Half decent tyres

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3885 posts

Uber Geek

#2084480 5-Sep-2018 18:36

I suggest getting ‘fully’ decent tyres. Tyres are the only thing holding you on the road. I am all for spending money wisely, wisdom is to put the best tyres you can on your vehicle. Go for a well know brand for a start.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

Coil

6614 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#2084496 5-Sep-2018 19:01

As someone who has sold a few tires and run a few different brands I can say this.

All tires in NZ are DOT rated, It is illegal to sell one that is not. So they always meet the minimum standard.
ANY new tires is better than ANY second hand tire. (unless you are 100% on the history etc)
Tires sitting on a shelf for years go BAD. It is due to the rubbers hardness.
Cheap Chinese tires seem to warp over time and in some cases may not wear ideally. This affects balance.
Cheap Chinese tires grip well in the dry and wet when new but when the tread gets down they seem to loose effectiveness sharply.

Personally I have goodride tires on my BMW. It gets me to and from work but does NOT like surface water or wet bitumen. Makes for a very happy tail which could have caught me out multiple times..

If I was to buy a tire with a budget in mind but at the same time go for something a little more than a goodride, It would be a Hankook Kinergy series or bridgestone.
Do not listen to someone when they say x brand is made by x person or this is the same factory. Sure, might be the case but they are all built to a certain level and each brand is designed to compliment others. Look at BS and FS.. FS is cheap and BS is more expensive. Same company and factory.

Dial111

978 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2084518 5-Sep-2018 19:41

Coil:ANY new tires is better than ANY second hand tire. (unless you are 100% on the history etc)

I disagree

There are many cheap Chinese tyres on the market that are made up of such a hard compound and pumped full of silicone that they literally wheel spin going around corners or on a slight gradient in wet weather. I replaced some brand new budget Chinese tyres on the rear of a RX-7 I bought with a set of second hand Pirelli P-Zero's.. The difference was night and day, the car went from next to no traction to sticking like snot to a sweater.

Coil: Look at BS and FS.. FS is cheap and BS is more expensive. Same company and factory.

Bridgestone and Firestone are one in the same in a company sense..

In the NZ market

Bridgestone is Bridgestone, you have Bselect stores which is the retail passenger division, then you have Bridgestone commercial stores. Firestone shops are generally franchises using the name. Tonys Tyres are owned by Bridgestone too and soon to be the Tasman Tyre group here in the South Island - all generally use the same supply chain but manufacturer contracts can differ between stores.

JAYJAY

121 posts

Master Geek

#2084521 5-Sep-2018 19:50

Anything that connects you to the ground, don't skimp on... especially tyres. Tyres, bed, shoes :D

If you shop around, keep an eye out for deals and use competitors to get the price dropped further... do it! I picked up an incredible set of Bridgestone Potenza tyres (yes, pricey) and they're a dream to drive on, are quiet and stick to the road like nothing I've experienced driving.

Coil

6614 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#2084539 5-Sep-2018 20:28

Dial111:

Coil:ANY new tires is better than ANY second hand tire. (unless you are 100% on the history etc)

I disagree

There are many cheap Chinese tyres on the market that are made up of such a hard compound and pumped full of silicone that they literally wheel spin going around corners or on a slight gradient in wet weather. I replaced some brand new budget Chinese tyres on the rear of a RX-7 I bought with a set of second hand Pirelli P-Zero's.. The difference was night and day, the car went from next to no traction to sticking like snot to a sweater.

Coil: Look at BS and FS.. FS is cheap and BS is more expensive. Same company and factory.

Bridgestone and Firestone are one in the same in a company sense..

In the NZ market

Bridgestone is Bridgestone, you have Bselect stores which is the retail passenger division, then you have Bridgestone commercial stores. Firestone shops are generally franchises using the name. Tonys Tyres are owned by Bridgestone too and soon to be the Tasman Tyre group here in the South Island - all generally use the same supply chain but manufacturer contracts can differ between stores.

If you can please advise of such Chinese tires then you have a case to bring to the attention of the authorities. No DOT rated tires would perform like you have stated today. Maybe years ago..
Do not draw lines between a performance tire like a P Zero and an efficient or eco tire like a hankook kinergy or budget tires like a Chinese one. Its a no sh1t sherlock that one mate, Especially when there is power involved......

I was under the impression BSelect was a franchise and Bridgestone was just that. IDK I cant recall exactly but the guys at the Albany Tony's Tire are the old franchise owners for BSelect and the same guys.
Also in Aussie I have B Select customers and I have asked the owners myself if they are a franchise of Bridgestone and owned privately and they were.

Regardless of who is where and who sells what, Back in the day I recall FS was more entry level and BS was premium and I was trying to explain that in reference to people saying Neutron is made by blah blah and what ever.

