Car tyres a minefield ?

As mentioned above, Tyrereviews is a good site. I ended up going for Falken ZE914 tyres when my MG ZT needed its rears replacing, I've been quite happy with them and will be replacing the fronts with the same once they're worn out.

The general consensus is to avoid the really cheap ones, like Fullrun and LingLong, but midrange brands such as Falken and Kumho offer a good compromise between performance and cost.

EDIT: Why is everyone saying 'Khumo'? It's Kumho.
 
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If you want a balance between performance and wear, stick to the big brands - maybe adding Semprit and Vredestein to your list.

I didn't realise that Blackcircles are linked to Tescos. I won't be using them anymore......
 
2blue4u said:
I didn't realise that Blackcircles are linked to Tescos. I won't be using them anymore......
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I believe the link goes as far as enabling tesco customers to earn clubcard points on purchases. Purely a business arrangement.
 
RichardtheSane said:
I believe the link goes as far as enabling tesco customers to earn clubcard points on purchases. Purely a business arrangement.
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iirc tesco have a rather large share holding in the company as well as an interest in a surprising number of garages
 
nilagin said:
You should always try to maintain the same rolling diameter within a certain percentage or else the speedo will need recalibrating.
Don't get me started on stretched tyres. This practice needs to be banned. On the car forum I follow, a member had stretched tyres on his car, he hit something like a small rock/large stone on a residential road (so he "shouldn't" have been driving fast, his tyre burst, and he lost control of his car. Result was he destroyed the whole side of his car and ripped the front wheel off. He spat his dummy out when it was suggested the cause was his stretched tyres and he'd have probably have just broke a wheel had he had normal tyres. Sadly he's bought an identical car and put stretched tyres on it again.
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Stretched tyres?? What the heck is this?

I did enquire of the tyre fitter of the last lot of tyres I had about punctures. He said he was always doing bmws and replacing cracked rims. Never saw alfas though. Which is nice. Either we're careful or Alfa make robust wheels :)

I always get my tyres from e-tyres. Toyo, uniroyal, goodyear or Falken. Latter are about the cheapest I'd go. Some of the weirdo brands are big name manufacturers older tread patterns. They're worth trying. The cheap chinese ones I wouldn't touch with a 20 foot stunt male chicken.
 
srichards said:
Stretched tyres?? What the heck is this?
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Seems to be a "cool" thing, especially on the vdub scene where you fit tyres that at narrower than the rims. I don't get it myself, I want as much tyre in contact with the road as possible :LOL:
 
srichards said:
Stretched tyres?? What the heck is this?
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Stretched tyres is where the tyres are too narrow for the width of the wheel. This results in the tyre walls having to bulge out to fit the rim.
10J_195_45_13.jpg
 
srichards said:
Stretched tyres?? What the heck is this?
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Stretched tyres are a car scene thing of having a smaller tyre width than what the wheel would normally have.
EG: Normal 225/40/18 - Strecthed = 205/35/18

It stretches the sidewall of the tyre to the edge of the wheel rim.

Personally If you are looking at aftermarket wheels to fit to your car.
I would keep your original wheels for a winter set with good Winter + Snow markings (W+S)
Then get the larger size for summertime. As for which tyres, have a look at this
http://www.pistonheads.com/Gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=499931&mid=0&nmt=PH+Tyre+Review+A-L

I also use Camskill -http://www.camskill.co.uk/ (same theme as balckcircles)

Chris
 
nilagin said:
Stretched tyres is where the tyres are too narrow for the width of the wheel. This results in the tyre walls having to bulge out to fit the rim.
10J_195_45_13.jpg
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Dear God. What kind of cretin thinks that looks good???? I'd immediately ban them from driving forever on the grounds their eye sight and brain is completely defective!
 
There's a bimmer that parks opposite our drive that has stretched tyres on it. Combined with M STICKERS (deliberate capitals) rather than badges. Crappy matt black paint as well. Chavvy ladygarden he is too!
 
I would certainly not advise going for large rims in UK. Mercs have some of the worst (hardest) ride quality, and putting thinner tyres will make it much worse. Who cares what it looks like when your back side suffers. And it makes it easier to scratch rims when parking.

Overexposed said:
There is so much rubbish wriiten about the advantages of premium tyres - in most cases the only reason they are premium is the price they have charge to cover the huge advertising budget. The other thing to remember is if you want grip they tyre will need to be soft, if it is soft it wont last as long - if you are driving a normal car normal mileage on normal roads at normal speeds you will see no difference between a normal tyre and a premium tyre ( note a normal tyre is not an economy tyre) www.tyrereviews.co.uk is a great resource. If you are tracking or have a high performance car you are talking totally different dynamics.
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When you put that in practice - cheap tyres are hard and non grippy tires. I know there are plenty of people driving old small petrol cars at 45mph down the motorway and breaking at the slightest bend. This is the sort of outcome that cheap tyres force you to. With good tyres you can take fairly sharp corners without any breaking and no skidding. I am just saying from practice, and my car is pretty average. 4x£30 saving for horrible driving is really not worth it.

