New Tyres Advice

[DreamTeam]

Hi all,

I need 2 new front tyres on my 04 Avensis. Dimentions are Width - 215 Profile - 45 Wheel Size - 17 Speed - V Load - 88 and I've got 2 questions for you:

1 - Is there a big difference between budget tyres and premium tyres? I can get some unknown brand for about £50 a tyre or a Goodyear for about £120. Big difference!

2 - Where do you go to buy your tyres? Probably siding on getting a decent set, but would like to source them as cheap as possible.

Cheers

[alan333]

Silly question...if you bought the car and it had a good set of budget tyres on it would you replace them with a premium brand? If the answer is no, then stick a cheap set on.

On the other hand if you're safety orientated then a decent set will stop you x-amount of feet earlier etc etc. You need to weigh it up against the chances of the good brand giving you any benefit on the type of driving you do, or whether they're quieter on the motorway etc. I'm not trying to be cheeky but on your age of car I'd go for the cheapos.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Think that what used to be viewed as budget tyres (the likes of Toyo, Kumho, Nexen, etc) are now more mid-range, and are being replaced by cheaper tyres from China, etc.

Looking at the latest Which? test for 225/45/17 tyres, the top-scoring tyres (Continental ContiSportContact 5, Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymetric Sport 2, Pirelli Cinturato P7, etc) scored 69%, 67% and 67% respectively.

Other makes (Dunlop, Michelin, Semperit, Vredestein, Yokohama, Hankook, Bridgestone, Nexen, Uniroyal, Falken, Kumho and Toyo) scored, in descending order, between 66% and 58%.

High Performer Sport HS-2 and Syron Race 1 Plus followed up at the rear with equal 47% scores. Their weaknesses were wet braking and wet handling.

Don't know where High Performer tyres are made, but Syron tyres have German designed tread and are made in Korea.

For higher profile tyres (50, 55, 65, 70, etc), there is a wider gap between scores, with some scores falling down to as low as 13%

[mintalkin]

this site will give you an idear to whats out there

http://lovetyres.com/

[Cyker]

I tend to find most tyres, even the crap ones, perform pretty evenly when new in dry conditions.

The difference between budget and premium tyres only starts to really show in adverse conditions or after the tyre has aged a few years and started to wear down.

For instance, the CPC2E's on my brother's car, which must be near or over 4 years old now, still have lots of tread, and while are discoloured slightly from sun bleaching, are still squishy and flexible.

OTOH, the (literally no-name) budget tyres my dad put on his Focus are only 2 years old are already starting to show signs of surface cracking!

Performance-wise, they both grip pretty well in the dry, but the cheapos displayed rather terrifying aquaplaning issues when I was zooming up the M1 in a torrential downpour (Those ruts in the left lane are like lakes!), whereas on the return journey, the CPC2E's just cleaved through them confidently. :D

Hunt around and see what you can get tho' - I found Continentals were extremely cheap (As cheap as some of the mid-rangers!) for the 14" rims on my Yaris, whereas Bridgestone and Michellin were about a third more expensive (I was also considering Vector 4Seasons all-season tyres but they're very expensive and difficult to source for my wheels!)

The problem is the bigger the rim, the more expensive the tyre, and the lower the profile, the more expensive the tyre. :( (Feel sorry for my fellow Yarisen with 15"+ rims :P I paid £42 for each 14" back then, vs 70+ for 15" ones! . Don't understand why you pay more for less rubber!!)

Still, if your wheels size is quite common that helps lower the price.

I'd expect to pay £55-60 these days for the CPC5 175/65R14 tyres I have now, so, I'd say at least go for something in the £60-70 range for your Avensis. I'd agree £120 is a bit too much to chew tho'!

ilovetyres and blackcircles are good places to get an idea of costs, but your local tyre places might have some good deals too - If you can catch them when they're getting rid of stock you can get some bargains.

[Whitewagon]

this site will give you an idear to whats out there

http://lovetyres.com/

Here is another site to check out: http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/

The

Must admit though after a while it does get rather confusing not to mention boring.

Its worth checking out the websites of the national tyre chains too, I have just done so for two new tyres and saved £30 per tyre ordering the same tyre on line against calling the local branch of the same company. If you do go online though don't forget to check if its an all in price including new valve, balancing and disposal of the old one as not all quote for this.

Tyres are always a personal choice and also I know a lot depends on finances, however there are definitely bad tyres out there amongst the cheap stuff. A few years ago I was involved with the examination of vehicles involved in serious and fatal road accidents and where they were caused by sudden tyre deflation there were three main main reasons, (1) Under inflation and (2) the cheapest brand tyres under loaded conditions and (3) old perished tyres.

Again from experience, I bought a second hand low mileage car that was in superb condition except that it was fitted with nearly new tyres of a make that was unknown to me. They looked ok but I had already decided that they would need to be changed as soon as I could arrange it. Three weeks later my wife and daughter were in the car on the motorway travelling at 60 to 70 mph when one of the rear tyres blew out, she lost control of the car and after hitting the crash barriers on both sides came to rest in a write off, fortunately the motorway was extremely quiet at the time and they were unharmed and very lucky.

For me I would not entertain the cheap or little known makes for peace of mind and safety reasons because of personal experiences. Yes the top marques are expensive but usually for a reason. There are some good quality cheaper ones out there too but it all depends on what use you intend to put them to.

Lots of people will tell you they have never had a problem with cheap or even part worn tyres but its your money, your safety and your family in the car so you have to decide on your priorities.

[Druid Boy]

Its one of those 'it depends' answers because it depends on what you want from your tyres. Cheap ones tend to wear out quicker and can increase the rolling resistance increasing your fuel consumption. But, if you mostly do town driving or do a lot of town driving cheap ones might be your best value option.