Anyway, your life and who ever is in your path of trajectory is in the tread of your tires.

One thing is if I had a family member killed in a crash and someone else caused it who had illegal tires then yeah, I'd pursue involuntary manslaughter. I'd expect equal of everyone else because the She Will Be Rite attitude kills too many.

kryptonjohn

2523 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2084542 5-Sep-2018 20:35

Due to recent non repairable puncture I need either one 255/55/18/109V Bridgestone Dueller H/P with about 3mm or else replace the whole set.

From time to time you see an absolute steal on Trademe but at the moment it looks like I'm up for a set of new at at least $300 a pop >:-(

Scott3

3963 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2084549 5-Sep-2018 20:59

kryptonjohn:

Due to recent non repairable puncture I need either one 255/55/18/109V Bridgestone Dueller H/P with about 3mm or else replace the whole set.

From time to time you see an absolute steal on Trademe but at the moment it looks like I'm up for a set of new at at least $300 a pop >:-(

With one tire damaged, and 3mm on the rest, Look at replacing the set.

Wet breaking distance becomes a lot longer with less than 3mm:

In order to confirm how much wet traction worn tires sacrifice, members of the Tire Rack team measured the stopping distances from 70 mph (the typical speed limit of U.S. Interstate highways) with vehicles equipped with sets of new tires and compared them to tires with about 4/32" (3mm) of remaining tread depth, followed by sets with the legal minimum of 2/32" (1.6mm) depth. The differences surprised us! Vehicles equipped with the 2/32" minimum tire tread depth took about 100 more feet to stop and were still traveling at about 45 mph at the same distance the vehicles equipped with the 4/32" deep tires had already come to a complete stop!

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=157

Also, tires seem to get a lot more damage as they approach the legal minimum (1.5mm) depth.

Of course replacing tires that are not yet at their legal minimum is not the most economic, or environmentally friendly choice... And it is completly legal to have one tire of different tread depth. (best practice failing replacing all 4, is to replace to and have the better tires on the rear...)

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Dial111

978 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2084552 5-Sep-2018 21:02

Coil:
Dial111:

Coil:ANY new tires is better than ANY second hand tire. (unless you are 100% on the history etc)

I disagree

There are many cheap Chinese tyres on the market that are made up of such a hard compound and pumped full of silicone that they literally wheel spin going around corners or on a slight gradient in wet weather. I replaced some brand new budget Chinese tyres on the rear of a RX-7 I bought with a set of second hand Pirelli P-Zero's.. The difference was night and day, the car went from next to no traction to sticking like snot to a sweater.

Coil: Look at BS and FS.. FS is cheap and BS is more expensive. Same company and factory.

Bridgestone and Firestone are one in the same in a company sense..

In the NZ market

Bridgestone is Bridgestone, you have Bselect stores which is the retail passenger division, then you have Bridgestone commercial stores. Firestone shops are generally franchises using the name. Tonys Tyres are owned by Bridgestone too and soon to be the Tasman Tyre group here in the South Island - all generally use the same supply chain but manufacturer contracts can differ between stores.

If you can please advise of such Chinese tires then you have a case to bring to the attention of the authorities. No DOT rated tires would perform like you have stated today. Maybe years ago..
Do not draw lines between a performance tire like a P Zero and an efficient or eco tire like a hankook kinergy or budget tires like a Chinese one. Its a no sh1t sherlock that one mate, Especially when there is power involved......

I was under the impression BSelect was a franchise and Bridgestone was just that. IDK I cant recall exactly but the guys at the Albany Tony's Tire are the old franchise owners for BSelect and the same guys.
Also in Aussie I have B Select customers and I have asked the owners myself if they are a franchise of Bridgestone and owned privately and they were.

Regardless of who is where and who sells what, Back in the day I recall FS was more entry level and BS was premium and I was trying to explain that in reference to people saying Neutron is made by blah blah and what ever.

Anyway, your life and who ever is in your path of trajectory is in the tread of your tires.

One thing is if I had a family member killed in a crash and someone else caused it who had illegal tires then yeah, I'd pursue involuntary manslaughter. I'd expect equal of everyone else because the She Will Be Rite attitude kills too many.

You were the one who said ANY new tyre is better then ANY second hand tyre so effectively you drew a very broad line, I merely gave you an example that your statement is incorrect.

And no, in NZ Bselect are company owned, I work for one of the leading wholesalers to many tyre shops across the country including Bridgestone, all shops I mentioned answer back to head office with exception to a lot of Firestone stores who are franchises.

In terms of budget being FS and premium being BS are we talking branded tyres or the quality of tyres sold out of each respective branded store?

