Tyres. Do you go premium?
Discussion
My cars are all running about on random mixes of tyres at the moment,it's far from ideal but sometimes you have to do the best you can. I think it's odd that so many people review tyres, or form opinions on them based on the fact that they have changed tyres and their new ones are so much better etc, well newsflash Sherlock a new tyre with plenty tread will out perform a worn out tyre. I would rather have a new set of budget tyres on a car than a worn out set of premium tyres.
Prior to being a skint student I had contis on my st220 and they were awesome they didn't last though and I ended up changing to michelin PS2s which were similar to the contis in terms of performance but lasted twice as long.
I am changing my tyres at the moment since my circumstances have changed, for the track car I'm going for Yokohama parada track tyres, Vredestien winter tyres and probably toyo road tyres. Ive based the decisions on reviews and price.
Prior to being a skint student I had contis on my st220 and they were awesome they didn't last though and I ended up changing to michelin PS2s which were similar to the contis in terms of performance but lasted twice as long.
I am changing my tyres at the moment since my circumstances have changed, for the track car I'm going for Yokohama parada track tyres, Vredestien winter tyres and probably toyo road tyres. Ive based the decisions on reviews and price.
Mr2Mike said:
Puddenchucker said:
Whilst I don't necessarily agree with everything written above, I have noticed that there does seem to be a tendency to over specify tyres on this site. e.g someone asks “Recommend me some tyres for my daily driver Focus 1.6 LX,” and things like Goodyear F1 and Michelin Pilot Sports get suggested. Tyres like that are, IMHO, overkill for a humble family hatch/saloon.
Why exactly? If you drive a humble family saloon are you immune from ever having to perform an emergency manoeuvre? If you are carting your family around in a car, why wouldn't you want to make it as safe as possible?Simply because you don't push your car to it's limits is absolutely no excuse to have crap tyres. In fact I can't think of a single justification for fitting the chinese crap that has infested the tyre market. Being skint is not a good reason, it simply means you can't afford to run a car properly.
I'm not suggesting you fit the most expensive tyres you can find, there are very good mid-range tyres available that offer near premium levels of performance. It's the Wan Li's, Sunny, Nankang and Triangles that shouldn't even be imported.
Edited by Mr2Mike on Thursday 12th July 21:50
Nowhere did I suggest (or would suggest) buying the cheapest tyres or on price as the primary factor.
As others have said, tyres ae the only contact between the car and road, so you shouldn't skimp on them. But, it's about fittness for purpose. The vast majority of people never push their hatch/saloon car or tyres anywhere near the limits, so why speed £100 per tyre on "High Performance" Michelins or Goodyears that shave 5 seconds of the 'ring lap time when Avons or Falkens at £60 will be perfectly adquate for the intended commuter/shopping trolley use and still be safe for the emergeny braking or swerve situations?
Put another way, would you buy a PC with an i7 processor and a 4MB graphics card for £2.5k if all you were going to do is surf the net?
Edit:
What I'm trying to get accross is that often the specification/performance rating suggested is overkill for the intended use, not that the quality is over the top. e.g. If you have Merc E-class AMG then Michelin Pilot Super Sports at £250 (or whatever they cost) makes sense. But if what you have is the 1.8 diesel for motorway mile munching then the Michelin Primacy at £175 is probably a better choice.
Edited by Puddenchucker on Thursday 12th July 22:54
Patrick Bateman said:
Countdown said:
There isn't any "will" about it - if you do not drive to the conditions you will crash regardless of the tyre. Tyres are one of many many factors that reduce the possibility and severity of an accident.
Changing tyres at 4mm rather than 1.6mm
Having your car serviced every 6 months
Doing IAM /ROSPA
Driving at 30rather than 40
I've never heard of changing at 4mm, 3mm sure but 4mm is taking the piss.Changing tyres at 4mm rather than 1.6mm
Having your car serviced every 6 months
Doing IAM /ROSPA
Driving at 30rather than 40
Don't see what the second point has to do with anything though.
blugnu said:
Funny you should say that, as my car with it's second winter Nankang SV-2s (which had been on all summer too, as it happens) was the only car to make it up the hill of our street on the first snowy day this winter.
So for the few weeks a year we get ice and snow you buy a set of winter tyres, but for most of the year you run the four "mis-matched tyres" it came with but just drive really slowly? I have got that right haven't I?Caulkhead said:
blugnu said:
Funny you should say that, as my car with it's second winter Nankang SV-2s (which had been on all summer too, as it happens) was the only car to make it up the hill of our street on the first snowy day this winter.
