Tyres - Cost - Any Good?

[Notebook]

Hi Everyone

Just wondered if any of you use budget tyres / cheap ones.

What have you bought - what did they cost - were they any good?

235/60HR16

Thanks

[anchorman]

No.

I wouldn't even consider cheap tyres for my car. I cannot put a value on my wife and daughters - nothing is more precious to me so I use reputable brands only.

I'm all for saving a bob or two but would do it with something less safety critical.

IMO

[bothwell_buyer]

No.

I wouldn't even consider cheap tyres for my car. I cannot put a value on my wife and daughters - nothing is more precious to me so I use reputable brands only.

I'm all for saving a bob or two but would do it with something less safety critical.

IMO

I know the value of the wife - more than £250,000.

I can't put a value on the kids - worthless - no insurance.

So I use the cheapest possible!

What speed do you intend doing? Are you intending to go off road, or will it just be unintentional?

[anchorman]

No.

I wouldn't even consider cheap tyres for my car. I cannot put a value on my wife and daughters - nothing is more precious to me so I use reputable brands only.

I'm all for saving a bob or two but would do it with something less safety critical.

IMO

I know the value of the wife - more than £250,000.

I can't put a value on the kids - worthless - no insurance.

So I use the cheapest possible!

What speed do you intend doing? Are you intending to go off road, or will it just be unintentional?

A true Scot - everything valued and categorised!

[Notebook]

What I meant was in a roundabout way, general driving, low speeds, do you have to fork out for the Bridgestone Dueler that are on there now, or is there something else worth considering. 70 is the max I ever drive (on a motorway before someone picks up on it ;-) ) and never off road.

\Therefore

legal rated tyres perhaps a few pounds less - any suggestions?

Nick

[Hoovie]

What I meant was in a roundabout way, general driving, low speeds, do you have to fork out for the Bridgestone Dueler that are on there now, or is there something else worth considering. 70 is the max I ever drive (on a motorway before someone picks up on it ;-) ) and never off road.

\Therefore

legal rated tyres perhaps a few pounds less - any suggestions?

Nick

Have you had any quotes for the Duelers as well as any others?

May be worthwhile also bearing in mind that there is more to tyres then price and safety. Some of the cheap makes can make a load of road noise and also just not last the distance.

A more expensive tyre can often work out cheaper as it may have a longer useful life and/or a better rolling resistance (so giving you better economy).

Autoexpress do some good tyre comparision tests - may be worth a check on their website.

[Hoovie]

ignore - double posted

[dave.m]

[quote name='bothwell_buyer' post='733429'

A true Scot - everything valued and categorised!

EHHH ?????

[bothwell_buyer]

A mans got to know his limitations (Clint Eastwood Adaptation)

In this case its money v need

If yer ony going tae run aroon at 70mph max, there's no point buying a high speed rated tyre fur example....unless yer carrying a load (people or boxes - nae difference)

Tyre patterns can make a difference to road noise as has been said - mud pluggers at 30mph on a tarmac surface are NOISY.

I've found my wider tyres on my 1st RAV have a habit of following white lines where previous tyres didn't. the tyre pattern is directional, and for speed on motorways, they are excellent.

So i suppose you get what you pay for. I use the one supplier for all my cars tyres and get a good price; good service; and the tyres fitted whenever i want them. Then again, I'm buying tyres and sometimes alloys for at least 8 cars + the family buy tyres from him too. I've never bought Bridgestones.

One of the best has been the reinforced tyres fitted to the minibus - very hard wearing and never a puncture and cheap.

[anchorman]

[quote name='bothwell_buyer' post='733429'

A true Scot - everything valued and categorised!

EHHH ?????

Wazzup Dave?

Anybody would think I was rather wide of the mark in my description of the legendary buyer from bothwell.

Hey bothy.

I know what you're thinking punk but when he's bought chinese tyres that are only good for 70 and howl like a banchee, what happens if he comes to flog it?

Wait for it gang, I can feel another "how to do something like nobody else would do it" coming on.............

Now does that LR run on 3 cylinders or just 2?

Well does it punk?

[Notebook]

A mans got to know his limitations (Clint Eastwood Adaptation)

In this case its money v need

If yer ony going tae run aroon at 70mph max, there's no point buying a high speed rated tyre fur example....unless yer carrying a load (people or boxes - nae difference)

Tyre patterns can make a difference to road noise as has been said - mud pluggers at 30mph on a tarmac surface are NOISY.

I've found my wider tyres on my 1st RAV have a habit of following white lines where previous tyres didn't. the tyre pattern is directional, and for speed on motorways, they are excellent.

So i suppose you get what you pay for. I use the one supplier for all my cars tyres and get a good price; good service; and the tyres fitted whenever i want them. Then again, I'm buying tyres and sometimes alloys for at least 8 cars + the family buy tyres from him too. I've never bought Bridgestones.

One of the best has been the reinforced tyres fitted to the minibus - very hard wearing and never a puncture and cheap.

So what would you reccommend?

Thanks

[bothwell_buyer]

A mans got to know his limitations (Clint Eastwood Adaptation)

In this case its money v need

If yer ony going tae run aroon at 70mph max, there's no point buying a high speed rated tyre fur example....unless yer carrying a load (people or boxes - nae difference)

Tyre patterns can make a difference to road noise as has been said - mud pluggers at 30mph on a tarmac surface are NOISY.

I've found my wider tyres on my 1st RAV have a habit of following white lines where previous tyres didn't. the tyre pattern is directional, and for speed on motorways, they are excellent.

So i suppose you get what you pay for. I use the one supplier for all my cars tyres and get a good price; good service; and the tyres fitted whenever i want them. Then again, I'm buying tyres and sometimes alloys for at least 8 cars + the family buy tyres from him too. I've never bought Bridgestones.

One of the best has been the reinforced tyres fitted to the minibus - very hard wearing and never a puncture and cheap.

So what would you recommend?

Thanks

haha - don't buy a landrover. I thought it only had 1 cylinder but anchormans put me right.

The tyres I had on the RAV (and wot were on when it came new) were Dunlops - 215/70 16. They were good all-rounders but did seem to wear quickly.

I realise that yours are slightly different size. Of the 'unknown' brands of cheaper tyre I've used on the RAV, I have never had a problem with them wearing out too quickly; blowing out; falling apart etc.

I have never liked Michelin tyres and pirellis are over-priced and over-rated IMHO

So - answer to your question - I trust Ian at Autoimage in Glasgow to advise me on tyres - thats his trade and I've bought tyres from him for over 10 years. He's a mine of information and if you like, you could ask him for his opinion (say that Ian with the turbo RAV suggested you phone him) - he'll be able to tell you which tyres are good and what price they are - 0141 333 0575. The number is engaged quite a lot, but keep trying. :)

[D Winter]

What I meant was in a roundabout way, general driving, low speeds, do you have to fork out for the Bridgestone Dueler that are on there now, or is there something else worth considering. 70 is the max I ever drive (on a motorway before someone picks up on it ;-) ) and never off road.

\Therefore

legal rated tyres perhaps a few pounds less - any suggestions?

Nick

I was told (when shopping around for tyres for a car recently) that it wasn't a good idea to put 'lower speed' rated tyres on as it's not just top speed that is a factor. The lower spec tyres may not be able to handle the amount of torque that is delivered if they are a lower rating than is recommended for the car.

[SQUEALEYHEALEY]

For those of you who, like me, are 'Real Tight wad's!' try back street tyre dealers advertising part worn tyres. I believe that their stock is imported for Europe where there are more stringent restrictions on the age of tyres and what combinations of make on the same vehicle / axle. I would only recommend buying part worn's if you are confident enough to spot a doggy tyre. But I got four unused 'Continental' tyres for £30 each, they still had moulding flash on them. WARNING;- DO NOT LET THEM TAKE YOUR OLD TYRES OFF YOUR RIMS - BEFORE YOU HAVE CHECKED THEIR STOCK AND YOU WANT TO BUY! :ffs:

[Hoovie]

I went down the part-worn route back in 1984 on an old spitfire as I could not afford anything better - got 3 punctures in 2 weeks straight after I got them (co-incidence, I don't know?).

