Tyres

[Plax]

I'm having a dilema over what tyres to buy for my car. I don't use it all that often, being a cycle commuter and all that. Probably do about 37-53 miles a week if that. As an over estimated guess I think all in all approx 4,000 - 4,500 miles a year.

I usually buy premium brands, but since I'm a bit strapped for cash lately and I don't do a lot of high miles any more, I'm thinking perhaps to go for a budget tyre this time round.

I've got a few quotes and for example this is the kind of choice I have (fully fitted & balanced etc);
Pirelli P6 x 4 £313.10
Arrowspeed x 4 £218.30

So nearly a £100 differential. Not a substantial saving, but enough to make me conflicted!

What say you all.

 

[longers]

I'm no expert but for a car being not used that much I'd save the £100 and spend it on bike bits.

 

[DJ]

I was pleased to see the title of your thread, as I also need some for my bike, less pleased when I opened it and saw you need them for your car!!!!!!!

Try a car forum!!!!

 

[fossyant]

See what Barums (National tyres) come in at, they are in fact Continentals. I got 4 Barums (big 17" tyres) for £400, when the Pirrelli's or Mitchelins were over £600

Also look out for 2 for 1 deals...

 

[Mr Pig]

Tyres make a huge difference to the braking and handling of your car, they are one of the most important safety related purchases you can make, so don't compromise on them. However that doesn't mean just buy the most expensive. Sometimes the best tyres aren't the most expensive.

The best idea is to draw up a short-list of tyres and search for tests and reviews of them. Auto Express do them each year and there are other sites where people post their experiences.

Concentrate on wet performance. The difference between the best and the worst tyres in the dry is not that big but the difference in the wet can be huge. At 30MPH you can be looking at a few car lengths. Think about the implications of that.

I really like Vredestein Sportrac3 and Bridgestone Turanza ER30 tyres on our new car seem not bad. I'd happily recommend Goodyear and Continental too.

Hated Pirelli P6000 and not impressed with some of the Dunlop and Michelin I've had either.

 

[D4VOW]

Tyres make a huge difference to the braking and handling of your car, they are one of the most important safety related purchases you can make, so don't compromise on them. However that doesn't mean just buy the most expensive. Sometimes the best tyres aren't the most expensive.

+1

What size are you after?

 

[Night Train]

You could try E-tyres for a price. They then come to you to fit them.

 

[TheDoctor]

I'd go with the cheaper ones meself. It's what I always do for car tyres.

 

[Mr Pig]

You could try E-tyres for a price.

I've always found that there are local fitters who can match or beat them. Avoid Thick-Fit, Budget etc as their overheads are too big and fitter's brains too small. There will be a backstreet outfit who do not fork out thousands each year for TV ads and can sell you the tyres for a lot less. If there are a lot of taxies parked outside you know they're cheap!

If they haven't got the tyre you want just ask and they'll get them in for you, only takes a day or so. Just figure out which tyre you want and phone round 'till you get the best price. Make sure the price includes fitting and balancing, some chancers neglect to include that!

 

[Crankarm]

I've used these people in the past including fitment at a local garage of my choice in the price - just select this option when choosing your tyres. If they have an offer on or you see a voucher code in a travel mag then you can save yet more 10% which is better than a poke in the eye. If you are after big sports low profile tyres you ARE going to pay ££££ whereas if you are after run of the mill branded tyres in a common size I reckon x4 tyres could cost you £180.00 incl. valves, balance and fitting.

http://www.blackcircles.com/

Also try eBay. Sometimes you can pick up wheels with tyres on with a decent depth of tread for less than the cost of buying two tyres new.

 

[bauldbairn]

I tend to agree with Mr Pig regards the performance of tyres - you do generally only get what you pay for, cheaper tyres are often made of harder compounds to last longer. Better brands tend to use different advanced compositions / tread patterns to improve performance / grip in the wet. It depends on how and what you drive, there's no point putting budget tyres on a high perfomance car - it will compromise performance. I tend to read the reviews on high end tyres, then scour the internet for the cheapest price - then go to my local independant tyre fitter(not Kwik Fit,National Tyres etc) and ask them for their cheapest quote on chosen brands. Earlier this year e-tyres wanted £350 for two Dunlop SP9000 Sport, 215 X 40 X 17" local indie took £170 fitted. I live in Scotland and do most of my driving in the wet(even in the summer) and find these tyres a good compromise for wet / dry driving. Highly recommended on Cupra R websites. Toyo Proxes can also be aquired cheaply if you shop around.

