Cheap vs Expensive tyres

[Sulley]

Posted this in the tyre recommendation thread but didnt get any replies, so decided to start a thread..
I'm looking around for tyres to fit my 18x8 rims.
and the vast difference in prices for different brands of tyres make me wonder if the price is a reflection of the difference in quality or just a premium that you pay for the brand? Tyres that i'm looking at.
Cheaper brands <$200
Federal SS595
Nankang NS2
Silverstone FTZ
Kumho Esta 711
Hankook K104

More expensive
Pirelli P zero rosso ~500
Toyo T1R ~300
Falken RT215 ~400

I'm willing to pay more for quality but are the more expensive tyres worth the extra money? I do plan to take the car to the track once in awhile but most of the driving willl be on the street...
it'll be great if i could get some reviews on the cheaper tyres and how they perform compared to the more expensive tyres...and any other tyres that i should keep a lookout for?
cheers

[yfin]

If you want some great value tyres for the Euro I highly recommend Dunlop 3000As. They are not expensive as they are standard fitment to current Falcon XR6 and XR8. You can get great deals on them if you shop around.

If you buy the 3000As and are not happy with them I'll be shocked and need therapy.

[z3lda]

most of the cheap tyres have a low load rating that doesnt suit the car's required rating, which is very dangerous

[quangsta]

i would say the good year eagle f1's....only in 17 or bigger as these ones are made in Germany and are quality tyres...but for anyone else getting them any smaller then 17 dont becuase there made in thailand and have a big difference in quality...

[type one]

never waste your money on cheap tyres... they are the only thing between you and the light pole.

IMO the best and most important purchase next to the car itself and time should be spent researching.

[Hondavirgin]

I'm with Type one, and all the suspension guys i've spoken too all say Tyres are the best thing you can do for your handling.......so basically, i'd spend as much as i could afford on tyres.

Having said that, i've got K104s on mine haha, but saving for R-comps.

[civiceg9]

in that cheap range
Federal SS595 - Taiwan
Nankang NS2 - Taiwan/China
those tyres have no grip whatso ever, even in the dry.

The other 2
Kumho Esta 711 - S/Korea
Hankook K104 - S/Korea
These 2 tyres are good for general use, just don't expect it to perform like Michelin or Bridgestone.

[aaronng]

Don't go for cheap, but don's bother splurging all your money on the most expensive. Why do you want the most expensive? For the best grip? If so, then go street-legal semi slicks.

Anyway, SP SPort 3000A is nice, and C.Drives too. Others who have used the T1R seemed to like it too.

[type one]

for a jap car - bridgestone. In a 16" for a sedan SO3. If you have 17's then RE070.

[wynode]

I got cheap tyres once and learnt my lesson. The differenct between cheap tyres and better (slightly more expensive) tyres is night and day!

[Sulley]

damn...i was gonna bid on a set of 4 pirelli rossos in 225/40R18 on ebay.
they sold for $1225...quite a bargain i reckon..

I might try the T1Rs in that case.

the cheap brand's websites all sound good lol,
Ultimate perfomance tyres, top of the range etc etc
but after hearing the comments i think i'll go for something mid to high range , prob ard 1k-1.5k..

[Cyrus]

the discount in using cheap tyres is not worth risking your life for.....
I reckon the RT215 is pretty decent for both street and track at an affordable price.

[Ironfist]

We'll i've been searching for tyres as well and have decided to buy the yoko a539's again. Why? because i am currently using them and their great in the wet and dry. At first wanted to buy the es100's and also nearly persuaded to buy the hankook 104's because they were cheaper than the es100's yet held close to the same performance (so i'm told)

The reason why i choose the a539's over the es100's wasn't because of price, but because the guy at the tyre shop basically said unless you are doing heavy driving and have the tyres heated up there was no point in having the es100's or hankook's.
They also said the es100's and hankooks (but not as much) can sometimes wear uneven because of the compound used to make the tyres. I'm not sure how true this is but i did take his opinion into account and decided that to the best of his knowledge, he was right because he'd rather sell the a539's to me then the es100's which cost $20 more each.

Better yet you could get the c-drives which are the same price as the a539's i think and are supposidly 10% better. I couldn't get the c-drives because they don't make the tyre size that i want.

a539's $155
es100 $175
hankook $165

205/50/15

You may get better prices... but you can stick that up your bum (unless your in melb and tell me asap cos then i can cancel the order :P)

[type one]

the bumms down at Donnellans Box Hill said they have no tyres in 15"... and i quote " they just not a popular size, but we got plenty of tyres in larger sizes" numb nuts...