I personally would not touch a part-worn even if I did examine them for scuffs and cuts everywhere - never know how it has been treated.

Why were these contis being sold for £30 each? maybe they failed an inspection test and should have been destroyed

[Robert6920]

Hi, for what it's worth, I do think that getting decent tyres (and making sure they are checked regularly for damage and pressure) is one of the fundamental things to get right in motoring. At the end of the day, you're driving nearly 2 tonnes of metal, people you care for (and, in my case, a dog we're rather fond of, too) down the road, often in lashing rain, at 120 km/h, and relying on brakes and tyres to stop you/keep you on the road when something unexpected happens - so why compromise?? I also ride bikes, and it's a well known fact - and one I remind myself about everytime we push into a corner - that you're leaning over on a couple of bits of rubber each less than a postcard in size. That's why the bike tyres get checked everso carefully. They tend to last about 4000 miles and cost a fair bit to replace. New tyres for the Rav4 - €150. New tyres for the bike - €180. Getting home in one piece - priceless.

[Hoovie]

100% spot on.

'nuf said

[bothwell_buyer]

Think I paid around £80 for the recent RAV tyres but they are 18". There's nobody in the UK that puts their RAV tyres through more bhp or torque than i do - wheel spins; take-offs on rear wheels only; cornering on 2 wheels.....but then my 3 door is not anywhere near 2 tons.

I wouldn't pay over £100 unless I was using them on a race circuit.

[Robert6920]

Aaah, the disadvantage of living in Ireland is that you pay a premium for nearly everything to do with vehicles, including tyres, road tax, VRT (don't get me started....) But at least the petrol's slightly cheaper than in UK, just paid €1.19 a litre = 92p/l

I'd still buy "known brand" tyres, tho

[bothwell_buyer]

Aaah, the disadvantage of living in Ireland is that you pay a premium for nearly everything to do with vehicles, including tyres, road tax, VRT (don't get me started....) But at least the petrol's slightly cheaper than in UK, just paid €1.19 a litre = 92p/l

I'd still buy "known brand" tyres, tho

I know that everything is bought in NI and passed over the border!!

[gray22]

Just fitted four Bridgestone duelers 235/60/16 to my vx, worked out £370.00 fitted , valve and balanced inc vat @ main agent.

[druand]

On the subject of "bargain tyres" not always what they seem!!!

A couple of instances encountered whilst working as service manager in Ford dealership.

I was asked to quote for a set of brand name tyres for a Sierra Cosworth 4x4,I thought i had given a competitive quote only to be told i was too dear. A few weeks later the customer came to garage asking for full geometry check as he had almost lost control a couple of times. I knew the driver to be a capable driver who knew his car well.The trouble was Genuine yes Genuine Pirelli P6 tyres with one slight difference (after a lot of investigation) they were for the South African market and made from a much harder compound and therefore had MUCH LESS grip in anything but warm conditions.

Another similar time was with genuine Michelin, customer required a new alloy and lower steering arm after a blowout on new front tyre. Cause was found to small writing on side of tyre "avec chambre" in other words they were not tubeless tyres but had been fitted as such. He could not belaive just how lucky he really had been and that it was only a wheel and arm required.

In both cases tyres were bought from a private tyre shop. Yes there are lots of Good ones.

In other words "what price is safety"

I could fill many pages with horror stories but these 2 were people saving!!! a few pounds and buying top name tyres.

[gordonjsinclair@hotmail.com]

Just fitted four bridgestone duelers 235/60/16 to my vx, worked out £370.00 fitted , valve and balanced inc vat @ main agent.

Can you say what ain dealers? sounds cheap to me I need 4.