I always bought budget tyres and genuinely thought premium ones would make absolutely no difference whatsoever. Just bought whatever was cheapest, such as Comforser, Infinity, Mazzini, or anything else that is the cheapest on Asda Tyres at the time.
But I recently got a good deal on some Michelin CrossClimate 3s and the difference is staggering. I picked up all four for around £125 each and it’s made me wonder why I hadn’t gone premium before (well, I know why… money).
Only had them for a few days but so far I’ve noticed that they are significantly quieter, hug the road far better, and give me much more confidence in corners. But what came as a total surprise to me is the fuel economy; my 2.0L diesel has gone from around 37mpg to 43mpg in mostly city driving.
Sounds like an ad, but it’s not.
I’m just really impressed with the premium tyres and I’m now a convert. It has made me realise is that tyres aren’t just a consumable you replace when worn, but they are a key part of how a car feels and performs. More expensive upfront, yes, but absolutely worth it.
Are there any other premium purchases for cars that have a noticeable impact?
Tyres are one of the few things where buying premium is worth the difference. All the tests show that premium tyres have shorter braking distances than budget tyres, and that can be the difference between crashing or not.
I heard a great quote from someone else; “spend money on anything that connects you to the ground”
The saying goes "Don't skimp on anything you put between yourself and the floor. Tyres, shoes, mattresses."
...prostitutes
I'll pay £250 for a pair of shoes that I can have re-soled and last a lifetime. Can't do that with tyres. Can't do that with nikes, yet they charge a fortune.
Mid level tyres have worked well for me. Branding and marketing is powerful.
Same with cycling where you really do have a small amount of contact with the ground. Budget are shite. Mid and upper mid have served me well. Top end...meh.
Exactly this. My dad always said that all a good set of tyres need to do is stop you going into the back of someone once, and they’ve paid for themselves and some!
That’s without taking into consideration, better economy, tread life, feel, handling…
They don't call cheap tyres ditch-finders for nothing. Premium tyres improve stopping distances, too.
I had some brand new Triangles on the front of my Fiesta ST when I bought it (probably fitted by the dealer). I was surprised at how little grip the car seemed to have, until I checked the reviews. The wet braking was 50% longer than the Michelin PS4s. 50%! I immediately put some PS4s on and the car felt miles better.
Well tyres are supposed to be round and not triangular so I’m not surprised!
Ahhh that explains why the ride was so bad on them!
Tbf a lot of the cheaper tyres have improved a lot.
Having said that I’m still not buying them but at least they now perform a lot better for those on a budget
The problem is the reasonable cheapies (accelra are a decent cheap tyre) will wear out faster. It's a balance. If you're not doing many miles and are changing your perished tyres at 7 years old with 4mm of tread left then don't buy premium tyres. If you're buying budgets and wearing them out in 2 years, then buying premium will save you money.
Same goes for part-worns, tyres with 3mm left are 4-5mm worn and only have 1.4mm of wear left, but some people will pay more for them than budgets which would be a better buy and last far longer.
I know. But that’s also why it’s expensive to be poor. A lot of people literally cannot afford better tyres.
This is why Americans annoy me so much, insisting on rotations like it's everything in the world, then people have to afford 4 tyres at a time. Save on the rotations and buy a pair when you need them.
If you have the ability to rotate your tires, it makes sense to do it to reduce premature wear on the driving tires (if your car is FWD)
Keeps tread wear even across the set, gives you a chance to check the brake pads, discs, and wheel bearings, and if you have access to a good jack or a car lift it only costs you about 15 minutes in time.
I rotate every 5k. Caught an issue with my bearings as a result so worth it for that alone.
You don't need to rotate your tyres to check brakes and wheel bearings, and you can hear when a bearing is going out. You also can't safely rotate all four tyres with just a jack in 15 minutes and most people don't own a good jack or a torque wrench.
They have, but so have premium tyres.
Dutch finders still have significantly longer braking distances than premium tyres. Especially in the wet.
Are comparing verstappen to a pair of premium tyres?
I’ve stopped trying to fight autocorrect. Sometimes I correct autocorrect 4-5 times and it still does shit like that.
to be fair, and don't quote me on this (Ben's missinformstion of the week ifykyk) but I believe the super budget and joke tyre brand linglong are actually now fitted brand new to the Dacia spring! (or sandero I'm not sure, one of the two)
they are making moves in the world!
To be fair, you didn't do it by half either, Michelin CrossClimates are some of the best all-season tyres money can buy. Their Alpin range are also fantastic for colder full winter driving.
