Is there so such thing as a good 'budget' tyre?
Discussion
I had a set of Three A tyres a few years back which came fresh on from the dealer. It had been an oversight by me on purchasing and I thought they'd be terrible but I was impressed by their ability in both wet and dry. They eventually started cracking at the side walls which led to their replacement but were decent considering the size of the vehicle (large Honda Estate) I seem to remember they didn't fare so well around zero temps though but not many will.
Sumitomo as mentioned above are actually Dunlop. A massive company and I believe make Falken also among others. That said, rubber compounds vary massively along with tread pattern so don't automatically assume they'll perform similar. Best to do your research.
Sumitomo as mentioned above are actually Dunlop. A massive company and I believe make Falken also among others. That said, rubber compounds vary massively along with tread pattern so don't automatically assume they'll perform similar. Best to do your research.
BricktopST205 said:
One thing I will say is that black circles have turned into over price for the vast majority of tyres. They have become greedy from their own success.
Find the tyres you want then go asking about and looking through different websites. ATS, F1 Autocentres etc. You will be pleasantly surprised.
The one thing I like about Blackcircles is that you get an all in one price, unlike Camskill. I'm in quite a rural area but BC use a garage which is less then 2 miles away to fit tyres.Find the tyres you want then go asking about and looking through different websites. ATS, F1 Autocentres etc. You will be pleasantly surprised.
Find the yre on Black circles then phone your local garage and ask them for a price for it direct. Guaranteed they'll be cheaper as they then get a better cut for themselves and don't have to have BC take their cut, which is the bit that has risen in recent times.
Chicken Chaser said:
Sumitomo as mentioned above are actually Dunlop. A massive company and I believe make Falken also among others. That said, rubber compounds vary massively along with tread pattern so don't automatically assume they'll perform similar. Best to do your research.
Sumitomo are the parent company, Falken is their premium brand. They recently bought Dunlop (or are in the process of doing so) from Goodyear. They also own ProTyre and Micheldever wholesale in the UK. Maxym said:
Hankook supplied as OEM on my 2021 Mini Cooper.
Hankook is what most Audis come on these days.I stuck Vredesteins on a Ghibli I had as a stop gap Michelin were out of stock of the PS4S in the rear size.
They were better than the P zero Maserati approved tyres and little different to the PS4 at about 65% of the price.
When I bought my Giulia last year I was happy to see brand new tyres, then looked closely and saw they were RoadX RX Motion.
Then seeing in the history that it had been fitted with Michelin or similar up to being sold meant that the dealer had nabbed the good tyres.
To be fair, they aren't that bad. Dry and warm they are surprisingly grippy, which the reviews also say. As they are hard they are long lasting but also not so good in the wet, although I haven't experienced that. I'm not driving at 8/10s all the time so, at the moment, they suit me fine.
I've noticed a lot more RoadX vans driving around (Bond Tyres?) so they must be an up and coming brand.
Then seeing in the history that it had been fitted with Michelin or similar up to being sold meant that the dealer had nabbed the good tyres.
To be fair, they aren't that bad. Dry and warm they are surprisingly grippy, which the reviews also say. As they are hard they are long lasting but also not so good in the wet, although I haven't experienced that. I'm not driving at 8/10s all the time so, at the moment, they suit me fine.
I've noticed a lot more RoadX vans driving around (Bond Tyres?) so they must be an up and coming brand.
remedy said:
When I bought my Giulia last year I was happy to see brand new tyres, then looked closely and saw they were RoadX RX Motion.
Then seeing in the history that it had been fitted with Michelin or similar up to being sold meant that the dealer had nabbed the good tyres.
To be fair, they aren't that bad. Dry and warm they are surprisingly grippy, which the reviews also say. As they are hard they are long lasting but also not so good in the wet, although I haven't experienced that. I'm not driving at 8/10s all the time so, at the moment, they suit me fine.
I've noticed a lot more RoadX vans driving around (Bond Tyres?) so they must be an up and coming brand.
Ended up with a Road X on the daughters car to pass an MOT as the Conti had a split in the inside and it’s all the place had in stock, I expected to replace it, but it’s been fine, so replaced the other one to match, they are quite optimistically priced at times though, but we paid less than half the premium tyre price. Only on a Vauxhall.Then seeing in the history that it had been fitted with Michelin or similar up to being sold meant that the dealer had nabbed the good tyres.
To be fair, they aren't that bad. Dry and warm they are surprisingly grippy, which the reviews also say. As they are hard they are long lasting but also not so good in the wet, although I haven't experienced that. I'm not driving at 8/10s all the time so, at the moment, they suit me fine.
I've noticed a lot more RoadX vans driving around (Bond Tyres?) so they must be an up and coming brand.
Haltamer said:
I've always found that in smaller tyre sizes, the All Season offerings tend to be better than the Summer tyres.
Seems most of the Michelin / Goodyear / Conti 'flagship' summer tyres don't now stretch to the smaller sizes, so you're left with older patterns.
But, They do offer lots of up to date All Seasons!
https://www.camskill.co.uk/m137b0s7976p0/All_Seaso...
