Hi there.

I have a Series 3 Sports Manual.

Got 4 new Bridgestone ER300 225/55/17s all around the other day at KMART tire centre after getting 45,000 out of the original Dunlop SP230s.

Was quite baffled when I got home and found the boot carpet all skew whiff because I told them I check the pressure on it regularly myself and to leave it alone. It is just the steel rim with 80km/hr limit.
When I went to straighten it all up, I looked at the rubber and noticed it was Yokohama Aspec.

That got me thinking (because I don't remember it being that) so I looked at the rim and looked to have some small scratches around on the black paint.

So then I'm asking myself, did they just check the pressure anyway because the message wasn't passed, or did the take off the rubber and change it for something of lower quality so they could on-sell the better rubber?

So to answer my question, does anyone else have Yokohama Aspec on the standard 16 inch black steel rim? Any series 3 owners? Have only one mate with a 380 (not sure which series) and he has a Goodyear Ducaro GA on his.

Only other option is to find out if Mistubishi would have on record which rubber went onto my spare in the factory, but doubt they would have that info.

Thanks.

Ask Mitsu. They should have a record. You may need your VIN number.

i just went and checked for you , and mine is a Goodyear Ducaro GA. Brand new never been out the boot.

something doesn't sound right...i'd be going back asking some questions tomorrow, if you are aware what your previous tyre was.

I have the Goodyear too.

Something really unusual here. First question would be have you had the car since new. If not it is possible that the previous owner had a puncture and had it replaced. I see that you currently have 17" rims. Are these an upgrade or were they the standard. If they are standard then it really gets interesting because it would almost certainly rule out the flat tyre scenario. I would be fronting KMart and speak to the manager only and put it to him. I really can't see anyone that works in a tyre place being interested in a tyre that has been sitting in a boot going hard for around 5 years though.

my series II had a yokohama aspec 16" i had it since new

I have a Series III SX built Aug 2007 with the Yokohama Aspec as a spare. I too went for ER300s, but in 215/55/17. I have also got the 5th alloy so I do not need to worry about having a 80 Km/h limit. My 16 inch Aspec just sits in the garage.

Mine's a Ducaro too, only used once.
By the way, the spare rim is a full-size normal 16in rim - not one of those speed-limitied emergency wheels.

This thread has got me thinking of the history of the 380.

As we all know it started life as a Mitsubishi global car platform code named the PS41. The PS41 platform was then used to create the US Galant and US Endeavor displacing the Pajero from the North American market.

MMAL with their cash strapped, but yet can do attitude used their limited funds to create the 380 and the never completed PS41L. The PS41 was also used to create the Grunder.

One of the many changes that MMAL made to the 380 over the US Galant was to specifically re designed the rear underfloor for Australia to take a full size spare wheel which is stored under the cargo board.

It is for this reason that no 380 owner is afflicted with a true space saver spare wheel and their 40 Km/h or similar limit. Yes it is true that all 380s with 17inch alloy wheels received a 16 inch steel wheel, however this is a true 215mm wide spare, the same width as a 17inch road wheel, not a space saver. (I do not include the TMR380 in this paragraph) The 16 inch 80Km/h speed limit is due to motor regulatory regulations around size mismatches not individual tyre speed limits.

For those interested I have just checked a 380 Series III brochure and it states that the Goodyear Ducaro GA tyre is the spare as does the NZ 380 brochure however a number of us received the Yokohama Aspec.

Question for other threads as I do not wish to go further off topic are:
1. Why did MMC allow plants in 3 regions to create PS41 sedans killing export markets and profitability of MMAL?
2. Should the US Galant never have been released instead leaving the path open for MMAL export 380s to the US similar to Verada / Diamante exports?
3. What was intended for the PS41L, eg engine and transmission choice?
4. Has the Endeavor damaged global Pajero sales volumes?

Series 111 VRX

Yokohama Aspect

Well, it seems like several others have the Yokohama rubber on from the factory, so it appears I haven't been ripped off after all. I bought the car brand new, so definitely have the original spare. And I'm not that fussed about having the Goodyear, don't really like Goodyears!

Was happy with the price of the new rubber, but not the workwanship. A couple of new (albeit very tiny) chips on the alloys :(
Also, as soon as I pulled out I went and checked the tire pressures myself - 36, 38 on the right and 44 and 44 on the left. How can a tire place put new rubber on and not even inflate it properly?

s311_bvm, I went for the ER300 225s because I wanted something slightly bigger for more grip and to fill up the arches a bit more and also to help protect the rims from gutter rash. It has also pretty much fixed my over-reading speedo - it is now within 0.2km/hr at 60. Very, very happy and recommend the bigger size to all 380 owners on standard 17" rims. Only problem is 225/55/17 is quite a rare size and so quite a lot more expensive.

The slightly different running diamater of the steel spare explains the 80km/hr limit - thanks for that, wasn't really sure what the reasoning behind the 80km limit was. My spare tire from the factory was inflated to over 60psi !!!! so I'd assumed that they do that to try and keep the spare at a good pressure for years, and that the excessive pressure was the reason behind the 80km/hr limit. Your explanation makes much more sense.

Tyres have a limited life span. When they get to 10 years of age, they can harden and get slippery. Something you need to be careful of if you use it in the distant future. lol

This thread has got me thinking of the history of the 380.

As we all know it started life as a Mitsubishi global car platform code named the PS41. The PS41 platform was then used to create the US Galant and US Endeavor displacing the Pajero from the North American market.

