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Blackcircles have the following in your size: Falken Ziex ZE-912 fully fitted for £51.72 each; Uniroyal Rainexpert fully fitted for £52.88 each; Hankook Kinergy Eco K425 fully fitted for £56.05 each; Pirelli P6000 fully fitted for £57.41 each; Yokohama A Drive fully fitted for £57.60 each; Continental Eco Contact 3 fully fitted for £72.38 each.
We recently replaced some Pirelli PZero Neros (rear - original fit) and Yokohama S Drives (fronts) on our Mazda 2 with Kumho KH31's - and these were noticably quieter. Kumho's are one of the tyres fitted to new Polos as original equipment. The following are direct quotes from Which? for this tyre test:
"This Continental is a class-leading tyre, offering good dry braking performance and top dry handling. It also hangs on well in wet conditions, particularly in bends. It's noisier than some alternatives and its wear rating was about average for the batch. Availability isn't as good as is usual for Continental tyres."
"The Bridgestone Turanza ER300 offers class-leading dry grip and handling and is good in wet conditions, too. It isn't bad for noise but for wear there are tyres that, under the same circumstances, should give you higher mileage."
"This Kumho tyre offers good grip in dry conditions and good straight line grip in the wet. For wet grip in bends it can't quite match the best in class but is acceptable. Its wear rating is good, and as one of the lower-priced tyres in the batch it's good value for money."
"The Vredstein Rain Expert offers good dry grip and will pull you up pretty quickly when you hit the brakes in the wet. And when it comes to wet traction it is a class-leader.Its wear rating is good, as is its rolling resistance, all pointing to value for money. It isn't the quietest tyre in the batch though. The Uniroyal brand is owned in Europe by Continental."
There was one 'Don't Buy' in this size:
"Vredestein Hi-Trac
Average price £53
Which? test score 38%
At £53, and with excellent wear characteristics, the Hi-Trac may seem good value for money. It even does well in the wet.
But the compromise is in its dry grip - where its braking and handling fall short of the mark and may have you paying out any money saved in insurance excess if you crash into the car in front. Steer clear."
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Hi, thanks to you all for the recommendations.
Since my original post in 2009, I've had Kumho KH15s fitted. They have been excellent in all conditions (even the snow in Dec 10/Jan 11) and I am quite happy with them. They're nearly worn out now but still give a secure drive. Might replace them now with the same (although I think they've been superseded by KH17s) or the Uniroyals.
Happy New Year to you all!
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RT
I was talking about Kuhmo KH21 which are an all season tyre.
Not the Khumo KL21 www.tyretest.com/4x4_tyres/kumho/solus_kl21/index....l which actually has a good feedback.
www.ityre.com/en/tyres/catalog/kumho/model/23792/
And actually has a 60K mileage warranty in some countries.
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RT
I was talking about Kuhmo KH21 which are an all season tyre.
Not the Khumo KL21 www.tyretest.com/4x4_tyres/kumho/solus_kl21/index....l which actually has a good feedback.
www.ityre.com/en/tyres/catalog/kumho/model/23792/
And actually has a 60K mileage warranty in some countries.
Good feedback - only 2 consumers have responded !!
Tyres on sale in USA are very often different compounds to Europe, even for tyres of the same name/model. Using the UTQG figures I can normally get a 240 tyre to 25,000 miles on a set of 4 - my Kumho KL21s will only get 25,000 miles from a set of 5 despite their 500 rating - I suspect the reason is that the UTQG ratings are based on US conditions where they don't have many corners !!!
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My Santa Fe came with Kumho Solus KL21s on it. I've put on Vredestein Wintrac 4 Xtremes for the winter (somewhat prematurely in October as it turns out!) and will put the Kumhos back on as a summer tyre. I've run all season M+S tyres in the winter (Vredestein Quatrac3s) and found them very good in the wet and dry and ok on fresh and compacted snow and in slush but nowhere near as impressive as the Wintrac4s. I did 7,000 miles on the KL21s in 3 months and found them quite good. They seem to me to work well enough in the wet and dry with good grip, they will break in the wet but at quite high speeds - I have experimented very early mornings on traffic free wet roundabouts to satisfy my curiosity. They are comfortable and quiet - more so than the Wintrac4s but the Kumhos are load rated 103 and the Wintracs 107XL. Camskill sell them for £88 in my 235/60/18 size which is roughly half the price of many of the premium brands so that to me looks very good value. I'll run the Kumhos to the end and then probably stick with the Wintrac4s as Vredestein say that are good for all year round use and there is anecdotal evidence of 40k+ mileage from sets on other 4x4s.