I live up in Iceland most of the time these days, and Michelins are the tyres of choice for most people out here. I've never gotten stuck on a set of CrossClimates or Alpins, even when there's a few feet of snow.
Never cheap out on tyres, they're one of the most important things you can spend money on to improve safety, control, and ride quality.
What trawling Reddit does to you!
Been wanting them for a long while, but was waiting for my old ones to get to the limit.
Just wait for winter to really hit - the extra confidence you'll have when it's cold/frosty/snowy is great!
Also great for the British summer - I go to a lot of festivals and last year every single one was wet - didn't have any issue getting out of very muddy fields, but saw others getting towed by tractor.
On my third set of cross climates (across two vehicles) and I don't think I'll buy anything else now.
Getting stuck in mud was what prompted me to grab cross climate 3 a bit earlier than I had planned. Much better tread than Goodyear eagle F1 which just spun in a few mm of mud
Can’t wait to see how my Crossclimates perform in proper winter!
Cross Climates are unreal. Got 40k on out of the front tyres, and they still had plenty of tread by legal standards... just as they got part worn it became very easy to understeer with them on greasy surfaces (full wet fine) - good luck to less confident drivers wearing them down to legal limit lol. But straight line traction/braking/wear/road noise/snow and ice grip - they do nearly everything well.
Even if your stock ones aren’t worn, reckon it’s worth exploring new ones for safety reasons?
You can always sell your current tyres on as part worn if you want to swap to all seasons 🙂
Good wipers too
When I bought my (used) car it had Michelin tyres and Bosch wiper blades already on it
I thought I’d won the used car lottery
I’d wager the car has been impeccably serviced too, if the previous owner chose those tyres and wipers.
It had been. All by main dealer, and exactly on time. Never had an advisory on the MOTs.
I bought it at 6 years old, it’s now 10 years old, drives like it’s 3 years old even though it’s over 100k miles.
Yeah +1 to nice wipers, it’s a small but nice detail and relatively cheap
Whats considered good wipers?
I like Bosch ones,aero ones if they are available.
Aero isn't important, but Bosch wipers clear the screen far better and for far longer than whatever cheap junk you buy from poundland
I find they last longer, they don't get streaky but yeah it's probably just placebo.
Bosche Aero Twin for me, they look good & glide across the screens!
Denso Hybrids are my personal fave, OEM choice for a lot of Japanese cars.
Had Michelins and they were hot garbage.
Bosch
In my experience, Bosch are the best, Halfords are trash
I swear by Bosch AeroTwins
My Goodyear Vector3 All Seasons have lasted 40,000 miles on the front so far.
Premium tyres do tend to be more durable.
Ditch finders have always been a false economy.
I have just replaced all 4 Michelin Cross Climate 2 on a Jaguar XF after 50k miles. They were still legal, about 3 mm at the minimum, but as one was leaking slowly I got a full set. They wore down very evenly, never even rotated them.
Cheap tyres are only cheap on the day you buy them!
Like buying a good pair of shoes over a £5 pair from Primark or something.
Samuel Vimes would like a word.
Vimes, but yes
My Michelin Pilot Sport 4s that came with the car still have 4mm after 37k miles, and I've not been driving like a granny on them either. Not going to have to replace them before I return the lease.
How is this even possible. I used to use PS4’s on my old Leon FR and it was basically impossible to get more than 16k out of the full set rotating halfway. It’s a soft compound, it isn’t supposed to last ages so I’m not comparing but also in awe of people getting crazy mileage out of them.
Depends on the driver and how the car is driven. If you’re doing burnouts in maccies car park obvs they won’t last so long.
No burnouts lol. Not a reckless driver either but don’t potter along. Can only presume the big mileages are from people using dual carriageways and motorways the majority of their driving. Whereas mines would have been mostly city driving.
Au contraire: expensive tyres often, in fact, wear out more quickly by virtue of their compounds containing a greater proportion of natural rubber. Real rubber grips the road well, which is what a tyre is supposed to do, but isn't particularly tough.
Cheap tyres, by contrast, are largely made out of plastic, which gives them inverse properties to expensive ones: less grip and more toughness.
This is what I had been told too
It's not true. I've done extensive research over the years. I get 2/3 milage out of cheap tyres. The expensive ones grip better and last about 50 percent longer. They cost twice as much though... So I still buy the cheap ones.
Just put 2 of these on the front of my wife’s car as we’d always had Kumo or similar. I could not believe the difference in handling and the fuel economy has also gone up! Worth the extra.
Yep, my Bridgestone turanza 6’s have lasted almost 50k miles and still going.
