Conti GP 4 Seasons tyres - how long should they last

markiegrim

Any experience with these tyres?

I replaced my Trek 1.5 stock tyres with these Oct 2013 as the stock tyres seemed to puncture every ride and for a long time was very happy.

However, in the last 3 rides have had multiple punctures. Just bad luck?

I have done ca. 3700 km on the new tyres

On inspection I note that there is a lot pf pitting in the surface and, scarily, a tear in one side wall with the tube bulging through (thought these tyres were meant to be resistant to such damage)

Appreciate my expectations may be unrealistic. Have ordered more of the same, but would appreciate any views on what longevity would be reasonable to expect

Thanks

fat_cat

If there's a hole in the side wall it needs replacing.

3700 km seems like the sort of distance where you might need to start thinking about replacing in any case. As the tyres wear you will lose some puncture resistance simply because the tread will get a bit thinner.

Tyre wear is a bit of a personal thing, depends on your riding style / road surface / weight etc, so difficult to be prescriptive in terms of replacement times.

webboo

What do the wear indicators look like, can you still see them.

markiegrim

Webboo wrote:

What do the wear indicators look like, can you still see them.

I was not aware that there are wear indicators on tyres...sorry for ignorance..where are they?

TBH tread looks fine still, but with all the pitting I mentioned above

hucko003

They are excellent tyres - roll really well and very puncture resistant. However, my rear tyre lasted just over 1500 miles until it needed replacing as there were lots of cuts which meant that I punctured 3 times over 4 rides. It's all down to pot luck how long they last and depends on where you're riding. For me, this is the Chilterns which can often have a lot of flints.

Lookyhere

hucko003 wrote:

They are excellent tyres - roll really well and very puncture resistant. However, my rear tyre lasted just over 1500 miles until it needed replacing as there were lots of cuts which meant that I punctured 3 times over 4 rides. It's all down to pot luck how long they last and depends on where you're riding. For me, this is the Chilterns which can often have a lot of flints.

Dont sound Excellent to me!!! i ve used them and like you found they cut very easily and didnt last.
Pro4 endurance are loads better, cheaper, better grip and last for ages on the lanes of devon cornwall.

marcusjb

markiegrim wrote:

Webboo wrote:

What do the wear indicators look like, can you still see them.

I was not aware that there are wear indicators on tyres...sorry for ignorance..where are they?

TBH tread looks fine still, but with all the pitting I mentioned above

Some tyres (I have not had 4 Seasons with them though, but I have not bought any in a while, tend to bulk buy half a dozen when I see a good price) will have a couple of small dimples on them. There will (on conti tyres) be a marking of TWI on the sidewall.

Basically, when the holes are gone, the tyre is done.

I run 4 Seasons on the distance bikes for most things. I typically get around 4-5000km out of them.

A lot of it will depend on your weight, where you ride etc.

Certainly if you are getting a lot of punctures, then it is a sign that the tyre is done (but check rim tape etc. Especially if you are getting flats in the same area).

Rear tyres will square off noticeably as they wear, and I will usually take the front tyre and put it on the rear, and then a brand new tyre on the front (you want your best tyre up front giving you grip and not likely to fail in any way).

With regards to cuts and pitting - it happens. Generally nothing to worry about too much if they are small.

However, a cut in the sidewall is bad news and the tyre is likely trash. If it happens out on a ride, you can boot it with various things, but this should only be treated as a get you home fix and if the cut is on the front, then swap tyres to get the cut on the back (a front tyre failure is likely to have a very serious outcome compared to a rear failure).

Sounds like you have got decent distance out of them. As I said, that sidewall cut should mean instant replacement in most cases. No tyre can put up with everything and it is easy to cut a side wall hitting a sharp edge (stone or whatever).

If the front tyre looks decent still, then swap it into the rear for another 1-2000km. Assuming that is not the one with the cut sidewall!

markiegrim

Great advice all. Thanks

I also am a Chilterns rider so was also assuming the flints were the issue. It won't be my weight (less than average)

So reading here and elsewhere, looks like this is par for the course, so will replace and learn that this is the norm for every 4-5K km

Sadly, it is the front tyre that has the sidewall cut, although to be honest both tyres look equally worn

marcusjb

The Chilterns are hard on tyres, lots of little flints for sure.