So for the few weeks a year we get ice and snow you buy a set of winter tyres, but for most of the year you run the four "mis-matched tyres" it came with but just drive really slowly? I have got that right haven't I?EDIT - no custard, but here's the email order confirmation for them
And being a PHer you know that winter tyres are better when it's cold (less than 7 degrees) not just when it is snowing. And of course you also know that using winter tyres in summer is considered safer than using summer tyres in winter. And of course, you swap over when the conditions are right?
I use cheap winter tyres in winter and cheap summer tyres in summer (unless I leave the winters on)
Edited by blugnu on Thursday 12th July 22:43
blugnu said:
Caulkhead said:
blugnu said:
Funny you should say that, as my car with it's second winter Nankang SV-2s (which had been on all summer too, as it happens) was the only car to make it up the hill of our street on the first snowy day this winter.
So for the few weeks a year we get ice and snow you buy a set of winter tyres, but for most of the year you run the four "mis-matched tyres" it came with but just drive really slowly? I have got that right haven't I?EDIT - no custard, but here's the email order confirmation for them
And being a PHer you know that winter tyres are better when it's cold (less than 7 degrees) not just when it is snowing. And of course you also know that using winter tyres in summer is considered safer than using summer tyres in winter. And of course, you swap over when the conditions are right?
I use cheap winter tyres in winter and cheap summer tyres in summer (unless I leave the winters on)
Edited by blugnu on Thursday 12th July 22:43
For my commuting car, circa 18,000 miles/year I trawl the tyre reviews, and get the best for the least money, and have always had good results paying less than half the Michelin prices per tyre.
My current tyres cost a third of the price of Michelin's and yet I have not crashed or found a ditch, and I am a fast driver compared to your average commuter.
No point throwing away good money on tyres that will only last a year at best.
My current tyres cost a third of the price of Michelin's and yet I have not crashed or found a ditch, and I am a fast driver compared to your average commuter.
No point throwing away good money on tyres that will only last a year at best.
I have the misfortune of selling tyres. I always fit the budget tyres I am selling to my customers. I'm not dead yet, nor have I killed anyone. Car is mainly driven around town and on motorway and the tyres cope fine. If the car was mega powerful then I may fit a premium tyre, likewise if I tracked the car.
Dunlop Sport Max on the rear of my 528, the front is a Continental and a Yokohama. When they wear down sufficiently they will be replaced with Dunlops, they are great and the grip is brilliant in the wet. I purchased the alloys with the tyres on. I'm not a fan of mixing different brands but I'm not wasting good tyres, and they are perfectly safe. Changing tyres at 4mm is overkill, I change at 2-3 mm. At 4mm I can probably get another 6000 out of the rears!
Edited by sparks_E39 on Friday 13th July 00:00
I just read the reputatable tyre tests and pick the tyre that consistently scores the highest. Not interested in biased user reviews (Buy tyre X because I just spent £1k on a set so it must be the best, Buy tyre Y because they were 20p but I didnt buy them because they were 20p I bought them because they grip like mad etc etc) really.
Last set was Continental SportContact 3, now on Eagle F1 Assymetric 2.
Last set was Continental SportContact 3, now on Eagle F1 Assymetric 2.
tercelgold said:
That's something people will ignore, like Falken making a very good tyre according to BMW forums.
I had them (452s) on my 330Cd and tbh I thought they were a bit nasty. They're alright for the first couple of k from new but then they go from being decent to utter b
ks overnight and they acquired a very "greasy" feeling to them. I lost all confidence in them as the wet grip in particular just went to st.Folks seem to have a short memory too as Falken's which are highly rated by a lot of people these days used to be firmly in the ditch-finder camp when they first arrived over here.
The best tyres I've ever had were Michelin Pilot XH1s. They still make them too, but only on smallish wheels up to about 185 size. I had them on my old Nova GTe and they were exceptional in all conditions, particularly the wet and deep snow! Great feel to them and lasted nearly 50k. If I could get them for my Golf I'd have them again in a shot.
I'll be putting Uniroyal Rain Sport 2s on my Golf soon. Not a premium brand but I've yet to read a bad review of them, and I've read a LOT of reviews of them. Rain Experts are supposed to be excellent too, but have softer sidewalls for wafty drivers whereas the Rain Sports 2s are supposed to be suited to the more "enthusiastic" driver.
dav123a said:
Any one got any experience of barum , seen some good reviews . Seems like a mid range tyre for a budget price.
Had them on my old mk3 Mondeo and they were brilliant! No complaints at all, and I would buy them again 
I never did get them to break traction, it was only a 1.8, but it got pushed hard on occasion!
Andyjc86 said:
Car is mainly driven around town and on motorway and the tyres cope fine. If the car was mega powerful then I may fit a premium tyre, likewise if I tracked the car.
I'd do the opposite - if I was on a track I'd enjoy sliding teflon ditchfinders, on the road surrounded by unpredictable pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers I'd prefer the most grip available.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff