budget tyres

They might not grip quite as well and may be a bit noisier, but at the end of the day they're perfectly safe and usable or they wouldn't be allowed to sell them.

The Americans have a saying: "Got a five dollar head? Get a five dollar crash helmet!"

Tyres are one thing I won't compromise on. I've tried cheapies when young and penniless, but quickly decided it's not worth the loss of grip.

If you paid the difference, would your friend not have fitted something decent? The difference in price is not all that much.

Chris

shell ( snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

I doubt it. A set of four perfectly respectable "name brand" tyres for something like an aging Ashtray would be not much over 10% of the purchase price from one of the online suppliers. Well within negotiating range. The big national chains will, of course, be far more expensive.

Unprintable without the advice of a decent libel lawyer.

Ben C ( snipped-for-privacy@spam.eggs) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

You're funny.

LOL :-)

The general terms that spring to mind are, heavy, poor traction, crap handling, wear quick, noisy....

I've got budget Michelins (Khumo I think?) on the front of my current 80s banger, and they stick like hot butter to a teflon pan.

Exactly the same tyres (even down to size) on the front of a Dolomite I had stuck like velcro to a sheep.

So I'd say it's not just the cheapness of the rubber, but how it works with the car.

Stuffed ( snipped-for-privacy@rse.non) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Blimey, somebody was a bit flexible with the truth in their sales patter...

Kumho's nothing to do with Michelin - they're Korean, although Cooper (who own Avon) have a small interest in them.

Michelin's only other tyre brand is BFGoodrich.

Years back, I put a pair of Kumhos on the front of a CX. They were utterly lethal, and once the MOT was out the way the bald Michelins went back on until payday, when a new pair of Michelins was acquired. The Kumhos went in the bin. The old Michs might have been utterly fooked, but they were still INFINITELY better than the Kumho shit.

I'm going by what the salesman said. Which is probably a mistake, but he is ancient, wears a dusty long workshop coat and frequently has 1/3 of a roll up hanging off his lip. Though he's also a miserable old git.

Fair nuff.

See, I had no problems at all with them on the front of the Dolomite, rain or shine there was plenty of grip. But on the front of the Rover? Well, let's just say they're the only thing that makes it at all interesting to drive..

Ok... what about decent ones on the front? would it still be crazy (!) to leave the budgets on the back?

shell ( snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Depends on the car.

I'm used to cars that use the back tyres very very lightly, so would put the cheap crap on there as a stop gap. On something that used them more evenly - easy to tell by the wear rates - then no, decent rubber all round.

Can you enlighten us as to why cheap tyres might be unsafe or unusable?

And you're biased.

I sell Austone to Taxi firms for their Metro taxis , I have never had a single complaint on them. They are a budget tyre but for sensible driving they are fine and are good value for money.

R D S ( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Simple. They're shit. They're made out of concrete. If you're lucky.

Fred (Don' snipped-for-privacy@hidden.co.us) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

By not selling them, Fred? Like you do? Yes, if that's bias, I am biased. Is that a bad thing?

EVERY SINGLE car I've ever driven on off-brand budget tyres has driven badly. EVERY SINGLE TIME I've then driven that car on decent tyres, it's been massively improved.

What's been improved? Traction, grip, handling, ride, noise levels... and BRAKING.

Fred (Don' snipped-for-privacy@hidden.co.us) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

And that, alone, disbars Fred from any sensible input into this subthread.

who are renowned for not giving a toss about safety, if there's a quid to be saved.

Well thats news to me, is there a link anywhere to that info?

Bollocks!

I wonder why Volkswagen , Kia , Hyundi and Chrysler all use Kumho as OE equipment on some of their cars?

I also sell about £35k per month of tyres of all brands, which means I know what I am talking about.

Fred (Don' snipped-for-privacy@hidden.co.us) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Actually, you're right on that one. I skim-read a page too quickly. My apologies.

Kleber and Uniroyal are Mich, too, along with a bunch of off-brands. Kormoran's the only one of those I've come across in the UK, although Riken rings a vague bell.

They're dirt cheap?

Remind me, which of their ranges do they use 'em on? Yup, the cheap shopping trolleys. As for Kia and Hyundai - well, since they're both Korean, the word "Chaebol" might have something to do with it.