Of note in that selection Is the Vredestein Quatrac 5 - Very cheap, and a reasonable middle range offering.
And you get the rest of the All Season benefits for cold temperatures and snow - A good choice for year round safety.
I put Vredestein Quatrac 5 on our Fabia, because I wanted an assymetric all-season tyre. However they developed a cracked line all around the sidewall about 15mm from the wheel rim. They were always correctly inflated. I had to get rid of them well before they had worn and at only 3 years old. I went to Toyo Proxes Comfort. Seems most of the Michelin / Goodyear / Conti 'flagship' summer tyres don't now stretch to the smaller sizes, so you're left with older patterns.
But, They do offer lots of up to date All Seasons!
https://www.camskill.co.uk/m137b0s7976p0/All_Seaso...
Of note in that selection Is the Vredestein Quatrac 5 - Very cheap, and a reasonable middle range offering.
And you get the rest of the All Season benefits for cold temperatures and snow - A good choice for year round safety.
BricktopST205 said:
One thing I will say is that black circles have turned into over price for the vast majority of tyres. They have become greedy from their own success.
Find the tyres you want then go asking about and looking through different websites. ATS, F1 Autocentres etc. You will be pleasantly surprised.
Yes, I have found a local mobile tyre fitter that will supply and fit at less than the Blackcircles price. Even better for me as not only is he cheaper, I don't have to take the car anywhere.Find the tyres you want then go asking about and looking through different websites. ATS, F1 Autocentres etc. You will be pleasantly surprised.
trickywoo said:
Uniroyal rainsport 5 are usually the cheapest tyre worth having.
This.Hankook / Falken / Kumho also acceptable. I had a pair of Landsails fitted once when I was in a pinch and had to get to work the following morning. They were unbelievably dangerous. I literally threw them in the skip within 2 weeks of fitting them (and they were brand new tyres)!
Toyota and Yokohama are usually very good value mid range.
Sometimes worth playing with the size slightly (keeping diameter in line roughly with spec) finds better prices.
Could also look into buying smaller wheels, but I'm guessing on a Polo they won't be huge anyway so unlikely to save much.
I tend to find asdatyres cheaper than blackcircles.
Sometimes worth playing with the size slightly (keeping diameter in line roughly with spec) finds better prices.
Could also look into buying smaller wheels, but I'm guessing on a Polo they won't be huge anyway so unlikely to save much.
I tend to find asdatyres cheaper than blackcircles.
Based on magazine test results I chose the newest Hankook Ventus Evo for the rear of my CLS. They are excellent, and I will put some on the front when the time comes. I'd not regard them as 'budget' necessarily as they weren't cheap and in the tests more than held their own against the 'premium' brands.
I've had Falkens on other cars and wouldn't hesitate to recommend. Daughter has GT Radials on her Cooper and they seem good.
Some weird tyres called Triangle came fitted to a Discovery Sport we bought. I was suspicious of them at first but to be fair they've actually rather good.
I think there is a lot of mumbo-jumbo and ex-post justification on tyres. Unless you plan to lap the Nurburgring I'm sure they are all fine. In normal road use I've found absolutely no difference except to my bank balance in 'premium' tyres vs others.
The worst tyres I've had have been Pirelli P Zero and Bridgestone Potenza, because they wear really badly, dangerously so in the case of the Bridgestone.
I've had Falkens on other cars and wouldn't hesitate to recommend. Daughter has GT Radials on her Cooper and they seem good.
Some weird tyres called Triangle came fitted to a Discovery Sport we bought. I was suspicious of them at first but to be fair they've actually rather good.
I think there is a lot of mumbo-jumbo and ex-post justification on tyres. Unless you plan to lap the Nurburgring I'm sure they are all fine. In normal road use I've found absolutely no difference except to my bank balance in 'premium' tyres vs others.
The worst tyres I've had have been Pirelli P Zero and Bridgestone Potenza, because they wear really badly, dangerously so in the case of the Bridgestone.
carl_w said:
es, I have found a local mobile tyre fitter that will supply and fit at less than the Blackcircles price. Even better for me as not only is he cheaper, I don't have to take the car anywhere.
Yes black circles is nothing but an agency that are basically middle men which require a cut. They were great in the beginning because they basically pioneered online tyre ordering and I used them for years but going direct to local garages is always cheaper these days as they have their own online ordering systems. Conti sport contact 7 225/45/18. Tyres I had fitted last summer.
Black Circles advertise the same tyre for £656 fully fitted at F1 Autocentres. Direct from F1 Autocentre they are £527 fully fitted. £130 cheaper fitted from exactly the same place!!!
I paid £374 for all 4 back in August though. Crazy how tyre prices go up in winter!!!
I feel I've had enough experience with the whole budget tyre thing - here are a few;
Around 10 years ago I bought an Audi A4 with landsails, they had been fitted to the car prior to sale I assume to make it a little more attractive.
At the time I commuted once a week from Liverpool to Nottingham, I went to leave after the days work and found I had a "puncture" - thankfully there was a tyre place around the corner so managed to pump it up and get it there to see if they could do a repair.
