Cheap Tyres or Expensive Tyres ???

boatman

As a guide to tyre wear you could use the American system, this appears on many tyres here too..
http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoTreadwear.dos

As a matter of interest they have tyres in the USA that have a 100,000mile guarantee, and some tyres have a tyre wear grade of 800, many UK tyres are around the 300 mark.

Young_Pretender

esuhl wrote: »

If you don't know the difference between good and bad tyres till it's too late... How do you know which ones to buy? From what you're saying, some tyres are good, some tyres are bad, so you might as well just go for the cheapest you can find.

Nope. Some tyres will have been designed for a specific goal, but if they're "Goodyear" for example you know that certain minimum specifications regarding safety, grip and wear have been met. IF they're "Dy-yung Skidmaster Pros" or "Grip-less Ditchfinders" they won't have had anything like the thought put into their construction.
Using Goodyear as an example - Eagle NCT5's use a harder compound and contant bands around the tyre to improve economy nad tyre wear, at the expense of outright performance.
Eagle DS3's used a soft compound and a more aggressive tread pattern to maximise grip at the expense of more tyre wear and road noise. They were also slightly more expensive as they were aimed at the performance market.

Both are excellent tyres and perfectly safe, but if you're a B-road hooligan the first ones will diasppoint, if you want them to last 20,000 miles the second ones will diasppoint.
Do your research, look at consumer review sites and manufacturer sites and then shop around for the best price and you'll end up with safe, good tyres that meet your requirements.

vaio

Young_Pretender wrote: »

Nope. Some tyres will have been designed for a specific goal, but if they're "Goodyear" for example you know that certain minimum specifications regarding safety, grip and wear have been met. IF they're "Dy-yung Skidmaster Pros" or "Grip-less Ditchfinders" they won't have had anything like the thought put into their construction.
Using Goodyear as an example - Eagle NCT5's use a harder compound and contant bands around the tyre to improve economy nad tyre wear, at the expense of outright performance.
Eagle DS3's used a soft compound and a more aggressive tread pattern to maximise grip at the expense of more tyre wear and road noise. They were also slightly more expensive as they were aimed at the performance market.

Both are excellent tyres and perfectly safe, but if you're a B-road hooligan the first ones will diasppoint, if you want them to last 20,000 miles the second ones will diasppoint.
Do your research, look at consumer review sites and manufacturer sites and then shop around for the best price and you'll end up with safe, good tyres that meet your requirements.

Yep, GSD3 grip & grip & grip. I'm just changing from winter tyres and just got a set of 225/45/17, a smidge under £380 on blackcircles and local indie price matched

Inactive

harryhound wrote: »

In France they won't sell you a single tyre - as I understand it out there they expect you to have at least a matching pair on a given "axle".

.

Similar in Spain, it seems that as usual the UK lags behind.

Mikeinho

I love a bargain, but my advice - don't scrimp on tyres. This is actually a subject I’ve been looking at for some time now, especially since recent events linked to the bad winter weather.

The most important thing about driving on public roads is safety, and the key factor here is the ability to stop your vehicle quickly and safely.

Some cheaper tyres may look identical to major manufacturers, but they use completely different rubber compounds and construction methods, which can result in poor performance (e.g. premature tyre degradation, increased stopping distances, etc). I've bought cheap tyres in the past, but found this to be a 'false economy', as they do not last nearly as long as the equivalent recognised brands.

For some time now, I've only bought Michelin Energy Saver. They are one of the most expensive tyres on the market, but I've only had to buy one new tyre in the last 24K miles. The wheels have never stepped-out on a roundabout (rain or shine), and I was able to run my car EVERY day through that terrible winter we just had.

My brother-in-law has the same make & model of car but with inferior tyres, and he couldn’t get the car out of the drive for over 6 weeks during the winter. Because he had to leave it there for so long, the rear brakes seized, and it cost nearly 300 quid for new discs & pads to be fitted... all because of the cheap tyres he bought.

The laws on tyre condition in the UK are very limited, so you can put virtually any tyres on your wheels without considering the impact of your actions. However, it is fact that putting the correct tyres on your vehicle could make the difference between life & death or serious injury (yours, your passengers, and other road users including pedestrians).

You wouldn't wear bowling shoes on an ice-rink or go hill walking in your slippers, so why put cheap/inferior tyres on your car?

Many of the big name brands make tyres specifically designed for your vehicle and are approved by your vehicle’s manufacturer. Some also employ ‘hidden groove’ technology, which simply means more grooves appear in your tyres as they wear down, making them more effective in slippery conditions.

Don’t just take my word for this though... go investigate more for yourself before you buy your next tyre(s).

Eric_Pisch

Inactive wrote: »

Similar in Spain, it seems that as usual the UK lags behind.

there is a new system coming in from the EU in 2012 i think, all tyres will be rated for wet stopping, economy and wear, there is a minimum standard for each. Cut slick tyres found on many track cars will be banned from road use.

US tyres are often branded the same here but are made differently so you need caution when using them as a comparison.

ultra cheap tyres may use the "old" moulds but they use the cheapest crap compounds they can get, tests constantly show they can double your wet stopping distance

a lot of modern sports cars take into account the tyre wall "flex" when they setup the rebound rates so stick with the tyres the car came with if you have one.

ailuro2

LandyAndy wrote: »

I'm sure I have read the following, several times, in Practical Classics magazine.

When a premium manufacturer develops a new tyre they are left with designs and moulds that they no longer require. They do not throw these in the bin. They sell them to 'second level' or 'budget' manufacturers. These manufacturers then produce tyres to these old standards.

Michelin doesn't do that. trust me on that.
Go for a premium brand energy saver and one of the tyres will pay for itself in petrol savings.
try to get a buy 3 get 4th free offer, there's another free tyre.
Before you know it you got your premium tyres half price.

It's MSE all over, it's about buying something you want at the best price you can get it for, not buying the cheapest for it to wear out in a short space of time.

Make sure your tyres are at the correct pressure, this costs you up to 5% in fuel, and also wears them more quickly.

Get your tracking checked if the wear is on one side of the tyre tread.

ailuro2

boatman wrote: »

As a guide to tyre wear you could use the American system, this appears on many tyres here too..
http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoTreadwear.dos

As a matter of interest they have tyres in the USA that have a 100,000mile guarantee, and some tyres have a tyre wear grade of 800, many UK tyres are around the 300 mark.

The tyres made for the American market have different limits on them for performance, they are designed more for long straight roads, not round the winding country lanes we have, it's a similar tyre but it can't be fairly compared.

Premium tyre manufacturers are spending a lot of R&D money on improving grip without reducing tyre life. It will be years before the cheaper ones have caught up.;)

cyclonebri1

I can also vouch for Michelin Energy savers, They lasted 25K on the front of my car, and are still on the rear at 47K but getting "ready". I replaced with the same.

Actually I found a set of 4 205 x14s to fit my car. Brand new delivery mileage alloys with Mich eng savers, looking wheel bolts and key etc, identical to those on my car.
£200 from someone on ebay who put bigger wheels on their brand new car :money:Bargain.

jk23

As someone who has bought tyres of all price ranges, I have to say the more expensive, the longer they last.

I have used a few brands on cars in our household and some Asian tyre companies are really up to par now. Being a mid to upper price but with top quality!

Hankook Ventus, Hankook Optimo, and Toyo Proxes are fantastic ( especially for the more sporty cars out there ) Long life, fantastic grip and great feel!