**Unofficial Tyre Thread**

[Akagi]

I don't want to be an *******, but are you basing this on some tests or your own experience?

Sorry, I think I misread. You mean the front tyres are different to the rear, not that your rear tyres are different to each other?

It is perfectly fine to have different tyres on the front vs. the back. With some exceptions.

All-wheel-drive cars should ideally have a matched set.

And you shouldn't have winter tyres on one end and summer tyres on the other.

Having different tyres from side to side is a different kettle of fish, I would personally never do that. Even though it is perfectly legal, and unfortunately, common practice.

One of my cars has a pair of Three-A P606 on the front and a pair of Nexen NBlue HD Plus (I think) on the back.

One has a pair of Hankook Ventus V12 Evo on the front, and some variety of Kumho on the back.

So I'm not adverse to having different mismatched mid range tyres on a car. Just have to not be ****, and be the same on an axle.

 

[martynr]

For me Goodyear Eagle F1's were £80 a tyre.

Avon ZX7 or whatever they are called (which I rate as ran on the wife's old car) were around £75

Kwikfits budget specials were around £50.

In my case it's a no brainer going for the Goodyear.

Please insert the size for reference.

Imho the budget tyres cost more to ship than the tyre itself. I believe they are making a racket from them.

 

[Greebo]

Please insert the size for reference.

Imho the budget tyres cost more to ship than the tyre itself. I believe they are making a racket from them.

Indeed. We own a tyre shop and its amazing how many people buy budget tyres that we buy in for £20 per tyre.

All tyres are a rip off though. High end Michelins which we charge out at £220 each only cost £97 to buy from Michelin.

 

[martynr]

Indeed. We own a tyre shop and its amazing how many people buy budget tyres that we buy in for £20 per tyre.

All tyres are a rip off though. High end Michelins which we charge out at £220 each only cost £97 to buy from Michelin.

I hope you balance them as this seems to be an option in the UK.

 

[martynr]

Sorry, I think I misread. You mean the front tyres are different to the rear, not that your rear tyres are different to each other?

It is perfectly fine to have different tyres on the front vs. the back. With some exceptions.

All-wheel-drive cars should ideally have a matched set.

And you shouldn't have winter tyres on one end and summer tyres on the other.

Having different tyres from side to side is a different kettle of fish, I would personally never do that. Even though it is perfectly legal, and unfortunately, common practice.

One of my cars has a pair of Three-A P606 on the front and a pair of Nexen NBlue HD Plus (I think) on the back.

One has a pair of Hankook Ventus V12 Evo on the front, and some variety of Kumho on the back.

So I'm not adverse to having different mismatched mid range tyres on a car. Just have to not be ****, and be the same on an axle.

I agree with you about the axle being on same rubber. Although, I have the rear end on all season Nexen and summer Kumho.
To compare the grip of the tyres. I had Bridgestone Blizzak and having temperature above 7 degrees celcius it was very slippery. Therefore you drive with this in mind and this is not some cheap tyre, but conditions were against it.
I did have some Boto tyres and they were really slippery not that they would pull me into a ditch.
The AWD such as Audi quattro must have all tyres with similar wear and same size. Otherwise it messes up the diffs and quattro not working properly.

 

[Akagi]

I agree with you about the axle being on same rubber. Although, I have the rear end on all season Nexen and summer Kumho.
To compare the grip of the tyres. I had Bridgestone Blizzak and having temperature above 7 degrees celcius it was very slippery. Therefore you drive with this in mind and this is not some cheap tyre, but conditions were against it.
I did have some Boto tyres and they were really slippery not that they would pull me into a ditch.
The AWD such as Audi quattro must have all tyres with similar wear and same size. Otherwise it messes up the diffs and quattro not working properly.

Yeah basically.

The issue with having all seasons on one end and summers on the other, is that all seasons tend to cope better in colder temperatures, wet weather, etc (as you would hope!)

So if you come unstuck on a corner, you may find one end of the car wants to slide more readily than the other. Which could cause you to spin or otherwise lose control, whereas it would be more predictable if all tyres had similar levels of grip.

Aquaplaning is another one too, if one end aquaplanes more readily than the other. But that also extends to tread depth, weight distribution, etc... So who knows...

 

[mjt]

Was at a VW dealer for an event and saw the new Golf 8s were running A0 Nexen tyres. Eww.

 

[Greebo]

Was at a VW dealer for an event and saw the new Golf 8s were running A0 Nexen tyres. Eww.

They are middle of the road. Many worse tyres and lots better but I agree, disappointing that they should go so cheap with their choice of tyre.

OEM get the best deals. When I was involved with a manufacturer making vehicles we used to get 75% discount on tyres from Michelin. Made them cheap as chips as the theory goes from the tyre manufacturer, most customers will replace the tyres when due with the same make and model as what was originally on the car so they will get many more future sales.

 

[mjt]

They are middle of the road. Many worse tyres and lots better but I agree, disappointing that they should go so cheap with their choice of tyre.

OEM get the best deals. When I was involved with a manufacturer making vehicles we used to get 75% discount on tyres from Michelin. Made them cheap as chips as the theory goes from the tyre manufacturer, most customers will replace the tyres when due with the same make and model as what was originally on the car so they will get many more future sales.

