Discussion
As Aston Owners do we suffer from 'Tyre Snobbery' or is it that we just don't trust lesser known manufactures?
There is constant talk about Bridgestones, Dunlop, Goodyear, Michelin and Pirelli etc but what about Nankang, Hankook and Humho etc?
Surely they must have passed certain 'Performance tests' before they can be sold in the UK.
I remember using Pirellis on my XKR for years because...Well..they were recommended by Jaguar and had a little 'J' on the actual tyre. Then I changed over to Dunlop Sports Maxx and eventually TOYO R1's and only noticed an improvement.
There is a possibility of saving well over £150 a corner.
There is constant talk about Bridgestones, Dunlop, Goodyear, Michelin and Pirelli etc but what about Nankang, Hankook and Humho etc?
Surely they must have passed certain 'Performance tests' before they can be sold in the UK.
I remember using Pirellis on my XKR for years because...Well..they were recommended by Jaguar and had a little 'J' on the actual tyre. Then I changed over to Dunlop Sports Maxx and eventually TOYO R1's and only noticed an improvement.
There is a possibility of saving well over £150 a corner.
I usually go with what the manufacturer states as the correct OEM tyre since that will be the one that the testing was done on. As long as it performs OK then I'm happy. That said, I would have swapped to PSS from the Potenzas on my old V8V had I got to the stage of needing new tyres as the PSS seems to be regarded as a better tyre. On the V12V I am happy with the Corsas so I'll stick with them.
One would like to think that joint development went on, or that the suspension was developed in conjunction with a control tyre set.
However, a lot has happened in the tyre world in the 10+ years that have passed since when Ford/AM developed the setup that is the basis for most of the Gaydon-era cars.
Technically, anything that has been tested/approved to the same speed/load rating will be good enough for 90% of owners not to notice the difference.
If used on track, then the differences may be more apparent, but on a dry road you are unlikely to notice the difference.
In the wet, then differences may be more noticeable, when tread pattern and drape become more of an issue.
I suspect that the main reason a lot of people notice a big difference when changing to a different tyre is due to changing 3-5 year-old tyres to new ones. All tyres get stiffer as they get older, especially if subject to light and (especially) heat.
One of the compromises I have seen on some of the 'cheaper' tyres is life (less mileage) and noise.
I suppose a plus point with tyres that are cheaper but wear faster is that they don't get the chance to age as much..
There are a limited number of tyres I would use on a performance car, but they include Kumho (used extensively in racing/hillclimbing and Nokian (make great winter tyres and used extensively in Scandinavia). There are also a number of big manufacturers who make 'budget' ranges under a different name, but using the same machinery/compounds:
Michelin owns BFG, Uniroyal, Kleber
Bridgestone owns Firestone, Dayton
Goodyear owns Dunlop
Continental owns General, Hoosier
However...
If I went to look at an Aston that had been shod with Nanking tyres, I would possibly wonder if any other cost savings had been taken!
However, a lot has happened in the tyre world in the 10+ years that have passed since when Ford/AM developed the setup that is the basis for most of the Gaydon-era cars.
Technically, anything that has been tested/approved to the same speed/load rating will be good enough for 90% of owners not to notice the difference.
If used on track, then the differences may be more apparent, but on a dry road you are unlikely to notice the difference.
In the wet, then differences may be more noticeable, when tread pattern and drape become more of an issue.
I suspect that the main reason a lot of people notice a big difference when changing to a different tyre is due to changing 3-5 year-old tyres to new ones. All tyres get stiffer as they get older, especially if subject to light and (especially) heat.
One of the compromises I have seen on some of the 'cheaper' tyres is life (less mileage) and noise.
I suppose a plus point with tyres that are cheaper but wear faster is that they don't get the chance to age as much..
There are a limited number of tyres I would use on a performance car, but they include Kumho (used extensively in racing/hillclimbing and Nokian (make great winter tyres and used extensively in Scandinavia). There are also a number of big manufacturers who make 'budget' ranges under a different name, but using the same machinery/compounds:
Michelin owns BFG, Uniroyal, Kleber
Bridgestone owns Firestone, Dayton
Goodyear owns Dunlop
Continental owns General, Hoosier
However...
