going to open a tin of worms here

[TeddyRuxpin]

I had a knackered Nexen n6000 taken off my car (rear right) today as, even though there was some tread left and the outside looked fine, the inner seam had worn away and it was quite dangerous. All I could notice was that it was losing some air, I thought there was a nail in it and would be repaired

The Nexen actually receive better reviews than most budgets, though

I forgot about Toyo also, they're a good midrange brand too, from what I've read, although no direct experience

 

[l5foye]

Kumho (or Marshall-same company) get my vote. They last extremely well on 4x4s.

 

[E55BOF]

Take a look here:

Find the best tyres with the test search @ Tyretest.com

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I seem to recall that some Mercedes have left the factory with Khumo tyres fitted.

I used to get 30,000 miles from Continentals fitted to our W163 ML270 CDi. That was towing a twin axle caravan for probably 15-20% of that distance, and it was used to “make progress” where conditions allowed.

The Contientals weren’t the cheapest, but the combination of performance, confidence, and longevity meant that I fitted several sets during the (very very long) time we had it.

 

[kianok]

Changed all four from continentals to Hankook about 4K miles ago.

Can’t fault them and they are wearing far better than the contis.

 

[fabes]

Avon Zx7 are specific SUV tyres.
They're on our QQ+2 and neighbours Edge and we both like them

If they're available in your size, F1 Autocentres price them well...

 

[GeordieN]

I have 2012 Golf 2.0 tdi which also requires 4 new tyres. I can get cheap ones for £40 but decided to go with Pirelli at a deal from my Indy at £65 each. There’s a reason why top branded tyres are expensive .... wet roads being one of them. I’ve had the opportunity to see the difference between good and bad tyres on a skid pan.
As Teddy says mid range like Avon are ok but, avoid the cheaper Chinese/Korean stuff.

I agree but when looking at the tyre ratings which I now do I was amazed to see the top end tyre manufacturers tyre ratings are basically Pxxs poor and some mid range stuff having better ratings. Now i would of thought that the tyre ratings were checked and that you cant just chuck any sticker on them.
Its almost as if the main big names are just kicking tyres out knowing they will sell because of the name. another thing to remember is a lot of mid range tyres you dont recognise are made by these big main companies so you have to do some research.
Personally I would not put a tyre on mine unless it has a wet rating of at least a C.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

PS On our W163 ML270 CDi I recall Dunlop tyres wore out quickest, but were less expensive than Continental at the time.

PPS it really is difficult to know which tyre will be best value in the long run, or will perform best for a specific vehicle and/or type of use. As I think has already been suggested, advice from others is helpful, but can add even more choice and make a decision even more difficult.

Just because someone else found a particular tyre to be particularly good, being fitted to a different car, driven by a different driver, used in a different way might mean a different outcome. In fact Pirelli Pzero tyres homologated for Audi lasted twice as long on my black ML (~30,000 miles) , than Pirelli
Pzero tyres in an identical size but homologated for Mercedes on my silver ML (~15,000 miles)! Previously the same Pirelli Pzero tyre homologated for Porsche also lasted twice as long (~30,000 miles) on the silver ML!

No idea how. Both cars were driven mostly by me, with my wife covering some miles, driven in the same way. How the longevity can vary by such a large margin is unfathomable to me and my simple mind, but it just shows how you can get an unexpected result!

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[Gazwould]

Got some Chinese Three A P606 for my other car and within a year and a half family members ended up with 16 of them .

This was off the net but a local tyre company sells them so I see loads locally about .

Lo and he hold what is fitted on the rear of the Merc when I pick it up .

 

[Petrol Pete]

Here's my 2 pence worth. 15400 mile ago I fitted four new Avon ZZ5's to my AMG C55 at a total cost of £337.00. 255/35ZR18 rear 225/40/18 front.