LINGLONGS FTW
This is the way
When you're browsing Autotrader and you want to know how well a car has been looked after, check what tyres it has.
Just got to watch one video from Tyre Reviews to see that tyres make the world of difference. Here's one of the latest tests. Friends don't let friends drive ditch finders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WjdyOrJGbc
The only thing holding a two-tonne metal box in which I transport my family at 70mph to the road is a piece of rubber the size of a playing card in each corner.
I’m not skimping on that piece of rubber.
Only part of the car that is in contact with the road.
Bought a few rear wheel drive cars on ditchfinders. Traction light constantly coming on.
Swapped to a set of Continentals and problem solved
I tend to follow what tyres a car has on it when for sale as is usually an indicator of the life it has lived.
Same. I had an E46 330ci many years ago with cheapo Chinese tyres all round and you couldn’t drive it in a straight line on the dual carriageway. Switched to Goodyear and it was like a different car!
There’s a reason the premium car manufacturers like Aston Martin and Porsche insist on specific tyres!
I bought a 330ci about 15 years ago with good tyres on the rear and budget on the front, planning to replace them all-round the next day. I ended up in the oncoming lane on the wet drive home, when the front started aquaplaning and I lost steering exiting a roundabout! I wasn't exactly gunning it either. Thank Christ it was late and there was nothing in the oncoming lane.
It’s scary how badly it can affect the car. What’s more worrying is that someone had been driving around like that before me. I did love that car though!
I adored mine. It was my first automotive love, but she broke my heart! It was one thing after another, always something needed done!
Given how important tyres and brakes are I'm surprised people skimp on them.
Depends, if it's a choice between expensive tyres or food... Then it's easy to buy cheap.
You don't need to buy expensive tyres, just not the cheapest. There are plenty of decent mid-range brands that don't cost the earth.
I also think you need to be alive to eat.
They also last longer than the cheap ones, so will save in the long run.
Budget tyres a false economy anyway a lot of the time. The price difference to premium tyres is nearly always negated by how much longer premium tyres last. I've seen some £60 budget tyres tested to last 8k miles while the equivilant premiums at £110 were lasting 28k miles
Bought 2 for £90 or so on my 3.0 Q5 when I was in a bind and a rush. Swapped them for avons within a year. Those Avons have been on 4 year / 28,000 miles and need replacement now, well worth the £160 each
The mid-tier tyre brands have improved so much. Toyo with their Proxes Sport 2 and Kumho with the PS72 lineup are seriously good tyres for a noticeable discount against Michelin.
I’m running Toyo’s at the moment and I can’t see myself going back to Michelin unless I want a good looking sidewall
My dad had a tyre garage when I was little and I grew up hearing over and over that tyres should not be skimped on.
In my 20’s I had a little Corsa and when needed new tyres I decided to get budget ones as SURELY they can’t make that much difference, most of my driving was urban at the time too…
Holy shit I was wrong. They were awful, the Corsa felt like it had no grip and for the first time felt like I can’t trust my car. Just didn’t feel safe.
Ended up changing them to good Continentals a few months later and will never make that mistake again. It’s not THAT much of a difference price wise if you shop around, especially with small cars, and you can’t put a price on your safety.
I was the same with my first car. Why pay £100 each for two new tyres when I can get two for £60.
If the road was damp or it was raining the car just wouldn’t go round corners, it was lethal. Like you I didn’t trust the car anymore so paid the extra and replaced them a week later.
A few years back I was low on funds and between work but needed two front tyres for my van to get it through an MOT. Thinking tyre manufacturing and technology would have improved I went for budget tyres again. Although they weren’t as dangerous as the first pair I had a decade previously they were still hopeless. First thing I did when I got a new job was replace them.
Average Michelin cross climate safety nerd 🤓👆
Vs
Giga Chad budget part worn enjoyer 💪🚗💨
My car came with Continental EcoContact 6 from the factory and they were absolutely feckin lethal in the wet, changed them to Michelin Cross Climate 2 after only 4.5k miles because of how bad the Contis were and it became sure footed, consistent and excellent grip in the wet. Worth every penny.
Yes, but you’re talking about continental, a brand probably better than michelin, definitely top 3 in the WORLD. Which tells me that you should rather look at specific tyres, as opposed to the brand.
Bridgestone turqnza are extremely expensive tyres, but they suck. The cheap chinese landsail ls588s are a fraction of a price and they performance in the snow left me baffled, especially since they’re summer tyres.
I’m glad someone else said it, the Turanza is bloody appalling.
Conti are not better than michelin.