MMAL with their cash strapped, but yet can do attitude used their limited funds to create the 380 and the never completed PS41L. The PS41 was also used to create the Grunder.

One of the many changes that MMAL made to the 380 over the US Galant was to specifically re designed the rear underfloor for Australia to take a full size spare wheel which is stored under the cargo board.

It is for this reason that no 380 owner is afflicted with a true space saver spare wheel and their 40 Km/h or similar limit. Yes it is true that all 380s with 17inch alloy wheels received a 16 inch steel wheel, however this is a true 215mm wide spare, the same width as a 17inch road wheel, not a space saver. (I do not include the TMR380 in this paragraph) The 16 inch 80Km/h speed limit is due to motor regulatory regulations around size mismatches not individual tyre speed limits.

For those interested I have just checked a 380 Series III brochure and it states that the Goodyear Ducaro GA tyre is the spare as does the NZ 380 brochure however a number of us received the Yokohama Aspec.

Question for other threads as I do not wish to go further off topic are:
1. Why did MMC allow plants in 3 regions to create PS41 sedans killing export markets and profitability of MMAL?
2. Should the US Galant never have been released instead leaving the path open for MMAL export 380s to the US similar to Verada / Diamante exports?
3. What was intended for the PS41L, eg engine and transmission choice?
4. Has the Endeavor damaged global Pajero sales volumes?

But they were already producing the galant in the US from late 03 i think. so really it should have been us getting the imported ones from there (possibly not the dodgy 4cyl ones though:P)

Once I recover from my road trip I will answer some of the questions

silly question what pressures are you guys using on your 17 55 215s mitsubishi say 32 psi i run about 34 does this sound ok to you
regads jamie

40 psi

As above.

I'm on 19s and use 40 all around.

I'm on 19s and use 40 all around.
I'm on 19's and trying 42 all round. Seems good so far

I'm on 19's and trying 42 all round. Seems good so far

Actually, tyre place guy last time also recommended higher. He said he runs 46, but seemed too high to me.

Actually, tyre place guy last time also recommended higher. He said he runs 46, but seemed too high to me.

I know I've seen on some tyre websites that some tyre sizes within a particular tread pattern range can have different maximum inflation pressures to other sizes in that range - 44psi and 50psi are two values I can recall seeing.

I wouldn't mind betting that this info should be marked on the tyre somewhere. So reading the specs for the particular tyres in use might be prudent in this regard...

Tyres have a limited life span. When they get to 10 years of age, they can harden and get slippery. Something you need to be careful of if you use it in the distant future. lol
They get hard and slippery a lot earlier than that. Tyres IMHO should be defected after 5 years unless they are used on a trailer or similar. I expect to cop a lot of flak on this but before you jump on the bandwagon, consider this. Many serious and fatal accidents on our roads are contributed to by poor tyres be they bald, old and hard or just plain crappy. If we upped the standard that was allowed on our cars on the road and put a "use by" date on them I personally believe it would have a significant effect on reducing injuries and deaths relating to accidents. It would also force companies to up their game or lose a market. Each fatal road accident costs the taxpayer millions of dollars according to Government sources (please don't ask for a breakdown. I believe the figure was in the vicinity of 4 million). Then you have the badly injured that will never be a productive member of society again, dependent on welfare. I could go on but I will vacate the soap box now. We made massive leaps into safety on our cars but they are only ever as good as the black stuff they run on.

They get hard and slippery a lot earlier than that. Tyres IMHO should be defected after 5 years unless they are used on a trailer or similar. I expect to cop a lot of flak on this but before you jump on the bandwagon, consider this. Many serious and fatal accidents on our roads are contributed to by poor tyres be they bald, old and hard or just plain crappy. If we upped the standard that was allowed on our cars on the road and put a "use by" date on them I personally believe it would have a significant effect on reducing injuries and deaths relating to accidents. It would also force companies to up their game or lose a market. Each fatal road accident costs the taxpayer millions of dollars according to Government sources (please don't ask for a breakdown. I believe the figure was in the vicinity of 4 million). Then you have the badly injured that will never be a productive member of society again, dependent on welfare. I could go on but I will vacate the soap box now. We made massive leaps into safety on our cars but they are only ever as good as the black stuff they run on.

:stoopid:

I reckon crap tyres is the most underrated cause of crashes (or more correctly 'causitive factor'). Together with underinflated tyres.
But the 'authorities' and the 'road safety experts' (I use both of those terms very loosely) never acknowledge this, because it would detract from their 'speed kills' propaganda.

:stoopid:

I reckon crap tyres is the most underrated cause of crashes (or more correctly 'causitive factor'). Together with underinflated tyres.
But the 'authorities' and the 'road safety experts' (I use both of those terms very loosely) never acknowledge this, because it would detract from their 'speed kills' propaganda.
:stoopid: Back at ya!
I agree but let's face speed doesn't kill... its the sudden stop that gets you! What you hear on the media is greatly sanitized. They sometimes show the vehicles that have been torn apart but never the bodies that have been torn apart, literally. Too many "P" platers driving waaaaaay too fast getting ego confused with ability. Also not driving to the conditions. I honestly believe that the Australian Government should ensure that tyres that are sold here are independently rated by our own standards at the cost of manufacturers. There should be a minimum grip level in the wet, maximum braking distance wet and dry and tyre construction should be of an acceptable level. Recently there has been a flood of cheap tyres that are just crap when it comes to grip. Time for change!