Is anyone else having trouble with their tires

[bloggerman]

I have a 2006 Flying Spur and have owned it for three years. I've had to replace a total of 12 tires due to the blowouts after hitting potholes, etc. even at low speeds. I have 20 inch wheels which I know is a problem for a car this heavy, but wondered if I'm the only one having this problem.

Thanks.

[bentleysucks]

The tires are a bit fragile. You are playing a ride vs comfort game. If you want comfort, you lower the tire pressure to the lowest spec, and then your rims are at risk. It may be a good idea for you to switch to the smaller wheels, where the tires have a taller profile and thus more compliance. I'm hardly a fan of Bentley Motors, but, with tires rated for over 200mph, and the resultant high tire pressures and low profile, one either sacrifices ride or comfort. I've taken to keeping mine at exactly the highest advised pressure for full speed running.

[bloggerman]

I thought about switching to smaller wheels but at a cost of about $2500 per wheel, I decided against it. I've tried keeping the tires at the highest pressure but haven't had any luck avoiding blowouts and damaged tires.

Thank you for your comments.

[bentleysucks]

Naturally, if you strike a curb, a new tire will be required, as high speed tires need to shed heat, and are thus not so thick or robust.
There are a LOT of idiots out there who think their new Bentley would be so much hotter with 22" wheels on it, so they practically throw out their smaller wheel/tire sets. On eBay, what you want should be around $1000-$2000 for FOUR. In other words, for about the cost of 4 TIRES, you can get the wheels too. You may have to purchase TPMS sensors, but they are available from The Tire Rack at very reasonable cost. I believe they are OEM pieces. One thing Bentley did get right (as opposed to some other manufacturers) is the initializing of new sensors. You install em, drive the car a bit, and ....voila...done.
I purchased our Cadillac with "dubs" on it (aftermarket). It rode like a truck (which, I guess, an Escalade actually is). I kept em on, as my wife liked the shiny things. When those tires wore out, I priced new ones and.....they were $$$$$. I had the original wheels/tires, and opted to install them as an interim measure. Suddenly the Escalade rode like a Cadillac; smooth and compliant ride. I never put the dubs back on. The modern trend to filling wheelwells with huge rims with ultra-low profile tires seems, to me, to be a step in the wrong direction.
If you live near Baltimore, you are welcome to stop by and install my extra set of smaller wheels to see how your car rides.

I thought about switching to smaller wheels but at a cost of about $2500 per wheel, I decided against it. I've tried keeping the tires at the highest pressure but haven't had any luck avoiding blowouts and damaged tires.

Thank you for your comments.

[PanEuropean]

I have 20 inch wheels which I know is a problem for a car this heavy...

I think that the problem you are having is more likely related to how well the roads are maintained in the area you drive in. One or two blowouts could be attributed to bad luck, but a dozen - wow, that can only be poor quality roads.

I believe that Bentley offered 19 inch wheels on both the Continental GT and the Continental Flying Spur. Check the specifications in your owner manual to see if 19 inch wheels are approved for your vehicle. If so, you might want to consider browsing eBay and looking for 'take-offs' - 19 inch OEM Bentley wheels that have been removed from other Bentley Continentals because the owner has fitted aftermarket wheels. Usually you can pick up a set of these OEM Bentley wheels quite inexpensively - $1,500 for a set of 4 is pretty common.

Another possibility is switching to the 18 inch wheels that were provided as OEM equipment on the W12 powered VW Phaeton. The Phaeton and the Bentley Continentals are mechanically almost identical, the only significant difference being that the engine in the Bentley is turbocharged. You could either buy a set of wheels directly from a VW dealer, or, watch eBay for a set being offered there.

Do be careful to make sure that you buy only VW wheels that are approved for the W12 Phaeton, which is the same weight as your car. These include the Challenge, Performance, Innovation, Inspiration, and Aristoteles wheels. The other Phaeton wheels - including the Helios, Inspiration, and Omyant wheels - are not strong enough for use on the W12 powered vehicles.

Here's a link to further information about Phaeton wheels:Phaeton Wheel Photos.

I imagine it would be fairly easy to replace the VW logo on the hubcap with your existing Bentley logo. Quite a few Phaeton owners have purchased Bentley wheels and successfully replaced the Bentley logo with a VW logo.

Michael
Phaeton Forum Moderator

[bentleysucks]

The caveat I would add to Michael's (correct) posting, is that if you plan to drive your car FAST, use the maximum pressure advised, and, if you are fitting tires from a VW (which has a lower top speed), take care not to exceed the speed rating of the tires. Driving a 6000lb car FAST generates a great deal of heat in the tires, which, over long distances, lower-speed rated tires are not designed/constructed to shed effectively. If you are driving at more or less "normal" speeds, you will find the 19" units are more comfy than the 20". I've not tried 18", but suspect you'd be giving up a tiny bit of handling for better ride yet.

I think that the problem you are having is more likely related to how well the roads are maintained in the area you drive in. One or two blowouts could be attributed to bad luck, but a dozen - wow, that can only be poor quality roads.

I believe that Bentley offered 19 inch wheels on both the Continental GT and the Continental Flying Spur. Check the specifications in your owner manual to see if 19 inch wheels are approved for your vehicle. If so, you might want to consider browsing eBay and looking for 'take-offs' - 19 inch OEM Bentley wheels that have been removed from other Bentley Continentals because the owner has fitted aftermarket wheels. Usually you can pick up a set of these OEM Bentley wheels quite inexpensively - $1,500 for a set of 4 is pretty common.

Another possibility is switching to the 18 inch wheels that were provided as OEM equipment on the W12 powered VW Phaeton. The Phaeton and the Bentley Continentals are mechanically almost identical, the only significant difference being that the engine in the Bentley is turbocharged. You could either buy a set of wheels directly from a VW dealer, or, watch eBay for a set being offered there.

Do be careful to make sure that you buy only VW wheels that are approved for the W12 Phaeton, which is the same weight as your car. These include the Challenge, Performance, Innovation, Inspiration, and Aristoteles wheels. The other Phaeton wheels - including the Helios, Inspiration, and Omyant wheels - are not strong enough for use on the W12 powered vehicles.

Here's a link to further information about Phaeton wheels:Phaeton Wheel Photos.

I imagine it would be fairly easy to replace the VW logo on the hubcap with your existing Bentley logo. Quite a few Phaeton owners have purchased Bentley wheels and successfully replaced the Bentley logo with a VW logo.

Michael
Phaeton Forum Moderator