P.S. Winter is coming. I bet you will argue we don't need winter tyres for icy mornings and occasional snow. Wrong again. IF it is <+7C you need them
 
daugirdas said:
P.S. Winter is coming. I bet you will argue we don't need winter tyres for icy mornings and occasional snow. Wrong again. IF it is <+7C you need them
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I've had this row on car forums. My "summer" tyres have performed just fine in 90% of winter driving conditions I have had the pleasure of driving in 33 years. We get very little snow in this part of Essex, it has a habit of dumping most of it's load in surrounding areas before it gets to us. As for needing winter tyres just because the temp is below 7C, I have never noticed any drop off in grip or performance from my tyres below 7C even in -1 or -2 degree temperatures we may sometimes get. The tyres are more than capable of taking bends, changing direction etc. whatever the temperature and with very little steering input too. I have a pair of snow socks in the boot and in the 3 years I've had them, only had to use them once, for all of 30 seconds tops, to pull away in deep snow on a hill. Once back on level ground, I didn't need them again.
 
daugirdas said:
I would certainly not advise going for large rims in UK. Mercs have some of the worst (hardest) ride quality, and putting thinner tyres will make it much worse. Who cares what it looks like when your back side suffers. And it makes it easier to scratch rims when parking.



When you put that in practice - cheap tyres are hard and non grippy tires. I know there are plenty of people driving old small petrol cars at 45mph down the motorway and breaking at the slightest bend. This is the sort of outcome that cheap tyres force you to. With good tyres you can take fairly sharp corners without any breaking and no skidding. I am just saying from practice, and my car is pretty average. 4x£30 saving for horrible driving is really not worth it.

P.S. Winter is coming. I bet you will argue we don't need winter tyres for icy mornings and occasional snow. Wrong again. IF it is <+7C you need them
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Im totally sold on Winter tyres having the misfortune of having 275bhp through the front wheels! I have now have a set for the snow. You misunderstood/misread my post - i am not advocating economy tyres - I am saying that there are plenty of good midrange tyres around which will more than out handle the limits of most car chassis. In most cases its poor driving not bad tyres that causes accidents. if you are a crap driver premium tyres won't stop thou having an accident
 
I'm pushing approx 270 bhp through my front wheel drive car too but I have a Quaife diff installed etc etc. I ride on Goodyear Asymmetric 2's.

EagleF1_Asym2_1503.jpg


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nilagin said:
I've had this row on car forums. My "summer" tyres have performed just fine in 90% of winter driving conditions I have had the pleasure of driving in 33 years. We get very little snow in this part of Essex, it has a habit of dumping most of it's load in surrounding areas before it gets to us. As for needing winter tyres just because the temp is below 7C, I have never noticed any drop off in grip or performance from my tyres below 7C even in -1 or -2 degree temperatures we may sometimes get. The tyres are more than capable of taking bends, changing direction etc. whatever the temperature and with very little steering input too. I have a pair of snow socks in the boot and in the 3 years I've had them, only had to use them once, for all of 30 seconds tops, to pull away in deep snow on a hill. Once back on level ground, I didn't need them again.
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I am presuming you are fortunate enough never to have found yourself unexpectedly on the limits of a tyre in these conditions then. Because on normal driving such as you describe there will be little or no difference unless there is a significant and prolonged drop in temperature.

But as soon as you are on the limits, the benefits of winter vs summer in cold weather becomes aparrent.
 
RichardtheSane said:
I am presuming you are fortunate enough never to have found yourself unexpectedly on the limits of a tyre in these conditions then. Because on normal driving such as you describe there will be little or no difference unless there is a significant and prolonged drop in temperature.

But as soon as you are on the limits, the benefits of winter vs summer in cold weather becomes aparrent.
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My normal driving tends to be faster than what would be deemed normal for others as the car is capable of taking bends faster than "normal", but I have never pushed it even in dry warm conditions just to find out what those limits are.
Just last week I drove in 0-1 degree C temperatures and there was no grip difference in the tyres to the next morning on the same journey when the temperature was 10 C.
 
nilagin said:
My normal driving tends to be faster than what would be deemed normal for others as the car is capable of taking bends faster than "normal", but I have never pushed it even in dry warm conditions just to find out what those limits are.
Just last week I drove in 0-1 degree C temperatures and there was no grip difference in the tyres to the next morning on the same journey when the temperature was 10 C.
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....If you enjoy fun-but-safe driving and have a car with its handling well sorted, I can recommend doing a one-day course such as CarLimits held on an airfield (North Weald). Obviously you use your own car for it to benefit you. Expect extreme tyre wear and the consumption of lots of fuel. Trackdays are helpful too, especially if you can give a trainer a ride.

