Tyre suggestion for CL9

[Fredoops]

with tyres, you can only find out how good they are when you suddenly have to do emergency braking from high speed or in the wet like this weekend in Sydney

I had racing heart beat when my car did not stop but kept sliding instead and fortunately still managed to avoid hitting the car at the front during heavy rain many years ago on cheap budget tyres.

I met with a guy who has 225 40 18 Michelin Pilot Sport 3 (he paid $400 a corner) on his Golf 6 GTI this morning and he told me that on the way to the airport earlier he had to brake suddenly and the car just stopped as commanded, he was satisfied! Of course some may argue the PS3 is a rip off when you can get a Korean made Kumho KU31 225 40 18 for only $150 a corner. Or Chinese made Nankang, or Thailand made Maxxis.

These products are available in the market to cater different needs / wants, and you may get what you pay for.

Some people are happy to use Kumho tyres on their $3500 a set JDM rims. Some insist on Michelin / Continental / Pirelli.

The problem is, more $$$ =\= better tyre
Everytime there is a tyre test by a magazine or consumer group... The results tend to be All over the shop. And the difference between the top 3 tyres tend to be very narrow... But the price difference is huge is some cases

Why would I get Tyre A when Tyre B does 95% of what tyre A does that costs 40% less.

Besides no tyre can be best on everything. Tyre A maybe good in dry but it doesn't mean it's as good in dry as it is in wet. It's very much a trade off. So as a consumer you need to know what you want. Then find the tyre to suit.

[natnat]

The problem is, more $$$ =\= better tyre
Everytime there is a tyre test by a magazine or consumer group... The results tend to be All over the shop. And the difference between the top 3 tyres tend to be very narrow... But the price difference is huge is some cases

Why would I get Tyre A when Tyre B does 95% of what tyre A does that costs 40% less.

Besides no tyre can be best on everything. Tyre A maybe good in dry but it doesn't mean it's as good in dry as it is in wet. It's very much a trade off. So as a consumer you need to know what you want. Then find the tyre to suit.

That is correct. There is a tyre to suit everyone.

Tirerack website classifies each tyre very well for each size, ie: winter, all season, summer, budget, premium, etc...

Tyres are like cars. Hyundai i30 can get you from A to B, LFA also can get you from A to B at the cost of almost 50 i30's

But there are many variables which can complicate A & B. If A is Nurburrgring ring Start point and B is the Finish point, then i30 would not be as fun as LFA.

But IMO things should be balanced, but people have different needs / wants and will often find what they want after trial and error, which means spending more.

So, it's better to choose based on magazine reviews rather than going for the cheapest rubber in the market at the risk of safety.

I've had the opportunity to use 9 different sets of rubber in the last 2 years alone, so I think I have a bit of understanding about rubber

Also, my parents have been selling tyres and car spare parts since I was a little kid.

Tyres used:
Potenza RE040 225 45 17 - not grippy enough
Michelin Energy X 205 55 16 - quiet and comfy
Michelin Pilot Sport 3 225 45 17 - great
Kumho KU23 225 40 18 - the worst! only used for a week and gave them away
Yokohama AVS dB2 225 40 18 - ok quiet but not grippy
Continental Sports Contact 2, 225 45 17 & 225 40 18 - ok to great
Potenza RE050 225 45 17 - great
Potenza RE050A 225 40 18 - great
Michelin Primacy HP 235 45 18 - nice quiet comfy touring tyres