Tyre brands: all the same?

Specialised Armadillos for the road, WTB Exiwolf's for offroad...

Depends on the car, best go to the Forum for the make of car and see what the fanatics say about the different combinations.

I'm sure there are those who'd argue that each brand is quite specific yadda yadda. my view is that tyres are a very important part of your driving experience, both in terms of safety and economy but that provided one is buying a decent brand there's not much in it - kind of like Linn v Cyrus - different strengths etc but both get the job done well. Pirellis have a decent reputation.

What is the car?

Experience on two large cars (we're an irresponsible family!), Citroen XM 205/60/15 91W and C5 V6 215/55/16 93W, P7s suited the XM best, giving better steering feel/precision, but I've settled for Continental Premium Contacts for the C5 (which doesn't do steering feel at all!). Also ran Contis on previous Xantia (205/60/15 91W).

Hope this helps.

We moved over to Michelin tyres for our big cars about 10 years ago as they appear to give us the best balance between grip, ware and economy. It depends on what use you put your cars to; ours have tended to spend most of their time on motorways. If you run a sporty car, you might have different priorities.

Kenneth.

I used to be responsible for a fleet of company service reps all over Europe & Near/Mid East
Vehicle cost control was important with tyres being one of the main vehicle contract mid term costs.

I have found Michelin the ones to beat for all round use.
They cost more to buy, but work out cheapest at cost per km beating the others without exception for normal road use
I have a set on my BMW 330d & have 45,000 miles on them & my MOT garage estimating about 2 to 4k left to run

Ditto. I manage 40,000 miles on Michelin Primacy HP, in the OP's size too. And, erm, I don't give them an easy life. Bought using etyres, good service and prices.

Tony

Michelin. Fron Headly Tyres on the road between Newbury and Kingsclere.

Cheers

Don

quote:

Originally posted by JAB:
provided one is buying a decent brand there's not much in it - kind of like Linn v Cyrus - different strengths etc but both get the job done well.

Jab's comment is true yet not very accurate. Allow me to elaborate a bit. I'll use hifi analogies to get the message across. Naim vs. Linn & Michelin vs. Pirelli.

Linn's entry CD player might be as good as a CD5i but a CDS3 will walk all over Linn's said player. What many people sometimes don't pay attention to is that a tire brand (just like hifi brands) offer a spectrum of models targeting different cars and drivers.

The general rule is that economy and comfort are inversely proportional to grip and traction. Grippier - and hence safer - tires use very soft rubber silica compounds and melt away so quickly. People with supercars have to change their tires every 10,000 miles. The sportier tires are often thinner and use much more steel for reinforcement and for that reason they transmit road noise in a very annoying way.

Tires designed for sedans and family cars use firmer compounds with harder rubber and less steel and also have a less aggressive tread pattern. That is why they can last 40,000 miles and give a comfortable and noise free ride.

At the end of the day, when buying tires, you have to decide on which end of the spectrum do you want to be based on your driving, your car's design and the wheel/tire size. Once you've made your mind up, stick to the reputable brands (michelin, pirelli, bridgistone, continental) and compare similar models that are close in price and performance profile. Michelin and bridgistone are the downright winners in the extreme performance group (Pilot sport and Potenza models respectively). In the touring and sport touring class the competition is much more matched up. When buying cars I go to the tirerack's website. I enter the size I'm looking for and they give a complete list of models available. Each tire is reviewed subjectively and tested objectively as well. Although I always buy locally, I have found the website an amazing educational tool.

Apologies for talking a long time but I really hope that I might have shed light on a topic that comes up quite a bit on the forum.

Regards...

www.tirerack.com

Go to the reviews section and you can find actual experience with tire alternative on your model car. While not definitive, I have found this section helpful in buying tires.

Thanks guys. The car is an Audi A4 2.0 tdi.

Regards

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Lacey:
Thanks guys. The car is an Audi A4 2.0 tdi.

Regards

Mike

THen the P7 would be a very nice tire for you. I personally recommend the continental contact sport2. A beautiful tire that combines grip with long life. A bit on the noisy side but a beautiful tire. From Michelin, I recommend the Pilot Exalto or the Primacy HP.

Good luck

I've bought two tyres; at Kwikfit I paid £133 for a Michelin, local dealership charged by £150 for two.

Which was nice.

Thanks again, guys; moral: support your local dealer...

Didn't know this until I spoke to a car designer on a train last year apparently there are various grades of the same tyre. A's, B's, C's etc.

Say if you buy a BMW then you may get Continentals but they are an A grade tyre as apparently when you go to Kwik Fit and buy the same name and tyre it is not the same grade.

Maybe the guy was winding me up.

This should be the point where KK comes in as he works in the industry.