerack and AU$1100 and one month later I had two of each size sitting in my garage. At US$0.90ish that would have been as low as AU$700. Cheap as chips. No dramas with import duties/GST blah, blah either. I've been told the gumberment will want some coin if the purchase price of excellently priced American auto parts exceeds AU$1000 but I never heard from them. I forget who shipped 'em, but it must have been USPS or Fed Ex. Pretty sure it wasn't DHL. Worth a look guys.

 

Just had a look at tire rack. 5 pages of choice at 255/35/19

The Kumho Ecsta SPT (Ultra High Performance Summer) leads the way price wise at US$187 a piece. HOW GOOD IS THAT!! Even P-Zero's are only in the mid US$300's.

Even if the shipping is the same price as the tyre its just a hands down winner.

America, love your work.

Disclaimer: While I'm very much a patriotic Aussie, paying AU$800+ for a single tyre is giving some other Aussie too much profit for something they imported anyway. If tyres of the less popular sizes such as these were actually made here... then I probably wouldn't be writing this post.

Disclaimer 2: Make sure you check and double check the relevant rules regarding customs etc in your state as well as federal rules. I had no probs, but you never know.

Oh, by the way, I'm Andrew and I'm a Crossfire convert. I've been a petrol head for years and never knew of these until I saw one two days ago in Ballarat. Now I cant wait to own one. Carsales have got em with reasonable kays in manual for as low as $25k

I live on the south coast of NSW near Batemans Bay and I would love to see a Crossfire up close (I'll go to a car yard in Sydney if I have to) but if any owners who read this spend any time down my way and you got the time I'd love to buy you a beer and ask you a million questions Drop us a pm and I'll send my number. Likewise if there are any runs on anywhere at all, I'd love to know.

Cheers

Andrew