By exploring your car's limits in a safe environment (not a public road) you will learn what they are and subsequently stay within your car's limits.

Regarding driver limits, you can remap your brain and learn high performance roadcraft on a specialised one-to-one course in your own car. Such skills and roadcraft can then be applied to whatever vehicle you drive.

If I'm beginning to sound like the perfect driver, I'm not! But I love every mile and am very focussed - No radios/music distractions etc ever on while I'm driving.

My car is more than useless in snow as the front air splitter acts like a snow plough but in all other conditions including extremely heavy rain I have found asymmetric tread patterns to be very reliable and wouldn't consider anything else now.
 
RedRobin said:
I'm pushing approx 270 bhp through my front wheel drive car too but I have a Quaife diff installed etc etc. I ride on Goodyear Asymmetric 2's.
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I have 380 bhp through the rear on an 1100kg car and use the same tyres. On the family car I run with NCT 5's. Not cheap but good life and great grip.

As for summer/winter tyres - I've always moderated my driving rather than swap tyres
 
Byker28i said:
As for summer/winter tyres - I've always moderated my driving rather than swap tyres
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....Same here. Although I have a spare set of alloys I simply don't need to drive when it's snowing etc. Best to always drive according to road conditions anyway.

(y)
 
nilagin said:
My normal driving tends to be faster than what would be deemed normal for others as the car is capable of taking bends faster than "normal", but I have never pushed it even in dry warm conditions just to find out what those limits are.
Just last week I drove in 0-1 degree C temperatures and there was no grip difference in the tyres to the next morning on the same journey when the temperature was 10 C.
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Indeed, as is my normal driving ;) But day to day driving, as I said, doesn't give you the benefit.

I'm talking about those times where you have to hang off the anchors or take other evasive due to something unexpected. Doesn't happen often when we do defensive driving but I've been there on winters and stopped in conditions I'm pretty sure would have resulted in making some metal bend had I been on summers. For me, it was an eye opener.

I guess you've had this 'row' before because you seem to argue quite passionately that your have been fine throughout the winter on summers. Many people are I'm sure but the point is winter tyres when the cold weather comes are a good choice for remaining safe.
 
The tyres I have for my car are allegedly all terrain (michelins), but they must be infinitely better than nankangs anyway. I'd never go nankang, Apollo or any cheap tyre again after experiencing the fact that the car just wants to go straight on when you turn the steering wheel and get a really alarming scrub sound from the tyres. Also possibly a contributing reason as to why the last car ended up in a scrapyard. £50 a corner for the michelins (narrow tyre/small wheel ) and have never felt the car let go, even when I drove in circles in a car park fast enough to nearly end up in the passenger seat.
 
In my world, cheapo tyres are known as 'Ditchfinders'.
 
RichardtheSane said:
Indeed, as is my normal driving ;) But day to day driving, as I said, doesn't give you the benefit.

I'm talking about those times where you have to hang off the anchors or take other evasive due to something unexpected.
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The only conditions where that would pose a problem is if the road is covered in snow or ice. But in those conditions everyone including myself hopefully will be driving a lot slower. I have had instances where other road users have lost control but I've used the gears to slow down and made minute steering adjustments to avoid them successfully. When we do have snow, which isn't often here, I will find a snow filled car park, devoid of cars and force the car into skids etc. to see how it reacts and learn how to regain control.
 
nilagin said:
The only conditions where that would pose a problem is if the road is covered in snow or ice.
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And when the temps are getting down close to freezing but roads are wet. Not talking ICE here, just cold and wet. Now that happens a lot in the UK winter, certainly round here...

You sounds like a safe driver, and someone who takes good driving seriously. But you must remember your decision to stay on summers all year round works for you because of this - and then you may still get caught out one day. Passionately denying the benefits of winter tyres could dissuade someone else from buying them who would benefit from the added safety.
 
There comes a point where, regardless of your driving skills, you are just a passenger and are unable to gain control. But I agree that exploring your car's limits and getting to know the tell-tale signs is very useful.
 
RedRobin said:
There comes a point where, regardless of your driving skills, you are just a passenger and are unable to gain control. But I agree that exploring your car's limits and getting to know the tell-tale signs is very useful.
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Indeed, very useful.
Fortunately there is a car park near me that empties out beautifully later at night. ;)


I guess in addition my choice to buy winter tyres is based largely on the fact that they can (sometimes significantly) change the point where you become just a passenger in winter conditions.
 
