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I am driving my second Ford Fairmont. My present car, a 2006 model, has done 27000 kms and needs new tyres.

My older Fairmont which was 2001, also needed new tyres every 25k or so. I only do round town driving, no hills and the occaisional trip to Auckland from Wellington about 3 or 4 times a year.

Tonys Tyre Service told me to make the pressure higher at 34lb and rotate every 10kms, which I do, but I still only get this kind of milage. I have never had this kind of wear with other vehicles I have owned and I wonder if the tyres recommended by Ford are in fact the most suitable for this vehicle?

Cheers, Steve

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 11 September 2008

One of our senior technical advisers owns the same make / model as you. In his opinion you should be getting around the 50 - 60,000km mark out of a set of tyres.

If you have always supported the same brand, then you have nothing to loose by changing to another supplier, but it is hard to imagine they will give you double the distance to what you are currently achieving.

Your man at Tony's Tyre Service has given you some pretty good advice so far, ask him for his recommendation on an alternative brand. Keep those tyre pressures up and check them on a regular (once per month) basis.

It never ceases to amaze the amount of visually under-inflated tyres there are when you have a look at vehicles in slow motorway traffic.