budget or high end tyres much difference?

Marty McFly

Hi and thanks for taking the time to read this post.

My cars due for an nct in the next 2 weeks, and i need to replace two tyres, the car currently has continental tyres on it.

Im wondering is there much differance between cheap tyres or are you really better off getting a higher end tyre?

PCPhoto

difference between budget and high end tyres .... generally ... handling, grip, and increased thread depth.

bladespin

Deopends a lot on how you drive, mundane speeds then an average tyre will be fine, if you like to push on then you'll want to be sure of what's holding you on the road.

I've used Sunny tyres for years on the day to day commuter but have contis on a nother set of rims for the summer (if we get one that is ).

vectra

depends on car and tyre size.
what car and tyre size are you looking at?

voxpop

Get the best tires you can afford.

All the big brands are pretty much as good as each other unless you want something specific.

A decent cheaper brand is Falken. Continental are probably the most expensive

Bodhan

So the real difference is the compound the tyres are made from. High end tyres tend to be more rubber and so a bit softer. That means more grip, but it also means the tyres don't tend to last all that long, as softer tyres means more rubber lefts on the road while driving.
Cheaper tyres have less rubber making them harder, that means less grip and more life. It's a trade off, but sometimes there's huge savings to be made when you stay away from big brand tyres.

Marty McFly

vectra wrote: »

depends on car and tyre size.
what car and tyre size are you looking at?

Well its a honda accord, the tyre size is 225/45?

Henry Ford III

How much is a life worth? €50 a corner?

If so always buy good tyres.

Marty McFly

well the general consensus is to get higher end tyres or at least meet half way and avoid cheaper tyres.

If i was to go for the high end typres id prob be best off replacing all four typres then wouldnt I? Instead of leaving the car half and half.

mickdw

Some of the budget tyres can be quite good. I would never go for the real expensive tyres.
I recently bought vredestein ultrac sesanta for the rear of my car as it is very fussy on rear tyre behaviour. I have to say they are as good as anything I have driven on & better in the wet than everything else IMO including factory fitted Michelin Pilot sport II.
The vredesteins are a very reasonable price. Not budget but affordable.

Cookie_Monster

Henry Ford III wrote: »

How much is a life worth? €50 a corner?

If so always buy good tyres.

this gets trotted out every time.

In reality the average motorist will never push even the lower end tyre near their grip or safety limits... its a false arguement IMO

muckwarrior

luvbulmers01 wrote: »

Well its a honda accord, the tyre size is 225/45?

Same as mine. Apparently 45s are uncommon and therefore more expensive. I had to replace one of mine with a Potenza RE050A and it was €210, and that was discounted from €250 as it was they only one they had that'd fit.

I'd be interested to know what peoples recommendations are for the best price/performance trade off. Don't really want to spend €500 on a pair!

-Chris-

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

this gets trotted out every time.

In reality the average motorist will never push even the lower end tyre near their grip or safety limits... its a false arguement IMO

Braking really hard in the rain will bring tyres to (and beyond) their limit of grip and safety limits. In that instance, I'd rather have decent tyres.

Henry Ford III

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

this gets trotted out every time.

In reality the average motorist will never push even the lower end tyre near their grip or safety limits... its a false arguement IMO

In an emergency every small advantage helps avoid potential tragedy. I hope none of us ever find out the false economy of cheap tyres.

Atomic Pineapple

Second Last set of tires I bought cost me €110 each and done sweet fa mileage before needing to be replaced. But they provided excellent grip and I noticed the car being better in corners as well as braking and accelarating better.

Current tires cost €100 each and longer wearing tires but there no where near as good as the set before them, major difference with the cars braking, acceleration and handling suffering all for the sake of €40 and an extra few k miles.

So it depends what your after really

Neilw

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

this gets trotted out every time.

In reality the average motorist will never push even the lower end tyre near their grip or safety limits... its a false arguement IMO

What happens if you have to perform an emergency stop to avoid hitting someone? Can happen to the average motorist.

Premium tyres will have a shorter stopping distance then budget tyres.

voxpop

Neilw wrote: »

What happens if you have to perform an emergency stop to avoid hitting someone? Can happen to the average motorist.

Premium tyres will have a shorter stopping distance then budget tyres.

