Tyre labelling

[Notters]

I always assumed (and had heard) that premium branded tyres performed better than budget / mid-range ones. But now with the new European labeling this does not seem to be the case. Is there any reason not to go for a cheaper tyre that scores a B for petrol efficiency and braking over a more expensive one which scores, say, E for both. Will it just wear out quicker?

Also considering using a mobile tyre fitting service, any recommendations?

 

[Vegas Seagull]

Good q, I've been quoted £800 for some medium 'quality' and. £1200 for Goodyears which have dire reviews online and wear out after going round the block twice
Have you website info re labelling? Cheers

 

[dannyboy]

you need to think what car they are on . my taxi is a ford galaxy - mid range tyres £70 efficiency b . my other car sti impreza top range tyres £150 efficiency e . these tryes under more stress are designed to stick to the road more thus worse fuel economy . I would never put cheap tyres on the Subaru and likewise waste of money expensive ones on the galaxy. I would however never put budget or remoulds on anything.

 

[dannyboy]

incidentally I have maxis pro on galaxy and bridgestones on the impreza. very happy with both . wear well and don't puncture

 

[Notters]

Good q, I've been quoted £800 for some medium 'quality' and. £1200 for Goodyears which have dire reviews online and wear out after going round the block twice
Have you website info re labelling? Cheers

Blimey! Glad I have a Yaris, I'm looking at £40 - £50.

The labelling is explained here: http://www.etyres.co.uk/tyre-labelling/ It doesn't give info on durability, though.

 

[upthealbion1970]

Entirely dependant on driving style, car and load tbh. Also tyre pressure is critical for grip and wear as it wheel alignment.

In my experience Michelin and Bridgestone usually the best for wear however firestone and nokian are also good and usually noticeably cheaper.

When changing tyres for the first time on a car do t expect to get the same mileage out if like for like replacements and original fit tyres are made of a different compound to tyres supplied to everybody else.

 

[beorhthelm]

many "mid-range" brands are superior to premium brands that trade on the label. often only their very top tyres are good, and you pay eye watering money for them.

is there a dedicated tyre review site? i'm sure i saw one. otherwise id check the reviews across a few sites like black circles for a overall picture.

if you're not looking for high performance, then i dont think it matters much anyway, stick with the mid-range. look at the brands the car manufactures themselfs are using, they are putting their reputation against them, so brands like Hancook that VW use should be considered.

 

[upthealbion1970]

many "mid-range" brands are superior to premium brands that trade on the label. often only their very top tyres are good, and you pay eye watering money for them.

is there a dedicated tyre review site? i'm sure i saw one. otherwise id check the reviews across a few sites like black circles for a overall picture.

if you're not looking for high performance, then i dont think it matters much anyway, stick with the mid-range. look at the brands the car manufactures themselfs are using, they are putting their reputation against them, so brands like Hancook that VW use should be considered.

Hankook used to be mid range Bridgestone

 

[Notters]

I've gone for Kumo KH27s, they seem to have good reviews and are efficient, quiet and good in the wet

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Blimey! Glad I have a Yaris, I'm looking at £40 - £50.

The labelling is explained here: http://www.etyres.co.uk/tyre-labelling/ It doesn't give info on durability, though.

I've used e-tyres a number of times and been very satisfied. Good price and good service.

 

[banjo]

Good q, I've been quoted £800 for some medium 'quality' and. £1200 for Goodyears which have dire reviews online and wear out after going round the block twice
Have you website info re labelling? Cheers

blimey what do you drive ?

 

[Notters]

I've used e-tyres a number of times and been very satisfied. Good price and good service.

Thanks, that's good as I just booked them.

 

[Goldstone1976]

When changing tyres for the first time on a car do t expect to get the same mileage out if like for like replacements and original fit tyres are made of a different compound to tyres supplied to everybody else.

This is the second time I've seen this statement on NSC (maybe the first time was you too?). It stuck with me because the first time I saw it, I was literally just about to change the tyres on the main car. I asked the fitter whether this was true and he denied it, saying that the only reason why the mileage might be a bit lower ("say 2-4%") was because the bearings etc would have some wear on them. I also went into the main dealer for the car a couple of weeks later (to look at a new model that I'm interested in) and asked them - they denied it too - but they would, wouldn't they?

I bought 4 new tyres and ensured that I got exactly the same ones as the original equipment. I got 32k out of the originals; I'll see what I get out of these.

If you're right, and I get fewer than say 30k, I'll be seriously pee'd off with the car manufacturers....

 

[upthealbion1970]

This is the second time I've seen this statement on NSC (maybe the first time was you too?). It stuck with me because the first time I saw it, I was literally just about to change the tyres on the main car. I asked the fitter whether this was true and he denied it, saying that the only reason why the mileage might be a bit lower ("say 2-4%") was because the bearings etc would have some wear on them. I also went into the main dealer for the car a couple of weeks later (to look at a new model that I'm interested in) and asked them - they denied it too - but they would, wouldn't they?