As I said, you really don't want to ever risk things with a sidewall cut on a front tyre. The consequences of it failing could be very financially beneficial to your dentist. Even to get you home with a boot, you should always swap the cut tyre onto the rear - a rear tyre failing at speed will be scary, but is less likely to cause a serious off.

Sidewall cuts are a real pain - I've only ever had a couple fortunately, but once on a tyre with less than 100km on it (and it was an expensive Vittoria Open Pave one) was very annoying.

Small ones can be patched up quite well and run on the rear, but still something I would only really risk on the commuting bike that don't get ridden down big hills etc.!

keef66

I'm on my second set of GP4S on the winter / wet weather bike. Always found the puncture resistance and cold / wet grip to be very good. They do wear down moderately quickly though. First set I wore right down to the carcass and still puncture-free, apart from a snakebite when I CBA to check tyre pressures before a ride, and a javelin like thorn that went through the sidewall, which is pretty thin (but presumably helps with ride quality)

They are now however eye-wateringly expensive, so when these wear out I'll be giving the Michelin Pro4 Endurance a go. I already have the Pro4 SC on the summer bike and like them.

apreading

I got about 6000 miles out of mine on the rear - only replaced them because the surface was starting to look perished so was not sure they would be performing as well. Lasted as long as two GP4000S on the front.

cycleclinic

I used to get 20 miles to maybe a thousand miles before i killed them. I am not even a heavy rider. The same results for every other clincher except one.

Tyres wear out and then start puncture. They dont even have to wear to puncture. Accept it and when you get a couple in a row sling the tyre. Thats what i do. Since i gave up on clinchers the puncture fairy visits very infrequently. I like it that way.

redvee

On average I like to get the cost of my Conti 4Seasons down to around 1p/mile so that means anything over 3000 miles is acceptable though there are times when the mileage can be as low as 1000 miles but I did stretch one tyre out to 6000 miles by swapping it from rear to front.
My current rear tyre should have been replaced a month ago when I got a hole in it but I've booted it for the time being as it's only now 1200 miles old, when the next rear puncture happens then I'll consider binning it.

Talking of GP4Seasons, anybody want 3 700x28c for £50? Two have done 1468.37 and the third is brand new in the box but will have lost that new tyre smell. Thinking of dropping down to 25c on both bikes.

earth

thecycleclinic wrote:

I used to get 20 miles to maybe a thousand miles before i killed them. I am not even a heavy rider. The same results for every other clincher except one.

Tyres wear out and then start puncture. They dont even have to wear to puncture. Accept it and when you get a couple in a row sling the tyre. Thats what i do. Since i gave up on clinchers the puncture fairy visits very infrequently. I like it that way.

What is it with tubulars that make them more puncture resistant? I know they don't suffer from pinch flats but I never had those anyway and my tubulars are still more puncture resistant than clinchers.

dennisn

"....how long...". I would hope at least 4 seasons. Sorry, couldn't resist.

AK_jnr

I used a set for about 4500 miles last year from the winter through summer. I only changed as the thread started showing through. 1 puncture in my first ride with them and not one after. Raced on them as well.

sebbyp

got a 23mm 4 seasons on the rear of my bike as the scwalbe one I had on squared off really fast! Its been on there 6 months. It seems to be doing quite well just a few small cuts after 3400KM at around 100psi. I weigh 75KG max. Should get to 5-6K easily. Cant fault it. Dont think I've had a puncture on it.

MiddleRinger

The Chilterns will do that to most tyres!

Replace the one with the sidewall gash and tube showing through right away (if it hasn't blown already, better go check) as that's dangerous. Not much you can do to prevent that except buy tyres with extra sidewall protection, which the 4 Seasons have over the 4000's.

On my commuter roadie I covered roughly 3000 miles over the winter on 25mm 4 Seasons and they've still got plenty of life left, depends a lot on the road conditions.