Ouch. When did tyres get so expensive?

Ouch. When did tyres get so expensive?

Author
Discussion

Censorious

15,169 posts

233 months

Tuesday 22nd April 2014
quotequote all
g3org3y said:
dme123 said:
When 19" wheels started seeming like a sensible thing to have on a 4 banger diesel family saloon?
This.
I picked a van up from the hire place a while ago and they had a diesel Insignia there ready to go out on hire.

I clocked the size of the wheels and they were 20" and apparently standard.

How absurd!

NPI

1,310 posts

123 months

Tuesday 22nd April 2014
quotequote all
MacD1 said:
Valuetyres.co.uk are the cheapest search engine I've found, they get cheapest prices within 50 miles from 100s of garages, book in online, very easy
I just looked up the price for a couple of Bridgestone Turanza T001's I bought the other day and their cheapest prices was £2 dearer then a local indie place I used - and I didn't bargain the price, they just gave it straight off.

NPI

1,310 posts

123 months

Tuesday 22nd April 2014
quotequote all
Andy616 said:
Lowtimer said:
Yet another great reason to be on 16" wheels.
Depends on the width. 225/50 R16s aren't that cheap!
Got those on the back of my car (C Class Merc). Used to use Michelin Primacy HP's from Costco but their pricing on tyres has gone stupid and they don't do the 20% off deals they used to. So I fitted Kumho All Season tyres a few months ago - almost half the price, they seem fine and I can get off my drive if it's a bit slippy!

We also have another car with 185/55R16's and they're relatively expensive as very few people offer that size.

CraigyMc

16,313 posts

235 months

Tuesday 22nd April 2014
quotequote all
kambites said:
CraigyMc said:
Wouldn't 205/55/R16 also fit those wheels?
That gives a significantly (13%) lower rolling circumference.
Lol, perhaps not with that specific example then.

The point about them being a slightly weird shape stands though: 225/55/R16 would be circa 2.3% different circumference and a much more typical size, so are also cheaper.

kambites

67,461 posts

220 months

Tuesday 22nd April 2014
quotequote all
CraigyMc said:
kambites said:
CraigyMc said:
Wouldn't 205/55/R16 also fit those wheels?
That gives a significantly (13%) lower rolling circumference.
Lol, perhaps not with that specific example then.

The point about them being a slightly weird shape stands though: 225/55/R16 would be circa 2.3% different circumference and a much more typical size, so are also cheaper.
Yeah I'm sure there's something common that will fit most cars.

shoestring7

6,138 posts

245 months

Tuesday 22nd April 2014
quotequote all
98elise said:
g3org3y said:
dme123 said:
When 19" wheels started seeming like a sensible thing to have on a 4 banger diesel family saloon?
This.
Agreed. A 1980's countach was running on 15inch wheels....why in 2014 does a family hatchback "need" 19inch wheels.
I couldn't help noticing at Silverstone on Sunday that even the WEC GT cars only run 18's - and they have proper fk off big brakes so need the room.

SS7

CraigyMc

16,313 posts

235 months

Tuesday 22nd April 2014
quotequote all
shoestring7 said:
98elise said:
g3org3y said:
dme123 said:
When 19" wheels started seeming like a sensible thing to have on a 4 banger diesel family saloon?
This.
Agreed. A 1980's countach was running on 15inch wheels....why in 2014 does a family hatchback "need" 19inch wheels.
I couldn't help noticing at Silverstone on Sunday that even the WEC GT cars only run 18's - and they have proper fk off big brakes so need the room.

SS7
F1 cars run 13" wheels (until 2017 when a swap over to 18" is mooted, probably with a return to F1 by Michelin).

Anyone notice that the LMP1 and F1 regulations seem to be converging?

shoestring7

6,138 posts

245 months

Tuesday 22nd April 2014
quotequote all
CraigyMc said:
shoestring7 said:
98elise said:
g3org3y said:
dme123 said:
When 19" wheels started seeming like a sensible thing to have on a 4 banger diesel family saloon?
This.
Agreed. A 1980's countach was running on 15inch wheels....why in 2014 does a family hatchback "need" 19inch wheels.
I couldn't help noticing at Silverstone on Sunday that even the WEC GT cars only run 18's - and they have proper fk off big brakes so need the room.

SS7
F1 cars run 13" wheels (until 2017 when a swap over to 18" is mooted, probably with a return to F1 by Michelin).

Anyone notice that the LMP1 and F1 regulations seem to be converging?
F1 cars are still 13" for specific reasons. However, looking at the bigger, heavier 18"wheel in piles on Sunday, I did find myself wondering how the F1 mechanics are going to manage 2.5second pitstops while lugging those things around.

SS7

Baryonyx

17,990 posts

158 months

Tuesday 22nd April 2014
quotequote all
Lowtimer said:
Yet another great reason to be on 16" wheels.
Try 14" wheels, £69 a corner for Yokohama A539's. Objectively the best tyres I've ever driven on!

pthelazyjourno

1,848 posts

168 months

Tuesday 22nd April 2014
quotequote all
98elise said:
Agreed. A 1980's countach was running on 15inch wheels....why in 2014 does a family hatchback "need" 19inch wheels.
Because 1) cars are a *lot* larger, and 2) sidewalls are a lot lower.