Agreed, but you'd expect a factory fitted, world class tyre brand not to try and spit you off the road in the wet on numerous occasions, they were literally lethal (granted I'm a bit of an outlier compared to most given there's barely a straight piece of road around here and the nearest dual carriageway/motorway are 70 & 80 miles away, but they were shockingly bad in the wet!)
I'm due to replace my car at the start of March and found out of the two at the top of my list both come with EcoContact 6 as standard...ffs.
Are you saying the landsails are good or bad?
Ive used nothing but landsails on my previous 2 cars. A laguna gt and now a kadjar.
Really impressed with their performance for the price point.
Sorry, I should have specified: very good.
Had Turanzas on a Fabia I had. Only 100bhp but anything other than dry warm tarmac and it would spin the fronts setting off from lights with even a little bit of throttle. Terrible things , darent drive with them in the snow or ice.
Yep, eco tyres are usually much worse for grip, they're either rock hard or the tread pattern is designed for minimum rolling resistance which kills grip.
That's exactly it! They were soft enough and fine in the dry but as soon as it rained they were skiting about for grip, in standing water they were literally lethal - due to change my car at the start of March and just found out my two top picks from what's available both come with factory fitted EcoContact 6 😭
I've never touched a budget tyre, the tyre is the only thing connecting your car to the road. Spending as little as possible means you'll get some no name ditch finder that is about as good as gripping to the road as a block of ice. Never ever get budget tyres, get premium ones always as £400 on premium tyres will save you a hell of a lot more than that when it comes to not crashing
Unless something has gone drastically wrong anyway.
I was told to always invest when buying anything between you and the ground. Tyres, shoes, chairs, beds.
It's advice that's served me well so far 🤞🏼
Gotta second this
If only it was always £400! Your point still stands though and I agree
Surprisingly on a lot of cars it can be around £400. I got 4 Pirelli PZ5s for £380 when I changed tyres and these things are supposed to be one of the best in their class. It does depend on size though, I have 225/40 R18s so if you need something much wider it can cost a lot more.
Thing is, premium doesn’t have to mean expensive. I bought a set of Toyos (Proxes Sport 2) and they were 50% cheaper than the equivalent Michelins. I couldn’t find many reviews at first so I thought whatever, worth a shot.
I have never been so impressed by a set of ties before, they perform phenomenally, even if I really push on. The difference between them and the ditch finders that came with my 320d is night and day.
Same here, those Proxes Sport 2 are an absolute hidden gem of a tyre. Genuinely on par with a Michelin PS4S.
It's the only part of the car that's in contact with the road so I can never understand people who scrimp on tyres.
My cars have premium everything. It’s worth it. But doubly so on safety items.
anyone watching F1 and noticing how half the commentary is about tyres alone, might give you an idea about how important they are on a car (and not just 1,000bhp ones).
I had a car that came with budget tyres, handled like the worst shopping trolley imaginable. Put decent tyres on and it transformed it. I fit new premium tyres to whatever car I buy and only ever replace with other new premium tyres. A well looked after car looks after you
Once you know, you know.
On sports cars, the difference is even more marked - I was once complimented at a well known specialist for "being serious for having decent tyres". This made me cringe at what others are putting on their RWD 350+bhp expensive sports cars that make up such a proportion of cases that is worth complimenting the fella with the michelins....
Should never skimp on tyres, it’s the only bit gripping the road…
Always told that if you have a five dollar head buy a five dollar helmet. If you want to tell the difference between good tires and bad.... hit the brakes hard at 80 mph in the pissing rain and then you'll know.
The only part of your car that’s in contact with the road is your tyres, they can make a huge difference to your driving experience.
Great choice with the CrossClimates too. I’ve been a longstanding advocate for them. I bet you’ll see twice the mileage out of these Michelins than you would have in the linglongs. Plus, wait until it snows!They are so good in the snow they would have placed 3rd in the full winter tyre test by tyre reviews.
The total contact surface with the road (ie your entire safety at speed) is an A4 sheet of paper. It’s not a thing to compromise too heavily on. Poor tyres on a car I feel is akin to asking a sprinter to race wearing brogues.
I have always had premium, I have always gone by the thought that tyre is the ONLY thing in contact with the road, and it isn't a very big contact patch ether.
Watch some stopping distance tyre comparisons .
Good tyres and a mattress, this is where I don’t scrimp. I don’t care how old my car is but tyres are the thing that keeps my family connected to the road. A good mattress is to spending most of my resting moments in.
I never understand how people cheap out on tyres, its the only thing thats connecting you to the road after all
Don’t cheap out on tyres, they’re the only thing connecting you to the road.