Interesting. I would never dream of fitting Nexen but hey ho. Lots of BMWs at the local dealer have Hankooks and I thought that was bad enough (I know they have pretty decent ratings in all the tests).

Mind you, some of Pirelli and Bridgestone offerings aren’t exactly amazing, so probably not far off Nexen if you think about it.

 

[Greebo]

Interesting. I would never dream of fitting Nexen but hey ho. Lots of BMWs at the local dealer have Hankooks and I thought that was bad enough (I know they have pretty decent ratings in all the tests).

Mind you, some of Pirelli and Bridgestone offerings aren’t exactly amazing, so probably not far off Nexen if you think about it.

Hankooks are pretty decent nowadays and making some decent high performance tyres and has deals with Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.

They have won some tyre tests now and are probably considered as a premium tyre

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/Hankook-are-a-Premium-Tyre-Manufacturer---Heres-why.htm

 

[martynr]

Interesting. I would never dream of fitting Nexen but hey ho. Lots of BMWs at the local dealer have Hankooks and I thought that was bad enough (I know they have pretty decent ratings in all the tests).

Mind you, some of Pirelli and Bridgestone offerings aren’t exactly amazing, so probably not far off Nexen if you think about it.

Then there is Maxxis brand that makes tyres for supersport bikes. 170 bhp and 200kg where acceleration and braking is of supercar type. They are also coming into passenger car market.
Furthermore, I know maxxis from over 20 years ago as they were making tyres for go kart races and not the ones in your industrial areas.

 

[Akagi]

Then there is Maxxis brand that makes tyres for supersport bikes. 170 bhp and 200kg where acceleration and braking is of supercar type. They are also coming into passenger car market.
Furthermore, I know maxxis from over 20 years ago as they were making tyres for go kart races and not the ones in your industrial areas.

Might look into them and try some.

For some reason I quite enjoy trying out different tyres... Cos I go through lots of cars, and lots of wheels, buy lots of tyres, and drive on the ragged edge a little too often...

Its surprising how bad some which you expect to be good are, and how good some you are unsure about are... These Three-A P606 seem to me to be better than the Michelin Primacy HP I had in the past for instance... And I found the new Falken Azenis FK510 to be better than the Pilot Sport 3 (Which I know aren't the best Pilot Sports). In fact I really rate those new Falkens.

I don't think any will beat the ContiSportContacts I put on that Primera though...

I could list off all the ones I've tried and my thoughts but I'm not sure my opinion is particularly valued here tbh.

 

[martynr]

Might look into them and try some.

For some reason I quite enjoy trying out different tyres... Cos I go through lots of cars, and lots of wheels, buy lots of tyres, and drive on the ragged edge a little too often...

Its surprising how bad some which you expect to be good are, and how good some you are unsure about are... These Three-A P606 seem to me to be better than the Michelin Primacy HP I had in the past for instance... And I found the new Falken Azenis FK510 to be better than the Pilot Sport 3 (Which I know aren't the best Pilot Sports). In fact I really rate those new Falkens.

I don't think any will beat the ContiSportContacts I put on that Primera though...

I could list off all the ones I've tried and my thoughts but I'm not sure my opinion is particularly valued here tbh.

I wish I could try them for £20 a corner

There are many tyre brands as long as you are not a snob. Some outperform the bigger brands, so there is no need to overpay.

 

[Akagi]

There are many tyre brands as long as you are not a snob. Some outperform the bigger brands, so there is no need to overpay.

Got to remember that some of the pricier ones do last a lot longer than some cheaper tyres which perform the same. Possible twice as long in some cases. And in most cases the tyres don't cost twice as much.

So it is still worth at least considering going for a Michelin Pilot Sport or a Goodyear Eagle or something if you intend on keeping a car for a while and do enough miles to wear out the tyres before they get too old.

 

[Housey]

Just waiting on a quote from my regular chap.

Front: 275/35/ZR19 100Y
Rear: 325/30/ZR20 106Y

Going Cup 2 again I think as other options seem to be a compromise.

 

[Akagi]

Just waiting on a quote from my regular chap.

Front: 275/35/ZR19 100Y
Rear: 325/30/ZR20 106Y

Going Cup 2 again I think as other options seem to be a compromise.

Not tempted by a nice set of Fullrun Frun-One's?

 

[Housey]

Not tempted by a nice set of Fullrun Frun-One's?

I am sure they would deal well with the power, four wheel steering, bags of torques and being battered around race tracks, hill climbs and other stuff. I am in!

 

[Akagi]

I am sure they would deal well with the power, four wheel steering, bags of torques and being battered around race tracks, hill climbs and other stuff. I am in!

Would certainly make it more perilous. And peril = adrenaline. And adrenaline = fun. Right?

Should be good!

 

[[TW]Fox]

Front: 275/35/ZR19 100Y

That's my rear tyre size, couldn't imagine that on the front

 

[Housey]

That's my rear tyre size, couldn't imagine that on the front

Proper boots front and back. Legal tread still, but they are shot so time for new ones.