Tyres - price I should pay, best brand, why prices so secret?

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Tyres - price I should pay, best brand, why prices so secret?

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#1207955 4-Jan-2015 09:31

I also use Bridgestone Ecopia...on my Falcon. Won't post the prices as my tyre sizes are very different from yours so the prices aren't relevant. Certainly not a top of the range tyre but runs nice and quietly and lasts at least 2 years with average k's being driven.

I found Tony's came in with a very sharp price once I mentioned a local Firestone dealer had offered a decent discount off the rrp - and this was over the phone, didn't need to produce anything in writing. I think the the tyre places have been doing it rough over the last wee while with more people finding alternative transport means when petrol prices were higher. It's made them more willing to cut prices.

richms

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#1207957 4-Jan-2015 09:34

Have you noticed any savings in fuel from the ecopias? and how do they go grip wise in the wet? I have bad memories of a crap prius with their eco tires on it basically acting like they were made of teflon so am hesitant to go putting the ecopias on my falcon.

Richard rich.ms

Wade

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#1207965 4-Jan-2015 10:24

I used to spend silly money on performance tires but as I have gotten older and car choice has become more family orientated I have looked toward the other end of the spectrum and in the last few years only bought Firestone TZ100's, TZ700's and more recently Bridgestone Ecopias. Yes i am a bit biased as I have a relative in the industry so get special pricing but that said I'm not easy on tires and gave had outstanding runs out of all of these, to be honest I am not sure spending twice as much gives you any major real world benefits on a family car being driven under normal circumstances

The reason i went Ecopias last time was purely to save some money and to be honest they performed well (was on a Toyota Fielder Z Aerotourer so capable of giving the tires a little bit of a hard time :P). Had them fitted and drove the family to Bay of Islands the very next day so saw a lot of use on twisty 'B' roads knocking up around a thousand kays over a week.

Aother option is try HyperDrive, as their pricing isn't too bad plus they have a 15% off code "2015" at the moment

nakedmolerat

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#1207971 4-Jan-2015 11:24

richms: Have you noticed any savings in fuel from the ecopias? and how do they go grip wise in the wet? I have bad memories of a crap prius with their eco tires on it basically acting like they were made of teflon so am hesitant to go putting the ecopias on my falcon.

I believe the current ecopia is the second generation of their eco tyres. I haven't find any issue even driving via kaimais weekly throughout 2014.

Ecopia is also the standard/recommended for current model RAV4

MikeB4

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#1207972 4-Jan-2015 11:25

timmmay: Ah so you've replaced 8 sets of tyres, the expensive way.

Our TCO is not higher

Coil

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#1207975 4-Jan-2015 11:45

Stay away from cheap tires!

Linglong, goodride, westlakes etc.. They are all junk.

On my cars i usually run Good Year F1's or Michelin Pilot Sport.
People dont think that getting some cheap tire to pass a WOF is a good idea. Get into a bad situation and your gone, Its those round rubber things that keep you alive at the end of they day.
I purposely put West Lake tires on my 540 because i could shred them at will and not care but in the wet it was dangerous.

Bung

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#1207983 4-Jan-2015 12:31

nakedmolerat: I believe the current ecopia is the second generation of their eco tyres. I haven't find any issue even driving via kaimais weekly throughout 2014.

Ecopia is also the standard/recommended for current model RAV4

Our car was oem'd with Bridgestone ER300 Turanzas that lasted about 49k. They got replaced by Ecopias (cheaper) that did about 57k and didn't feel much different. 2nd set of Ecopia are different, not as good in wet. It turns out they are 1step up on durability and 1 step down on grip WRT 1st set. Not all Ecopia are the same. Some Bridgestone country sites list wear/grip/ride ratings you have to search a bit using specific type number.

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xlinknz

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#1208055 4-Jan-2015 16:33

What is needed here is science rather than speculation and unfortunately as usual NZ lags behind what occurs in other jurisdictions.

The EU, US and Japan all have a mandatory tyre labeling regimes [in NZ the EECA very recently have a voluntary certified efficient tyre system based on information provided by the the whoelsalers i.e. no independent testing in NZ [yet]

These regimes typically rate tyres on braking, rolling resistance [economy] and noise [A to F]. What is real interesting is that many 'cheap' brands tyres e.g. linglong etc often have as good [in some cases] better rating for braking, economy and noise than 'premium' so called performance tyres costing up to six times as much.

Draw your own conclusions on that

All these rating are publicly available over the web down to exact tyre sizes, loading's etc. It is an eye opener e.g. there can be huge differences in the same tyre due to different sizes

Personally I am not interested in tyres marketed as 'performance' but value for money represented by efficiency and safety

qwertee

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#1208101 4-Jan-2015 18:27

Hi
The offer is still on , even better, the 4th tyre is free, offer ends Jan 2015.
http://www.bridgestonetyrecentre.co.nz/

http://www.bridgestonetyrecentre.co.nz/specials/buy-three-firestone-tyres-get-fourth-free/

BTW I do not work for them and have no affiliation, ha ha.

cheers

qwertee

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#1208109 4-Jan-2015 18:36

I do apologise for this post and a possible hi-jack of this thread, but could someone else explain what the second para means.
I was tempted to get this warranty at one stage

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
the link is http://www.bridgestonetyrecentre.co.nz/tyres/tyre-warranties/

Road Hazard Warranty

Not all punctures are repairable. In fact, simply running over a screw in your driveway could damage your tyre beyond repair. Then you can be forced to pay for another new tyre!