Quality fluids, wiper blades, brake pads, floor mats, all improve the feel of the car
Ever been down portishead hill when it has huge surface water on the m5? The difference between premium and ditch finders with a car with no arch gap is night and day! Long story short, ditch finders made it uncomfortable and made me need to slow the car right down, premium I could drive like it’s dry out there!
My new to me car came with three budgets that the dealership put on before selling it to me.
I can’t wait to replace them.
When you slide into the back of someone, you’ll wish you’d done it earlier! Treat yo’ self
I had a ditch finder on when I got a puncture on my first car and is wore bald within a few months
I got 4x Avon All Season 7s off Asda tyres a few years ago for my leaf they were shite in all conditions. Using some Goodyear Efficient grips now and best tyres I've ever had. Branded do make a difference!
Michelin Cross climate are really good. I've had them on my Lexus IS (rear wheel drive) since 2021 when I had these Michelins put on all four wheels. Just a couple of weeks ago during annual service and MOT I was advised to change the rear immediately (one of them had a screw). The Lexus garage was impressed that I had done 50k miles and only the rear ones needed changing.
So, my driving experience also tells me that premium or good quality tyres do stand out. Michelin, Bridgestone, Yokohama, Continental are the brands I'd usually consider, although over the past decade I think I've only driven on Michelin and Bridgestone.
Is there a solid middle ground brand to get a balance of cost vs performance?
Falken, Hankook, Yokohama, Kumho, Toyo are all worth considering. Asda tyres has some of the best prices as they pay the fitter lower than most (sadly lol).
Michelin, Continental and Goodyear are the “premium brands” but for regular driving the other brands above will suffice
I’ve used Kumho Ecstas and Toyo Proxes and both have been very good. I also rate Yoko Rainsports.
Uniroyal Rainsport are incredible in the wet. They are well named!
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S non negotiable for me. Train tracks. Although planning to full send a set of Cup Sport 2 when winter is over
Night and day, especially if you have a decent dollop of power to out down.
Some budget tyre manufacturers are a subset to premium tyre manufacturers the budget tyres are roughly a generation down in terms of rubber technology, eco,wear and grip tech.
The budget tyres may have lower rubber as opposed to premium tyres.
The chinese tyres do have good grip on dry but on wet they dsngerous that cos they dont have testing premises or invest in better rubber all built to price.
If u value your life get the premium tyres watch youtube comparison videos or online tyre reviews to decide.
I could never understand the logic behind buying cheap tyres. The only 4 points of your car that touch the ground/tarmac are those 4 rubbers. This is like running with flip-flops in the winter and then blaming them when an incident happens. And also, what about the passengers in the car and their safety. What about the other road users?
I have seen so many incidents, especially on wet, including aquaplaning, with cars that are running on crap tyres, it's horrifying
Those CrossClimates push water like crazy too. Driving in the rain is so much fun with them because the car just sticks to the road.
If you’re daring, you can even drive on compacted snow and the car will still handle pretty well. I know this from personal experience when I got caught out far up north on back roads that hadn’t been salted.
They’re absolutely worth the money
Yep, I’ve also found Cross Climates very good in the snow, Goodyear Vector 4Seasons are also very good I’ve found.
There’s nothing else that will give you as much benefit as good tyres!
Also one of the massive improvements you've made there is the choice of an all-season tyre in the crossclimates - they will perform significantly better when the freeze and snow hit.
Nice try, big tyre. I'm keeping my ditch finders as linglong as I can
I bought a 2006 Mercedes A-Class around Spring this year, 26k on the clock, one owner since new, full service history. The front tyres were the original ones from manufacture, late 2005.
I didn't think to check the age but noticed some cracking in May, so I upgraded to some CrossClimate 2s, heard fantastic reviews, I figured don't skimp on the only part of the car in contact with the road. £400 from Black Circle all in.
October this year I had to get rid of it because a sensor failed and the repair was worth more than the car.
Same. All 4 michelin pilot sport 5 after years of mismatched budget tyres and the car feels literally glued to the road now
I had a similar awakening when I moved to specialist wet weather tyres.
Lose a tiny bit of fuel efficiency but by the gods the traction!
Funny enough I had the exact same “budget tires are fine” mindset until I switched from some cheapo Westlakes to Michelin PS4s on my old diesel the jump in grip, noise, and even MPG was ridiculous, same as what you’re describing. It really does make you realise tires are basically the car’s entire foundation. Only other upgrade that gave me a similarly noticeable improvement was swapping to quality brake pads/rotors (Brembo/Textar etc.), way smoother and more confidence-inspiring. And random side note when I upgraded my current car’s tires I accidentally stumbled onto Discounted Wheel Warehouse while price-checking between Asda and BlackCircles, and they weirdly had premium tires cheaper than both at the time, so now I always peek there first. Premium rubber really is one of those “didn’t know what I was missing” things
I'm gonna go against the grain here and say that budget tyres are absolutely fine for a lot of people.
