Ok, ladies & gents,
I, Like many more of us drive a bog standard car (Mondeo) & would like to buy some new tyres. Is it me, or is there very little information out there about which ones are are the best. I usually go for Michelins but I hear all sorts of opinions on whether they are good or bad in wet or dry etc.
I also see lots of threads here about how cirtain tyres are brilliant but generally that tends to be how the writer feels about them
Amongst all the experts out there is there anyone who really knows about tyres who could share some technical details/experience with us all so that we can make an informed choice, or is it just down to buy a well known brand & it will be OK
I not due to part with my cash for a week or two so I would be thankfull for any help
Ta
dave
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Try this, www.blackcircles.com/tyres
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wow what good prices on those tyres cheers mate
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Hi,
I guess the answer is always going to be subjective, for most of us anyway, as we can only 'test' a few brands or types of tyres in our day to day driving. So my opinions are just that, opinions and subjective.
I prefer to have good roadholding in the wet, as I don't drive to the tyre's limits in the dry, and most quality tyres are fine when it's dry. I also want wear to be good, and looks too.
I have in the last few years favoured Goodyear Venturas for my family's saloon cars. They are not too expensive, are directional, look good, and they're superb in the wet. Dry, as I said, I never get anywhere near the limits of adhesion, and I don't drive that slowly. They did take a little getting used to at first, as they have a soft sidewall. On my Rover 214 I was doing about 22k on the fronts and 40k on the rears. I think they're around £65 each (15").
On my MGF I have Goodyear Eagle F1's, the original fitment. Again I never get anywhere near to the limits in the dry or wet. They are sexier than the Venturas. I get around 22k on the rears and I'm still going strong at 25k on the fronts. But they are a little pricier at around £85 a go (16").
In all I believe that Goodyears have a excellent reputation for wet weather handling, and a fine reputation for dry weather handling and wear, and it's well deserved. I'm very happy with them.
Rgds.
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A certain consumer rights magazine - you'll just have to guess which one - rates the top all round tyres (including wet roads) as the Continental EcoContact 3 and Bridgestone B 330 Evo.
Other high rankers include the Bridgestone Potenza RE 720 (top mark) and Turanza ER 300; Michelin Pilot Exalto, Continental Sport Contact 2 and Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D (all expensive) and the Pirelli P3000 Energy.
Generally though, all the top brands such as those mentioned, plus Dunlop, Uniroyal, Kleber and Fulda, all come out within a whisker of each other.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Also see this current thread:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=29...7
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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I agree, there are so may conflicting reports, what is listed as a strength in one review is a weakness in another for the same tyre.
Maybe it would be nice to have a Ratings system similar to NCAP and appliance energy and wash efficiency.
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Having experienced a fair variety of tyres I don't find much difference. Most modern tyres seem to perform well. I have noticed that Bridgestone Potenzas are a bit 'noisy' though. I have had good experience with most brands, inc. Goodyear Eagle Ventura, NCT5, Continental PremiumContact, Michelin and Uniroyal Rainsport, I even (although I have been attacked for it) have found Kumho Supra 712 to be good. I suspect the reason some people rave about a particular tyre is that they are replacing a worn-out example of another brand and so it can seem a big improvement in performance. The Conti's on my wife's car are down to about 3mm at the front and they are definitely getting a bit 'skittish', even on a mildly damp road. I guess as the tyre wear and the rubber ages, it gets harder and wears differently.
Having read tyre test reports I do find that they can be a bit contradictory. On the mytyres.co.uk website their are tyre tests (in German, mostly) and rather oddly they sometimes contradict themselves - i.e. a tyre test in 2002 says tyre is good in the wet; same tyre and same tester in 2004 says its poor in the wet?
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I'm very impressed with my current Toyos. Excellent road holding in the wet, quiet, and cheap at 50 quid each.
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>>Maybe it would be nice to have a Ratings system similar to NCAP and appliance energy and wash efficiency.>>
That's right on the button as far as the consumer rights magazine I mentioned does - it takes a range of attributes (rolling resistance, noise, wet weather performance etc) and produces an overall percentage figure for each tyre.
