Car tyres - How much ! ! ! !

[Over The Hill]

WOW ! Thanks for all of your replies so quickly !

It's not a performace car by a long way, it's a Vauxhall Insignia...............

They are quite wide even by todays standard at 245. My guess is the W rating that is pushing up the price. W is rated to be used up to about 160mph, so that is some Insignia you have there!

Have a look in the book that came with the car and see what speed rating it says the car needs. You may have some over high rated tyres on there at the moment and may legally be able to fit a lower speed rating which should bring the price down.

It could be that some makers only do that size tyre in a W rating as some cars may need it.

If however the car can do 160 and needs a W rating then you are stuck with it!

 

[oldfatfool]

I used to run Falkens on the vRS, rated way above your requirement at £155 a corner

Also ran Proxes but they are a bit dearer (£166), and a set was lucky to do 5000 miles

Black circles best place to look and a search will usually find you a discount code

 

[02GF74]

it is painful having to pay that much for what is a mudane yet essential part. tyres are the ony thing that sticks you to the road so it is best not to scrimp.

having said that, even the cheap malaysian and chinese brands have to pass certain standards surely?!?!?!?

if you read reviews of them on the internet, they are said to be less grippy and quite woeful in the wet.... then you have to ask yourself, if they are that bad then surely there'd be an outcry due to the number of accidents, injuries and deaths caused by them ... yet I've never heard of any of this so go figure.

personally I would avoid the really cheap brands, kuhmhoho (spelling?) would be good compromise, pretty sure is what I have fitted on my car and TBH cannot say there are any worse or better than any over brand I have driven, but then I don't drive like Kimi.

 

[SS Retro]

Camskills usually come out best for price and service.

Yup I have been buying on line for about £10 years used to use black circles but camskill for about the last four years as they are the cheapest I usually get charged £25 for fitting and balancing of a set of four at my local garage.

 

[MickeyBlueEyes]

[QUOTE 2365315, member: 9609"]Does your vehicle have to have the "W" speed rating ? (up to 168mph) [/quote]

Does it have to legally ? I wouldn't have a clue, it's just what's on there now, they were on it when I bought it.
Does it have to for me ? Definately not. Knock almost 100mph off that and I would be fine !

 

[MickeyBlueEyes]

Still quite a heavy lump of metal, I'd want branded tyres personally.

He's heavy at 2265kgs.. Truth be told, I bought it because of the gross weight of the car as I bought a caravan and there wasn't too many standard motors to choose from that would pull it ok. I didn't want to go down the 4x4 route so opted for a big beast of an estate instead.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Keep load in mind too. @96 you're looking at 710kg a corner + a bit extra to allow for weight distribution.

My tyre knowledge isn't indepth but it mightn't be possible to buy a lower speed rating,while keeping your tyres above specified load.

 

[oldfatfool]

Does it have to legally ? I wouldn't have a clue, it's just what's on there now, they were on it when I bought it.
Does it have to for me ? Definately not. Knock almost 100mph off that and I would be fine !

But if(god forbid) there is an accident then the insurers would point at the tyres and say sorry sir you have modified the vehicle and aren't using tyres rated to the manufacturers specification, you are no longer covered by our policy.

 

[vickster]

He's heavy at 2265kgs.. Truth be told, I bought it because of the gross weight of the car as I bought a caravan and there wasn't too many standard motors to choose from that would pull it ok. I didn't want to go down the 4x4 route so opted for a big beast of an estate instead.

Is it a good car? My brother is looking for an estate and the Insignia could be an option - he drives an Alpina touring at the moment so knows the meaning of expensive tyres and maintenance generally!!

 

[Raging Squirrel]

Id suggest some falken 912's from camskill.....ive used them on my 206bhp Astra and theyve been better than the dunlops th3 car came with

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

So, I need new tyres for the motor. It is running Conti Sport Contact 3, 245/45 18's, W rated on a 96 load. I have just been horrified to see that they are around £230 each ! ! !

My thoughts on the tyres we've used on the psat few vehicles;

1. We had that size Continental ('W' rated', & same model, I think??) on our XKR, they were very good tyres.
On purchase, I did point out the fairly low tread, maybe 4mm remaining, & 5mm on the front.
To their credit, the (main) dealer replaced all 4 tyres, so not a cheap exercise for them, but a vast saving for us.

2. I used to pay about £60 for good quality (Colway) remoulds (BF Goodrich 'All-Terrain' pattern) for the Discovery when I had that (235/70 x 16), & they lasted very well indeed, & coped admirably with all conditions it was used in (barring one bogging in a waterlogged paddock, with a twin-axle caravan)

3. On a similar note, the BF Goodrich All-Terrains on my 110Td5 CSW were replaced at 75,000miles with about 3 mm remaining!!!
4. The present Octavia estate had the front tyres replaced at about 28,000 miles, which I don't think is bad for a mid-sized diesel? (it's predecessor; a manky C-Max had 3 sets in that mileage!!)

 

[mr messy]

Budgets usually made of hard rubber and last ages but more likely to put you in a tree when try to round a bend in the wet than wear out..

Unless you fancy yourself as a road warrior go for a mid range known brand

 

[stevede]

I'm sure either Top Gear or 5th Gear did a test recently and gave surprising results.

The Conti's on my current Passat Coupe lasted 28,000 on the front. Rears are still going fine at 40,000. Bridgestone rears on a previous BMW 1 series lasted 60,000.

 

[ASC1951]

. Our mate pays getting on for £1000 for the rubber on his Subaru WRX thing.

Per week, no doubt. And did his todger grow as much as he expected?

 

[Brandane]

[QUOTE 2365299, member: 9609"]My bike 2500miles for £35 x 2 = 2.8p per mile
Wifes car 20,000mile for £125 x 4 = 2.5p per mile
My Van 15,000miles for £12.50 x 4 = 0.33p per mile (sourced from scrappy with about 6mm tread)

Yep - rubber for bikes is expensive.[/quote]

Rubber for motorbikes is even more expensive. In my case, for a fairly dull (in motorbike terms) Honda CBF600:
Rear tyre 5000 miles, £130 = 2.6 pence per mile
Front tyre 8000 miles £100 = 1.25 pence per mile, total 3.85 ppm.

Get yourself a fast sportsbike like a Honda Fireblade and you're looking at:
Rear tyre 2500 miles, £150 = 6 pence per mile
Front tyre 5000 miles £130 = 2.6 pence per mile, total 8.6 ppm.

All figures are of course approximate and may vary according to riding style.