If I went to look at an Aston that had been shod with Nanking tyres, I would possibly wonder if any other cost savings had been taken!
SFO said:
Speculatore said:
Surely they must have passed certain 'Performance tests' before they can be sold in the UK.
no such thing, is there?just needs to meet EU standards of some sort probably.
I have no idea if these are regularly checked to ensure that they meet/exceed the standards, but have not heard of any that haven't.
Would you fit budget rotor blades on your helicopter? 
Seriously though, I think if you're fortunate enough to be able to own one of these amazing cars, then it's probably a false economy to save a few hundred quid on tyres which could be inferior. I think you get what you pay for with rubber, and I would take a lot of convincing to switch away from what the car was designed and supplied with.
Times do change though and new manufacturers do appear in all industries with superior products to the established benchmarks.
Look at Kia for example. I was in one of those the other day, and I found it every bit as good in all respects as an equivalent VW.
Seriously though, I think if you're fortunate enough to be able to own one of these amazing cars, then it's probably a false economy to save a few hundred quid on tyres which could be inferior. I think you get what you pay for with rubber, and I would take a lot of convincing to switch away from what the car was designed and supplied with.
Times do change though and new manufacturers do appear in all industries with superior products to the established benchmarks.
Look at Kia for example. I was in one of those the other day, and I found it every bit as good in all respects as an equivalent VW.
Phil74891 said:
Would you fit budget rotor blades on your helicopter?
Seriously though, I think if you're fortunate enough to be able to own one of these amazing cars, then it's probably a false economy to save a few hundred quid on tyres which could be inferior. I think you get what you pay for with rubber, and I would take a lot of convincing to switch away from what the car was designed and supplied with.
Times do change though and new manufacturers do appear in all industries with superior products to the established benchmarks.
Look at Kia for example. I was in one of those the other day, and I found it every bit as good in all respects as an equivalent VW.
So if 2 tyres gave the same performance and the same mileage but one was 150 pounds cheaper than the other then you would by the more expensive one because....well...it's more expensive?Seriously though, I think if you're fortunate enough to be able to own one of these amazing cars, then it's probably a false economy to save a few hundred quid on tyres which could be inferior. I think you get what you pay for with rubber, and I would take a lot of convincing to switch away from what the car was designed and supplied with.
Times do change though and new manufacturers do appear in all industries with superior products to the established benchmarks.
Look at Kia for example. I was in one of those the other day, and I found it every bit as good in all respects as an equivalent VW.
I do think we lead ourselves in to a false sense of security because we feel that the more we pay for the tyre then the better it is....
My daily car is a Skoda Octavia Vrs and I would have it over a VW Passat any day of the week.
Over in the Porsche world you fit non-N rated tyres to a 911, Porsche will not let you drive onto the forecourt. They apparently will make the car spin into trees and ditches within seconds! Its a load of horlicks of course but such is the grip on any Porsche new or used Warranty then you dont do it if you want to keep it.
But there again such is the paranoia about buying a car without N-spec tyres then you have to go down that route. Hence mine for sale now has new wallet crunching N3's all round.
But there again such is the paranoia about buying a car without N-spec tyres then you have to go down that route. Hence mine for sale now has new wallet crunching N3's all round.
simonpa said:
However...
If I went to look at an Aston that had been shod with Nanking tyres, I would possibly wonder if any other cost savings had been taken!
Top post. As no one has done performance tests on all the tyre manufacturers you could fit to an Aston you would have to question the other cost cuttings the owner had done if the car was fitted with ditch finders. Tesco oil? Well oil is oil it's all the same. Home serviced? Well all it needed was a new oil filter and Tesco oilIf I went to look at an Aston that had been shod with Nanking tyres, I would possibly wonder if any other cost savings had been taken!
petop said:
Over in the Porsche world you fit non-N rated tyres to a 911, Porsche will not let you drive onto the forecourt. They apparently will make the car spin into trees and ditches within seconds! Its a load of horlicks of course but such is the grip on any Porsche new or used Warranty then you dont do it if you want to keep it.