If you have a big RWD car and do 10s of thousands of miles a year then absolutely get decent tyres.
If you don't really leave your town and just pootle about in a little city car at 30-40mph then budget tyres are perfectly adequate.
I have a reasonable commute with a lot of B-roads and I want a decent set of matching tyres on a decent car but when I worked about 5-10 mins away (all 30mph roads) and used my car to go to work and local trips to the gym/shop etc I was happy having a little shit box with a set of mismatched cheap ditch finders on it.
It's all relative.
And I'm going to counter that with a recent experience of my own. I drive premium tyres only. A child ran out in front of me when I was doing 30mph, textbook test scenario. I slammed on the brakes and stopped millimetres (no exaggeration) from her shins. Budget tyres, although only giving a few extra metres stopping distance at 30mph, would have seen that girl injured, if not dead. I was never more pleased than that day to have spent an extra £60 a corner. I didn't have to live with hitting or killing a child.
Worst trap you can fall into "I'm only pootling around town". Why bother with your seatbelt or having a roadworthy car then ?
Still experienced situations when I've been running small local errands that I've had to take evasive action to avoid a collision.
Another good thing about premium tyres is the grips,. stopping distances wet performance etc... continue as the tire wear i.e it's as good at 3mm as it is when they are new
Anthony that goes between you and the ground is worth spending money on. Tyres, shoes, seats, bed.
Tyres make a huge difference in every way to a car. People think that it's only worth it for performance cars, but when I need to stop in a hurry I want all the performance I can get regardless of the car I'm in.
Appreciate the other points but the mpg that different has got to be driving style or temperature. Tyres alone don't add that much unless mpg your old ones were chunky all terrains or something
New tyres at correct pressure perhaps?
Wouldn’t say my driving style has changed in the past couple of weeks, apart from making a more concerted effort to get away from potholes (or rather, notice them more because I’m precious about the new tyres!).
Past two weeks the temp has been hovering around 5 to 7 degrees, so no change there either.
Previous tyres were Mazzini AllSeason AS8.
Don’t know what to say, it’s just some anecdotal observation!
And yet numerous actual tests demonstrate premium tyres are better in all major metrics.
Yes, you might get .5mpg more, but another set of tyres won’t suddenly get you 6-7mpg more.
Super sticky tyres have a huge rolling resistance, and some cheap tyres tend to be soft and sticky to make up for terrible tread design so the grip isn't too bad, but they wear out fast and economy goes out the window.
It really can add 10-20% to your mpg by getting better tyres, although some of it will be correct pressures on the new tyres (or over-pressure as some garages do) and more confidence in your tyres can also improve your driving enough to get a chunk more mpg.
I really find that hard to believe. I've swapped been shit and good tyres a few times and barely seen a difference. Only times I've seen a really significant change is changing tyre size (but accounting for different circumference with the mileage calculation) or going to/from all terrains.
If it's 20% that's really like saying you can turn a golf GTi into a 1.6tdi bluemotion with tyre selection ha
It depends on the mpg you're starting with and how bad the cheap tyres are. Most aren't so bad, but some are awful
I've gone with some Rotallas on my daily banger. Reviews seemed good. I was expecting an understeering mess, and wheelspins for days which I experienced previously on cheap tyres, but so far they're better than the Avons that were on there before. Time will tell!
I have Cross climate 2s on my van, and they're great.
I've also got a pair of Rotallas on the back of my car.
I was actually gonna go 4x CrossClimate 3's but my insurance wouldnt allow wider tyres so I just decided to go for these budget tyres.
The other option for my car rear wheels are Bridgestone EP500's which are £250 each for crap tread, mediocre performance, and wears insanely fast.
I tend to buy cheapo tyres. Recently put cross climate 3s on my model 3 and they are fantastic. The grip, the noise reduction. Prior to that I had a lease Volvo xc60 with whatever the factory tyres where - Michelin I think and they lasted 50k miles and still had tread when I gave the car back. Mix of city driving, motorway and country roads. If you can afford to spend a bit more it's worth it and in reality you end up replacing tyres more often with cheap ones.
Really think it depends on the car and driver tbh.