I bought 4 new tyres and ensured that I got exactly the same ones as the original equipment. I got 32k out of the originals; I'll see what I get out of these.

If you're right, and I get fewer than say 30k, I'll be seriously pee'd off with the car manufacturers....

It most probably was me, after years in that part of the trade I've probably forgotten more about tyres than most will ever know fwiw main dealers are usually pretty useless when it comes to anything to do with tyres. If you got 32k from your original set I'd guess about 25-26k on your replacements

 

[Goldstone1976]

It most probably was me, after years in that part of the trade I've probably forgotten more about tyres than most will ever know fwiw main dealers are usually pretty useless when it comes to anything to do with tyres. If you got 32k from your original set I'd guess about 25-26k on your replacements

Not surprised to hear that the main dealer wouldn't have known his arris from elbow tbh.

That's really disappointing to hear. Given that there's absolutely no publicity about this from car manufacturers, dealers or the tyre manufacturers, it's pretty shoddy. I wish I could say that I don't believe you - but I do.

 

[Cian]

The label only gives fuel, wet braking and noise - which nobody usually cares about at purchase time. Wear isn't on it and cheap tyres *can* wear horribly. How well they handle hard driving isn't on it either, hence the "ditchfinder" reputation of Chinese tyres that may have a great set of label figures when on faster cars.

Goodyear's website claims the fuel consumption difference between G and A is 7.5%; I've noticed a huge difference between F and C though.

 

[Creaky]

This is the second time I've seen this statement on NSC (maybe the first time was you too?). It stuck with me because the first time I saw it, I was literally just about to change the tyres on the main car. I asked the fitter whether this was true and he denied it, saying that the only reason why the mileage might be a bit lower ("say 2-4%") was because the bearings etc would have some wear on them. I also went into the main dealer for the car a couple of weeks later (to look at a new model that I'm interested in) and asked them - they denied it too - but they would, wouldn't they?

I bought 4 new tyres and ensured that I got exactly the same ones as the original equipment. I got 32k out of the originals; I'll see what I get out of these.

If you're right, and I get fewer than say 30k, I'll be seriously pee'd off with the car manufacturers....

I queried this as well but was told that the tyres are identical - after all why would car manufacturers pay extra for tyres that last longer?

The explanation I was given for replacement tyres not lasting as long was that when a customer takes delivery of a new car they tend to drive it less aggresively than normal for at least the first few thousand miles - this allows they tyres to 'bed in' and results in greater overall mileage - likewise with brake pads.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Not surprised to hear that the main dealer wouldn't have known his arris from elbow tbh.

That's really disappointing to hear. Given that there's absolutely no publicity about this from car manufacturers, dealers or the tyre manufacturers, it's pretty shoddy. I wish I could say that I don't believe you - but I do.

I don't get why you are criticising the car manufacturer, it is the tyre manufacturer who produces a lower quality tyre for the general public to buy? You could of course buy your replacement tyres from your main dealer as a spare part, but I promise you that you will not like the price!

 

[upthealbion1970]

I queried this as well but was told that the tyres are identical - after all why would car manufacturers pay extra for tyres that last longer?

The explanation I was given for replacement tyres not lasting as long was that when a customer takes delivery of a new car they tend to drive it less aggresively than normal for at least the first few thousand miles - this allows they tyres to 'bed in' and results in greater overall mileage - likewise with brake pads.

Car tyres "bedding in" the only car tyres that bed in are top end performance cars and that takes about 50-100 miles to wear out the surface oxidisation on the tread. Unlike 99% of motorbike tyres.

Car manufacturers want the first set of tyres to last around 30k miles as that's on average 3 years driving, tyre manufacturers use a harder compound to achieve it. It is not possible for anyone (including main dealers) to acquire the same spec from anywhere as they are delivered direct to the car factories. I have been told this by Michelin, continental & Pirelli technical departments over the years. One customer in particular who had a replacement osf Pirelli on a fiat some years ago had under 1000 miles on the clock, which wore out at 23k with 3 mm left on the nsf (which is the hardest wearing position on any front wheel drive), the nsf was replaced at 26k and so did 4k more than the new tyre on the opposite (less wearing) side. I remember it because of the shitstorm the customer created implying that I'd supplied a cheap imitation Pirelli to him which I hadn't!

 

[HAILSHAM SEAGULL]

Good q, I've been quoted £800 for some medium 'quality' and. £1200 for Goodyears which have dire reviews online and wear out after going round the block twice
Have you website info re labelling? Cheers

What do you drive? A Hummer!