a bit like the ones n the back of the SD1 on this weeks top gear then. Drove the car again today, first time since the weekend, i went to work on the bus instead thinking "by, this thing handles!!". I can't wait for the car to go at the weekend, the lack of grip is worrying.
and despite people posting there personal experiences you still think one poxy survey is what we should all base out next purchase on
When it is an independant test giving data (stopping distances ets) to back up the claim, then yes you should. There are dozens of people on here whose personal experience is that 8v Mk2s are torquier low down than 16vs when the output figures prove this to be untrue. I'm not saying that people's opinions should be dismissed out of hand but when those opinions would appear to be refuted by facts perhaps they should be looked at with some scepticism, especially regarding something that we all agree is as important as tyres.
If Im thinking about changing tyres Ill listen to several people who have used them in a wide range of conditions and for the life of the tyre in a similar vehicle, no tyre test is going to be as accurate as that. Obviously theres going to be some variation in opinion but Im careful who I ask in the first place, Id never buy off a small survey as the results can always be interpreted which ever way people want
I really fail to see how you can misinterpret tyre A stopping a car in 25metres & losing lateral grip at 25 mph compared to tyre B stopping the same car in 30meters & losing lateral grip at 21mph. (those figures are made up just make my point) it's a direct quantifiable comparison. An F1 car can corner at unbelievable speeds when driven by a racing driver, if I drive one I'd probably spin it at 30mph. So I would say "F1 cars handle like s**t" & if I were your trusted friend then you would believe me? Perhaps individual driving styles are a factor in tyre choice therefore what a friend says is a grippy tyre may not be so for you, so i maintain that these tests are a more accurate guide than an opinion.
Well that's a really well reasoned arguement (in a monty python voice) What's the matter, too logical for you?
some tyres are better once scrubbed, some suit different cars (said it again because you must be hard of reading) some give grip through the life of the tyre, some get better once worn etc etc ect Now tell me if all the tyres tested were at there best, were all scrubbed (some are quite greasy when new, suppose it’s in the manufacture or process) do you know these facts, were they in the survey?
I would assume that all the tryes tested had the same amount of tread & were of similar age (it may say in the text) Now surely you're not saying that tyres come with instructions such as "scrub well before use" or "avoid heavy braking for the first 1000miles" or even " works best on FWD cars with less than 150bhp" It was a comparative test & that's it
like for instance. From my personal experience and keep In mind its just my opinion, I think the A048s gave better grip initially when new than the 888s but once the A048s had a few heat cycles through them they lost some of the grip, on the other hand whilst the A048s gave a little more grip initially the 888s were more consistent. So if Id tested the A048s when new I would have said they were a better tyre than the 888s, but once using both tyres throughout there life I would go for the 888s as they gave more consistent grip than the A048s can you spot the difference yet
cheap tyres are crap. period, that's why they are cheap. listen to the banana man, he's been through a fair few sets of tyres in his time and i dare say he knows a little bit about dirving too......
Sometimes real world experience over a year or so can tell you a lot more than one review done in a day or two
My Yokohama winter tyres grip harder in the dry than the "GT Radials" I had on before... Our Volvo estate is on cheap Fuldas (higher end of the budget market I think) and it still spins the rear wheels no bother up to 50 in the dry - never did that when it was on Dunlops. My dad bought some slightly cheaper tyres for the Supra (Marshalls I think) and scared himself ****less and swapped to Contis after one too many sideways overtaking manouveres. Last but not least, it's been said above, but DIFFERENT CARS RESPOND DIFFERENTLY TO DIFFERENT TYRES!
Like most things in life, there's a lot of opinions. Simple as that..... Not tyre related but one thing a friend who used to work in a hi-fi told me is: 'Buy the stuff your ears like to hear, not what the salesman or review tell you. At the end of the day you're the person listening to the equipment, not him or the reviews' Same with tyres personally; buy what you feel happy driving with on your car as its you who has to live with the tyres and how they act
Yep. Eagle F1's look good, feel good, and they are BRILLIANT!!! Michellins are expensive as, and beleive me, they have excellent grip and last forever. P6000's look great, bargain price, and great grip at that price range. linglong, ding dong, and whatever the hell else you can buy unbranded find-a-ditch are crap crap crap, even if some back street garage quotes the odd magazine tests saying how good they must be. Some guy was trying to sell me some federal tyres over the Eagle F1's, but I wasn't having any of it, and I'm glad I got F1's. Always buy good tyres now from established brands.
As I already said facts & logic cannot beat an opinion. Plenty of people will still insist that an 8v Mk2 has more low down grunt than a 16v, because that's how they feel. They're still wrong though, as any power/torque graph will show. Same arguement really. As for a heated up and/or part worn tyre having different characteristics to a brand new cold one, it's like saying a well run in engine is more powerful than a brand new tight one. Of course it is!
But from what I remember many car reviews praised Renault recently for matching a tyre to the car with their cup models. My friend has a megane R26 230 which has specific michelins matched by renault for the car. He's now thinking does he stick with what Renault say works best with the car or go to another tyre like Toyo or Yokos.....
