Car Tyres - Premium vs Budget, but the part no where seems to address.

peter_the_piper

Just been looking at tyres for a pug107. Various makes and prices all have the same/very similar specs. Just how is a customer supposed to know the difference between those of the same spec? Higher price does not always mean a better tyre does it?

Joe_Horner

Yes

Couldn't comment how my budget rubber would cope in an emergency because in 30+ years I can honestly say I've never had to brake that hard except for once on my driving test when some old guy hit the windscreen with a folder.

Just lucky I guess.

A._Badger

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

Interesting - not the first time I've head complaints about Contis prematurely cracking.

Add me to that list. I've had Continentals cracking well before I'd have expected to see such a problem. The Mercedes specialist who services my car (and thus sees a lot of Contis) says he's seen a lot of it too and he avoids them as a consequence.

It's hard to believe that Continental isn't aware of this and I'd be fascinated to hear an explanation of what is going on.

facade

Yes

Me too, the Continentals on my car started cracking badly at around 3 years old, but not a problem as they are so soft that they don't last much beyond that anyway. (Which wouldn't be a problem if I did more than 6000 a year......)

More seriously, the Continentals on my pushbike cracked and split after a couple of seasons too. I use schwalbe tyres now on the pushbike, and Chinese ditchfinders on the car, in both cases they show no signs of cracking, and much less signs of wear too.

King_Nothing

No

Only put premium tyres on my car, next ones I'm looking at are about £170 a corner :O

Nebulous2

It's more complicated than that

facade wrote: »

More seriously, the Continentals on my pushbike cracked and split after a couple of seasons too. I use schwalbe tyres now on the pushbike, and Chinese ditchfinders on the car, in both cases they show no signs of cracking, and much less signs of wear too.

I use Schwalbe marathons (not the marathon plus) on my commuter bike, and they're pretty much bombproof, but they don't grip very well. I wouldn't let them near my good bike, but a set of continental GP 4000s wear out in less than a season - before any cracking would start.

I have a trailer with mini-truck tyres. I bought it second-hand and I've done about 15000 miles with it, over 8-10 years. It still has the tyres it came with - I also got a spare. I can't find any cracking on them at all and it sits outside.

facade

Yes

Nebulous2 wrote: »

I use Schwalbe marathons (not the marathon plus) on my commuter bike, and they're pretty much bombproof, but they don't grip very well. I wouldn't let them near my good bike, but a set of continental GP 4000s wear out in less than a season - before any cracking would start.

Usually the case- tyres with any degree of grip wear out quickly.

Found that out in The Olden Days. Mitchelin X and then ZX would last pretty much forever, but they had less grip, wet or dry, than the Chinese ditchfinders I use now. In those days, Pirelli were about the best for grip.

Dandytf

It's more complicated than that

I replaced 2 of 4 tyres with ‘premium tyres’ a few years ago.
What a mistake from my then 2nd hand 5 year car.
Accident a few months later-ambulance driver mentioned ‘2 good tyres’
Think I shouldn’t have replaced tyres like for like.

cjmillsnun

Premium. They give more grip.

Think about it this way. 4 points no bigger than the palm of your hand are the only points of contact between your car and the road.

Michelin tyres for my car are about £70 a corner.

Apodemus

It's more complicated than that

Joe_Horner wrote: »

Couldn't comment how my budget rubber would cope in an emergency because in 30+ years I can honestly say I've never had to brake that hard except for once on my driving test when some old guy hit the windscreen with a folder.

Just lucky I guess.

Luck and environment! Around here, deer running across the road are a constant hazard that gets the heart racing much more than your “old guy with a folder”!