Is it really worth buying Premium brand tyres?

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Murff

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Feb 24, 2012
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100
Location
Liverpool
Car
W211 E280 CDI Avantgarde
Having looked at tyres for my e280 (17"), a budget brand was about £85 per tyre and the next best thing was a Pirelli for £160. Is it really worth the extra cost seeing as I mostly drive on the motorway? ( the prices were from kwikfit)
 
Yeah I suppose it's nice to have the good brand name on the side but the cost difference is huge! Has anyone ever bought the lesser rolling resistance tyres that supposedly improve mpg?
 
Yes - IMHO.

Some people don't mind compromising on safety, I think that you get what you pay for with tyres - I'd rather economise elsewhere if money is an issue :thumb:

Is there really a noticeable difference though for normal road driving?
 
Name brands pre worns for me :eek:

Why? 300Ds dont go that fast. No high speed motorway pounding for me. I'm not out in all weathers. Four pot calipers pull me up quickly enough.

I'd rather have pre worn name brands than new budget tyres.
 

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That depends.

Luckily, the tyres for my car - 205/55 16 - are dirt cheap. I got Conti MOs for £85 each fitted. Given that I change tyres once in 4 years, saving £20 on a tyre equals £5 per year... so riding on some Chinese tyres for the sake of a fiver just does not make any sense.

However, when it comes to expensive tyre sizes, and drivers who do a lot of mileage annually and change tyres twice a year, the figures may portray a different story.
 
Name brands pre worns for me :eek:

Why? 300Ds dont go that fast. No high speed motorway pounding for me. I'm not out in all weathers. Four pot calipers pull me up quickly enough.

I'd rather have pre worn name brands than new budget tyres.

Same here, I like part worn conti's best.:thumb:
 
Name brands pre worns for me :eek:

Why? 300Ds dont go that fast. No high speed motorway pounding for me. I'm not out in all weathers. Four pot calipers pull me up quickly enough.

I'd rather have pre worn name brands than new budget tyres.

Doesn't matter how good the bakes are if the grip twix tyre and road is poor!
 
Is there really a noticeable difference though for normal road driving?

What's normal road driving?

An emergency stop? A change of course when someone swerves at you? Both situations possible in any car on normal roads.

Your decision - I save loads of money on some aspects of cars but never on tyres - cheap tyres are generally bad news.

Up to you of course, but no point in asking if you think you're getting like for like quality at half the price :doh:
 
Yeah I was just surprised because my last car, a Beemer had 18's and they were cheaper. Can anyone recommend somewhere cheaper than kwikfit?
 
There are premium mid range and "cheapo" tyres. Avoid the cheapos -from the far east . If you are concerned on cost mid range tyres are prefectly adequate provided you are selective about brands ----- Vredestein, Kumho, Falken, Nokian, Bridgestone Uniroyal, Yokohama-- Check the reviews
 
Premium tyres are a must for me. I ride on Michelin tyres only (save those with a decent tread depth that come with a vehicle when I buy it, but even they are changed a.s.a.p if especially poor).

Years ago when I bought my 320CDI it was shod with two SAVA tyres (brand new to get it through the MOT before I bought the car) and two FULLRUN tyres with a generous amont of tread.
The tyres looked the part but were incredibly poor in wet conditions, incredibly poor.

Michelin PS3's are fantastic tyres (esp in wet conditions) and the Costco 20% discount offer starts around Easter time. ;)
 
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Is there really a noticeable difference though for normal road driving?
Yes. The safety thing (wet grip/stopping distances during emergency braking) has already been done but what about noise levels/tyre roar? Premium brands aren't necessarily always the quietest but proper budget ditchfinders are typically the loudest. Tyre Noise | Auto Express Cheapies often wear out quicker too...

As for where to buy Kwikfit are typically one of the priciest sources. Places like Camskill and Mytyres are often among the cheapest but prices are for tyres only, you're on your own with Camskill* whereas you can choose a local fitter through the mytyres site and it'll tell you what they charge. Event-tyres use mobile fitters so you get an 'all in' price

* Can sometimes get tyres fitted, balanced and the old ones disposed of for a tenner or so each, expect to pay more if you want a receipt
 
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Yeah I was just surprised because my last car, a Beemer had 18's and they were cheaper. Can anyone recommend somewhere cheaper than kwikfit?

I got my last set from Cheap Tyres Online | UK Car Tyres Shop: Buy Michelin, Pirelli, Continental, Bridgestone and paid online for fitting at a local tyre place and it was significantly cheaper than kwikfit for the same tyres.

Blackcircles.co.uk is worth trying, as are your local tyre shops that aren't the usual national chains as they often have the same product for cheaper, and do a better job of fitting them.

re whether to go for budget vs premium, do a search as it's all been said before.
 
I think i would always stay away from the cheap stuff/ bottom end tyres because as stated earlier to compromise with safety makes no sense especially when other cost factors are concerned with motoring, but its a matter of opinion to an extent to how far one goes up or down the scale in terms of tyre selection
On the C63 ive tried
Continentals 3'& 5's and also Kumhos and whilst the Kumhos are considerably cheaper they have actually lasted a little longer than the Contis and i have not noticed any performance issues.
So next (and that will always be soon with a C63) do i go for Kumhos again or consider even better tyres than the Contis ie Michelin super sports which are more expensive than the Contis but apparently will give considerably better mileage
or even torch the budget and stick on a set of Toyo R888's ready for" trackday heaven"
I suspect I will try the Michelins then settle on them or the Kumhos

For the W124 its easier, the tyres are relatively cheap i will use the best i can find
if they ever wear out - currently have Goodyears on
 
Yeah I was just surprised because my last car, a Beemer had 18's and they were cheaper. Can anyone recommend somewhere cheaper than kwikfit?
Black Circles nationally, in the south Micheldever offers a superb service at great prices
 
Doesn't matter how good the bakes are if the grip twix tyre and road is poor!
This is what to remember before buying 'lesser' rubber. Autocar often do tests of the better brands and their stopping distances vary considerably. I surmise that the 'cheapos' will fare even worse. When you plant your foot for an emergency stop, your tyres are an integral part of the process.
 
Yeah I was just surprised because my last car, a Beemer had 18's and they were cheaper. Can anyone recommend somewhere cheaper than kwikfit?

Kwikfit is the last place you want to go. Expensive and employ idiots.

Try online they are usually much cheaper.
Mytyres, Blackcircles, Event-tyres(Mobile Fitters)

Cheap but Ok tyre brand to consider IMO are, Avon, Kumho, Hankook.

Middle price Vrederstein, Uniroyal, Dunlop.
 

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