So I did buy some LingLong Ditchfinders
Discussion
Digby said:
All those getting their knickers in a twist over budget tyres I assume also have brake upgrades, added airbags, roll cages, better seatbelts, fire extinguishers, breathing apparatus onboard (incase they end up in a lake) blankets and shovels for unexpected snow...
Probably not, but nor is it likely that they've deliberately downgraded those components from what the car came fitted with in order to save a few quid.otolith said:
Probably not, but nor is it likely that they've deliberately downgraded those components from what the car came fitted with in order to save a few quid.
But tyre snobs don't care. One man's awesome piece of expensive rubber can quickly become another man's ditchfinder on forums.You could spend £100 per corner over the original cost of a factory tyre and still be told you are an idiot.
If a tyre ever becomes the only thing between life and death for me, I will give up driving.
If safety is a concern, I would rather have a set of Sunny tyres on a military six wheel drive armour-plated truck, than Rainsport elevnty millions on a 100+ BHP RWD car.
I have had tyres which were not so great in the wet, but then there will always be something better. Don't drive like a dick in the wet on them is a simple way to stay safe. And if by some miracle you do happen across a stationary motorway incident where rubber is the deciding factor between crashing or not, I would suggest more often than not, your attention and driving ability would be more to blame.
My understanding of "ditchfinders" is that we're talking about tyres sold on the sole merit of cheapness. The sort of thing people put on when the garage tells them their car has failed its MOT for bald tyres and they want the cheapest thing they can get that is legal.
Driving skill is largely irrelevant - for any set of incidents which you are not skilled or psychic enough to avoid completely, there will be some in which you have sufficient grip to avoid a collision and some in which you do not.
Driving skill is largely irrelevant - for any set of incidents which you are not skilled or psychic enough to avoid completely, there will be some in which you have sufficient grip to avoid a collision and some in which you do not.
otolith said:
My understanding of "ditchfinders" is that we're talking about tyres sold on the sole merit of cheapness. The sort of thing people put on when the garage tells them their car has failed its MOT for bald tyres and they want the cheapest thing they can get that is legal.
Driving skill is largely irrelevant - for any set of incidents which you are not skilled or psychic enough to avoid completely, there will be some in which you have sufficient grip to avoid a collision and some in which you do not.
Not according to the nay-sayers on here - JUST DRIVE MORE SLOWLYDriving skill is largely irrelevant - for any set of incidents which you are not skilled or psychic enough to avoid completely, there will be some in which you have sufficient grip to avoid a collision and some in which you do not.
Of course they live in La La Land.
otolith said:
Probably not, but nor is it likely that they've deliberately downgraded those components from what the car came fitted with in order to save a few quid.
You dont think the people buying ditchfinders will also skimp on shocks, suspension upkeep, brake pads etc?My guess would be that pretty much every private owned car outside of the few lucky enough to be cherrished by the PH stock-alike upgrade Elite (because modding is a dirty word these days here apparently), will perform worse in every way then when it left the assembly line, be it brakes, tires, engine performance, name it.
Vitorio said:
otolith said:
Probably not, but nor is it likely that they've deliberately downgraded those components from what the car came fitted with in order to save a few quid.
You dont think the people buying ditchfinders will also skimp on shocks, suspension upkeep, brake pads etc?otolith said:
Driving skill is largely irrelevant - for any set of incidents which you are not skilled or psychic enough to avoid completely, there will be some in which you have sufficient grip to avoid a collision and some in which you do not.
Eight pot calipers all round for everyone, then.Only got four pots or less? Get off our roads!
xjay1337 said:
Not according to the nay-sayers on here - JUST DRIVE MORE SLOWLY
Of course they live in La La Land.
I could spin quite easily on tyres costing 150 a corner even if they are top rated for wet weather gripOf course they live in La La Land.
I wouldn't, however, because I would drive more slowly,
You either drive too quickly for your tyres, or you do not. How much they cost makes no difference.
Digby said:
otolith said:
Driving skill is largely irrelevant - for any set of incidents which you are not skilled or psychic enough to avoid completely, there will be some in which you have sufficient grip to avoid a collision and some in which you do not.
Eight pot calipers all round for everyone, then.Only got four pots or less? Get off our roads!
Digby said:
I could spin quite easily on tyres costing 150 a corner even if they are top rated for wet weather grip
I wouldn't, however, because I would drive more slowly,
You either drive too quickly for your tyres, or you do not. How much they cost makes no difference.
Well, yes, that is correct.I wouldn't, however, because I would drive more slowly,
You either drive too quickly for your tyres, or you do not. How much they cost makes no difference.
But buying LINGLONGS for £30 or Michelin for £90, tell me honestly what performs better.