Obviously never buy the cheapest, kumho, Uniroyal, Yokohama all make great tyres that will improve your feel in the wet and stopping distances overall.
If you're paying for a car with enough power to warrant premium tyres, you should be using those premium tyres. Bridgestone, Continental, pirelli are all fantastic but my preference is Michelin sport 4's and 5's. People say they're only good in the summer but considering the UK gets maybe one week a year below 2C I'm not particularly bothered.
Long story short, no matter what brakes, power or suspension your car has, 4 rubber circles are the only thing connecting you to the tarmac, always buy the best you can afford.
Oh, and try and replace both tyres on the front and/or the rear at the same time, this makes it easier to track and budget for car maintenance.
My old set of premiums would have lasted around 30k had i driven them down to 2mm or so, but i was forced to replace them due to punctures recently.
New full set of premiums on just a month ago and also the same wow feeling you've experienced OP, but it was more due to tyre age - one thing that is under looked a lot. My old set was only 5 years old or so maximum, but a fresh set made a huge difference in addition to tread depths and quality etc.
I want to do the same but what if you end up getting a puncture? It’ll end up being a waste of money!
I tried 'cheap' tyres. They cost £200 a set as opposed to £320 for a set of Michelins on a 4 tyre offer at Costco- but normally £520 set a set of 4- so the cheap set - lasted only 2 years before cracking was visible and the grip in wet was questionable. The michelins on the front (2) have lasted 4 years and never cracked or lost grip in the wet. I only had to change 2 as the 2 rear tyres are still fine with lots of tread left. I cover average mileage per year.
Agreed
My michelins proved to be much better tyres
Longer lasting Better tyres economy Better grip Quieter
Than the budget tyres
I had a budget tyre fitted to my car, and I can say I got less than half the mileage out of it.
yeah if you can find the money why not , better stopping in bad conditions , more safety and often last better so it makes the price justifiable
I feel cheap using khumo and they’re actually pretty good for the price, I’d never feel comfortable using a car with anything less than those. It’s Michelin all the way though.
How did u manage to get them so cheap?
Costco are charging £150 per tyre
Safety wise the tyres are the only thing connecting your car to the road it is travelling on so I always make sure I’ve got a decent set on my car. You might have the best brakes and the best engine but if you can transfer that to the road well you’ll lose out
They sometimes (some Goodyear and Michelin) can last longer too. So if you think about increased mpg, and tyre life, they do not cost that much more, while having a quieter, safer and more comfortable ride.
Send me the deal
I’ve used many tyres over the years, maybe every brand, (used to drift on track days, would regularly go through 30 tyres per day).
I always recommend Kumho for good balance of price and affordability.
Although I’ve got Pirelli’s on all ours cars atm
The only thing that puts me off sometimes is road debris. A couple of times I've bought premium only to get an unrepairable puncture a couple of months later. I spoke to a tyre expert once and he said a good compromise is to get premium at the front (where most of the stopping is done) and economy at the back. Though this will still affect handling.
I had a rear shock absorber snap. Didn't realise at 1st, thought it was an icy night.
I decided to replace both rear shocks. The difference is astonishing. Good tyres and non-worn shocks are a must. The thing with shock absorber is that they degrade slowly over time. You don't notice it happening. When they are replaced, tyre wear is less and braking and handling improve
As my grandad taught me, never scrimp on rubber, whether that's tyres or condoms.
Michelin tyres are very impressive - the quality and longevity is extremely good
In my opinion, Always aim for higher quality on things that help keep you on the road and those that help you stop I.e tyres & brakes.
I go for mid range to premium depending on what’s got good reviews and is on offer, I had joyroads on my first car and wore em out in 10k miles, now I’m running falken iirc
I'm browsing for a car for the family atm and looking used, decent brand and from a main dealer e.g. BM, Lexus, Audi. I've started to notice some AUCs with new budget tyres on, and I'll be honest, seeing a Landsail tyre on an A6 Avant will put me off all day. I don't care what spec, history etc, if the previous owner or dealer is putting this stuff on, I'm not interested.
There's no correlation between tyre price and fuel efficiency, you'll find tyres that are good or bad for that at any price point.
Premium tyres simply grip better and usually improve steering feel and handling. Really good handling/performance tyres tend not to be very efficient nor last that long, they do work out quite a bit more expensive but you're paying for performance, safety and handling.
Both my cars had cheap shit on them when I bought them. I wore them down in a matter of months.
My Mx5 has Michelin Pilot Sports on. Even my Kia has Michelin primacy 4. I wait until something good is on offer on costco.
The Kia has had its tyres for ~3years with over ~30k miles, and they're fine. The mx5 is new, so I can't comment.