Why Avon's ? No idea . When I bought the car it already had that make fitted and they worked for me, add to the fact (depending on size) they are still made in the UK...until the factory is moved to Eastern Europe soon

They have given me no surprises in the last 15400 miles and still have 4.5 mm of tread on the rears (RWD 'natch) and a bit more on the fronts. The V8 is my daily drive come sun or snow, I did go out in the snow once and they worked (ish ) but not recommended ! I will be replacing like for like before the end of this summer.

But you are correct in saying asking about tyre choice is opening a tin (I always thought it was 'can' ?...see , we can't even agree about that ! ) of worms .Go with your gut feeling but avoid very low budget stuff. Good luck

 

[alzieboy]

I had four new DAVANTI tyres fitted to our VW Golf 2.0 tdi ,
They have been excellent in wet and dry conditions, also are extremely quiet.

 

[Joderest]

great, thanks guys, as a thought, we use Continentals on a Ranger i drive at work (white car with blue lights, if you understand my drift) and it gets about 28,000 out of a set, it is driven like it was nicked sometimes !!!!!
Might well go for these.

 

[exvolvoman]

Just about to replace my Uniroyal RainExpert to Dunlop SP sport all round
Not impressed with the Uniroyal rears only lasted 18 months...could be down to my driving though !!

 

[markjay]

I seem to recall that some Mercedes have left the factory with Khumo tyres fitted...

I don't know about Khumo, but definitely quiet a few new Mercedes cars came with factory-fitted Hankook tyres in recent years.

 

[Gazwould]

I know about Kumho , probably an isolated bad batch..., but the most easily misspelt brand of tyre in the business .

 

[steveskeggy]

The only time I have ever been frightened when driving a car, was when I went to Boston and back (Around 50 miles).
I was in my old Lexus LS430, and it had Dunlops fitted all round.
It started to snow as we left Skegness, and half way to Boston, it was coming down fast, and settling.
Around the corners, the car was downright dangerous, along the straights, for no apparent reason, it would suddenly lose the rear end and head towards oncoming traffic.
If I had not done a bit of club rallying in my youth, and had the experience of what to do when the back end goes loose, I honestly think that we would not be alive today.
Needless to say, after that experience I always fit Michelins, and the AMG is very good in the snow.
I also had Goodyears all round on the Land Rover Freelander, it understeered like a greasy weasel, so I swapped the fronts for General Grabbers, and now it oversteers, the Hippo isnt the fastest car in the world, so its fun.

 

[markjay]

The only time I have ever been frightened when driving a car, was when I went to Boston and back (Around 50 miles).
I was in my old Lexus LS430, and it had Dunlops fitted all round.
It started to snow as we left Skegness, and half way to Boston, it was coming down fast, and settling.
Around the corners, the car was downright dangerous, along the straights, for no apparent reason, it would suddenly lose the rear end and head towards oncoming traffic.
If I had not done a bit of club rallying in my youth, and had the experience of what to do when the back end goes loose, I honestly think that we would not be alive today.
Needless to say, after that experience I always fit Michelins, and the AMG is very good in the snow.
I also had Goodyears all round on the Land Rover Freelander, it understeered like a greasy weasel, so I swapped the fronts for General Grabbers, and now it oversteers, the Hippo isnt the fastest car in the world, so its fun.

You may have gotten away with fitting a different brand of summer tyres... but if you are planning on any snow driving, then I suggest that you budget for proper winter tyres or at the very least some Michelin CrossClimates.

 

[BMF]

I was in Kent at a friends place last weekend, He has an Audi A7 Coupe. Out of curiosity I looked at his tyres, They are 275 x 35 x 21's and the cheapest I could find were £245 per corner, My W205 has 225 x 50 x 17 at around £110 per corner.

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

I recently needed a new rear tyre and stuck on the MB spec ContiSportContact 3 - it was the only premium choice they had, I would have gone for Michelin had I had the choice

Interestingly, the tyre shop said they don’t bother stocking too many options in this size, because the vast majority of people with relatively powerful, rear wheel drive cars opt for budgets as they ‘go through them so fast’

I actually found that a bit hard to believe...

 

[Gazwould]

CSC3 , a 9 year old design tyre