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I'll run the Kumhos to the end and then probably stick with the Wintrac4s as Vredestein say that are good for all year round use and there is anecdotal evidence of 40k+ mileage from sets on other 4x4s.
Agree with Wintrac Extremes being very good on 4x4's, but when did Vred's attitude to all year round running change.
So good were they on my Hilux that i would have preferred to run them as an all year round standard tyre...the original Pirelli' were poor in comparison.
I emailed Vredestein to ask if they would recommend all year use and they were less than enthusiastic about this, and didn't recommend doing so.
Purely out of interest after much research i spent out on a set of General UHP's for summer use, they were very good, well priced with superb wet grip, i would buy them again.
I should just mention that the Hilux having an LSD as standard didn't do the usual cart sprung RWD trick of safely spinning the inside drive wheel when you took things too fast in the wet, the LSD wouldn't allow that so severe oversteer was easily provoked and could be handful to get back, thats why the original tyres were removed and sold with around a thousand miles use only.
With the Vreds oversteer slides simply never happened, and to their credit neither did it happen with the Generals in wet summer conditions...despite SWMBO best efforts to spin the thing..
Edited by gordonbennet on 04/01/2012 at 20:36
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>>but when did Vred's attitude to all year round running change.
I'm not sure but one one of their official UK distributors recommends them as an all year tyre for the UK:
www.tyremen.co.uk/range/vredestein-wintrac-4-xtrem...x
I bought mine from a 4x4 tyre independent and they recommend them quite positively for all year use:
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=791696
I also saw an official communication from Vredestein on another forum confirming that the Wintrac 4 xtreme is suitable for all year use, I'll try to find it.
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I used to run the Vredestein Wintrac Xtreme on my diesel Lancer (225-45/18) all year round - they were a far better tyre than the OE fit Yokohama A10 and the truely terrible Toyo T1R that I had on my summer rims. The Toyos were totally unsuitable for the heavy Lancer, felt like I was driving on marbles.
As for the Hi-Trac, they were fitted to my Mondeo when I got it, didn't think they were terrible for a "long life" tyre. I replaced them with Bridgestone Turanza ER300 and then Hankook Ventus Prime K105. The Hankooks are the best tyre I've had on that car - no surprising as they were the factory fit tyre going by the unused spare in the boot.
I've got Dunlop winter tyres for the Mondeo - they're terrible. Great last year when it was -17C and sheet ice, but worse than useless if it's above 0C. I stupidly bought the wrong winters - the Graspic DS3 I have seem to be designed for Nordic areas. I think I should have gone for a more performance tyre like the Wintersport 3D, or one of Vred's winters.
Thinking next tyre change I might try the Bridgestone Weathercontrol A001 which is supposed to be a proper all-season designed for the UK, using the LM25 pattern with a different rubber compound to give it better summer running properties.
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Just an update on my car and tyres. Had the Wintrac 4 Xtremes on my Santa Fe for the last 3 months and around 6,000 mainly motorway miles. One trip to the Alps in a lot of snow reconfirmed why I like them so much. Anyway, the car was in the Hyundai main dealers today for a wing mirror repair and an interim service which included a free visual check. The check reported back 3 of the tyres at 7mm tread and one front nearside at 6mm. As the tyre comes with 9mm from new even my limited mental maths caused me to think "that isn't too clever." So back home got out the tyre tread gauge and checked them all twice. They are 7mm at the front and 8mm at the back, makes sense I suppose as it is a 2wd car 99.99% of the time.
So assuming the tyres would be up for replacement at say 2.5 mm in the summer and 4mm in the winter, with swapping around, that's around 20k to 25k max from a set. I'd imagine running them in the warmer months would surely accelerate the wear to the point where I wouldn't see 20k miles which is plainly too low. How some people claim to get 40k+ out of a set all year round on a heavier Range Rover I struggle to see! I'm definitely taking them off in the spring so they are good for next winter.
