Why buy budget???

[AMGeed]

Are Hankook regarded as a budget tyre?
Seen a few models in the local MB showroom wearing Hankook tyres, so premium are not always required, but mid range brands are acceptable.

But I do agree that cheap ditchfinders should never be considered, even if selling the car. My concience wouldn't allow me to put them on a performance AMG having experienced first hand what they are like on someone elses (non MB) car.

 

[markjay]

In terms of brand, Hankook is indeed 'mid-range' as you say, i.e. it is not a 'budget' brand but not 'premium' either.

And yes some Mercs do come with them from the factory, but you are unlikely to find them on the high-end models or sporty range.

 

[merc85]

Hankook started off as a budget tyre, When it went to being a Mid range tyre or Premium is anyone's guess. Had a pair on the front of my Volvo t5 once and they were ok, although they did get out of shape.

 

[190]

Hankook, along with Kumho and Nexen are South Korean. I'd consider any of these 3 brands if they did well in tyre reviews. The world moves on and perhaps some of the established premium names will eventually be overtaken by one or more of these 3. A lot of good quality, fairly priced things come out of South Korea including cars.

 

[a111r]

I used to audit tyre mfrs for VCA, the worst job in the TA industry.
Durban and Seoul are hot enough, at ambient...

Chinese boots like everything,are much better than they were.
Check out the E xx number, to see who approved them.

 

[markjay]

I used to audit tyre mfrs for VCA, the worst job in the TA industry.
Durban and Seoul are hot enough, at ambient...

Chinese boots like everything,are much better than they were.
Check out the E xx number, to see who approved them.

Why is it important - the country where the manufacturer registered the tyre for ECE approval?

My Dunlops were made in Germany but were registered in Luxembourg (E13) - not sure what's the significance of all this, really.

 

[mercmancdi]

Safety standards are Binary: compliant or non-complaint.

Safety, however, isn't.

An S-Class with loads of driver aids is no doubt a safer car than an entry-level A-Class in poverty spec.

Does this mean that A-Class buyers are all irresponsible people who are willing to put themselves and their families at risk?

Here's the test I propose:

You book a taxi to the airport on a rainy night. It's a 45 minute journey including some motorway driving. You and your partner and kids are all packed-up and ready to go.

The driver shows-up. Now, what would you do in each of the scenarios listed below - refuse to enter the vehicle and insist the taxi firm sends another car, or just climb in and proceed with your journey?

(a) The driver has strong smell of alcohol on his breath.

(b) One of the car's headlights isn't working.

(c) The ABS/ESP amber light is lit on the dashboard.

(d) The car is a model that you know did not fare well in the Euro NCAP crash testing.

(e) The car is fitted with Chinese-made tyres that you never heard of.

Would you, as a reasonable person, judge the journey to be safe-enough in the circumstances?

I would not travel under A. And would prefer the abs light out.

 

[zipdip]

Well a number of the recent posts have highlighted the fact that tyres people perceive as top or middle class tyre started out as a cheap one,tyres have come a long way from say 30 years ago,of course they are still round and black,but manufacturers have raised the standards ,and car makers are fitting some of them from the factory,a short while ago Porsche fitted Nexen to their 4x4.

 

[Yugguy]

There's premium, mid-range and budget. It's the budget ones I'd avoid.

 

[M666EVO]

My merc runabout gets cheap discs / tyres as it is for tip runs etc - no need for good stuff. My delta gets brand new rubber and brembo discs, because that is the car that works for its Lidl petrol! ha

 

[BaldGuy]

A mixed review as expected Ladies & Gents.... everyone to their own opinion...

 

[MancMike]

(a) The driver has strong smell of alcohol on his breath.

I would punch his lights out.

Would anyone seriously either get in the car, or let the car on its way and do nothing?

 

[m2287]

Very impressed with nankangs as a budget tyre which I did opt to use on the CL55 a couple of times, accelera (came on some alloys I bought) are ****ing awful!

 

[Deleted member 6183]

I would punch his lights out.

Would anyone seriously either get in the car, or let the car on its way and do nothing?

I'd completely forgotten about the time, as a young bloke, I hitched a lift off this massive black guy smoking an equally large spliff.

Not that unusual maybe but it was 8:30 AM!

 

[markjay]

I think the point is that most of us wouldn't get in the car with the drunk driver because we would judge it to be unsafe.

But if we would get into a car fitted with Chinese ditchfinders, on a rainy night, with our family... then possibly what we actually think about the Chinese tyres is that while they are not 'as safe as....', they are still 'safe enough'?

The same applies to the S-Class vs A-Class safety: the A-Class is (clearly) not 'as safe as' the S-Class, but we wouldn't turn down a ride in an A-Class, because we still judge it to be 'safe enough'.

 

[m2287]

I think the point is that most of us wouldn't get in the car with the drunk driver because we would judge it to be unsafe.

But if we would get into a car fitted with Chinese ditchfinders, on a rainy night, with our family... then possibly what we actually think about the Chinese tyres is that while they are not 'as safe as....', they are still 'safe enough'?

The same applies to the S-Class vs A-Class safety: the A-Class is (clearly) not 'as safe as' the S-Class, but we wouldn't turn down a ride in an A-Class, because we still judge it to be 'safe enough'.

I think this is spot on...

I don’t know much about tyre tech but I do wonder how a brand new budget tyre compares to a 10 year old premium brand.

 

[Stratman]

I wonder how much of our perception of so-called budget and premium brands is down to their relative advertising spend?

 

[elneilios]

My two pence...

All tyres manufactured for use in the UK have to meet safety regulations, therefore budget tyres are not "unsafe". I think it would be wrong for people to say "you are risking the safety of your family by buying budget tyres" - it's unfair to levy that accusation when it just isn't true.

Mid-range and premium tyres are obviously better quality and therefore offer an enhanced level of safety for more extreme driving scenarios, as well as being harder-wearing, giving less road-noise and perhaps giving better fuel economy.

So at the end of the day I would say your choice of tyre will be affected by what is most important to you. If you drive short distances, mostly around town and don't want to pay a premium then budget is absolutely fine. If you use your car everyday, perhaps involving a lot of motorway driving then you'd probably be better off considering mid-range or premium as they will last longer and give less road noise etc.

But what is most important when choosing a tyre is not the price, but the ratings for wet grip. I would always recommend this as a yard stick when choosing a tyre. If you can get low road noise and good fuel efficiency too, then it's a bonus. But the point is don't focus on brand or price, look at the performance data.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

I wonder how much of our perception of so-called budget and premium brands is down to their relative advertising spend?

Or, even, viral marketing and social media influencing.

Perhaps the OP was paid for this thread?

 

[markjay]

I don't know about the OP, but I wasn't paid, and I am currently open to suggestions (PM me for my PayPal account )