going to open a tin of worms here

[markjay]

CSC3 , a 9 year old design tyre

It's a tyre... not an iPhone...

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

Annoyingly the only one Conti do in that size

 

[Deleted member 37751]

ok, i think this tin of worms may well be too big and i will close it again
There are so many makes of tyres now, it confuses the hell out of me, had a look on line and in about five minuets found this lot all do a 255/60/17
KUMHO,ACCELERA,AUTOGRIP,ROADCLAW,HIFLY,NANKING,LINGLONG
i think i may well bite the bullet and get decent ones, Goodyear or simular.

From that list I’d buy (and have bought previously) Kumho and Nankang and would gladly recommend either.

The Accelera though is the worse tyre I’ve ever had the misfortune to drive a vehicle with; brand new set on s 2010 X5 and in the wet they were out and out dangerous (and that was driving steady!)

 

[Eddy77]

My Mercedes has always worn Avon ZZ5s (I think that’s the model). Our old mondeo ran on uniroyal rainsports for years. Both cars have never given any surprises. New audi is on Pirelli P Zeros but I doubt I will use them when they need replacing. Suspect I will go with uniroyal again as it’s a family wagon and wet weather braking etc is more important than high speed cornering!

 

[Joderest]

Thanks all.
I recon I have about two months of life left in the Goodyear's.
I think its going to be the Khumo, as reviews are good and about £100 a corner

 

[248cmr]

Never understood why people get themselves in such a tizz over the cost of tyres; they're the one thing that connects your car to the road. Good tyres will help you stop and turn better in all conditions, going cheap never made any sense to me.

At say £600 a set, if you're getting over 10,000 miles or so then the cost of them will be far less significant than fuel and perhaps repairs/servicing, depending on the car.

Kumho are supposed to be decent, definitely not top tier on the tests, usually comfort or road noise let's them down, but they should do you fine.

 

[markjay]

The issue here isn't that people are knowingly paying less for dangerous tyres.... the point is that if you believe that premium-brand tyres are not any better than budget tyres, then why pay more?

If you want people to buy premium-brand tyres, you need to demonstrate or otherwise convince them first that the more-expensive tyres are indeed better or safer.

Regarding the mileage you get out of the tyres... I suspect that the tyre compound isn't actually the most significant factor here.

The key factors are probably tyre pressures, suspension geometry, individual driving style, type of driving (city vs motorway), type of surface driven on, weight/load, and ambient temperatures. As said I believe these will have more significant effect on tyre service life than the actual tyre make and model (the tyre compound is still undeniably a factor, but probably not the most influencial one).

 

[Deadly Dave]

£200 saved on cheaper tyres doesn't pay for much panel beating!

 

[Bellow]

Regarding the mileage you get out of the tyres... I suspect that the tyre compound isn't actually the most significant factor here.

The key factors are probably tyre pressures, suspension geometry, individual driving style, type of driving (city vs motorway), type of surface driven on, weight/load, and ambient temperatures. As said I believe these will have more significant effect on tyre service life than the actual tyre make and model (the tyre compound is still undeniably a factor, but probably not the most influencial one).

I tried on a FWD hot hatch just about every tyre on the market. From the Dunlops it came with through Falkens, etc, etc until I tried Michelins. Where the fronts were shot in 5-6000 miles, the Michelins went to 10,000. I've not deviated from Michelin since.
While all the other tyres performed very similarly (but for longevity), the Michelins had something extra that is hard to quantify. Just a more secure feel, never letting go suddenly and always with feedback that let me know how close to that point I was and no catastrophic loss of grip when the limit was breached. Things may have changed though, it was some time ago.

 

[BMF]

I know from my 15 years on Motorcycles that although there are good budget tyres out there it really isn't worth the risk, especially when you think that the actual contact patch of the rear tyre is about half the size of the palm of you hand and the front is even less. With a car tyre that contact patch is a bit bigger times 4 and up till now I hadn't put much thought in to my car tyres, when advised that I've needed tyres I opted for good budget tyres but since having my W205 and how quiet it is compared to any other car I've had I have been researching what options there are for it. At the moment it has Continental sport Contact 5's and I'm in two minds as to what to put on when needed, I like the contact 5's but the Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance seem a good alternative with a 'B' rating for fuel economy, 'A' rating for grip and 68db noise and at £105 per corner fitted.

 

[steveskeggy]

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.

Thing is, the Miches do the job all year round for me.
I dont pretend that its a Caterham around corners, I dont try and slide cars around roundabouts anymore (I grew out of that).
If its snowing bad these days, I get out the Land Rover hippo, does for me.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

It's a tyre... not an iPhone...

