exar

Yes well, thanks for that Unfortunately, none of the above apply to the way I drive (didn't I mention that in the original post?), and some of them don't even contribute to tyre wear (1 and 5) and others are debateable...

Might be a suitable tyre for me then, thanks, I'll look into it.

Well this thread has convinced me that we are not all driving the same tyres. I mean, even if they have the same number on the wall, there has to be some physical difference if I only get 30,000 driving sedately (compared to some in here :-) ). Maybe they changed the formula back when they were having splitting problems?

Did you mean SP3000 or have Ford changed what they are fitting? Also, I found the SP3000 on mine grip very well. Certainly much better than what I've had on any Ford previously (but never had a turbo before) :-)

I run 38 to 40 as well. These variations in mileage are quite unexpected. I don't know what to think now. If I was someone who turns off the traction control a lot I might blame my driving, but I think I have only ever turned it off once, just after I bought the car, and that was just to see if it worked

Just a comment on car washes. I used to fear their effects on paintwork, but the local one I have been using, has these brushes that seem to be made from strips of plastic chamois. I have using this car wash for 12 months, every 2 weeks on average. I get the premium deal which includes wax etc, and my car always looks great, and I see no swirl marks or anything in the shine. I figure it saves me about 2 hours, so it is a bargain at $12 oe so.

OK, good to have the feedback that 30,000 is reasonable. I expected it was, as the wear is very even. As for safe vs economical, I guess what you say is true. But I certainly don't drive like I'm on a racetrack and just wondered if there was a more suitable mix of performance vs wear.

As I mentioned, I searched, but seemed to only find stories about tyres with better performance, which usually means the opposite of what I am looking for. I am surprised at the difference in the amount of tread left with yours at 27,000, because I know I don't do burnouts or abuse them. Maybe it's the climate (I am in Brisbane). Are you in a colder climate? Also, I do about 50% highway, or at least 80+ km/h driving.

I did some searching, but most discussions seemed to centre around best performance tyres, which is understandable I suppose. However, having arrived at 30,000 km and not much tread left on the original tyres Ford fitted on the standard wheels, on my XR6T, I was wondering... Are there any tyres that will last longer? I did not wear them out doing burnouts etc, so I presume 30,000 is normal for the softer rubber in these tyres. I do not require top notch performance tyres, just something safe and economical. Is this possible, and if so, what would you recommend?

I too have experienced that nasty popping sound from the sub. Sounds like it is bottoming out. My question is this. Do I really have to wire in a new amp? Can't I just get a new driver to replace the obviously sh*tty quality one that comes from the factory, and run it from the factory amp, even if I have to use a separate box for it? OK, it won't be perfect, but as long as I stop the nasty popping, I'll be happy...

You bet. National fleet price when I bought mine 18 months ago or so, was $39k, so this run-out is simply selling them at the REAL price, and Ford's still making a tidy profit.

I see. So why is this not the same for, say, a Mercedes? The options would be even more expensive. In fact, the XR6T comes with many goodies over the XT (isn't that the point? ), and there are many, like me, who were happy with minimal upgrades. I only got the premium sound extra. It doesn't seem to help if the options are built in though. I had a stock standard Fairmont last time, and still got lousy resale (in fact someone else was just saying how the upmarket models were not good resale) I think, bottom line, there's a rule, a corollary of Murphy's law, that says that, anything I purchase will have minimal resale at the time I need to sell it.

I am having trouble understanding (maybe I am thick today ) what you mean here. I would have thought options didn't add much to the resale (unless the buyer particularly wanted those same options))

Caltex and Ampol is exactly the same fuel. Not sure what you mean by 'AMPOL premium' though, is that Vortex gold? If so. it's the 95 RON stuff. If not, the normal unleaded is only 91.

I won't use Ultratune anymore. They put too much gas in my aircon (some years ago in an older Ford) and then wanted to charge me many more dollars to fix it (blaming the Tx valve or something) An airconditioning shop down the road fixed it for free (just let some gas out)