Buying new car tyres ~ which make is best?

This might be of help to you:

http://www.blackcircles.com/tyres/toyota

General rule of thumb is to stick with one of the well known brands and don't mix different tread patterns on the same axle.

Peter

Why not just replace them with the same make and model? Or are you unhappy with them for some reason?

I second the black circles recommendation.

I use "budget" brands - cheaper and no real difference in performance or longevity.

Current set on my Honda are "Runway". Never heard of them before. Avoid.

Willy.

quote:

Originally posted by avole:
Michelin, Pirelli or Continental.

Funny things tyres, a critical component yet so varied.

For a sensible car driven within limits (as per Nymph's) I reckon any brand will be safe. I can only speak from a high-performance point of view but I'd be fitting Bridgestones. I've also had good experiences of Toyo's too.

IME I'd steer clear of Pirelli tyres.

Cheers
Steve

quote:

Why not just replace them with the same make and model? Or are you unhappy with them for some reason?

The car is almost 9 years old, and tyre technology can change over that time...
However, when new the vehicle had Michelin energy’s, these have been very expensive compared to other well known brands, but prices may be more competitive now.

quote:

IME I'd steer clear of Pirelli tyres.

It’s funny you should say that, I have used Pirelli P3000 and they didn’t seem so sure footed cornering to me, and one (almost new) front P3000 got damaged beyond repair one very dark and windy December night while driving home and hitting tree branch debrie on the road.
Did thwack it pretty hard though!

quote:

Current set on my Honda are "Runway". Never heard of them before. Avoid.

Shouldn't those Runway tyres be on an aeroplane?

Thanks for all the replies! I’ll take a look at the blackcircle site.

nymph

Dear Nymph,

Don't rule out Michelin Energy tyres.

I put a set on my 240 and the fronts managed 50,000 miless while the rears managed 55,000.

So value is not necessarily related to cost of purchase.

They were sure footed in the wet, and I frequently managed trips in the old car that returned fuel economy of better than 40 MPG.

You probably gather that I was not breaking many speed limits in the process ...

As a side note, please also consider the Firestone Fuel Efficient tyres, which are now the same as what, ten years, ago were the Michelin - same tread paterns, and I imagine the company obtained the old Michelin moulds and other technologies.

I have bought a pair for the front of the Volvo for less than two thirds [in actual money - 30, now, as opposed to 55 GBP, ten years ago, per tyre] of the cost and find them every bit as fine as the old Michelins, and at a very significant saving in money. Very impressed, especially considering their price, though no doubt the new Michelins would be an improvement again at a probably significantly greater cost ...

ATB from George

I've never had problems with Pirelli tyres, but the Zero Neros we used became difficult to buy recently. Now the Golf wears Continental Sport Contacts and the Bora wears Michelin Primacy HPs.
In normal driving I wouldn't have a clue which tyres are fitted, but the Michelins on the Bora(1440kg!) last about 40k if moved from back to front when the fronts wear. Not bad.
As most here advise, just buy from a big name at a price yer happy with. The last tyres we bought were from etyres. Great service at my wife's workplace, and good price to 'boot'......

Tony

Michelin.

They give an excellent ride and low noise, good performance wet or dry, fuel efficient, and are economical given the high mileage they last.

Purchace cost might be a bit high, but in terms of miles per pence, they really are good value.

Cheers

Don

quote:

Originally posted by naim_nymph:

quote:

IME I'd steer clear of Pirelli tyres.

It’s funny you should say that, I have used Pirelli P3000 and they didn’t seem so sure footed cornering to me, and one (almost new) front P3000 got damaged beyond repair one very dark and windy December night while driving home and hitting tree branch debrie on the road.
Did thwack it pretty hard though!

nymph

Exactly, Pirelli carcasses are known to be weak.

Don's Michelin recommendation is a good one too. I got 19,000 miles out
of a pair of Michelins on the rear of my Sierra Cosworth.

Cheers
Steve

Choosing tyres is not easy, I've felt big differences when changing tyres in terms of comfort or noise supression as well as grip but I do wonder if that is generalisable to a brand rather than to each model.

It is also very hard to be objective about choosing. You swap a worn pair for a new set, drive off down the road and hey presto of course they grip better and probably feel different. Shame you cannot test drive new sets back to back!

With a non-performance car and low mileage I'd buy a more 'value' brand. If I was doing lots of miles I suspect it will be worth a higher initial outlay in the end.

Bruce

Tyres are always a tricky one. People often say that they don't need expensive or grippy tyres 'cos they don't drive quickly.

IMHO the most important time for all the extra grip and control is when you need to press the middle pedal, not just the one on the right!

I have run different summer and winter tyres for years, using a second set of rims. Nearly all the tyres sold in the UK are listed as "Summer" tyres by their manufacturers, not even "All Season", witness the carnage when we had a bit of the white stuff this year.

I'd second the advice to look at the options at BlackCircles, but don't discount the option of using their prices to help you get a good price locally.