Whilst I was waiting the chap called me over to inform me he had discovered that the tyres were not in fact punctured, but there was a linear split on the inner sidewall that was letting out air not only that but two of the other tyres on the car were also showing the same issue although not leaking air.
The tyres must have only covered around 3,000 miles at the time and I had always kept the pressure around 35PSI, no abnormal loads in the car either.
As the tyre place had no tyres of the same or similar size, I ended up needing to book a hotel in Nottingham until the tyre came in the next day.
Ended up costing me around £160, a night stuck away in Nottingham, and a full set of mid-range tyres when I got back home.
Another car I bought had a set of "Blacklion" branded tyres, I thought I would see them out before having them changed. Around 2000 miles later I thought I had buckled a wheel, went to see if I could get them seen to and was told two of the tyres had "mis shapen" and the wheels were fine.
Changed the tyres and the issue was gone, also noted the car was much, much quieter.
I bought a pair of Accelera tyres a few years back as I was strapped for cash at the time - they were very "unpredictable" tyres, found that in the same situation / scenario they would behave differently. I had a "moment" with them and opted at that point to never purchase another "budget" tyre again.
In reality, I bet the vast majority of cars are running budgets, the amount of times I take a look at tyres on cars I'm surprised at the number of budgets I see.
I suppose again the vast majority of drivers don't drive "hard" but ive seen a few performance orientated cars on what appears to be the "cheapest please mate" tyre.
I suppose my advice is to go for the best you can afford, for me if it means it will add another £200 - it just gets sweated out on the credit card a little longer.
Around 10 years ago I bought an Audi A4 with landsails, they had been fitted to the car prior to sale I assume to make it a little more attractive.
At the time I commuted once a week from Liverpool to Nottingham, I went to leave after the days work and found I had a "puncture" - thankfully there was a tyre place around the corner so managed to pump it up and get it there to see if they could do a repair.
Whilst I was waiting the chap called me over to inform me he had discovered that the tyres were not in fact punctured, but there was a linear split on the inner sidewall that was letting out air not only that but two of the other tyres on the car were also showing the same issue although not leaking air.
The tyres must have only covered around 3,000 miles at the time and I had always kept the pressure around 35PSI, no abnormal loads in the car either.
As the tyre place had no tyres of the same or similar size, I ended up needing to book a hotel in Nottingham until the tyre came in the next day.
Ended up costing me around £160, a night stuck away in Nottingham, and a full set of mid-range tyres when I got back home.
Another car I bought had a set of "Blacklion" branded tyres, I thought I would see them out before having them changed. Around 2000 miles later I thought I had buckled a wheel, went to see if I could get them seen to and was told two of the tyres had "mis shapen" and the wheels were fine.
Changed the tyres and the issue was gone, also noted the car was much, much quieter.
I bought a pair of Accelera tyres a few years back as I was strapped for cash at the time - they were very "unpredictable" tyres, found that in the same situation / scenario they would behave differently. I had a "moment" with them and opted at that point to never purchase another "budget" tyre again.
In reality, I bet the vast majority of cars are running budgets, the amount of times I take a look at tyres on cars I'm surprised at the number of budgets I see.
I suppose again the vast majority of drivers don't drive "hard" but ive seen a few performance orientated cars on what appears to be the "cheapest please mate" tyre.
I suppose my advice is to go for the best you can afford, for me if it means it will add another £200 - it just gets sweated out on the credit card a little longer.
aterribleusername said:
Chicken Chaser said:
Sumitomo as mentioned above are actually Dunlop. A massive company and I believe make Falken also among others. That said, rubber compounds vary massively along with tread pattern so don't automatically assume they'll perform similar. Best to do your research.
Sumitomo are the parent company, Falken is their premium brand. They recently bought Dunlop (or are in the process of doing so) from Goodyear. They also own ProTyre and Micheldever wholesale in the UK. Roman Moroni said:
...Prices range from £50 - £130 per corner ( https://www.blackcircles.com/tyres/175-70-14 )...
For those results I'd pick the Hankooks at £59.99They are only a tenner more each than the cheapest Chinese rubbish and will be perfectly good.
remedy said:
When I bought my Giulia last year I was happy to see brand new tyres, then looked closely and saw they were RoadX RX Motion.
Then seeing in the history that it had been fitted with Michelin or similar up to being sold meant that the dealer had nabbed the good tyres.
To be fair, they aren't that bad. Dry and warm they are surprisingly grippy, which the reviews also say. As they are hard they are long lasting but also not so good in the wet, although I haven't experienced that. I'm not driving at 8/10s all the time so, at the moment, they suit me fine.
I've noticed a lot more RoadX vans driving around (Bond Tyres?) so they must be an up and coming brand.
They're an in-house offering from Bond, same as their Churchill and Dynamo tyres. Then seeing in the history that it had been fitted with Michelin or similar up to being sold meant that the dealer had nabbed the good tyres.
To be fair, they aren't that bad. Dry and warm they are surprisingly grippy, which the reviews also say. As they are hard they are long lasting but also not so good in the wet, although I haven't experienced that. I'm not driving at 8/10s all the time so, at the moment, they suit me fine.
I've noticed a lot more RoadX vans driving around (Bond Tyres?) so they must be an up and coming brand.
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