Thoughts on Tyres

[figjam]

It is a bit hard now to buy something that is not made in China.
When it came time to replace the Goodyear Forteras on our Territory, I baulked when I found out they were made in China …………. just like the OEMs, only I had never noticed before.
My Crewman was/ is fitted with ‘Pace’, a brand that is a Chinese no-name as far as I am concerned, but I have no complaints about their wear rate, wet weather braking, balancing or noise.
When Bridgestone closed its Aust factory, I was sceptical about their Indonesian made Potenza, and was told that their more modern factory produced tyres of a higher quality standard than the Australian tyres.
Who is the ‘third world’ country now ?

 

[vc commodore]

It is a bit hard now to buy something that is not made in China.
When it came time to replace the Goodyear Forteras on our Territory, I baulked when I found out they were made in China …………. just like the OEMs, only I had never noticed before.
My Crewman was/ is fitted with ‘Pace’, a brand that is a Chinese no-name as far as I am concerned, but I have no complaints about their wear rate, wet weather braking, balancing or noise.
When Bridgestone closed its Aust factory, I was sceptical about their Indonesian made Potenza, and was told that their more modern factory produced tyres of a higher quality standard than the Australian tyres.
Who is the ‘third world’ country now ?

Bridgestone was an interesting one, prior to closing their Australian factory....I struck customers wanting Bridgestone tyres that were manufacturered in Japan, opposed to the Australian made ones and visa versa.....Weird to say the least, as both were as good as one another

 

[vc commodore]

I think one thing that hasn't been considered here when discussing the price of tyres is rim size, load rating and speed rating. We all know that when fitting tyres to a vehicle, by law you must fit tyres that equal or exceed the manufacturer's specifications as shown on the tyre placard. In my case, that means 19" rim size, a load rating of 98 (750 kg) and a speed rating of W (270 km/h). Now, there's no way I'm going to drive anywhere near that speed, but I have no choice if I wish to remain legal (and have valid insurance).

All these factors combine to make for a pretty highly spec'd tyre, and they don't come cheap. Yes, there are some sub-$200 tyres that meet the specification (in theory), but they're made by brands I've never heard of. Any tyres that do meet the spec and are made by a reputable manufacturer cost in the mid to high $200's, and up to $400 and beyond. Even the OE Bridgestone Turanza 001's are around the mid-$300's. So I reckon getting Michelin Pilot Sport 4S's, with their superior handling, safety and comfort for just over $300 per tyre, was well worth it to me for peace of mind alone.

As someone above said it's horses for courses, but when winter comes, it's dark and wet and some silly sod does something stupid necessitating quick action, I won't be thinking of the extra few quid I paid per tyre -- I'll just be glad I've got the best rubber on the road that's presently available at a reasonable price.

There maybe brands out there that people have never heard of, but you have to research to see who actually owns the company....ie, some companies manufacture a brand name tyre, which most people are familiar with, but they have an off shute brand, in their mix

 

[VS 5.0]

So I reckon getting Michelin Pilot Sport 4S's, with their superior handling, safety and comfort for just over $300 per tyre

And that is where tyre size comes into play.

In a 20", they are well over $400, if not $500 per tyre.

 

[abuch47]

Get some P zeros at $500+ a corner

 

[Forg]

Get some P zeros at $500+ a corner

I didn't think that they rated as well as the PS4S's, which are less than that?

 

[Ryan_044]

I did a bit of research before getting new rears for my vf ii redline auto (stock). The stock bridgstones were rubbish when trying to get off the line with a decent amount of throttle.

Ended up going the Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 2s over the PS4's ($300 for the Hankooks compared to $440 per tyre for the PS4's for 275/35/19s)
I get that the PS4's have great reviews etc but these hankooks are very impressive - can really feel the compound is softer than the bridgstones which feel like rocks in comparison - can now also take off full throttle without any spin and also great in the wet (I don't drive silly in the wet anyway). I think if you had something that was cammed / forced induction you might be able to tell the difference between the hankooks and the PS4's but i'm really happy with the hankooks!

 

[Dirty Harry]

Has anyone bought any tyres through Supercheap Auto / Tyroola? The prices seem to be competitive and if we could get a Ponzi style scheme going the prices are even more competitive.

 

[EYY]

Has anyone bought any tyres through Supercheap Auto / Tyroola? The prices seem to be competitive and if we could get a Ponzi style scheme going the prices are even more competitive.

Yes, I've used both countless times. I have my own tyre machine so change all myself.

I used to use Tyroola, but then their freight became far too expensive. It used to be free freight to metro areas.

By going through the supercheap website, you get the benefit of cheaper freight as SCA's freight network is utilised. This isn't true when purchasing through the tyroola website. Obviously some deal they've got going on. I know this because I enquired about the shipping costs when they rose considerably.

 

[myls362]

Anyone tried the Falken FK510? They are similar price to the Hankooks and won last years Wheels Tyre Test. On tyrereviews.co.uk they got an 87% buy again rating.