But there again such is the paranoia about buying a car without N-spec tyres then you have to go down that route. Hence mine for sale now has new wallet crunching N3's all round.
You can fit any tires to a Porsche (or any other make of car) as long as they are the correct size, speed rating and load rating. Warranty cannot be denied for not having the 'spec' tire. This is the same for any service item.But there again such is the paranoia about buying a car without N-spec tyres then you have to go down that route. Hence mine for sale now has new wallet crunching N3's all round.
Speculatore said:
So if 2 tyres gave the same performance and the same mileage but one was 150 pounds cheaper than the other then you would by the more expensive one because....well...it's more expensive?
I do think we lead ourselves in to a false sense of security because we feel that the more we pay for the tyre then the better it is....
My daily car is a Skoda Octavia Vrs and I would have it over a VW Passat any day of the week.
On my Kia or Skoda I'll be taking the budget route, on the Aston I'll be sticking to OE. Incidently, I don't have a daily car as yet as I'm still abroad, but I'll be looking very closely at a Kia Soul or Skoda Yeti. Anyone else driving once laughable marques in addition to their Aston?I do think we lead ourselves in to a false sense of security because we feel that the more we pay for the tyre then the better it is....
My daily car is a Skoda Octavia Vrs and I would have it over a VW Passat any day of the week.
Phil74891 said:
Incidently, I don't have a daily car as yet as I'm still abroad, but I'll be looking very closely at a Kia Soul or Skoda Yeti. Anyone else driving once laughable marques in addition to their Aston?
Do you define Skoda as 'laughable'???If so, you've obviously never driven a modern Skoda.
BravoV8V said:
Phil74891 said:
Incidently, I don't have a daily car as yet as I'm still abroad, but I'll be looking very closely at a Kia Soul or Skoda Yeti. Anyone else driving once laughable marques in addition to their Aston?
Do you define Skoda as 'laughable'???If so, you've obviously never driven a modern Skoda.
I have an Octavia, my second in four years, just a vanilla model and spec. It is a perfectly good workhorse, over that time I've done about 140k miles in them and they've been extremely reliable, comfortable, economical, if a bit dull. A good foil for the AM.
Gettoff said:
Benefit of the doubt, he did say 'once laughable'
I have an Octavia, my second in four years, just a vanilla model and spec. It is a perfectly good workhorse, over that time I've done about 140k miles in them and they've been extremely reliable, comfortable, economical, if a bit dull. A good foil for the AM.
Ah, fair enough. I have an Octavia, my second in four years, just a vanilla model and spec. It is a perfectly good workhorse, over that time I've done about 140k miles in them and they've been extremely reliable, comfortable, economical, if a bit dull. A good foil for the AM.
I've also got an Octavia Scout. It's a brilliant, comfortable, all weather, all season workhorse. The perfect partner to an AM.
I had 4 new boots fitted today...... I usually go with Yokos but these came highly recommended....
http://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?details=...
I run 255 35 20 fronts and 295 25 20 rears....
And I didn't pay that for them ether..... £186-00 a corner....
http://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?details=...
I run 255 35 20 fronts and 295 25 20 rears....
And I didn't pay that for them ether..... £186-00 a corner....
BravoV8V said:
Ah, fair enough.
I've also got an Octavia Scout. It's a brilliant, comfortable, all weather, all season workhorse. The perfect partner to an AM.
Sorry for the confusion......I think the new Skoda's are brilliant, particularly the Yeti. And so much more character than a hugely overrated and over priced VW/Audi/BMW equivalent. V8VS and a Yeti with a couple of mountain bikes in the back - what more could you possibly want? I've also got an Octavia Scout. It's a brilliant, comfortable, all weather, all season workhorse. The perfect partner to an AM.
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