I think a large amount of Far-Eastern Brand tyre sales in the UK are attributed to cheap Alloy Wheel & Tyre deals - main reason folk end up buying those fookin' hideous rims on display in Halfords is because it's time for 4 new tyres, and Kwik Fit have quoted them something daft like 500 for four 15" OE-spec Michelins. Enter the fugly BK Racing 17s complete with Nankang Low-Pros for 599.95... I've run Kumho 712s (in 225/45/16) on the Merc for the last 20k miles, and for me they struck a good balance between longevity and predictable handling, but the car would understeer under heavy braking in the wet. Kinda what I expected for 55 a corner, frankly.
ive almost finished off a set of kumgo ku31s and i loved them. amazing tyre about to start on some vredesteins. if theyre the same as tscs theyll be grrreat
I have Vredesteins on the front of my Beemer (Uh Oh - BMW Driver...) and I think that they're fine. When I get the chance I hoon it like the rest of you - I've never felt the need to blame the Vreds wet or dry. Different tyres on different cars, some combinations work , some dont... I dropped 4-5 mpg when I swapped my back tyres from Vreds to F1's and I wouldn't say the F1's are worth 10% of my fuel economy. Horses for courses... http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Vredestein/Ultrac.htm
i had a set of Cooper tires which were 80 a pair fitter an balanced in 195/50/15 and they were easily on par with goodyear and Falken tires that i have had in the past. Think Cooper are made by the same firm who makes AVON. Strange not to see them in the test??
I binned the front Vredefrankensteins today (one had a slow puncture anyway after my sump-smashing incident at the weekend), and got some cheapo ones stuck on. 60 each (fitted etc.) for 225/45/17. The car is ten times better, doesn't "squirm" through bumpy corners anymore, and I can accelerate without the wheels spinning up every time I use first gear. Huge improvement - next time I might even get decent ones fitted! The old ones are currently burning down a small tree in my back garden, South African "necklace" style. I'm not paying 2.50 for the tyre place to dispose of them...
These are the new ones - tested OK for something half the price of the sort of tire I should REALLY have bought... http://www.tyretest.com/pkw_sommerreifen/accelera/alpha/index.html
This makes me glad my dad pays for tyres in our house.... he buys on price but it's what's cheaper among Pirelli, Michelin, Firestone and Conty so I'll always end up on decent tyres.
CEAT, the KwikSh*t make, are apparently made from Pirelli's old moulds in Mumbai - not that it matters much if they make them from teflon though. It won't aquaplane, but it won't stop either. These ones seem grand, haven't tried them in the wet though. I suspect it may involve a crash, fire, and my own death through melting flesh. I'm not forking out for GSDs on a free car with 190k and a not particularly long lasting V6, a leaky sump, etc. Long may she run, and may she roll at least 3 times beore the explosion. I was speaking to a friend I havent spoken to in months today, mentioned getting new tires and the new car, and she said "Does it have seats? None of your cars ever have passenger seats, I had to sit on a bean bag last time".