This argument can be brought to the extreme where every car must have goodyear F1s in order to be safe. Generally I think that a decent mid range tyre is the best bet, unless you know you will be hurling the car into corners

sean1141

i have hankook ventus evo 12 on my car (225/45 R17). find them good in both wet and dry and they are lasting well. about 20 thousand miles on them now and still a good bit of driving left on them. not over dear either. payed 300 for the full set last year. stearling was weak at the time do....

BlackWizard

I generally buy my tyres for daily use, not for track use or even for emergency manoeuvres.

Once they are cheap and relatively safe, I'd get them. I used camskill for my last set.

www.camskill.co.uk

Dave McCann tyres is also pretty good too if you don't want to go through the hassle of ordering from the UK

unkel

draffodx wrote: »

Second Last set of tires I bought cost me €110 each and done sweet fa mileage before needing to be replaced. But they proveded excellent grip and I noticed the car being better in corners as well as braking and accelarating better.

Current tires cost €100 each and longer wearing tires but there no where near as good as the set before them, major difference with the cars braking, acceleration and handling suffering all for the sake of €40 and an extra few k miles.

So it depends what your after really

+1

Sometimes the saving is so small, it makes no sense not to go for the better tyre.

For a performance car, even a hot(ish) hatch, I'd buy the best tyres I could afford. For your average Joe driving a glorified shopping trolley (95% of Irish people / cars) budget* tyres are fine.

*and I don't mean the cheapest sh1te make you can find or second hand tyres or remoulds or any of that :eek:

mickdw

The theory that we must have the best tyres to help avoid accident I wouldnt fully agree with. Yes the better the tyre, the shorter braking distance but driver style must be considered too. The good tyre will give a better feel & chances are a driver will be cornering that bit faster due to the grip available. In that situation, it is possible that the guy on the poorer tyre is in a better position to avoid an accident. IMO therefore, people should buy tyres at a price they are happy with avoiding the real deathtraps but nothing wrong with mid range tyres. Even driving hard, I have been known to drive on cheapish & expensive tyres & in all cases, I will be driving towards the limit of the tyre on bends etc. The limit of the poorer tyre obviously being found much sooner.

voxpop

BlackWizard wrote: »

Dave McCann tyres is also pretty good too if you don't want to go through the hassle of ordering from the UK

Second that - although last time I was there (Friday afternoon) - I booked in and it still took about 2 and a half hours to get 4 tires and wheel alignment, which seems like 4 hours in a tyre shops waiting room. Was very busy.

Eoin

I think there are some pretty respectable budget tyres as well. Kumho aren't that bad.

Andrew33

-Chris- wrote: »

Braking really hard in the rain will bring tyres to (and beyond) their limit of grip and safety limits. In that instance, I'd rather have decent tyres.

Why would you be braking hard in the rain (or on any damp/wet surface)? that would imply you like driving hard regardless of conditions. A good safe driver could drive on wet roads with bald tyres for 50 years and never have an accident. Don't ever make the mistake of thinking "good" tyres will make up for your deficiencies behind the wheel.

sean1141

as said above go for the best tyres that suit your driving style. no point in putting f1s on a micra or similar but well worth in on a more powerfull hatch saloon car that will be driven on that bit more. if the car is only used for tippin around town etc then mid range tyres would be the best option.

if you do go for a high brand tyre dont drive around on badly worn tyres while you try save up for new ones.

R.O.R

Andrew33 wrote: »

Why would you be braking hard in the rain (or on any damp/wet surface)? that would imply you like driving hard regardless of conditions. A good safe driver could drive on wet roads with bald tyres for 50 years and never have an accident. Don't ever make the mistake of thinking "good" tyres will make up for your deficiencies behind the wheel.

Because some times idiots pull out in front of you without warning. Children or animals can also run out in front of a car. When that happens, you'll have to brake hard in whatever the weather is doing at that time.

A good safe driver could not drive for 50 years on bald tyres without ever having an accident, unless they were also the luckiest person alive (and had a Padre Pio sticker).

I've driven some cars recently with really shi-ite tyres on (Triangle) and it can make a huuuuge difference to how the car handles.

sean1141

Andrew33 wrote: »

Why would you be braking hard in the rain (or on any damp/wet surface)? that would imply you like driving hard regardless of conditions. A good safe driver could drive on wet roads with bald tyres for 50 years and never have an accident. Don't ever make the mistake of thinking "good" tyres will make up for your deficiencies behind the wheel.

