are my new cheap tyres safe

worried123

Hi all,

I had four new tyres fitted today by my local garage. My tyres were definitely on the limit....well 3 of them as one was new following a puncture......the repaired puncture was on the spare wheel and not really much good....

My car has been in the doldrums lately with so much going wrong with it.....it has 75,000 now....had it from new and need it for work...drive around all day long....following a repair and a service, funds couldnt stretch to expensive tyres and wouldnt put them on my aging 03 reg car anyway.....but!

I was thinking of nearly new used ones but the garage said that i should get new ones (they are very honest and have a good reputation...always extremely busy).....said they would `do me a deal` on four new tyres....put the nearly new one on my spare........Okay, it only cost me £230 for four new tyres fitted and a `super tracking`...........but.....

The tyres are worrying me now......they are called, `Hifly`......I have googled them and nobody seems to sell them and any mention of them is that they are very cheap tyres made in china........I knew that I wasnt going to get pirelli tyres but now i am really worried......about my safety too......i travel on the motorway a lot (a mere female who knows nothing about cars)..........and if they are that cheap, `where is the `deal`...???? in my heart i feel that i have simply got a set of cheap rubbish tyres that arent going to last five minutes and could possibly be dangerous???

Has anybody any knowledge of `hyfly` tyres....are they rubbish and an accident waiting to happen?...certainly, there is no way that i can afford to replace them now but just really worried about them....I was charged £44 per tyre plus vat - so about £53.75 each.........doesnt even seem cheap for such an apparently rubbish tyre.....I am sure for that price (which i know is cheap for a tyre) I could have bought a good quality, partly used, well known brand....which i feel would have been safer and maybe even last longer than these will....

Any thoughts or knowledge of these tyres would be much appreciated.....am I going to be safe

Many thanks

Joe_Horner

I don't know Hyfly as a brand, but don't worry about all the talk out there about "ditchfinders" and cheap tyres being dangerous. The simple fact is, if they don't meet the (strict) legal requirements for sale in this country then they wouldn't be on sale.

You'll find that they probably won't last as long as a premium brand, but does it really matter to you if they "only" last 15 - 20k miles instead of maybe 25 - 30?

You'll also find that they (probably) won't have as much "ultimate" grip as a premium brand. But hopefully you're not driving at the limit of grip anyway, so that's nothing like the issue some people claim it to be.

The flip side of that is that a lot of budget tyres are actually more forgiving if you do push past their limit - they tend to give far more warning that they're losing grip rather than holding on to the very end then letting go suddenly

Similarly, wet performance is likely to be less than a premium tyre. But the simple answer to that is what good drivers have been doing for decades - slow down a little if it's wet!

The bottom line is that most people who get involved in tyre discussions online are self-proclaimed driving gods who need and can (allegedly) safely use that extra grip on the public road. Us mere mortals, on the other hand, just drive sensibly and won't have any problem at all with any tyre legally on sale in the UK.

forgotmyname

They will probably take a fair bit longer to stop, Especially in the wet. Cornering speeds will be reduced.

You just need to be aware they are cheap tyres, So no driving like a loony, No tailgating especially sporty cars with better tyres/brakes.

Tyre life will probably be less also. Would you have saved money by buying a better brand, Most probably yes.. But its too late now.

Drive within the limits of the cars and tyres.

If you have driven older cars then you will know what its like to have skinny tyres and less grip.

worried123

Thank you both very much indeed......

Joe Horner, you have made me feel much better and less worried. Thank you so much....

I am generally a careful driver and your statement that tyres have to meet strict legal requirements has made me feel sooo much better.......

Thank you again for taking the time....much appreciated.

Best wishes

RichardD1970

jessijass wrote: »

A defective Tyre can pretense a severe protection risk and can overthrow a car assurance strategy, so far for many drivers choosing the right tyre is a wish buy that involves little investigate. You should check the air pressure once a month to get the best from your treys.

What????????

photome

jessijass wrote: »

A defective Tyre can pretense a severe protection risk and can overthrow a car assurance strategy, so far for many drivers choosing the right tyre is a wish buy that involves little investigate. You should check the air pressure once a month to get the best from your treys.

reported as spam, it may not be but it def doesnt make any sense.

OP dont worry, they may even last longer. if they are not going to stop as quick or corner as well, like some say, then they may be a harder compound so give longer life.

anotherbaldrick

I think the only time the everyday driver gets to test the limits of his cars capability is when the INCIDENT happens. When a car comes out right in front of you, a car round the bend ahead on the wrong side, approaching lorry has a blowout etc. Only in these rare but serious situations when instinctive reactions take over do we find if our rubbers are going to save us !

jase1

I've driven a borrowed car for a couple of hundred miles (55-plate Nissan Almera) which had HiFly tyres on the front. Tyres were 5-6mm all round.

They were just fine actually. Part of the journey was in p!ssing rain, and I didn't feel unsafe. The car behaved itself, and didn't lose grip once -- felt a bit squirrelly around some roundabouts but nothing I couldn't handle.

Nah, I wouldn't say they're unsafe. Not exactly brilliant, but OK.

arcon5

At least if you're driving your car not feeling safe - you will find your driving style adjusted and anticipation much better, thus actually making your journey much more safer than had you bought top of the range tyres anyway.

worried123

Thank you everyone - very grateful indeed.

I thought that some would say they are rubbish tyres, change them, etc and make me feel worse about them but everyone has made me feel much better with their supportive replies.

I shall stop worrying about them now....

Thanks again - much appreciated

Best wishes

EdGasket

Maybe they are called Hifly for a reason; like that's what happens when you try to go round a bend
.......only joking