Tyres - What is the Truth?

s_b

Strider590 wrote: »

It's the tyre/exhaust fitters that come out with this non-sense.

Tyre/exhaust outlets (crapfit etc) get cheap unknown brand tyre's at silly low prices.
Lets say for example they buy a Bridgestone tyre at £80 each and sell it for £120. They buy the same size "ditch finder xl" for £20 each and sell it for £75.
You think it's a bargain, but they're making more profit. But also they don't want you going away and telling people they charged you a fortune.

So it's better for them to sell the cheap rubbish.

unfortunately this is not true
there is a world shortage of the rubber needed to make new tyres so the idea that you can buy a tyre at £20 and sell it for £80 doesn't exist and never did
tyres have always been ultra competitive,i used to make £5 a tyre just to compete and was driven out of the market
today tyres are like oil bought on the spot market before you even get your container
cheap tyres are a thing of the past
remember also r and d its so easy for the chinese to copy a tread pattern but not so easy to make a tyre that grips in all conditions
cheap tyres are cheap for a reason

jase1

Some very cheap tyres are of poor quality. This is beyond question.

However just because this is true, don't assume that all "premium"-brand tyres are premium. For example, Michelin Energy tyres don't grip any better than a lot of value tyres. Pirelli P6000s are actually worse than many budget efforts. And Continentals don't last any longer than most budget tyres. Some "budget" tyres are manufactured by very credible Japanese and Korean manufacturers (Toyo, Falken, Hankook and Khumo), and despite being cheaper than the big 5 will outperform them at the same price range.

In other words, it pays to do your homework.

broxiebear1

for someone that does 17000 plus miles a year and do a lot of motorway driving i would recomend mid range to premium tyres
budget tyres wont last 17000 plus miles then theres the grip on wet roads road noise , i work in a tyre garage and i see it all the time people buying budget tyres rather than premium ones or even mid range michelin is the best for wear and road noise but they are the most expensive i cant even remember the last tine i fitted that brand best advixe i can give is pick a brand say goodyear then shop around for best price there are even some firms that come to you
look at E TYRES that will give you a good iidea about prices
watch out for add ons as well new valve ,wheel balance, xasing disposal, and wheel alignment.
broxie x

Strider590

s_b wrote: »

unfortunately this is not true
there is a world shortage of the rubber needed to make new tyres so the idea that you can buy a tyre at £20 and sell it for £80 doesn't exist and never did
tyres have always been ultra competitive,i used to make £5 a tyre just to compete and was driven out of the market
today tyres are like oil bought on the spot market before you even get your container
cheap tyres are a thing of the past
remember also r and d its so easy for the chinese to copy a tread pattern but not so easy to make a tyre that grips in all conditions
cheap tyres are cheap for a reason

But you've just said it yourself, it's "ultra competitive".... Your top brands make almost no profit. Now imagine your a big tyre/exhaust chain and you've got a supplier in China making tyre's in bulk for next to nothing...... Something the independents don't have access to.

bigjl

Must admit I would fit Michelin Primacy on a car like that.

All these people that say mpg is not affected by the tyres are wrong, hence why low rolling resistance tyres are fitted to cars like the Prius or Bluemotions.

I never thought the difference would that noticable till I put Sava Intensa HP tyres on my Mondeo, they are a Slovakian tyre and the Co is owned by GoodYear. I had wanted Vredesteins but they were out of stock so i chucked on cheapies to replace the Toyo Proxes that were on there.

The result was a 4/5 mpg drop in fuel.economy, what a nightmare, the tread is very open in design so they are noisy when turning at low speeds, the compound is very soft aswell. They do grip well in the dry and are safe and predictable in the wet.

But nearly 5 mpg less! That is 10%!

I honestly wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself.

At this rate i would have saved money going to Costco and getting Michelins.

Actually mikey72 posted up about the Costco tyre offer only a couple of days after i bought them, Michelins would have been £7 more each, aargh.

Back to the OP, we have had Michelin Primacys on our Zafiras for 2 yrs now and they last well and are a quality tyre, one vehicle had Michelin Energy tyres fitted it was more comfy but was a little frisky in the wet.

I also had one that had the OE Continentals on it, not sure what they were, but it was easily as good as the Primacy.

Strangely the wifes Clio had Continentals on it, they were poor in the snow and wore out quickly but they were vwry quiet in use.

Toyo T1R are a decent tyre and very cheap for the performance. I have had them.on several cars and also the now defunct T1S tyre which wore out quicker and was a bit noisier.

Why not find out what was on there from new? I would think Continental or Michelin.

Hintza

bigjl wrote: »

Strangely the wifes Clio had Continentals on it, they were poor in the snow and wore out quickly but they were vwry quiet in use.

Your quote above covers thee variables and your whole post covers a few more. This highlights the problem we have, no tyre can cover all the bases and you have to do your research. The problemwith this is in the UK we are pretty poor at producing tyre reviews and in most instances have to rely on the German reviews.

After doing a bit of research I am currently on Cooper ATR for the Jeep bsed mainly on an Australian review. But I am fullly aware that climatic conditions are very different and winter driving will be the real test.

Also bought a pair of small Coopers for the Panda and I suspect they are going to be poor in the snow, so I am slightly regretting that purchase but again I will wait and see but suspect I will switch them to the back if I notice any problems.

For me though I tend to scour the middle brands for value.

SueC_2

bigjl wrote: »

Why not find out what was on there from new? I would think Continental or Michelin.

Dunlops from new and always stuck with them till last week, when I needed an urgent change, couldn't wait for tyres to be ordered, and the only brand in stock were Michelin. So I now have Michelin on the front and Dunlop on the back.

I did feel a bit 'sold to' by the tyre place, so wanted to check opinion. I have to say I'm probably a bit more confused now than I was at the beginning of the thread!

mikey72

I've got michelin energies on mine, good grip, good in the wet, appear to last well.
Korean and malaysian tyres are doing well now, I can't think of many actually made in Japan.
Chinese are improving, buy I wouldn't use them for extended motorway runs, just for the one time you may need to stop quickly in the wet. Indian tyres are still lacking as well.
Turkey is another popular ciuntry, but some good.some bad reports for their products.
It actually says on the tyre the country they were made in.

Another poster on here had tried Barum Bravuris 2 which are made by Continental.

(Question for Hintza, where are the Coopers for the Panda made now? Any chance of having a quick look and posting back? Ta)

Hintza

mikey72 wrote: »

(Question for Hintza, where are the Coopers for the Panda made now? Any chance of having a quick look and posting back? Ta)

Boss is off to work in the Panda but will try to remember to check this evening.

You have raised a good question I am pretty sure I ASSUMED they were made in USA, but?????????

Will get back to you

Wig

25 years of driving on cheapest tyres I could buy, I never have found a ditch. 15 years no claims. Currently doing 12,000 a year, previously did 60,000 a year.

If you are a sensible careful driver you will never find a ditch.

"it's the only thing keeping your car on the road" :rotfl: this line always makes me LMFAO