30mph and a child steps off a footpath in front of you... are you not going to break hard??

bladespin

sean1141 wrote: »

30mph and a child steps off a footpath in front of you... are you not going to break hard??

No, you should have observed that as a possibility and driven accordingly lol Tyres won't save anyone from a bad driver.

mondeo

I stuck a new set of cheap "Firestone Tyres" @ 60 a cornor on my daily runabout Mitsubishi Lancer and their alright. Being a 1.3 she ain't got tyre shredding performance to warrant high end tyres.

On my Volvo S80 she has only recently had 4 new Dunlop tyres before xmas which cost me 110 a cornor, would not be putting cheap tyres on this yoke.

vectra

I had 205/46/16 Dunlops on mine.
Unfortunately I damaged 2 fronts after 7k kilometers
Got a price ( shock more like )
€135 each :eek:

Shopped around and got tyres from Rathcormac Tyre Centre,

Sonar.
Owner told me they were excellent tyres.
I can honestly say that I can push the car to 99% of the limits of the Dunlops.
Cornering.. Braking in the rain hasnt failed me either.

How much were they?

€75 each fitted.

These are them >>


Forgot to mention that I rarely get good mileage out of my front tyres as I do generally "Throw" the car into corners and do lots of town driving where cornering is majority so wearing them out sooner.
I have over 10K on these now and they still have loads left in them

R.O.R

I have a set of Conti Premium Contact on my car since I bought it in May 2008. Just looked and they cost us €414.44 ex. VAT for the set!

45,000km later and I still have at least 5.5mm of tread left on all the tyres. I wouldn't think a set of Nankangs that cost half the price of the these tyres would have lasted this long, yet alone still have around 40,000km of tread left.

sean1141

bladespin wrote: »

No, you should have observed that as a possibility and driven accordingly lol Tyres won't save anyone from a bad driver.

said child runs out from behind a car or out of a drive way where you cant see them. someone opens a car door suddenly or someone pulls out of a junction in front of you.. loads of cases where you can be driving with all due care and caution and still might find the need to stop in a hurry!!

knifey_spoonie

It has been said here before, but get the best you can afford, in most instances the more expensive the better the tyre.

I used to have a 1.5 yaris, a quick little car, there were dunlop sp sports on the front less than a 1/3 worn, and it understeered like a bitch, changed them for a set of toyo proxies t1r and it was different car.

The moral of the story is buy as good as you can afford.

EPM

Andrew33 wrote: »

Why would you be braking hard in the rain (or on any damp/wet surface)? that would imply you like driving hard regardless of conditions. A good safe driver could drive on wet roads with bald tyres for 50 years and never have an accident. Don't ever make the mistake of thinking "good" tyres will make up for your deficiencies behind the wheel.

So in an emergency situation you'd gear down, yeah?

IMO buy the best that you can. Doesn't mean the most expensive, just don't skimp. One emergency stop and it is worthwhile

sean1141

knifey_spoonie wrote: »

The moral of the story is buy as good as you can afford.

X2

vectra

R.O.R wrote: »

I have a set of Conti Premium Contact on my car since I bought it in May 2008. Just looked and they cost us €414.44 ex. VAT for the set!

45,000km later and I still have at least 5.5mm of tread left on all the tyres. I wouldn't think a set of Nankangs that cost half the price of the these tyres would have lasted this long, yet alone still have around 40,000km of tread left.

Bloody hell..!! :eek:
What do you do.? Push it around..
Thats serious mileage to get

R.O.R

vectra wrote: »

Bloody hell..!! :eek:
What do you do.? Push it around..
Thats serious mileage to get

I have to use the brakes around 3 or 4 times (each way) and deal with roughly the same number of corners on my daily commute. Rest of the journey is all motorway or good R roads.

Atomic Pineapple

vectra wrote: »

Bloody hell..!! :eek:
What do you do.? Push it around..
Thats serious mileage to get

+1

With the Teg its sub 10k miles on the front tires

bladespin

sean1141 wrote: »

said child runs out from behind a car or out of a drive way where you cant see them. someone opens a car door suddenly or someone pulls out of a junction in front of you.. loads of cases where you can be driving with all due care and caution and still might find the need to stop in a hurry!!

Ok, just for the sake of it.

You're supposed to leave enough room for exactly that scenario, it's a fail during the test if you don't.

