Quote:
Originally Posted by WRXASH  i work in the tyre trade etc and dont really like "budget" tyres, the cheaper tyres (they can be alright but depends on driving conditions etc) if your running something powerfull or decent ya want good tyres on its the only thing that makes contact with the road while your hurtling along down motorway. plus with the cheaper options ya can get alot of complains of vibration threw steering (even tho there properly balanced) some can even be noisier. i had bridgestone on my impreza to start with (they originally come on them) and i found they was too soft and wore really quickly so i fit myself couple Pirelli P-Zero Nero's couple month back and am impressed with them, there really good and stick to the road like glue when ya cornering etc and dont seem to have worn much at all recently. The only premium tyres i dont really like are Continentals really - the tread seems to crack alot on them and they are obviously up there as been one of the expensive tyres aswell so ya dont want tread cracking and folking out for more tyres (actually had tyres with like 5mm of tread left but they was really dangerous because of the cracks) |
Are the cracks in the tread/sidewall a result of ageing rubber? It's common to see low mileage drivers with virtually new tread depth on their cars' tyres but the sidewall starts to perish becuase of the age of the tyre.
I agree that bottom basement budget tyres are a liability. As such I never fit them.
Your comment about Conti's surprises me slightly - I found them to be very linear performers, although I agree they don't shift surface water especially well. They also seem to need constant re-balancing throughout their life.
Hence my current torrid affair with the Viking Protech II's. Time will tell - they're grippy and shift water well, track straight but I think the front end is slightly looser than I remember it when shod with Bridgestone RE720's. If the tread life is even and not too rapid then I MIGHT, and only might, fit another set.
THe problem with my car is that it's a FWD with an extremely torquey diesel engine. Diesel engines are heavy and do put a lot of load on the front tyres. Perhaps I should start a regieme of swapping f/r every few months?