For just $12.50 per tyre, you can receive Road Hazard Warranty, which will make sure you’re covered for:

Free puncture repairs
Any repairable puncture will be fixed free of charge for the legal tread life of the tyre.
Free tyre replacement
If the tyre can’t be repaired we’ll fit a replacement and you’ll pay nothing within the first 12,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first.
Protection for the life of the tyre
For the remainder of the legal tread life of the tyre (after 12,000km or 12 months), if the tyre can’t be repaired, you will only pay for the tread you’ve used. For example, if you have only used 15% of the legal tread depth you will only pay 15% of the tyre’s current value to replace it.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Free tyre replacement,: so if i have a nail in the side wall (cant be repaired), can I assume that I get a free replacement
and then have to pay the full price after 12 months or 12K kms . This is not FREE then. I am still paying at some stage?

Stu

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#1208118 4-Jan-2015 18:53

Currently running with Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE002 on my Commodore. Different sizing to your requirements so pricing not comparable price wise. They're relatively quiet and handle well in all conditions. Previously had Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max which were also good in all conditions, but aren't made to fit the current rims so trying something different.

People often mistake me for an adult because of my age.

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#1208120 4-Jan-2015 19:00

qwertee: I do apologise for this post and a possible hi-jack of this thread, but could someone else explain what the second para means.
I was tempted to get this warranty at one stage

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
the link is http://www.bridgestonetyrecentre.co.nz/tyres/tyre-warranties/
Road Hazard Warranty Not all punctures are repairable. In fact, simply running over a screw in your driveway could damage your tyre beyond repair. Then you can be forced to pay for another new tyre! For just $12.50 per tyre, you can receive Road Hazard Warranty, which will make sure you’re covered for:

Free puncture repairs
Any repairable puncture will be fixed free of charge for the legal tread life of the tyre.
Free tyre replacement
If the tyre can’t be repaired we’ll fit a replacement and you’ll pay nothing within the first 12,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first.
Protection for the life of the tyre
For the remainder of the legal tread life of the tyre (after 12,000km or 12 months), if the tyre can’t be repaired, you will only pay for the tread you’ve used. For example, if you have only used 15% of the legal tread depth you will only pay 15% of the tyre’s current value to replace it.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Free tyre replacement,: so if i have a nail in the side wall (cant be repaired), can I assume that I get a free replacement
and then have to pay the full price after 12 months or 12K kms . This is not FREE then. I am still paying at some stage?

sounds like a gimmick. without the 12k 12mth clause it's worth it. with it ... not really! what an escape clause!

timmmay

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#1208125 4-Jan-2015 19:12

qwertee: Hi
The offer is still on , even better, the 4th tyre is free, offer ends Jan 2015.
http://www.bridgestonetyrecentre.co.nz/

http://www.bridgestonetyrecentre.co.nz/specials/buy-three-firestone-tyres-get-fourth-free/

BTW I do not work for them and have no affiliation, ha ha.

cheers

Would be useful if I needed 4 tyres, but only need two, thanks.

Dratsab

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#1208131 4-Jan-2015 19:47

richms: Have you noticed any savings in fuel from the ecopias? and how do they go grip wise in the wet? I have bad memories of a crap prius with their eco tires on it basically acting like they were made of teflon so am hesitant to go putting the ecopias on my falcon.

Along the lines of what Wade and nakedmolerat have posted, price was a factor for me along with the touted quietness and supposed fuel savings. TBH I didn't monitor my fuel consumption prior to buying Ecopias and haven't done so since so can't comment on fuel savings. They definitely run quieter than the Dunlops I used to have. I've had no issues at all with road grip even when sometimes driving in atrocious conditions, such as a roadie from Wellington to Auckland in 2009 to see Iron Maiden. I've been running Ecopias since 2008 - not the same set though and I haven't purchased different cars ;-)

Wade

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#1208147 4-Jan-2015 20:50

xlinknz: What is needed here is science rather than speculation and unfortunately as usual NZ lags behind what occurs in other jurisdictions.

The EU, US and Japan all have a mandatory tyre labeling regimes [in NZ the EECA very recently have a voluntary certified efficient tyre system based on information provided by the the whoelsalers i.e. no independent testing in NZ [yet]

These regimes typically rate tyres on braking, rolling resistance [economy] and noise [A to F]. What is real interesting is that many 'cheap' brands tyres e.g. linglong etc often have as good [in some cases] better rating for braking, economy and noise than 'premium' so called performance tyres costing up to six times as much.

Draw your own conclusions on that

All these rating are publicly available over the web down to exact tyre sizes, loading's etc. It is an eye opener e.g. there can be huge differences in the same tyre due to different sizes

Personally I am not interested in tyres marketed as 'performance' but value for money represented by efficiency and safety

I have some Chinese Maxxis Maxtrek tires on the front of my Honda which were already fitted prior to me buying car. I was rather dubious but touchwood they have performed well so far in both dry and wet, keep in mind we are talking 200kw being driven through front wheel drive.

My dilemma is I need to replace rear tires and do I match up the fronts (still have 6mm + tread) or buy name brand, replacing all four is outside of my budget post xmas, I'm leaning toward Chinese option to be honest

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