Car tyres, to buy branded or non-branded?

baser999

ontheroad1970 said:

Herzlos said:

ontheroad1970 said:

Iceweasel said:

And the A rating was decided by the tyre manufacturer themselves, and checked for accuracy by ......... no-one.

To be fair, this is the same for  the top of the market as well as the bottom end of the market.

But the top of the market is trading on reputation, whereas the bottom is trading on price.

If Michelin released tyres with, say, terrible wet grip despite rated A, it could cost them enormous contracts with manufacturers etc and potentially sink them.
If Linglong released tyres that had the same terrible wet grip and A rating, would anyone care?

How much of that reputation is built on marketing?  Moët & Chandon champagne is a rancid acidic drink yet is respected as being one of the best, when I'd sooner drink regular Prosecco.  All down to marketing.  That's a more extreme version, but I'd say at least 50% of the reputation of the big tyre companies is down to marketing alone.

That’s just your opinion on Moët, regarded by the industry as one of the best. Similarly tyres are rated by the industry, not by the amount of advertising money thrown at a particular brand. When it comes to safety, the tyre industry wouldn’t dare risk adding their name to a product that was knowingly unsafe. 

What OP buys in the end is down to them

Herzlos

Some reputation is down to marketing, some to history and some to inertia. It can all be lost quickly by releasing an inferior product or what is perceived as an inferior product. If one car manufacturer dropped Michelin tyres due to quality issues, then it'd cause serious ripples.

That isn't an issue with a no-name brand, because it's selling based on price alone. No-one is buying LingLongs over Michelin because they prefer them.

Desmond_Hume

Herzlos said:

 No-one is buying LingLongs over Michelin because they prefer them.

Well I for one prefer the taste of them.

HillStreetBlues

Arunmor said:

The older I get the better my tyres get.

The older I get, the bigger my tyre gets.

MikeJXE

This thread reminds me of when I asked my son how much I should pay for a crash helmet ?

His reply was how much is your head worth. 

ontheroad1970

baser999 said:

ontheroad1970 said:

Herzlos said:

ontheroad1970 said:

Iceweasel said:

And the A rating was decided by the tyre manufacturer themselves, and checked for accuracy by ......... no-one.

To be fair, this is the same for  the top of the market as well as the bottom end of the market.

But the top of the market is trading on reputation, whereas the bottom is trading on price.

If Michelin released tyres with, say, terrible wet grip despite rated A, it could cost them enormous contracts with manufacturers etc and potentially sink them.
If Linglong released tyres that had the same terrible wet grip and A rating, would anyone care?

How much of that reputation is built on marketing?  Moët & Chandon champagne is a rancid acidic drink yet is respected as being one of the best, when I'd sooner drink regular Prosecco.  All down to marketing.  That's a more extreme version, but I'd say at least 50% of the reputation of the big tyre companies is down to marketing alone.

That’s just your opinion on Moët, regarded by the industry as one of the best. Similarly tyres are rated by the industry, not by the amount of advertising money thrown at a particular brand. When it comes to safety, the tyre industry wouldn’t dare risk adding their name to a product that was knowingly unsafe. 

What OP buys in the end is down to them

My opinion is based on a certain amount of expertise since I am trained to sommelier standard.  I can tell you that Moët is one of the least respected champagne houses.  It's just famous and spends lots of money on marketing.  It's over acidic in the extreme.  Tyres are rated by their manufacturer, not by the industry as there is no independent industry standard.  This lack of objectivity is balanced by certain measurable standards, but counteracted by the lack of independent standards.  I'd buy mid price over top end brands any day of the week.  

molerat

ontheroad1970 said:

 I'd buy mid price over top end brands any day of the week.  

Which is what I do, often they are a sub brand of a major premium tyre manufacturer.

Looking at just one supplier website the 18" premium brand summer tyres on my car, fitted at the factory, would cost £170 to replace.  I could get a tyre for £72 or a mid range all season for £127.

jefaz07

You have probably made your decision now but my experience is that I ditched the run flats for normal tyres. And in my opinion it’s the only bit between my car and the road and so I have bought premium Goodyear tyres. Currently have Continental winter tyres fitted. 

born_again

ontheroad1970 said:

Iceweasel said:

And the A rating was decided by the tyre manufacturer themselves, and checked for accuracy by ......... no-one.

To be fair, this is the same for  the top of the market as well as the bottom end of the market.

Except that there are many reviewers on U-Tube that would soon call out a mainstream manufacture in their testing. Unlike the unbranded co's who tend to not get tested.

ontheroad1970

I wouldn't rely on online reviews they are too dependent on google ads.  Some are shills too.