If you're driving with all due care etc etc you should never have to perform such a manouver, I know it's impossible to drive that way but it's not difficult to antipicate what's going to happen, always assume the worst and drive/ride defencively, you'll never test a tyre (or any other part of the car) to it's limit that way. (ride a motorbike on our roads for a while and you'll learn defencive driving that you'll never forget).

Anyway, way off topic, you'll find that even budget tyres will perform well in that kind of scenario - it should be well within their limits, if not then they shouldn't be legally sold.

mickdw

draffodx wrote: »

+1

With the Teg its sub 10k miles on the front tires

Same as that on my Audi even from new.

vectra

R.O.R wrote: »

I have to use the brakes around 3 or 4 times (each way) and deal with roughly the same number of corners on my daily commute. Rest of the journey is all motorway or good R roads.

What kind of car is that on?
You obviously drive "with extreme care"
In other words
you behave yourself

R.O.R

vectra wrote: »

What kind of car is that on?
You obviously drive "with extreme care"
In other words
you behave yourself

It's a 2005 Accord 2.0i Sport.

I drive my own car with care, but it's mainly because of the type of journey I have.

I'm lucky enough to be able to get my driving kicks in other cars

Henry Ford III

I have a set of spare tyres for the MkII Escort. I think they are made of wood or perhaps leather Loads of tread on them btw.

Perfect for an airfield trackday where the whole idea is to have the car sideways wherever possible.

bladespin

Went through 2 sets of rears last year (hence the sunnys), had to learn to behave and buy cheaper tyres lol.

R.O.R. if you're giving lessons, put me down for a few.

MarkN

Andrew33 wrote: »

Why would you be braking hard in the rain (or on any damp/wet surface)? that would imply you like driving hard regardless of conditions. A good safe driver could drive on wet roads with bald tyres for 50 years and never have an accident. Don't ever make the mistake of thinking "good" tyres will make up for your deficiencies behind the wheel.

I........have.......heard.........it.........all..........now.

Andrew33

EPM wrote: »

So in an emergency situation you'd gear down, yeah?

IMO buy the best that you can. Doesn't mean the most expensive, just don't skimp. One emergency stop and it is worthwhile

If you're driving appropriately you should never have to do an emergency stop (short of something falling from the sky and landing directly in front of you!). If you're driving in an area where there are children playing (in response to other poster) you slow down in case said child DOES step off the path or run from behind a parked car. Its called being aware and staying alert to POTENTIAL dangers.

vectra

Andrew33 wrote: »

If you're driving appropriately you should never have to do an emergency stop (short of something falling from the sky and landing directly in front of you!). If you're driving in an area where there are children playing (in response to other poster) you slow down in case said child DOES step off the path or run from behind a parked car. Its called being aware and staying alert to POTENTIAL dangers.

That all very fine to say stuff like that until the day you are driving along and some numbskull shoots out in front of you from a side road..

muckwarrior

Andrew33 wrote: »

If you're driving appropriately you should never have to do an emergency stop

Driving along a country road... sheep jumps out of a ditch 5 feet in front of you. No problem to Andrew33 as he's obviously driving at 10kph so that he can deal with every eventuality without ever having to break hard.

Tigger

Andrew33 wrote: »

If you're driving appropriately you should never have to do an emergency stop (short of something falling from the sky and landing directly in front of you!). If you're driving in an area where there are children playing (in response to other poster) you slow down in case said child DOES step off the path or run from behind a parked car. Its called being aware and staying alert to POTENTIAL dangers.

with all due respect thats nonsense

bladespin

Tigger wrote: »

with all due respect thats nonsense

I don't think so, optimistic yes but not nonsense, it can be done, in the past year I've only made one proper emergency stop and that was after some eegit drove straight into a yellow box as I was driving through it (literally into the flow of traffic). I wouldn't consider myself overly pedantic, but I'm careful around other traffic etc.

Hope I haven't put the cobblers on myself not.

vectra

bladespin wrote: »

I don't think so, optimistic yes but not nonsense, it can be done, in the past year I've only made one proper emergency stop and that was after some eegit drove straight into a yellow box as I was driving through it (literally into the flow of traffic). I wouldn't consider myself overly pedantic, but I'm careful around other traffic etc.

Hope I haven't put the cobblers on myself not.

Ideally you would hve been driving very slowly through the yellow box anyway.
It doesnt really compare to doing 50mph or so on road and a dude pulls straight out in front of you with 15 feet or so to spare