My personal view is that the tyres are the only thing that controls your car therefore I buy branded - only Bridgestone T001 but they were about the cheapest of the branded range, have improved my fuel economy and the ER500s they replaced lasted ages.

If you like to launch your car through the corners you may want a different tyre though.

It depends...

[Exvec]

I have been using Kumho tyres now for a good few years and they do the job as far as i'm concerned...

http://www.camskill.co.uk/m62b0s291p4183/Kumho_Tyres_Car_Kumho_KU31_Ecsta_Sport_Kumho_KU_31_-_205_55R16_91V_TL_

[jumbojake]

IMO it depends on what value you put on your families well being .... if you've ever had a 'brown trouser' moment on a wet road when using good quality tyres, you'll know exactly why you pay more.... long life, quiet ride and fuel efficiency are just an additional bonus.

[My first toyota]

What Iv found in my driving exprience is that budget/mid range/premium doesnt really matter unless your're talking about really extreme conditions.

What matters is having an even thread on all four corners.

Go for a mid range set. Always buy brand new. Avoid part worn tyres like the plague.

[DOG7]

Got mine at Lovetyres .com Neutons 8000 very good tyres Lx rated at £60 each plus delivery

[t-spiritpete]

I'm very happy with the Kumho KU39's 215/50/17Y rated tyres I got from here ....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/215-50R17-95Y-KUMHO-KU39-XL-2155017-215-50-17-2-X-TYRES-/400518615782?pt=UK_Cars_Tyres_RL&fits=Tyre+Width%3A215|Aspect+Ratio%3A50|Diameter%3A17&hash=item5d40c512e6

They perform well in the wet and dry and are pretty quiet too.

Pete.

[DreamTeam]

Cheers for the replies guy.

Going to go for Dunlop SportMaxx RT. Seem to get good reviews here: http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Dunlop/SportMaxx-RT.htm. And think I'll go for getting them at Blackcircle. They're £106 each (plus 4x Tesco points), so more expensive than Camskill, but I can get them fully fitted at a garage round the corner.

[Azzawacker]

The avensis came new with bridgestones new from factory there the best for mileage and handling

[Angus 1960]

IMHO, it all depends what you want out of the tyre. If you are looking at "driving on the raggedy edge, while exploring the limits of adhesion" then you are not on the wrong tyre, but driving the wrong car! I love my new Avensis and my last Toyota was a Limited Edition Celica GT4 (pre kids arriving..). With the GT4 I was looking for performance and happy to pay for it. In the Avensis I am looking for a tyre that delivers quiet comfort and economy (if it is even possible to get all three!).

It is also worth considering that today's budget tyre probably out performs the performance tyre of 10 years ago in all areas. You pay your money and you take your choice....

Angus

[Druid Boy]

Hey! I've had a great idea!! I'm going to put a different tyre (brand & budget) on every corner and that way I get the best and worst of all worlds all at the same time.

Watch out for the results on YouTube and Police camera Action soon......

[Phil24RN]

www.tyresavings.com, £62 for a C grade tyre, better than most 'name brand' tyres on market, and i agree with angus, for handling, get a car built for it, not a motorway cruiser

Regards Phil

[giffardo]

I would say the Kumhos. had these on previous car and Mercedes use these as OEM tyres now on some cars.

I have noticed the Bridgestones are quite noisy on the avensis...

[Andy Kerry]

After 15 years in the tyre trade I have found that there is real truth in that you get what you pay for. After 3 years of owning an auris, I found that Conti where the best, Michelin where noisy on the motorway, uniroyal where good in winter but noisy and wore out quick in summer. Put some hankooks on my dads 06 plate corolla he is liking them for the price. If you really feel that you have to go for budget tyres please avoid anything directional (these will go out of shape cause what sounds like wheel bearing noises and wear really badly on the back of any car really just avoid at all cost!), and as a general rule of thumb any Avon tyres should be given a wide berth as they will go out of shape at any given chance.

[B3rtie]

I like some of your responses especially the "it depends" ones.

In the past I have had varying advice / poor service from major tyre chains and now usually go to an independent tyre shop local to me.

previously had poor results from lots of tyres and found the major brands mid/premium ranges to be better, but not consistently so. Many tyres often car and profile-dependent.

Now on Michelin, whilst expensive and so so cornering are very competent in wet conditions.

[Pedal Head]

There's also a notifiable difference in road noise & the Avensis is in my opinion a disappointingly noisy car

.......... If you really feel that you have to go for budget tyres please avoid anything directional (these will go out of shape cause what sounds like wheel bearing noises and wear really badly on the back of any car really just avoid at all cost!)........

My Avensis purchased with 14k on the clock came with a new Primewell fitted on the front offside, other tyres are the original Goodyear efficient grips, Primewell are the cheapest of the cheap and have poor reviews everywhere I look. The car has what sounds like a slightly worn wheel bearing or transmission fault developing which I suspect is attributable to the tyre. The nearside front is down to 3mm so is about to be replaced which I'll do as a matched pair & I'm considering Conti sport contacts or a pair of OEM efficient grips. The car is also about to go in for a service so I'll be raising the question of noise (and rattles)

[Whitewagon]

When looking to buy my Avensis I drove two identical models but one had Goodyear Excellence and the other Bridgestone tyres. The noise level was noticeably lower with the Goodyear tyres. Have just put two new Goodyear Efficient Grip tyres on the rear and put the part worn Bridgestones from the rear to the front. Its difficult to say what the difference in noise is but the most noise seems to come from the front Bridgestones. Will get a few more miles out of them first and then change them for the Goodyears and see if it makes a difference.

[Andy Kerry]

The Bridgestone will last longer because its a harder tread than a Goodyear. Been looking to replace my tyres and goodyears are looking like the best choice.