Replacing tyres. Advice?

nkay1985

Hi all.

I've just found out I need to replace two tyres on my wife's car. It's a 2007 Seat Ibiza. The tyres being replaced are 195 55 R15 Firestone Firehawk 700s.

I know next to nothing about tyres so would appreciate any advice you fine folk can offer.

Are there brands to avoid? How much would you be looking at per corner for a decent quality tyre? I hear people buying Asian brand tyres I've never heard of for very cheap and am not sure I'd be doing the same.

Is it worth buying through the likes of Camskill and getting someone local to fit them or am I as well off just buying from a tyre place?

Any help you can give would be great.

Thanks,
nkay.

Paul.k.b.90

You can pick up cheap tyres for that size for around 50e brand new but they wouldn't be the best..I would never skimp out on tyres just for my own piece of mind. (bad accident a few years ago due to a blow out from a budget tyre) but it doesn't bother some people..

You'd get good tyres that size for bout 75-80e a piece.

madcabbage

Why not stick with Firestone OP? Good brand to be fair, not too pricy.

Atlantic Dawn

For tyres my golden rule is if you have never heard of the brand don't use them. I like to go with what originally came with the car for normal everyday driving, Camskill is fine if you have someone to fit them, lots of places won't. It's your only contact on the road I would always go with the best I can afford.

nkay1985

Yeah I'm with you all on getting something decent. Would have no problem with Firestone, just don't know if there's a particular model or whatever that I should be looking for.

Might see if any of the local places would fit them if I bought them online. And see the difference between buying online and getting them fitted and just buying direct. Probably need a particular model for comparison.

biko

www.tyrereviews.co.uk will give you opinions on tyres.
For instance www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Uniroyal/Rainsport-2.htm

bazz26

I don't think you will save much by buying online in that size when you add the cost of fitting and balancing.

cerastes

bazz26 wrote: »

I don't think you will save much by buying online in that size when you add the cost of fitting and balancing.

You might not save money but you can get a tyre you want, that you have reviewed, instead of whats on offer, if you're even lucky enough to get the installers personal opinion, it'll be in their favour, ie what they have and want shot of or what they have and want to sell you (price).

nkay1985

Just one other thing. When I use http://www.oponeo.ie (no idea whether they're any good or not), if I search by car type, it says the original size was 165/70 R14. Bit of a difference between that and 195/55 R15, isn't there? Presume I'd be grand to go with what's on there now.

challengemaster

R14 and R15 indicate different wheel sizes. It's impossible for it to have been on 165/70/14 previously if you have 15" wheels.

nkay1985

challengemaster wrote: »

R14 and R15 indicate different wheel sizes. It's impossible for it to have been on 165/70/14 previously if you have 15" wheels.

Yeah I realise that alright. I'm not saying this particular car was on 14s, just that that's the spec that website says is usually relevant to the car. I'm guessing the wheels were an upgrade because of the spec of the car. But I was more wondering about the width and profile. Would that just be down to different wheels too?

bazz26

cerastes wrote: »

You might not save money but you can get a tyre you want, that you have reviewed, instead of whats on offer, if you're even lucky enough to get the installers personal opinion, it'll be in their favour, ie what they have and want shot of or what they have and want to sell you (price).

It can be just as straight forward to go into a bricks and mortar tyre centre and buy the same brand tyres as buying them online. You don't have to buy some random unknown brand if you don't want them. Any half decent tyre centre will stock various brands in common size. You just need to know what you want same as when buying online.

BTW I've bought tyres both locally and online from whichever were the most convenient and suitable.

9935452

nkay1985 wrote: »

Hi all.

I've just found out I need to replace two tyres on my wife's car. It's a 2007 Seat Ibiza. The tyres being replaced are 195 55 R15 Firestone Firehawk 700s.

I know next to nothing about tyres so would appreciate any advice you fine folk can offer.

Are there brands to avoid? How much would you be looking at per corner for a decent quality tyre? I hear people buying Asian brand tyres I've never heard of for very cheap and am not sure I'd be doing the same.

Is it worth buying through the likes of Camskill and getting someone local to fit them or am I as well off just buying from a tyre place?

Any help you can give would be great.

Thanks,
nkay.

I had those firehawks on a golf but in 195 65 15 . Great wearing tyre . i got 58k miles out of them. Good grip in the wet too. i would recommend them

nkay1985

Back again. Was onto a local tyre place today and was quoted €15 per tyre for fitting and balancing something bought elsewhere. Is this standard enough yeah?

I asked about buying direct from him, specifically about something along the lines of Firestones. Got a reply of him pushing a brand called Blacklion. Said they're a tyre designed by Continental and that's what they stock and that they sell loads of them. I asked him for some details. He said they're rated B for grip in the wet. Eventually gave me a model - they're Blacklion BH15 - 85V - 71dB. €60 per tyre fitted and balanced.