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Reading all the comments and narrowing down my own decisions. I don't plane to keep my current 2.0RXE Scenic for a long time now - possibly a max of 2 years! So - for the first time in my life I am looking for a slightly cheaper tyre. The Uniroyal is available for £58 at my local RSR - where the Conti PC2 is £76= - and sometimes quite a bit more elsewhere.
I cannot be investing in seperate Winter tyres and so I am thinking the Rain Experts may be my best compromise. Maybe when I buy another car I might consider some winter tyres for winter use to be stored seperately in the Summer....
Contis are more expensive and no good in the snow - but otherwsie very good. Uniroyals don't quite match the conti's in the dry but are excellent in the wet and seemingly also better in the snow - so that is what I am planning to buy in a month or two. ....Unless someone has a blinding revelation to tell me about LOL
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Ive just stuck a pair of Falken 912s on the rear of our Scenic - they look like a cheap tyre but time will tell. They were inexpensive, but going by reviews seemed a cut above the cheapie brands.
I've tried Mich Energies, Bridgestone Turanzas, etc but am about to go for a pair of Yokahama C Drives on the rear of my Focus. Relatively cheap and hopefully a great tyre for all conditions, although technically its a summer tyre. Time will tell again.
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I've a pair of Uniroyal RainExpert on the front of the Mondeo. They're fine for the price. I have a pair of Hankook Ventus Prime on the back, they were the same price as the Uniroyals. They're a bit stiffer in the sidewall, so don't have the wooly handling of the RainExpert, they last a similar amount, and there's little difference in wet or dry grip as far as I can tell.
I think I'd probably replace the RainExperts with some other Hankook, either the Ventus Prime2, or the Optimo K415 which aren't bad either, though the K415 is a bit noisy on the OH's i30. Might be different on the Mondeo.
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Wooly handling - ooer!! The Contis are very responsive and stay in a nice straight line too - If the Uniroyals are wooly then maybe I need to think again!! I have read that all the Hankooks are not anywhere near as good in the wet which is what 'steered' me away from them
Tricky isn't it - cos once you have bought them you are stuck with them for a few years!!
Hoping to find near similar handling - but possibly better in the snow - but for a lower price (don't want much do I ?? LOL)
Edited by GeoffC on 24/01/2012 at 17:55
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I'd add Kumho to the list. They're recommended several times on another current thread, and they've done well both for grip and for durability on my old Z3.
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OK the old mota in question is a low for it's age mileage, Facelift mk1 Scenic 2.0RXE
Currently using Conti PC2's which are, to date, just about the best in the wet and dry - but not in the snow. Those are amazing for grip and turn in. Close 2nd was a set of Pirreli P6 which were also much better inthe snow - but felt horrible, felt over inflated, and wandered on the motorway. Before them I used Kumho Solus KH15 which felt as nice as the Cont's but wet grip was not so good, also they tended to slew more (tyre walls bending) on faster cornering. But they were comfortable and yes - also a bit better in the snow than the Conti's.
Really finding it difficult to decide - i was almost certain the Uniroyals would be the answer -but can see they are a little less good inthe dry. Also considered the Yokoham C-Drive. The Hankooks looked good but Tyretest.com rates their wet grip as noticably less good.
Hmm decisions decisions!!
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Just to throw this in. I bought a 2008 Lancer (diesel GS3 saloon) not so long ago, and it had factory fitted Yokohama tyres on it. Yokohama A10A in 215-45/18 to be exact. DOT production date on them was around the middle of 2008. I had to replace all 4 tyres in Decemeber 2009 because they had gone dozed. Tread was splitting, and sidewalls looked like a 10 year old Michelin.
Thankfully Mitsubishi replaced all 4 when they were swapping the wheels (they were corroded around the centre cap, and were being replaced under warranty too). They put on Bridgestone RE050A which were a good tyre but could be seen wearing day to day.
That bad rubber degredation on the Yokos would make me very wary. Probably a bad batch or something, but still, the doubt would always be in my mind.
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GeoffC, if price is the limiting factor then the Uniroyals Rain Experts at £58 each offer sound value, you may get more discount if you're buying 4 tyres.