With BlackCircles offering your size of Goodyear GT-2 at 45.86 inc local fitting I can't see much point in going for anything less than one of the premium brands.

HTH

John

I've always been very careful about tyres ... replacing them before necessary, etc. or when there is any sign of damage. So before we started our European travels in late Jul 04 (driving to Italy and back) I happily changed the two rear tyres on my Volvo V70 - fitted by the main dealer with the recommended Pirelli P6000s.

Some 1,700 miles later, on the Autostrada near Rome, travelling at 80mph on cruise control, the offside tyre blew ...



I still drive a Volvo V70 and still use Pirelli P6000s (the recommended tyre) but I live in hope.

Eeek, that ain't good!
But I've done upto 150mph on Pirellis with no fear at all. I'm sure tyres are subjected to pretty stringent tests before going on sale?

How did the Volvo behave when the tyre blew?

Tony

Long story, cut short: we went into a spin and hit the central reservation (concrete wall) ... and came to a stop in the central lane.

After several weeks the car was returned to my local dealership (on the back of a trailer) ... and within 24 hours deemed a write-off.

I don't think it's fair to suggest the car was at fault re: the spin ... more likely driver error (panic) but the memories are a little vague.

quote:

Originally posted by Musicmad:
I've always been very careful about tyres ... replacing them before necessary, etc. or when there is any sign of damage. So before we started our European travels in late Jul 04 (driving to Italy and back) I happily changed the two rear tyres on my Volvo V70 - fitted by the main dealer with the recommended Pirelli P6000s.

Some 1,700 miles later, on the Autostrada near Rome, travelling at 80mph on cruise control, the offside tyre blew ...



I still drive a Volvo V70 and still use Pirelli P6000s (the recommended tyre) but I live in hope.

I'm very pleased you are OK but please ditch the Pirellis!

Cheers
Steve

Bridgestone Potenza's for me :-)

quote:

Originally posted by Tony Lockhart:
the Bora wears Michelin Primacy HPs.

I put some Primacy HPs on a VW beetle and they were awful compared the the MXMs they replaced. Just shows you that even expensive tyres don't always perform well.

quote:

Bridgestone Potenza's for me

And me, RE001s to be precise, best tyres I've ever used by a long chalk, very confidence-inspiring.

quote:

In what way?

Superior wet grip, precise steering feel, seemingly effortless in everything asked of them, quiet, good ride for a performance tyre, don't appear to have worn much in 20,000 km & don't cost the earth. What more could you want?

I haven't tried everything on the market, just the usual Contis, Michelin, Yokohama, Goodyear & Dunlop over the years and these Bridgestones are easily the pick.

Thanks everyone for advice!

I am now booked in on Wednesday, to have a Quartet of Michelin E3A's fitted.
Not much change from £300 though! : (

At first i though the cost would be all in for £215... but soon realised my tyres are specified by vehicle manufacturer as being 175/65R14(82)H which are more expensive than the 175/65R14(82)T.

The 'T' and 'H' mark are speed ratings, T up to 110 mph, and H up to 130mph

Speed Symbol ~ Speed (mph)
L ~ 75
M ~ 81
N ~ 87
P ~ 93
Q ~ 99
R ~ 108
S ~ 112
T ~ 118
U ~ 124
H ~ 130
V ~ 149
W ~ 168
Y ~ 186

I don't know why my vehicle is so highly rated, it doesn't have any horsepower to speak of, just a small docile herd of ponies under the bonnet. I don't know what my car would do flat out, but would guess 90mph if i leant forward behind the steering wheel going down hill with wind behind me (and tucked my elbows in).

But, there must be some differences in how these tyres are constructed (or compound) if it's a higher spec' speed rating.
I know my presently worn out tyres (which are on a nice set of alloy wheels) 175/65R14 82H GOODYEAR EAGLE NCT5, have been okay for grip and reliability, but they seem to have more road noise, wear quicker, and do a little less mpg. But they're not bad for the price at £51 each fully fitted.

My other tyres, 175/65R14 82T PIRELLI P3000 are on another set of wheels (the original steel) and stored in my garage, one of these tyres has damaged beyond repair., so perhaps the 'T' rated ones are weaker?
My idea was to preserve my alloy wheels by replacing them with the steel ones in the winter months. (The Pirelli tyres were fitted by garage recommendation).

I suppose it would be better to fit a more robust winter spec to the steel ones... although that may be more expense, and perhaps unnecessary in the UK ?

I'm surprised nobody mentioned japanese tyres.

That's an interesting way to enforce the speed limit on motorways - make it illegal to fit tyres with a rating greater than L on the road - we'd all have to pay particular attention to downhill sections on motorways....

Peter

I'm wondering if it may be illegal to replace the tyres on your vehicle with a lower speed rating. I expect a lot of people do it to save money, lower speed rated tyres are a lot cheaper. Or maybe they were replaced by the garage, and no concern was given to the speed rating. It is an easy thing to overlook.

It's one of those things that could cost lives, and may affect an insurance pay-out, if it got noted and used as evidence by the insurance company.

nymph