[z3lda]

the bumms down at Donnellans Box Hill said they have no tyres in 15"... and i quote " they just not a popular size, but we got plenty of tyres in larger sizes" numb nuts...

that is true. how many people buy 15" rims for there honda's, nissan's, mazda's etc..?
Not many. only USDM whores would buy 15" rim
Blingers > USDM whores

[aaronng]

But but but, the whole world of STOCK small sized sedans and hatchbacks use 15" rims.

[TwEigh]

Cheap tyres like nankang wears quicker.

[Spunkymonkey]

Cheap tyres like nankang wears quicker.

I've found the opposite! I had nankangs on my old civic for years, and they lasted forever, just didn't have any grip! :o

I would agree with the others. Don't buy cheap tyres if its your safety concerned. That's why I dont mind spending $$ for better tyres and brakes. It will save you on the roads.

[EG5]

Cheap tyres like nankang wears quicker.

tyre wears depends on the treadwear stamped on the tyres / compound type
Also wheel alignment set up too.

[asiansquad]

that is true. how many people buy 15" rims for there honda's, nissan's, mazda's etc..?
Not many. only USDM whores would buy 15" rim
Blingers > USDM whores

i thought 16" would be harder to find?

i remember when i had 16's on a month ago..i struggled looking for tires.

[aaronng]

i thought 16" would be harder to find?

i remember when i had 16's on a month ago..i struggled looking for tires.
were you looking for low profile 16"s? I noticed that 16"s are more common in the regular profiles of 50, 55 and 60.

[type one]

BAH like i said they are nuff nuffs... really annoys me... they dun stock anything worth using except for G3s...maybe the Kumho K112 or sth like that...

[EuroAccord13]

I just wanna add only, the tyres are the only thing that is in contact between the car and the road, I won't skim on cheaper tyres....

I'd recommend Dunlop 3000As or Pirelli Dragons.....

I've used A539s before and they are good value for money...

Wear rate, we have to come to a compromise... Harder compound (Nankang etc), fantastic wear rate, but in the rain, it's horrible... G3s.. Fantastic grip in both wet and dry conditions but with the softer compound, the tyre wears out pretty fast...

[e240]

Tyres choices are very subjective. Some cheap tyres can be really good, and some really crappy. More often then not, I find that tyres are crappy because the drivers themselves are crappy. :D

[Spunkymonkey]

Tyres choices are very subjective. Some cheap tyres can be really good, and some really crappy. More often then not, I find that tyres are crappy because the drivers themselves are crappy. :D

:D Hopefully the drivers in this forum aren't crappy lol.

[Speeder]

you get what you pay for. Tyres are a vital component of any car, bike, airplane etc, thats enough for me to be investing in good tyres. Its what keeps your car on the road.

[e240]

Cheap tyres like nankang wears quicker.

Huh? what has wearing quicker got to do with tyres being cheap?

I've used $500 a pair race tyres that grip like crazy but are gone in under 500km.

[e240]

:D Hopefully the drivers in this forum aren't crappy lol.

I'm very sure alot are :D ...a bad carpenter blames his tools... :wave:

[Spunkymonkey]

I'm very sure alot are :D ...a bad carpenter blames his tools... :wave:

I wouldn't be suprised lol ;) I don't blame my car, I blame myself for under estimating her :p

[Calvo]

I'd definitely fork it out for the better tyres, i had Pirelli's at all for corners, til recently wen i wore the inner side's of the fronts due to the camber from lowering.

I got two Nankangs now, while they arent to bad tyres, i find that in the wet they arent too good, but in the dry they arent too bad. I drive approx. 1000km a week, ive now recently swapped the Pirelli's too the front, i couldnt be happier with them. Very good tyres. I didnt get the Pirrelli's again coz of the size of tyre, 215/35/R18. Only Pirelli's that come in that size now, are the new Dragon's, and they are $580ea...

[sydteg21]

i would go for a good barnad name one just to have a peace of mind, don't want to deal with dangerous situation

[**Ghost**]

neone tried nexen? i think they're pretty good

[genk-jomblo]

I bought 225/35 nankang for only $220/each :)

[quangsta]

according to a few tyre stores i went to a539's are discontinued so most of the tyre stores only have the ones they have left on their shelf or in storage...they are a very good set of tyres but supposedly c-drives as a daily driver is alot better in all departments.....