Still doesn't need 19s, granted, but can't think of any that would look good on 15-inch steels!

Makes me happy for the 15/16 inch wheels on my Elise. £430 fitted for AD08Rs, bargain.

HertsBiker

Original Poster:

6,300 posts

270 months

Tuesday 22nd April 2014
quotequote all
So how do you lot with pilot sport 3's feel about them? Am thinking these are the ones to get.

Johnnytheboy

24,498 posts

185 months

Tuesday 22nd April 2014
quotequote all
pthelazyjourno said:
98elise said:
Agreed. A 1980's countach was running on 15inch wheels....why in 2014 does a family hatchback "need" 19inch wheels.
Because 1) cars are a *lot* larger, and 2) sidewalls are a lot lower.

Still doesn't need 19s, granted, but can't think of any that would look good on 15-inch steels!

Makes me happy for the 15/16 inch wheels on my Elise. £430 fitted for AD08Rs, bargain.
I imagine the problem is that, given the choice, car buyers go for the bigger wheels on offer.

This feeds the trend for larger wheels.

Accelebrate

5,244 posts

214 months

Tuesday 22nd April 2014
quotequote all
I've been buying the same Dunlop 195/55/16 runflat tyres for over five years now, they've slowly dropped in price over that period of time from around £130 a tyre to £99.

Prawo Jazdy

4,944 posts

213 months

Tuesday 22nd April 2014
quotequote all
I recently bought a different car without doing my usual exhaustive research (which is probably why I ended up with the car rather than calling 3 days after it had sold like normal). I was a bit dismayed to realise that decent brand tyres are £130-160 each. It's a V70 with 17 inch wheels, and an apparently expensive size of 225/50. They look sensible, but that's because the rest of the car is chuffing massive. I can't get smaller wheels because the brakes are too big. I'm trying to do the maths on putting different profiles on the car. 225/45 tyres are significantly cheaper and there are more options, so I could go for a middle-of-the-road brand like Hankook for £65 each. However, if my maths is correct I'd lose about 25mm in diameter by adjusting the size, which would surely be noticeable in appearance, ride and economy, wouldn't it?

Art0ir

9,401 posts

169 months

Wednesday 23rd April 2014
quotequote all
At least you found some. I've been scouring the web and local suppliers for 2x 265/40r17s the past fortnight and have only found Falkens and Hankooks this side of the Atlantic thus far.

ChemicalChaos

10,360 posts

159 months

Wednesday 23rd April 2014
quotequote all
I had to buy some tyres for 10" Mini rims. Being destined for a light, unbraked trailer they could be the ditchiest ditchfinders imaginable as long as they were cheap - which I thought they would be, given that Kwickfit advertises larger, 13-14" generic hatchback tyres for £20ish.
In the end, the cheapest I could find were a pair of Marshal KR11s at £40 each!!!!

I still genuinely cannot work out why tiny "budget" tyres were so expensive!

Lowtimer

4,286 posts

167 months

Wednesday 23rd April 2014
quotequote all
ChemicalChaos said:
I had to buy some tyres for 10" Mini rims. Being destined for a light, unbraked trailer they could be the ditchiest ditchfinders imaginable as long as they were cheap - which I thought they would be, given that Kwickfit advertises larger, 13-14" generic hatchback tyres for £20ish.
In the end, the cheapest I could find were a pair of Marshal KR11s at £40 each!!!!

I still genuinely cannot work out why tiny "budget" tyres were so expensive!
Because nowadays they are made in tiny numbers. Try buying a pair for shoes one size smaller or larger than the sizes which make up 99% of sales.

However £40 is in no way expensive.

Ennoch

371 posts

137 months

Wednesday 23rd April 2014
quotequote all
HertsBiker said:
So how do you lot with pilot sport 3's feel about them? Am thinking these are the ones to get.
Awesome all round tyres. Not quite as sticky as the older PS2 or the new PSS but as an all round tyre they're arguably better as they have a longer life yet the difference in traction is marginal at best (certainly compared to the PS2, the PSS has a slightly greater difference at expense of life). Good tyres!

PomBstard

6,728 posts

241 months

Wednesday 23rd April 2014
quotequote all
Four years ago I had to buy a set of 215/60R16 for the Forester. Dunlop SP200 all round cost $600 balanced and fitted.

Last year I needed a new set again. Same size, this time Dunlop SP300, balanced and fitted cost.......$600. That's my sort of inflation biggrin

TurboHatchback

4,151 posts

152 months

Wednesday 23rd April 2014
quotequote all
Ennoch said:
HertsBiker said:
So how do you lot with pilot sport 3's feel about them? Am thinking these are the ones to get.
Awesome all round tyres. Not quite as sticky as the older PS2 or the new PSS but as an all round tyre they're arguably better as they have a longer life yet the difference in traction is marginal at best (certainly compared to the PS2, the PSS has a slightly greater difference at expense of life). Good tyres!
Absolutely superb tyre. Got about 30k out of a set on my old Clio 182 and I have put a set on my Golf. The grip is superb in the dry but more importantly also superb in the wet and very progressive. They last ages, wear evenly, haven't had any punctures and have survived some concerning bumps. I would heartily recommend them to everyone.