Then again if you have a sensible family car and don't do performance miles - budget tyres may be the answer. Continental do now own Barum(and get good reviews), so they will be manufactured to a higher standard than in the past. Millenium are made by Avon. Look out for multibuy deals at the majors if you decide on budgets 2 for 1's, 3 for 2's etc - National Tyres seem to do these quite regularilly, as Fossyant says.

Hope this helps.

 

[Plax]

I was pleased to see the title of your thread, as I also need some for my bike, less pleased when I opened it and saw you need them for your car!!!!!!!

Try a car forum!!!!

No thanks, I can't be bothered registering for a car forum when they don't interest me. If I wanted recs for bicycle tyres I'd have posted in the Technical section.

+1

What size are you after?

195/55 R15 (I've included wheel alignment also as I've not had the wheels aligned since I bought the car in January and it would make me feel happier knowing the tracking is definitely correct).

Thanks for all the other replies also. I've heard of Barums and was thinking of those also (came up a similar price to the Pirelli's).
Also heard of BlackCircle, but didn't think they'd come to some obscure part of North Wales. Worth a look before I dismiss them though I suppose!
Tip taken on board for avoiding Thick Fit, and for trying the local garages. Phoning around seems such a chore, but a necessary evil for getting a good price.

 

[Crankarm]

No thanks, I can't be bothered registering for a car forum when they don't interest me. If I wanted recs for bicycle tyres I'd have posted in the Technical section.



195/55 R15 (I've included wheel alignment also as I've not had the wheels aligned since I bought the car in January and it would make me feel happier knowing the tracking is definitely correct).

Thanks for all the other replies also. I've heard of Barums and was thinking of those also (came up a similar price to the Pirelli's).
Also heard of BlackCircle, but didn't think they'd come to some obscure part of North Wales. Worth a look before I dismiss them though I suppose!
Tip taken on board for avoiding Thick Fit, and for trying the local garages. Phoning around seems such a chore, but a necessary evil for getting a good price.

Having selected a fully fitted price you put in your post code or a nearby one and you are then given the garages nearby who participate in the scheme. Alternatively buy mail order and take the tyres along to your local tyre place for fitment and to have the car's tracking checked. Obviously check out they would be happy to do this first. They might even say they can get the tyres for you themselves and match Blackcircles' quote.

Another cheap tyre site is,

http://www.mytyres.co.uk/

 

[Mr Pig]

I've not had the wheels aligned since I bought the car in January.

Unless you've got reason to think it might be out there is no reason to get it checked. Symptoms include uneven tyre wear and light/skittish steering at high speed. Don't confuse wear on the outside edge of the front tyres with a problem, that's normal, especially on the front left. Roundabouts.

Also, many tyre places will tell you it's out and adjust it slightly for no reason. If it's not a problem leave it alone.

 

[Crankarm]

Unless you've got reason to think it might be out there is no reason to get it checked. Symptoms include uneven tyre wear and light/skittish steering at high speed. Don't confuse wear on the outside edge of the front tyres with a problem, that's normal, especially on the front left. Roundabouts.

Also, many tyre places will tell you it's out and adjust it slightly for no reason. If it's not a problem leave it alone.

When I was a student I shared a house with a chap who had to change the front nearside tyre of his car much more frequently than the other tyres. He typically only got half the mileage from this tyre than the others before it needed changing due to all the roundabouts in Milton Keynes .

Mr Pig tyre wear should be even and smooth across the width of the tyre, no feathering or wear concentrated on the edges unless of course the driver is a maniac (James Martin) and we wouldn't be advocating that on a cycling forum would we........ Like wise the tyre should be checked regularly to ensure they remain at the recommended pressure to maximise tyre life and fuel economy.