hi ,can anyone tell me what the difference is between cheap tyres & dearer tyres,i dont have the money to pay for top brands,so i need to look at budget tyres,i would appreciate any information, thanks
tyres
- Thread starter argyllboy
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some tyres last longer than others, some are quieter than others, some grip better on dry roads, some on wet roads, some on ice. Manufacturers have to trade off these various qualities against each other and against price.
Cheap chinese tyres are notoriously bad.
It also depends how long you expect to keep your car, as some good tyres last a lot longer but are more expensive. This can mean they cost less over a few years even though the purchase price was higher.
British roadstone is said to be harder and shiner than that used in most European countries so are tyres are made a nbit softer for better grip.
paying the highest price does not guarantee the best tyre.
if you tell us your car and the correct tyre size for the wheels on it, we might suggest more. There are very few independent test available, most articles are written by or for the tyre trade, most magazines can't afford to test hundred of tyres on hundreds or cars for hundreds of thousands of miles.
"Which" magazine carries out tests in conjunction with other European consumer magazines so if you have a fairly common size, there might be a report on tyres to suit you.
Cheap chinese tyres are notoriously bad.
It also depends how long you expect to keep your car, as some good tyres last a lot longer but are more expensive. This can mean they cost less over a few years even though the purchase price was higher.
British roadstone is said to be harder and shiner than that used in most European countries so are tyres are made a nbit softer for better grip.
paying the highest price does not guarantee the best tyre.
if you tell us your car and the correct tyre size for the wheels on it, we might suggest more. There are very few independent test available, most articles are written by or for the tyre trade, most magazines can't afford to test hundred of tyres on hundreds or cars for hundreds of thousands of miles.
"Which" magazine carries out tests in conjunction with other European consumer magazines so if you have a fairly common size, there might be a report on tyres to suit you.
cheers for that, the car is a 2001 mondeo, tyres size is 205/55/16 .
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205/55 R16V should be the ones I imagine (speed up to 240 km/h or 149 mph)
Best buys (best first)
Pirelli - P7 (205/55R16V) £76 typical
Michelin - Primacy HP (205/55R16V) £86
Bridgestone - Turanza ER300 (205/55R16V) £79
Continental - Premium Contact2 (205/55R16V) £82
Fulda - Carat Progresso (205/55R16V) £65
Uniroyal - Rallye 550 (205/55R16V) £73
Vredestein - Sportrac3 (205/55R16V) £68
Hankook - Ventus Prime K105 (205/55R16V) £56
see if you can get any good deals on any of these. I usually get Michelins with a discount if I buy 4.
"Don't Buys"
Nangkang - ULTRA SPORT NS-2 (205/55R16V) £50
Falken - Ziex ZE 512 (205/55R16V) £59
"Which" also says:
Shop around for cheap tyres
It’s well worth contacting several different tyre retailers to compare costs.
For the two sizes we tested as part of our tyres review, the independent, regional and online tyre retailers came out cheaper than national chains.
The online and national retailers offer a wider range of tyres than the independent and regional outlets.
Shopping around might save you money. If one offers you a better deal, but is further away, try asking a nearer retailer to match the offer
Best buys (best first)
Pirelli - P7 (205/55R16V) £76 typical
Michelin - Primacy HP (205/55R16V) £86
Bridgestone - Turanza ER300 (205/55R16V) £79
Continental - Premium Contact2 (205/55R16V) £82
Fulda - Carat Progresso (205/55R16V) £65
Uniroyal - Rallye 550 (205/55R16V) £73
Vredestein - Sportrac3 (205/55R16V) £68
Hankook - Ventus Prime K105 (205/55R16V) £56
see if you can get any good deals on any of these. I usually get Michelins with a discount if I buy 4.
"Don't Buys"
Nangkang - ULTRA SPORT NS-2 (205/55R16V) £50
Falken - Ziex ZE 512 (205/55R16V) £59
"Which" also says:
Shop around for cheap tyres
It’s well worth contacting several different tyre retailers to compare costs.
For the two sizes we tested as part of our tyres review, the independent, regional and online tyre retailers came out cheaper than national chains.
The online and national retailers offer a wider range of tyres than the independent and regional outlets.
Shopping around might save you money. If one offers you a better deal, but is further away, try asking a nearer retailer to match the offer
thanks for the great info JohnD it will certainly help me decide on which tyres to buy i think i will go for the top end of the range,even tho there a fair bit more expensive.thanks again
There's nothing wrong with the Falken tyres, i have these on my car and they outperform a lot of the dearer brands.
Falken tyres are used on many track cars (usually FK452s which are directional).
Another cheaper alternative is the Kumho range - been going for over 40 years as a company
Falken tyres are used on many track cars (usually FK452s which are directional).
Another cheaper alternative is the Kumho range - been going for over 40 years as a company
"Which" say
"The 205/55R16 V Falken Ziex ZE 512 has acceptable dry grip but falls well short of the class standards for wet grip. In particular it scores very poorly for wet braking and wet handling. Even though, like all the tyres we’ve tested, it passes all the minimum legal performance requirements, we recommend you Don’t Buy it. "
I say:
If you can find other tyres at the same price that don't have this shortcoming, why would you want to buy a tyre with outstandingly poor wet braking?
They also tested 4 types of Fumho tyre. In the size we are taliking about here, the Kumho Ecsta SPT (205/55R16V) was not a best buy. It scored low on aquaplaning in bends. Scores are different for differing sizes of tyre even by the same maker.
I don't pretend to have scientifically tested 119 types of car tyre. to get independent comparative results. Do you?
"The 205/55R16 V Falken Ziex ZE 512 has acceptable dry grip but falls well short of the class standards for wet grip. In particular it scores very poorly for wet braking and wet handling. Even though, like all the tyres we’ve tested, it passes all the minimum legal performance requirements, we recommend you Don’t Buy it. "
I say:
If you can find other tyres at the same price that don't have this shortcoming, why would you want to buy a tyre with outstandingly poor wet braking?
They also tested 4 types of Fumho tyre. In the size we are taliking about here, the Kumho Ecsta SPT (205/55R16V) was not a best buy. It scored low on aquaplaning in bends. Scores are different for differing sizes of tyre even by the same maker.
I don't pretend to have scientifically tested 119 types of car tyre. to get independent comparative results. Do you?
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nowt wrong with fk452's, got them on the back of the beemer and they are good wet or dry.
kumho ecsta's are sheeeite. had them for a while on the tracker.....very poor but its a light car so that may have made a difference.....got toyos on it now, fabulous.
kumho ecsta's are sheeeite. had them for a while on the tracker.....very poor but its a light car so that may have made a difference.....got toyos on it now, fabulous.
In argyllboy's size of tyre, the only Falken "Which" tested was the Ziex ZE 512 , which was poor in the wet.
Different sizes, even by the same maker, have different results.
Argyllboy was particularly asking about 205/55/16 on a Mondeo.
the 452 might be different, I wouldn't know.
Different sizes, even by the same maker, have different results.
Argyllboy was particularly asking about 205/55/16 on a Mondeo.
the 452 might be different, I wouldn't know.
thanks for everyones imput,but i will go with the advice JohnD gave,thanks again
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