Nankang tyres are they any good?

[Brownie69]

I'm looking to buy a set of 245 35 18 rear tyres for my BMW 135i M sport and seen a pair of new Nankang tyres for sale for £185. Normal brands are £170+ each. Am I making a saving or is it a false economy? Bearing in mind the Michelin tyres on them only lasted 10,000 miles!!!

[HustleRussell]

Nankang aren't the worst of the worst, but there must be some middle ground between them and the Michelins you can go for? Can you get Barum/Matador/Toyo/Falken etc?

Edited by HustleRussell on Tuesday 23 October 14:56

[kambites]

From what I've read, they're one of the better budget brands.

In my experience, Matador MP46s are a good compromise if you can find them in the right size?

[twink]

They're alright - one of the better budget brands but the only real positive I've seen about them is they last a long time because they have a rock hard compound. Personally I'd spend a bit more. Avon ZZ3's are pretty damn good for the price. Think they come in that size too.

[John Galt]

I honestly cannot express how bad Nankang tyres are. If you like living, I'd advise against them.

On another note, it stuns me why anyone would skimp on tyres, especially on a rear wheel drive car, coming into winter. For the sake of literally a few pounds, it is the difference between not just having fun or not, but life and death (and anyone who thinks that's an exaggeration either doesn't like driving or is borderline retarded).

[rb5er]

HustleRussell said:

Nankang aren't the worst of the worst, but there must be some middle ground between them and the Michelins you can go for? Can you get Barum/Matador/Toyo/Falken etc?

Edited by HustleRussell on Tuesday 23 October 14:56

Are you serious? Suggesting a Barum or Matador is better than a Nankang?

Nankang are pretty crap but Matador and Barum are absolute ste.

Toyo or Falkens are a decent suggestion though.

[Viper]

they 'only' lasted 10,000 because they were actually doing something

[kambites]

The difference in braking distances between the best and worst tyres currently available on the K market is about 25% and Nankang fit somewhere in the middle of that range so say 15% to be on the pessimistic side. That means a car driving at 65mph on Nankangs will stop in about the same distance and time as a car driving at 70mph on the best tyres on the market.

Less grippy tyres aren't "less safe" than grippier ones, they just make "the correct speed for the conditions" lower.

Edited by kambites on Tuesday 23 October 15:12

[kambites]

rb5er said:

Nankang are pretty crap but Matador and Barum are absolute ste.

That goes against everything I've experienced. I've found Matadors to be very good for midrange tyres. What model of Matadors have you had on what car, and what was the problem with them?

[StottyZr]

If you put them on, be aware you have st on the rear axle.

I'd rather downsize to 225s and get a good rubber compound on there. (you'll find 225s are significantly cheaper)

[MysteryLemon]

As suggested above, they seem to be one of the better budget brands.

I've run Nankangs on a few cars in the past. Infact, for something like a Fiat Cinquecento, the Nankang alternatives are a far better tyre than the Pirelli crap they came with from the factory.

Not sure I would want them on something RWD though...

[Parsnip]

Would need to say false economy - I had 4 brand new ditchfinders on the zed when I bought it and it drove like it was on ballbearings - granted they were proper no namers (dealer put them on for MOT, wouldn't take my cash to put something decent on)

600ish all in for a set of decent boots and even if you can't feel the difference (you can, unless you have no senses) - for the piece of mind it is worth it.

[HustleRussell]

rb5er said:

HustleRussell said:

Nankang aren't the worst of the worst, but there must be some middle ground between them and the Michelins you can go for? Can you get Barum/Matador/Toyo/Falken etc?

Edited by HustleRussell on Tuesday 23 October 14:56

Are you serious? Suggesting a Barum or Matador is better than a Nankang?

Nankang are pretty crap but Matador and Barum are absolute ste.

Toyo or Falkens are a decent suggestion though.

I am serious, yes, having tried a tyre from each of the mentioned manufacturers within the last year. Perhaps your experiences are out-dated? Tyre technology trickles down the order fast, after all... As Kambites said, the Matador MP46 is bang up-to-date and was mighty impressive on my Mondeo. I drove an Insignia on Barum Bravuris 2 and they're also much better than Nankang.

[steve_bmw]

Don't put toyo on, thay last about 3000 miles, nankang ns2 are a really good tyre to be honest, no difference in grip, comfort or noise over my old Bridgestone potenza!

[rallycross]

Brownie69 said:

I'm looking to buy a set of 245 35 18 rear tyres for my BMW 135i M sport and seen a pair of new Nankang tyres for sale for £185. Normal brands are £170+ each. Am I making a saving or is it a false economy? Bearing in mind the Michelin tyres on them only lasted 10,000 miles!!!

You've got a very nice car there, 300+ bhp RWD, please dont ruin it by skimping on cheap Chinese tyres which are fine for run-arounds and mild performance but far from ideal for a 135i sport.

[telecat]

So you can afford a pretty decent car and want to put Taxi tyres on it? Had some on an Almeira and got shot ASAP. Only reason to get them is to impress people with your "drifts".

[rb5er]

HustleRussell said:

I am serious, yes, having tried a tyre from each of the mentioned manufacturers within the last year. Perhaps your experiences are out-dated? Tyre technology trickles down the order fast, after all... As Kambites said, the Matador MP46 is bang up-to-date and was mighty impressive on my Mondeo. I drove an Insignia on Barum Bravuris 2 and they're also much better than Nankang.

Wow, in the last year you have driven 2 different cars and both have been alternatively fitted with 3 different sets of budget tyres? Wow thats quite some tyre testing. Or are you comparing the 3 different types of tyres on totally different cars in the same year? Either way thats a lot of tyres you are getting through.

So you tried all 3 brands properly bedded in on an insignia and all 3 on a mondeo in 1 year?

[OdramaSwimLaden]

By and large when it comes to tyres, you get what you pay for. I had some Nankang tyres 2 years ago on a 330d I drove and they were frightfully bad. Cold and wet weather grip was abysmal. Shockingly, painfully awful grip and aquaplaned at will.

You have a nice car; why not get some OK tyres!!

[vrsmxtb]

rb5er said:

Are you serious? Suggesting a Barum or Matador is better than a Nankang?

Nankang are pretty crap but Matador and Barum are absolute ste.

Toyo or Falkens are a decent suggestion though.

Barum's are fine if you go to their top spec ones. I've had Barum Bravuris 2 on my car for a couple years now and absolutely no complaints. In fact better wet grip than the supposedly premium Pirelli's.

[g3org3y]

Not great, but not terrible. NS-IIs are the only ones to consider, I've used them and found them acceptable on various E36s.

Would I put them on the back of a nice 135i? Probably not tbh.