The higher the percentage the better.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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I agree, there are so may conflicting reports, what is listed as a strength in one review is a weakness in another for the same tyre.
Agree with Schnitzel
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=27...0
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I agree with most of the answers already given. Most opinions of tyre performance are subjective at best, and mine are no exception. I have tried many different sets on my car and personally I prefer Goodyear. The Autocar tests of 04 stated that the new Goodyear Hydragrip was the top but of course other tests show other winners. One of the questions I always ask is "are you happy with what you are currently driving" if so then stick with them. The nice thing about the major brands is that should there ever be a problem then technical backup is easy to get hold of. You will rarely if ever use atyre to its full capabilities therefore the judgement you should use is value for money. The most expensive is rarely the best value ditto the cheapest. If you would post your size and speed rating on this thread I would be able to give you some indication of various costs and let me know what area and I may be able to recommend one or two possible outlets to phone. I do not agree that internet sites are cheap.. my research shows them to be one of the most expensive ways of buying tyres. look forward to your post
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>I even (although I have been attacked for it) have found Kumho Supra 712 to be good.
I'm another Kumho fan, but tyre choice is always a bit difficult. The Ecstas I currently have on the Chevy are just as good as the OEM Goodyear Eagles (and get the same abuse), but I'm not sure that they'd suit my XJ. Likewise, I don't think the XJ's P6000's would be any good on the Chevy.
Horses for courses really.
>"are you happy with what you are currently driving" if so then stick with them.
Good advice, but I'd add "if not, go back to OEM fit before trying anything else."
Kevin...
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The golden rule, as someone has mentioned already, is that you should NEVER compromise on the 'quality' (and care) of your tyres, because (in most cases) the amount of contact your tyre has with the road is about the size of your palm. Now think about it, should you need to make an emergency stop or swerve to avoid an accident/object, it's only that much rubber which will help with gripping and handling. Hopfully you'll never need your tyres to perform like that,but if you do, then it's those sorts of situations that will determine if you get 'value for money' or not. So buy the best tyre you can afford.
I've only ever really gone with Pirelli or Michelins - but then my cars have been very new or new - so I've stuck with what they came with when it came time to replacing them. But when I bought my PUG GTi I wanted to be sure that I was fitting quality tyres to it (since I was going to have fun in it!) but wanted good value for money too. I was tempted by the CEAT offering by KwikFit since they toss in a lot of freebies with the tyre and it can work out quite cost effective - I don't know what my other learned friends on the forum might think about them, but they look like a good tyre and the people who have them fitted to their cars only ever seem to say nice things.
Budget tyres aren't all bad, for example my wife 2001 330SE came with a set of brand new 'Nankang' sport tyres. Being a cynic I thought about changing them for Pilot IIs/Goodyear F1s as I wanted no compromise since this was SWMBO car and she ferries the kiddies in it - but I've found these tyres to be SUPERB. For what you pay and what you get they truly are a gem of a tyre and although being budget proves very capable. I'm sure perhaps at the 'top end' of the scale they will 'fade' in comaprison to the branded tyres, but generally, voerall the NANKANGs are very competant. The rubber compounds of msot budget tyres ahev improved vastly over the years and can prove jsut as good for NORMAL day to day driving as their branded counterparts and shouldn't be overlooked just because. Some manufacturers are fitting these 'obscure' tyre makes as OEM fitment to BRAND NEW cars...however when it comes time to replacing tyres on the 330 I will opt for the Pilot IIs/F1s for my absolute peace of mind.
So, IMHO if you're going to ptter about (as you intimate) in your Mondeo then look at the variety available and DO SHOP AROUND. When I was looking for tyres for my PUG by shopping around I was able to buy 4 x Avon ZV3 tyres for £175 ALL IN (fitting, balancing, alignment etc.) and these BRANDED tyres were cheaper than any budget offering.
Hope it helps :)
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Thanks for all the info, doesn't sound as if there is a lot between all the major brands so cannot go wrong.
I've done 140K trouble free on michelin but I might just shop around to see what I can get some of the others for, just for the hell of it really - nothing against michelin
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