Tyres

My wife's 2004 Mazda SP23 has had annoying road/tyre noise since new, but at 30,000 km the noise is now excessive. Can you recommend a replacement tyre that might give a quieter ride than the Bridgestone Potenza 205/50R17 tyres that are currently fitted?

I'm having some trouble getting replacement tyres for my 1996 four-cylinder Camry. It is currently fitted with 195/70 R14, but a tyre retailer told me those tyres made it un-roadworthy as the placard specifies 185/75 R14. He also told me that both sizes were difficult to source, as they're both 'dead' sizes that no one stocks anymore. I've also looked at fitting 15-inch Toyota alloy wheels, which I thought would allow me to fit 195/65 R15 tyres as used on the current Corolla, Golf, i30 etc. Another retailer told me that I should fit 205/65 R15 tyres as specified for the V6 Camry. What would you recommend?

I'm considering a new Ford Fiesta, but I'm concerned that it has a tyre mobility kit in lieu of a spare wheel. How do they work? Are they reliable? Do they damage the tyre? Am I over-reacting?

The original 225/45 R17 run flat tyres on my wife's 2006 BMW 320i will soon need to be replaced. I'm not a particular fan of the run flats as they give a much more bumpier ride than normal conventional tyres and then of course there is the replacement costs which are probably twice as much as the conventional ones. When I asked a BMW service mechanic if it was possible to fit conventional tyres without any problems he said there was a safety issue if a conventional tyre were to blow out at high speed, and that the run flat sensor could be damaged so he advised to stick with the run flats. What are my options?

I note that some manufacturers offer a full-sized spare as an option to a space-saver, but the spare often has a different rim size and tyre configuration. Are there any driving issues with this? Shouldn't the spare tyre be the same specification as those on the car?

Two months ago I replaced the tyres on my 12-month-old FG Falcon XR6 Turbo because the front two tyres had completely scrubbed out on the inside. Last week, having the 30,000 km service, the Ford technician advised me to get a wheel alignment and rotate the wheels because the tyres have already started to scrub out again. Two friends who also have FG Falcons are having the same problem. Can I get Ford to compensate me for the tyre wear and fix front-end geometry to fix this issue?

Is it possible to change the 14-inch steel rims with 15-inch factory alloys on my 2000 Toyota Camry CSX Wagon without it being detrimental? My local tyre dealer and dealership service advisor state the difference in the tyre profile (P205/65/R15) compared to existing tyres (P185/75/R14) makes it possible without any adverse effect. Please confirm.

The current tyres on my 2005 Ford Territory have done 60,000 km and will soon need replacing. Most of my driving is done in town, none is off-road, I don't drive hard and I pride myself on being a defensive driver. I am looking for good road holding and longevity from the tyres. What in your opinion are the best for my car?

I would like to change the tyres on my 2004 Hyundai Sante Fe AWD from 225/70 16 HT to an A/T tyre for, say 60/40 off-road. By changing to an A/T would there be any adverse effects on vehicle handling?

My grandson bought a used Toyota Corolla at a large Melbourne Toyota dealer (dealer name supplied), but it took a couple of weeks to organize his loan. In that time the dealer changed the tyres. They were new when he did the deal, but they were clearly not new when he picked it up, one tyre in particular had barely any tread at all. After some discussion, the dealer offered him one new tyre. He called at the Toyota dealer in Bendigo where he lives to show him what had happened and, he agreed, like me, that this kind of thing does not help the image of Toyota, or the dealer in particular. Your comments please.