And just to clarify, the tread is not the deciding factor in grip or what holds you to the road, please don’t throw the word “tread” around as if it is. A very common misconception is the tread pattern determines grip, NO! It helps dissipate water outwards. Many factors play a part like compounds and compositions the tyres are made of not tread.

As for DOT ratings, all tyres we sell for road usage are DOT approved with the appropriate load and ply ratings for their respective usage and we actively encourage and inform our customers (being tyre shops) on a daily of their responsibilities to sell the appropriate tyre for the correct application, you wouldn’t believe how many shops are either very misinformed, uneducated or just plain cowboys when trying purchase NHS tyres for for a road going vehicle.

As I’ve mentioned and a couple other posters have, don’t gimp on the only thing holding you to the road, it’s not worth it to save a few bucks.

Batman

Mad Scientist
29760 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2084580 5-Sep-2018 22:00

i used to get the most expensive tyres, but they always get punctures, then i have to replace the whole set!

now I get middle of the road or whatever is on special when it's down to 3mm.

Scott3

3963 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2084601 5-Sep-2018 22:18

Batman:

i used to get the most expensive tyres, but they always get punctures, then i have to replace the whole set!

now I get middle of the road or whatever is on special when it's down to 3mm.

Middle of the road touring tires seem to be the best bet.

High end performance tires have softer rubber, so wear out faster.

Batman

Mad Scientist
29760 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2084609 5-Sep-2018 22:26

for me i don't drive enough to wear down my high performance tyres. they have all sadly succumbed to punctures.

my middle of the road tyres wear down even faster than high performance ones. which I take to be good soft grippy compound!

the only difference is the sidewall is not as strong as you can feel it squibbling under hard cornering.

kryptonjohn

2523 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2084998 6-Sep-2018 12:46

Could any of the tire experts here comment on suitability of these Hankook Ventus ST tyres for a VW Touareg? Great price. Does the M+S rating mean they are not great for summer road driving?

Trademe listing# 1753466601

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-parts-accessories/wheels-tyres/tyres/listing-1753466601.htm

MikeAqua

7773 posts

Uber Geek

#2085016 6-Sep-2018 13:25

I find Firehawks are a good compromise tyre. I used to run them on my P11 Primera. We did mostly highway driving together (Nelson, Blenheim, Christchurch).

Good in the wet. Not too noisy. Handle harsh tarmac conditions OK - grit, coarse chip etc. Handle a bit of exuberant cornering on tarmac.

I didn't like them on unsealed roads.

Mike

Scott3

3963 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2085073 6-Sep-2018 14:41

kryptonjohn:

Could any of the tire experts here comment on suitability of these Hankook Ventus ST tyres for a VW Touareg? Great price. Does the M+S rating mean they are not great for summer road driving?

Trademe listing# 1753466601

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-parts-accessories/wheels-tyres/tyres/listing-1753466601.htm

M+S rating means they are all season tires.

Performance summer tires will be stickier, in the dry. But if you are in the market for a mid range tire, the all season tires do OK, especially in the wet.

Two sets of tires ago I brought GT radial champiro 228's (performance touring tire). They had a M+S marking, but won the consumer NZ / Choice Aust test for larger hatchbacks, in regards to wet breaking, and wet cornering.

Replaced them after a 3+ years with bridgestone longlife touring tires, without M+S marking. I Expected similar handling from the bridgestones (being a better brand, and their best touring tire). Was disappointed. The bridge-stone's did OK, but had less grip, and the car felt less planted on the open road.

Those used tires are really cheap. Check the date code before you buy. (don't buy anything older than 3 years).

kryptonjohn

2523 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2085092 6-Sep-2018 15:07

Scott3:

kryptonjohn:

Could any of the tire experts here comment on suitability of these Hankook Ventus ST tyres for a VW Touareg? Great price. Does the M+S rating mean they are not great for summer road driving?

Trademe listing# 1753466601

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-parts-accessories/wheels-tyres/tyres/listing-1753466601.htm

M+S rating means they are all season tires.

Performance summer tires will be stickier, in the dry. But if you are in the market for a mid range tire, the all season tires do OK, especially in the wet.

Two sets of tires ago I brought GT radial champiro 228's (performance touring tire). They had a M+S marking, but won the consumer NZ / Choice Aust test for larger hatchbacks, in regards to wet breaking, and wet cornering.

Replaced them after a 3+ years with bridgestone longlife touring tires, without M+S marking. I Expected similar handling from the bridgestones (being a better brand, and their best touring tire). Was disappointed. The bridge-stone's did OK, but had less grip, and the car felt less planted on the open road.

Those used tires are really cheap. Check the date code before you buy. (don't buy anything older than 3 years).

Thanks - posted the question.

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