RichardtheSane said:
But you must remember your decision to stay on summers all year round works for you because of this - and then you may still get caught out one day. Passionately denying the benefits of winter tyres could dissuade someone else from buying them who would benefit from the added safety.
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....And in the UK, not Scandanavia, that's unfortunately a majority of drivers who only want to travel from A to B as if in their sitting room armchair and derive no joy from driving.

In Germany, it is illegal to be running on tyres which aren't officially winter rated from November(?) until March(?) - I forget the months because I prefer to take my road trips to Europe outside those months. EU rules might one day become the law here.

Bottom line is to understand how different tyres perform (slicks in the wet, anyone?) and to drive according to conditions. As it's a vehicle's only contact with the road it's a no-brainer to choose wisely and not be led by price alone.
 
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nilagin said:
The only conditions where that would pose a problem is if the road is covered in snow or ice. But in those conditions everyone including myself hopefully will be driving a lot slower. I have had instances where other road users have lost control but I've used the gears to slow down and made minute steering adjustments to avoid them successfully. When we do have snow, which isn't often here, I will find a snow filled car park, devoid of cars and force the car into skids etc. to see how it reacts and learn how to regain control.
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Funnily enough, you'd think this but actually the most accidents happen about now as people get caught out with the sudden change in light and road conditions. Slippery roads, low light, puddles for aqua planning. People tend to drive carefully on snow and ice but completely misjudge the current conditions.

Sadly we've had main roads near us closed regularly over the last couple of weeks due to fatal and serious accidents, including three head ons.
 
As I work shifts, I'm used to driving unlit roads in early hours of morning, I don't get phased by oncoming cars headlights. I look at the road not the headlights. and the tyres are pretty good at dispersing water, not encountered any aquaplaning. My only concerns with puddles is they have been known to steal a jacking point cover from my side skirts from time to time :bang:. I cover around 14k miles a year but in this corner of Essex the weather is never that bad for any real length of time. I'm not denying Winters will be a good safe idea for some people as people obviously encounter different conditions. To put it into perspective I don't know anyone, friends, workmates, or family etc. who uses winter tyres.
 
Byker28i said:
Funnily enough, you'd think this but actually the most accidents happen about now as people get caught out with the sudden change in light and road conditions. Slippery roads, low light, puddles for aqua planning. People tend to drive carefully on snow and ice but completely misjudge the current conditions.
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....A focussed driver who enjoys motoring will usually be aware of road (and traffic) conditions regardless of season etc. Most people don't understand braking distances either - That's yet another aspect which tyres can greatly influence. They just don't think.
 
Byker28i said:
Sadly we've had main roads near us closed regularly over the last couple of weeks due to fatal and serious accidents, including three head ons.
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If you are referring to the dual accidents on the a417 at birdlip last week, they didn't appear to be down to tyres or road conditions really.

One, a car managed to get the wrong side of the dividing barrier and hit a truck head on, and the other an elderly driver pulled out of the minor side road from birdlip village in front of a truck heading down towards the air balloon roundabout. Even the best tyres in the world wouldn't have prevented those. I believe there was a bit of fog for the first, the second was just a severe misjudgment of speed.
 
The words most commonly said following an incident/accident are along the lines of: "I didn't see him." Awareness and Focus are essential. Tyres are important as we have discussed.
 
SMIDSY (sorry mate I didn't see you) should be regarded as an admission of driving without due care and attention IMO. Done far too many hospital visits and funerals because of them.
 
RedRobin said:
There comes a point where, regardless of your driving skills, you are just a passenger and are unable to gain control. But I agree that exploring your car's limits and getting to know the tell-tale signs is very useful.
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True driving skills are being able to recognise and not putting yourself in the situation where you are a passenger - there's too much crap written about how important premium tyres are essential, premium driving skills are far more important ie not getting yourself in a situation where you are beyond your limits and the vehicles limits.
 
Overexposed said:
True driving skills are being able to recognise and not putting yourself in the situation where you are a passenger - there's too much crap written about how important premium tyres are essential, premium driving skills are far more important ie not getting yourself in a situation where you are beyond your limits and the vehicles limits.
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Mostly agree... although driving skills cannot account for every situation no matter how good you are. Although you can significantly reduce risk with driving skills and awareness you can never completely mitigate it.
 
RichardtheSane said:
Mostly agree... although driving skills cannot account for every situation no matter how good you are. Although you can significantly reduce risk with driving skills and awareness you can never completely mitigate it.
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Driving skills can account for more situations than tyres ever can !
 
Overexposed said:
Driving skills can account for more situations than tyres ever can !
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I'm not going to disagree with that. (y)

You inferred that driving skills could stop you getting in a situation where you are a passenger, that is what I disagree with
 
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