Budget vs Premium rubber
Discussion
Ok so i'm not trying to start any debates about what rubber you should use on you car, i'm more curious in how a similar product can have such a wide price range.
As consumers we all moan on about differences in fuel costs, servicing at dealers or independents and about shopping for the best insurance to get the best value for quality products and services.
How is it then that a chunk of rubber, steel and nylon can cost £25-£500 or more.
Obviously in theory you would think the bigger, wider etc the rubber the price would need to go up slightly due to more raw materials needed and also in the less common sizes they would cost fractionally more as the more in a batch the cheaper the cost overall. Shipping weights may give a few pence price increase too.
But how can a budget brand sell £55 a corner or less rubber and turn a profit when premium rubber sells for £200 a corner in the same size.
I know research costs a bit and i'm guessing the basic raw rubber may cost a fraction more but do we not feel that we are on a whole being royally ripped of by the premium brands.
When you look at how car standards have come on in leaps and bounds how much the quality in cheaper brands has increased and how the more expensive brands have had to alter to keep above this why has this not made its way to one of the most important parts of a car.
Answers and ideas on a postcode haha.
As consumers we all moan on about differences in fuel costs, servicing at dealers or independents and about shopping for the best insurance to get the best value for quality products and services.
How is it then that a chunk of rubber, steel and nylon can cost £25-£500 or more.
Obviously in theory you would think the bigger, wider etc the rubber the price would need to go up slightly due to more raw materials needed and also in the less common sizes they would cost fractionally more as the more in a batch the cheaper the cost overall. Shipping weights may give a few pence price increase too.
But how can a budget brand sell £55 a corner or less rubber and turn a profit when premium rubber sells for £200 a corner in the same size.
I know research costs a bit and i'm guessing the basic raw rubber may cost a fraction more but do we not feel that we are on a whole being royally ripped of by the premium brands.
When you look at how car standards have come on in leaps and bounds how much the quality in cheaper brands has increased and how the more expensive brands have had to alter to keep above this why has this not made its way to one of the most important parts of a car.
Answers and ideas on a postcode haha.
Claudia Skies said:
Gavin0478 said:
How is it then that a chunk of rubber, steel and nylon can cost £25-£500 or more.
Well, given they are all just cars, how does a Bentley cost more than a Toyota Yaris?
Claudia Skies said:
Gavin0478 said:
How is it then that a chunk of rubber, steel and nylon can cost £25-£500 or more.
Well, given they are all just cars, how does a Bentley cost more than a Toyota Yaris?A tyre is rubber, steel wire and fabric, I would imagine that more of the difference comes from R and D than the actual construction.
J4CKO said:
A tyre is rubber, steel wire and fabric, I would imagine that more of the difference comes from R and D than the actual construction.
And marketingAnd sponsorship
And PR
And racing
And sales/training to dealers / manufacturers
And the staff to do the above. Who need a salary, their NI paid, a car, a bonus, some healthcare, a pension.
And profit. A good business makes good profits.
supersingle said:
ORD said:
Roughly 50-50 between the explanations given above - half just overheads that don't improve the tyres and the other half from genuine R&D and manufacturing costs differences.
I agree in general, though I doubt it's 50-50. More like 80? marketing and 20% R&D/manufacturing.zeduffman said:
supersingle said:
ORD said:
Roughly 50-50 between the explanations given above - half just overheads that don't improve the tyres and the other half from genuine R&D and manufacturing costs differences.
I agree in general, though I doubt it's 50-50. More like 80? marketing and 20% R&D/manufacturing.What do you use car for, and how many miles. e.g. - I first saw this on my last car.FWD so the fronts wore before the rears. I changed the fronts to be told ,and shown ,cracks between the treads on the otherwise perfectly legal rears. Car was only three year old with 30k on the clock. And these were premium tyres. I fitted four budget tyres, didn't notice any loss in grip or all weather performance and when I sold it at 60k still had tread left on the fronts and more importantly sidewalls, tread and gaps between were all perfect. Present car- apart from one year where domestic situation meant a large mileage, and this last year of low mileage, my average over seven years has been approx 8k/year. I've changed my tyres a few times for wear and always for budget, with no problems, and more importantly in snow- the budgets perform better.
Matt UK said:
J4CKO said:
A tyre is rubber, steel wire and fabric, I would imagine that more of the difference comes from R and D than the actual construction.
And marketingAnd sponsorship
And PR
And racing
And sales/training to dealers / manufacturers
And the staff to do the above. Who need a salary, their NI paid, a car, a bonus, some healthcare, a pension.
And profit. A good business makes good profits.
dsuk said:
China Inc Tyres research consists of buying a premium tyre and copying with cheap materials and labour.
European tyres manufacturers spend millions on research and testing which needs to be paid for.
The premium tyre makers own budget brands. For instance: Michelin owns BF Goodridge, Kleber and Uniroyal. The R&D goes into the whole range though obviously quality, marketing and manufacturing varies. It's a way for the big companies to increase their market share.European tyres manufacturers spend millions on research and testing which needs to be paid for.
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