If you could buy tyres as good as the Michelin for £30 then I would buy them. But hundreds of independent tests prove you can't.
I've had pretty good results in the past when going for brands like Kleber, Semperit etc - the brands which are effectively the big brands' "B" labels which tend to get last year's designs from the big guys. They never seemed to last as long as Michelin, etc, but performed pretty well overall - they certainly never felt dangerous at any point.
However, I once tried some "Event" tyres on my 328i - never, ever EVER again. Passable in the dry, absolutely lethal in the wet/damp. I had all sorts of weird behavious that was just never present in the Michelins I took off for them - fishtailing in the damp trying to join the M6 on half throttle, numerous lock ups just trying to brake for roundabouts on the Black Country Route, and a distinct puckering every time I hit a puddle.
They are probably OK if you look on Hearse drivers and think "Look at that maniac", but any attempt to keep up with traffic felt dangerous. After 2 or 3 months I sold them to a local fitter and put some Michelins back on, and strangely enough the feeling of danger completely evaporated!
I would be quite happy to ban the entire lot on safety grounds, and I hate the idea of the nanny state.
However, I once tried some "Event" tyres on my 328i - never, ever EVER again. Passable in the dry, absolutely lethal in the wet/damp. I had all sorts of weird behavious that was just never present in the Michelins I took off for them - fishtailing in the damp trying to join the M6 on half throttle, numerous lock ups just trying to brake for roundabouts on the Black Country Route, and a distinct puckering every time I hit a puddle.
They are probably OK if you look on Hearse drivers and think "Look at that maniac", but any attempt to keep up with traffic felt dangerous. After 2 or 3 months I sold them to a local fitter and put some Michelins back on, and strangely enough the feeling of danger completely evaporated!
I would be quite happy to ban the entire lot on safety grounds, and I hate the idea of the nanny state.
Digby said:
xjay1337 said:
But buying LINGLONGS for £30 or Michelin for £90, tell me honestly what performs better.
Something for £150?£155?
Only to stick with reputable brands and good performers from tests and independent user reviews.
That happens to co-incide with the higher end of the price bracket.
Digby said:
otolith said:
Most braking upgrades will make no difference to single stop performance.
Don't get the "most" ones, then 
The big advantage is the ability to do repeated hard stops without fade.
xjay1337 said:
I don't think anyone is saying you have to spend £XXX on tyres.
Only to stick with reputable brands and good performers from tests and independent user reviews.
That happens to co-incide with the higher end of the price bracket.
So everyone must have the highest rated car for safety and the highest rated tyres (even 2nd position will not do) .Only to stick with reputable brands and good performers from tests and independent user reviews.
That happens to co-incide with the higher end of the price bracket.
If not, you are saving money and not buying the best....just as some may do with tyres.
Someone mentioned it being pointless having big brakes with crap tyres, so what's the point in having great rubber, great brakes and a Caterham 7 which will crumple like a McDonald's ashtray when hit by a truck? Why bother with anything other than a 4X4?
No matter what you buy, big brand name or not, someone will tell you they are too soft, too hard, not correct for a vehicle, good in the dry but not wet, good in the wet but not dry, too noisy...
You are going to be the unluckiest person in the world if you find yourself in a situation akin to a tyre test demonstration where 20 feet+ extra stopping distance in the rain from a budget brand is going to punt some kid into a tree or cause a fireball on a motorway.
I also assume every single person who has twisted knickers also fits Winter tyres?
Not a single person falls in to the "Never needed them...never been stuck" camp?
Yeah, righto
As for independent user reviews, I have seen them moan about any make you care to mention.
I drive more slowly when I know AD08s and Rainsports are near their limit and I do the same for budget tyres.
The end results are always that in almost any emergency situation, I will always stop because I won't be going as fast on the budgets as I would on the more expensive tyres.
Confidence is the killer. Make them all like driving on ice I say.
At the point that you would come to a halt from an emergency stop at 30mph, you would be doing 18mph if you're initial speed was 35mph and emergency stopped at the same point.
So tell me again how it doesn't matter if you have cheaper tyres even if you drive accordingly?
Source : The AA
So tell me again how it doesn't matter if you have cheaper tyres even if you drive accordingly?
Source : The AA
talksthetorque said:
At the point that you would come to a halt from an emergency stop at 30mph, you would be doing 18mph if you're initial speed was 35mph and emergency stopped at the same point.
So tell me again how it doesn't matter if you have cheaper tyres even if you drive accordingly?
Source : The AA
30 limit?So tell me again how it doesn't matter if you have cheaper tyres even if you drive accordingly?
Source : The AA
Stop speeding.
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