Expensive Vs not so expensive tyres

Expensive Vs not so expensive tyres

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fatboy b

Original Poster:

9,492 posts

215 months

Saturday 21st November 2009
quotequote all
I'm getting a little miffed at the continual rise in tyre prices. It never used to bother me, but now that a set of 4 Conti SC3's for the A4 are about £720! So I just put a couple of Kumho's on the front @ £125 each to see what they'd be like.

According to this website, they pretty much the same as the Conti overall, and I have to say they feel loads better. So what am I not getting out of a £125 tyre Vs a £180 tyre - apart from the name?

Tallbut Buxomly

12,254 posts

215 months

Saturday 21st November 2009
quotequote all
How the fk are you paying that much for tyres as my a4 on michelins generally regarded as one of the most expensive brands come in at roughly 85 quid a corner????

fatboy b

Original Poster:

9,492 posts

215 months

Saturday 21st November 2009
quotequote all
235/40 18's rated for 150+ mph (not that I'll ever go that fast in it.)

The speed-rating pushes up the cost. The previous A4 - same tyre size, but lower speed rating, had Dunlops @ about £105 a corner. Dunlops for his one are about £150.

Edited by fatboy b on Saturday 21st November 14:08

lordlee

3,137 posts

244 months

Saturday 21st November 2009
quotequote all
That's still big money for kuhmos. I got four kuhmo ecstas for my old A4 cab for £228 in the summer and they were 225/40/18's.

kambites

67,460 posts

220 months

Saturday 21st November 2009
quotequote all
Sounds like you need to switch to a more sensible sized tyre/wheel combination. hehe

Tallbut Buxomly

12,254 posts

215 months

Saturday 21st November 2009
quotequote all
Yoyo proxes 127 a corner fitted

V8mate

45,899 posts

188 months

Saturday 21st November 2009
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Have recently switched from Michelin to Falken for tyres for 'normal' car.

A little over 50% of the price I used to pay and offer very confident driving.

slippery

14,093 posts

238 months

Saturday 21st November 2009
quotequote all
I have no problem with budget (particularly Kumho) brand tyres. Maybe I am lucky but even when I was doing over 50,000 miles a year, they never missed a beat. When I have had more expensive cars, I have to confess to ditching this principle and paying more for a premium brand. I think it's all relative to the value of the car. I have even run part worns many years ago and never had a problem with those either.

Buzzkill

786 posts

183 months

Saturday 21st November 2009
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I'd happily recommend my Kumho KU31's to anyone for road driving. Very good indeed for the money.

Steameh

3,155 posts

209 months

Saturday 21st November 2009
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Tallbut Buxomly said:
Yoyo proxes 127 a corner fitted
I always found their performance to be up and down

Nigel Worc's

8,121 posts

187 months

Saturday 21st November 2009
quotequote all
I've been using budget tyres for a while now, and have been impressed by their performance.

On my old E34 15" 225's, I've been using Mohawk, and I cannot fault them, they were £45 each fitted, but the two I had fitted last Saturday cost me £54 each.

On several of my previous cars , and on my daughters car, I've had a tyre called runway fitted, again, can't fault them (they don't do 15" 225's for some reason, hence the beemer is on mohawks)

My local tyre place is great, I've known the guy for about 20 years.

He puts 16" 240's ( I think) speed rated , on my mates 735i for about £65 each, my mate has had no issues, no dramas.

Tallbut Buxomly

12,254 posts

215 months

Saturday 21st November 2009
quotequote all
I value my cars too much to run them on cheapo tyres. Theres no doubt some cheap brand tyres will be as good as the more est expensive ones but its still too hit and miss.

matchmaker

8,462 posts

199 months

Saturday 21st November 2009
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Tallbut Buxomly said:
I value my cars too much to run them on cheapo tyres. Theres no doubt some cheap brand tyres will be as good as the more est expensive ones but its still too hit and miss.
confusedconfused
Eh? If a tyre comes recommended by someone who has tried them, what's hit & miss about it?