F1 tyre technology changes annually - .............

 

[Joderest]

does anyone know or understand why Goodyear tyres increased their prices over 25%.
18 months ago, 100 a corner, same tyre now 126 a corner

 

[Bellow]

does anyone know or understand why Goodyear tyres increased their prices over 25%.
18 months ago, 100 a corner, same tyre now 126 a corner

Exchange rate?

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

It's 2 tonnes of metal being supported by four pawprints of rubber, about the size of your hand, as you accelerate and brake, in rain or snow.

If you're worried about trimming off £200 over a 16,000 mile tyre life, you really should be swopping it for a Mondeo estate, which will do the job just as well, for a lot less. Hell, the saving on fuel would justify it in itself.

The one thing I would add is if you rock up to Kwikfit, they will charge you 10-15% more than someone who shops around by phone, or internet. There's that much of a difference. So shop around by internet and phone. People will give a discount if you ask, and they will give a discount for four tyres in one hit.

[/QUOTE]

 

[markjay]

It's 2 tonnes of metal being supported by four pawprints of rubber, about the size of your hand, as you accelerate and brake, in rain or snow.

If you're worried about trimming off £200 over a 16,000 mile tyre life, you really should be swopping it for a Mondeo estate, which will do the job just as well, for a lot less. Hell, the saving on fuel would justify it in itself.

The one thing I would add is if you rock up to Kwikfit, they will charge you 10-15% more than someone who shops around by phone, or internet. There's that much of a difference. So shop around by internet and phone. People will give a discount if you ask, and they will give a discount for four tyres in one hit.

Personally I am all in favour of premium tyre brands, and usually buy Conti, Michelin, Dunlop, etc, but I also think that the argument against buying premium tyres is a valid one.

The point isn't that budget tyres are cheaper and less safe.... but that budget tyres are just as good as premium tyres.

So if you believe that premium tyre cost more simply because of the brand name and marketing hype, then buying budget tyres makes perfect sense.

 

[Benzowner]

I'm old enough to remember when Avon tyres was a budget brand. As Markjay says, premium tyres have premium prices but are not necessarily the best option. I never drive on the limit or even close to it so budgets suit me fine. I generally use Maxxis tyres.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

It's 2 tonnes of metal being supported by four pawprints of rubber, about the size of your hand, as you accelerate and brake, in rain or snow.

If you're worried about trimming off £200 over a 16,000 mile tyre life, you really should be swopping it for a Mondeo estate, which will do the job just as well, for a lot less. Hell, the saving on fuel would justify it in itself.

The one thing I would add is if you rock up to Kwikfit, they will charge you 10-15% more than someone who shops around by phone, or internet. There's that much of a difference. So shop around by internet and phone. People will give a discount if you ask, and they will give a discount for four tyres in one hit.

[/QUOTE]
I've had some big discounts from KwikFit in the past, I recall getting brakes and discs all around on my S class at half the quoted price.

 

[Joderest]

oh i do like a decent discussion !!!!!
Well, i have had another good look at Tyres on the car, and they have about 2-3mm left before they hit the wear bumps, so few thousand to go.
I was speaking to a chap i know the other day, he had just bought a very nice BMW X5, and the dealer he bought it from fitted four new tyres. I was surprised to see they were a Chinese make called JINYU.
They looked very good, plenty of information printed on the tyre wall. He stated that car rides very well and quiet, in fact he stated that there was less tyre noise on this car than his older X5 which was fitted with Continentals.
Out of interest i did a bit of calling around and a local tyre shop could supply and fit these tyres in 255/60/17 for £70 a corner. As with all things, if you research some say they are great, some say they are ok, some say they are really bad.
To reply to one question, I would really like a nice estate car, Ford or BMW or Mercedes, but my wife pulls a horse trailer about with her horses in it, so we have to have a large 4x4, mores the pity. I also have to use it for work, as she would never give up her beloved Mini, unless she wanted to use the Mercedes. Hence, it hardly ever goes over 50 mph, its driven like i am really old ( yep, i am the one that just pooddles about) hence a performance tyre is just not needed.
There, wait for the replies now.

 

[Oldbarrack]

First thing I did on my S65 was put a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S;
I have no regrets as it's not a daily driver, so when I take her out I want to enjoy that power safely,
so no messing with experimental budgets having lived through a fair number of 3rd party related accidents,
back when I did business in the early days of the former CIS/Eastern bloc countries - when even good brakes were uncommon..........