The difference is incredible, though. In terms of road noise, grip, and wear.
Kumho and Hankook are a good middle ground IMO.
Test results from Autobild
According to the test, Pilot sports will last 8000 miles more than the Hankooks but cost about 1/3 more.
Wait until you see how much longer they last as well. I found the same as you when I made the change maybe 20 years ago. I made the change after complaining at work my budget tyres had only lasted 10-15k miles and my colleagues explained a lot of this. My first premium tyres lasted 44k miles and the car died with plenty of life still left in the tyres. They are more up front but save you a lot of money in their lifetime.
Never understood why people skimp on tyres and brakes. The two things that could be the difference between life and death!
It's interesting you mention Michelin.
At one time my Dad's job involved testing wheels to destruction, basically by running them against a rotating cylinder at varying speeds, to reproduce 'road' conditions. These tests ran 24/7 for days on end.
The only tyres that outlasted the wheels were Michelins.
Someone once put it to me : those are the only 4 (or two sometimes) things between your car and the ground. Every time you accelerate/brake/ turn, those are the places where all your trust goes - would you rather put your life in the hands of some recycled bin bags, or a tried and tested manufacturer's product?
Their point sank home and whilst I rarely went upper premium, I always tried to get the best I could find for my money. Even switching brands was a learning curve - my five spoke Kahn's with Yokohama's on showed me how much more grip and control my car could have - and that was around 25 years ago (before more automation and driver aids). I never looked back (well, until i got my motorbike, then I was like an owl on steroids).
Have a great Christmas folks.
Cries in 245/40R20
I remember when I got my first car with different budget tat on 3 corners but an almost new conti premium contact on one corner so I got 3 matching tyres fitted and the difference was apparent as soon as I pulled out of the tyre shop.
I didn't anticipate it would make that much difference. That pretty much cemented to me the importance of quality tyres.
My Bridgestone turanza 6’s have lasted almost 50k miles and still going. The grip is incredible, the wet performance is best in industry, they’re quiet, the the fuel economy is wonderful.
Had those tyres on my c220 estate and what a difference they made in every respect. Use a van now and put some Michelins on(couldn’t stretch to cross climates this time). Tyres and brakes-always buy the best you can afford
Just get mid range and be done with it
The bit that connects the car to the road is probably the most important part of the whole car.
Budget is brands like Toyo or falken. Ditch finders are the linglongs. Sometimes ditch finders become budget tyres like nankang (ns2r and whatever the most recent version is pretty decent). I actually won't buy a second hand car if it has ditch finders on it.
Tyres, are the best car improvement for the money.
I bought an M140i and the dealer treated me to a brand new set of ditch finders before I collected.
The problems with poor tyres are quite profound in performance cars. Couldn’t get traction in the dry, including in third gear lol.
Normally go for Pilot sport 5s but settled for Eagle F1 Asy 6. Now my car actually grips the road and doesn’t want to kill me ( in the dry at-least lol).
125 each??? How??? All Ive checked were around 230 each...
Costco, a couple of weeks ago.
Wow, just checked and they are 180 for my car... (205/45), even more expensive than Pilot Sport 5s!
Tyres are the most important part of a car. They’re the only part that touches the road. Everything the car does in terms of movement is transmitted via the tyres.
I have Goodyear all season tyres on my Aygo. So much better than the oem fitting
I remember when I used to get cheap tyres. I was always in and out of TBD local tyre repair shop, so many punctures. Since I started to buy premium, I've never had a tyre puncture!
I've never bought a true "Premium" tyre in my motoring life..
I tend to go for higger end Yokohama, and have never let me down, for the money, they are every bit as good as the Contis, Pirelli and Michelins in my opinion
I've had both in my time on the road and can see both sides of the argument.
Fortunately I can afford premium tyres so always go for them and the difference is massive, and wouldn't get anything else - you can just feel the difference when driving. But when I was younger I would go budget and justified getting them with the logic that they must have to pass safety checks so "they'll do the job".
Budget.. Yeah,no. Mid.. very good. Premium.. Marginally better
Early in life I was told not to get cheap tyres as they’re the only thing touching the road. Made a lot of sense to me
I never understand people buying cheap tyres, it’s false economy and they’re one of the most vital components on a car
I brought some tyres for my mk6 golf in 2014 for £25 a tire...
They lasted me 55k and still had 3mm left when I sold it in 2018, grip was awful but I never crashed so worked out very well for me.
If you have got shit tires on just make sure you drive more cautiously but they can definitely work out cheaper.
Know what else? They will last longer too