TheRoadWarrior

1,241 posts

177 months

Saturday 21st November 2009
quotequote all
matchmaker said:
Tallbut Buxomly said:
I value my cars too much to run them on cheapo tyres. Theres no doubt some cheap brand tyres will be as good as the more est expensive ones but its still too hit and miss.
confusedconfused
Eh? If a tyre comes recommended by someone who has tried them, what's hit & miss about it?
There are plenty of people who've used proxes t1-R and NOT got on well with them.. so i guess that would be the 'down' to go with the 'up' :-)

elster

17,517 posts

209 months

Saturday 21st November 2009
quotequote all
TheRoadWarrior said:
matchmaker said:
Tallbut Buxomly said:
I value my cars too much to run them on cheapo tyres. Theres no doubt some cheap brand tyres will be as good as the more est expensive ones but its still too hit and miss.
confusedconfused
Eh? If a tyre comes recommended by someone who has tried them, what's hit & miss about it?
There are plenty of people who've used proxes t1-R and NOT got on well with them.. so i guess that would be the 'down' to go with the 'up' :-)
There are plenty of people who have used Pirelli/Conti who have been very disappointed by them.

Either way the OP needs to shop around, as you my friend have just been bent over and received a rogering.

What obscure tyres are they for that price?

Edited by elster on Saturday 21st November 16:51

number2301

508 posts

199 months

Saturday 21st November 2009
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I agree with the poster who recommended a sensible tyre size. 195/50/15 Michelin PE2s are £68 fitted.

fildigger

1,095 posts

204 months

Saturday 21st November 2009
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Tyre Threads (common on many Forums) have been done to death!

There are so many variables, The biggest one being the Thread Poster rolleyes.......Joking aside it depends on the Car,How its set up along with the state of the running gear/Suspension/Geometary etc, Also the ever changing Road surfaces in this country, Wet/Dry Conditions and Finally the Driver and how he percieves the Tyres to be in relation to his Previous experience of other tyres on other cars!!!!!!

IE...Put an average Driver in an M3 with Linlong Tyres on it and he Will tell you they are far better than the Sport Contact 3's he had on his Daewoo Matiz !


As a Rule of Thumb...Do your Research and Buy the Best Recommended tyres you can afford for your car (and yes! There are some very good a capable so called 'Budget Tyres' on the Market, Equally, you can buy tyres that are in effect far better than your car requires! in which case you will be paying more for no real benefit!)

...Oh! I forgot about one more Factor, 'Driving Style!.....If you do think you are Sebastien Loeb in your Daewoo, then Sticky tyres will help!


davidjpowell

17,767 posts

183 months

Saturday 21st November 2009
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Happy with Falkens. Have some Kumho which the previous owner of my Saab put on.

They are utter ste in the wet. No grip, prone to aquaplane.

If there was not so much life left in them they would go now. As it is I have to drive to the conditions and slow because of the bloody things

Ozzie Osmond

21,189 posts

245 months

Saturday 21st November 2009
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Since your tyres are the only thing between you and eternity it's a fine plan to fit good ones. Personally I would never buy "cheap" tyres.

Of the "less expensive" tyres which might be worth a look Kumho and Falken are names which are mentioned regularly and seem well regarded.

Talksteer

4,843 posts

232 months

Saturday 21st November 2009
quotequote all
Tallbut Buxomly said:
I value my cars too much to run them on cheapo tyres. Theres no doubt some cheap brand tyres will be as good as the more est expensive ones but its still too hit and miss.
Actually one thing that the yearly tyre tests people like Autocar do is that by and large with tyres you do get what you pay for the tyres from the top brands are usually measurably superior.

That said the vast majority of accidents are cause by people running into things they failed to see so your driving style is probably more important than the absolute performance of your tyres.

http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/uk/en/co...