This obviously sent me scurrying online as I guessed he was pushing something subpar. Unfortunately, I've not found anything concrete. One other thread here (link) with one person giving positive feedback but not a whole lot else.

Can't find any independent reviews or anything. I'm assuming I'm right to be wary? Anybody had any real-life experience of these?


One other thing that's confused me in looking online for tyres is that there often seems to be two (or more) options for the same tyre. In some examples, one will have a different grading for grip or something which is fair enough but would a manufacturer release batches of two different standards under the same model etc? For example, here and here with F and G fuel efficiency.

But I've also seen examples with nothing different except the price. For example here and here. No difference that I can see but around €5 between them?


Can anyone explain this?

CiniO

nkay1985 wrote: »

Back again. Was onto a local tyre place today and was quoted €15 per tyre for fitting and balancing something bought elsewhere. Is this standard enough yeah?

I asked about buying direct from him, specifically about something along the lines of Firestones. Got a reply of him pushing a brand called Blacklion. Said they're a tyre designed by Continental and that's what they stock and that they sell loads of them. I asked him for some details. He said they're rated B for grip in the wet. Eventually gave me a model - they're Blacklion BH15 - 85V - 71dB. €60 per tyre fitted and balanced.

This obviously sent me scurrying online as I guessed he was pushing something subpar. Unfortunately, I've not found anything concrete. One other thread here (link) with one person giving positive feedback but not a whole lot else.

Can't find any independent reviews or anything. I'm assuming I'm right to be wary? Anybody had any real-life experience of these?


One other thing that's confused me in looking online for tyres is that there often seems to be two (or more) options for the same tyre. In some examples, one will have a different grading for grip or something which is fair enough but would a manufacturer release batches of two different standards under the same model etc? For example, here and here with F and G fuel efficiency.

But I've also seen examples with nothing different except the price. For example here and here. No difference that I can see but around €5 between them?


Can anyone explain this?

First pair indeed seems to be identical, except fuel efficiency.
Maybe the ones with better fuel efficiency, are newer batch and manufacturer improved this since labeling was introduced.

Second pair are different - one is H other one is V speed rating, so that's why the price is different.

walus

OP Camskill are good for tyres. Got a few sets of them in the past. Avoid places where they are pushing for tyres you have never heard of. A lot of these places do just that and personally I prefer buying online. I get tyres I want, period. Go for Goodyear, Dunlop, Vredestein, Hankook, Uniroyal or Bridgestone. You will find tyres in your budget amongst those I'd say.

VeVeX

nkay1985 wrote: »

Back again. Was onto a local tyre place today and was quoted €15 per tyre for fitting and balancing something bought elsewhere. Is this standard enough yeah?

I asked about buying direct from him, specifically about something along the lines of Firestones. Got a reply of him pushing a brand called Blacklion. Said they're a tyre designed by Continental and that's what they stock and that they sell loads of them. I asked him for some details. He said they're rated B for grip in the wet. Eventually gave me a model - they're Blacklion BH15 - 85V - 71dB. €60 per tyre fitted and balanced.

This obviously sent me scurrying online as I guessed he was pushing something subpar. Unfortunately, I've not found anything concrete. One other thread here (link) with one person giving positive feedback but not a whole lot else.

Can't find any independent reviews or anything. I'm assuming I'm right to be wary? Anybody had any real-life experience of these?


One other thing that's confused me in looking online for tyres is that there often seems to be two (or more) options for the same tyre. In some examples, one will have a different grading for grip or something which is fair enough but would a manufacturer release batches of two different standards under the same model etc? For example, here and here with F and G fuel efficiency.

But I've also seen examples with nothing different except the price. For example here and here. No difference that I can see but around €5 between them?


Can anyone explain this?

Blacklion are Chinese budget tyres. They're wet weather ratings are fictional. They all perform similarly in the wet, poor. The whole Continental story is a sales pitch, they are nothing like a Continental tyre.

On the other hand if your size is 195/55R15 the Blacklions probably are reasonably priced at €60. I would however recommend avoiding them. Spend €20-€25 more per tyre and get something decent.

nkay1985

VeVeX wrote: »

Blacklion are Chinese budget tyres. They're wet weather ratings are fictional. They all perform similarly in the wet, poor. The whole Continental story is a sales pitch, they are nothing like a Continental tyre.

On the other hand if your size is 195/55R15 the Blacklions probably are reasonably priced at €60. I would however recommend avoiding them. Spend €20-€25 more per tyre and get something decent.

Yeah I was thinking the same myself. Just thought it warranted checking think I'll get Firestones or something of that level. Will cost about €20 extra per tyre but it's not something worth risking.

Gwynplaine

I know a lad who has a phone that's twice the value of his car. Got on the subject of tyres, I had just put 2 new Firestone's on my car @ 110 euro each. Yer man says he just puts cheap second hand tyres on his car. I asked him would he buy cheap second hands shoes, he went quiet.

Don't buy shyte.