These tyres have received excellent reviews from many people, see details below :
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Uniroyal/RainExpert.htm
http://www.tirestest.com/summercar_tires/uniroyal/rainexpert/index.html
An alternative tyre choice would be the Goodyear Excellence, cost around £68 each fully fitted for 4 tyres. These tyres offer good all round performance in wet & dry conditions and offer low road noise and good comfort levels. Had these fitted to a Focus mk2 and they performed well in all conditions, limited exposure on snow but I had no problems getting traction with them . However, if I had to drive in more snowy conditions I'd fit winter tyres.
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Wow - thanks for quick responses!
Yokohama are tyres I used a lot in the past - sounds like those were a bad batch. My reservations with them would be more around wearing out very fast - yet still not quite up with the best in the wet - not bad though and can be reasonably cheap.
I keep looking at the Good years and know they will be a comfortable ride - however they do not get good wet ratings from Tyretest.com (via Mytyres.com) - or from tyrereviews.co.uk
Similarly with the Efficient Grip tyre which suprises me as they are supposed to be a very good make.
Another tyre that keeps waving to me from the background is the Fulda Carat Progresso - obviously we are limited to the size - mine are 195/60/15's So the Kumho KU31 won't fit - I might well have opted for that otherwise.
Returning to the Uniroyals - they seem to get a good overall review from both those sites - also looked at http://www.tyres-pneus-online.co.uk/car-tyres/UNIROYAL/RAIN,EXPERT/ where they look good comparing with many others.
I may well try them - but I am only buying 2 as the backs are very good at the moment.
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Think I should just go for the Rain Experts - take care over Tyre pressures and see how they bed in. Worst case I could swap them to the back if I am not so pleased with them.
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Update
Bought 2 rainexperts for the fronts - great price £59= each - so far def not regreting! Bought just in time for our recent snow - they were great in the snow! Best tyre I have used to date in the snow (not used winter tyres!) - they also feel very safe generally, steer nicely and grip well wet and dry - maybe they won't be s sporty as Conti PC2's on a hot summers day - but TBH these feel very safe and secure so far.
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That's good to hear.
How comfortable do you find them ?
Do they absorb road ruts ok and are they noticably quieter ?
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My thoughts are that there's probably little difference between the manufacturers if, and only if, you match like for like, e.g. C-Class versus A4, not versus an A8.
Each maker seems to make a "comfort" oriented tyre, a sporty one, a run-flat, a wet specialist, a winter, an all season etc. Any angled tread generally will add to noise levels even if it impresses some types.
I've just gone for the quietest Bridgestone's, the Turanza ER300s. Tyre company websites make it pretty clear which tyre is designed for which customer preferences.
Amazed no one has done a comprehensive noise test.
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I was is the same position 6 months ago, looking for 4 new tyres for my Ford Puma. Plumbed for the Uniroyal Rainexperts (aparently made by Continental, incidentally) and they are fantastic in the wet. Very confidence inspiring. They were really good value from blackcircles.com. They're a bit more "squidgy" than the Michelins that came on the car, but much better in the wet, IMO.
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Plumbed for the Uniroyal Rainexperts (aparently made by Continental, incidentally)
They are. If you go to Uniroyal's web site, at the bottom it says "Copyright Continental".
I've had better results and luck with Uniroyal than with Continentals.
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I have a 2004 A4 Avant that came with Continental Sport Contacts (235/45 17) as new and which I replaced along the way. A couple of years ago, I started using winter tyres (Conti WinterContacts) on 15" steel rims and due to the lower 195/65 profile and width, the road noise was substantially reduced.
Last week I put new "summer" tyres (one's we'd have normally used all year round but the manufacturers now prefer to brand as such). I looked at the above review sites and decided on a set of 235/45 Goodyear F1 Assy 2s.
The difference in road noise with the Continentals is astounding. I was expecting a few % reduction from the reviews, but the car is altogether very different and it's almost as if the higher profile winter boots are still on the car.
I am converted, the Goodyear F1s really work with the Audi and it feels completely different. Very sure footed in the rain and the contrast between concrete and tarmac'd road sections of motorway just blend smoothly together without the horrible rumble the Contis used to make on concrete roads.
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