Tyres!

ABS? Most cars have ABS these days.

There are of course horses for courses, depending on the depth of your wallet. If you're geared towards 'fun' driving, then you need good tyres. But other people just need the transport with cheap tyres. All sorts of odd vehicles manages to get along without serious problems when driven appropriately, e.g. high microvans with tiny skinny tires, etc. To say that such tyres are positively dangerous is being alarmist. Designers of cars and tyres are not idiots.

All that would do is extend the stopping distance even further if the tyres locked up so easily.

No, they're not. But many car users are.

Which is why there's a market for LingLong Dark Horse Roadstone Ultra Race Grip tyres at 30 Quid a corner.

under inflated tyres are a 'reason to refuse a test', flat tyre is a failure too (I have only had this once on a twin wheel transit.)

Some tyres do have a grip rating on the side.

if all goes well then you can drive on 'everlasting no grip love U long' tyres. BUT in the event of an emergency you may need a stopping distance just a foot or two shorter in order to avoid a crash or killing someone, likewise that last bit of cornering grip when you swerve to avoid someone. From my own experience of driving many thousands of cars : I was returning a customers car when a learner driver swerved in front of me and braked hard, I hit the brakes and could not understand quite why I almost stopped before lightly hitting the back of the learner, I was used to and familiar with the car (which had working ABS) and was quite shocked to have hit that learner. When I looked at the tyres I noted that they were quite recent with good tread and blown up, BUT they were something horribly cheap, like Nankang or whatever. Their grip under stress was rubbish. On my own XR4x4 I had michelins on the front and Hankooks on the back, no problems at all, until the hankooks wore out and i replaced them with two cheapos that were on some spare rims, at the first roundabout , in the dry the car started to go sideways and I really was not trying at all. So, from then on I have always put on good make tyres on my own and customers cars, michelin if possible.

Most *new* cars, maybe, but not most cars on the road.

ABS won't compensate for the increase in stopping distance, or the lack of cornering grip that crap tyres have.

Chris

Most *new* cars, maybe, but not most cars on the road.

ABS won't compensate for the increase in stopping distance, or the lack of cornering grip that crap tyres have.

Chris

Therefore, why do new cars not come with crap tyres?

Chris

No they are not , they usally specify the tyre and manufacturer of choice

ABS does not mitigate the need for decent tyres, if you have different tyres with differing grip levels you are still going to have handling issues

Its as bad as mixing radial and crosply

Try to look at the tyres next time a van pulls up beside you at the lights, they are inevitable budget tyres. It has to be these days with the spiralling fuel costs and squeezed margins. But not all budget tyres are bad tyres, though not necessarily tyres for 'fun' driving. Then factor in that wheels are vastly oversized these days, mainly for style reasons. Just drive appropriately to your hardware, that's my point all along.

all well and good until the unexpected occurs, then you will curse the day you bought cheap tyres (assuming you survive)

Pull up next to mine and you will see michelins yes they cost me more but i average 38000 out of a front set , 80000 out of a back set

One of my colleuges sticks budgets on 18000 out of the fronts 30000 out of the backs

That way you could go on forever, gold plating your car with fings and scrummets to make it safer than Fort Knox. Cheap doesn't necessarily mean bad. Expensive doesn't necessarily mean good.

Then beware that tyres deteriorate with age, even with zero mileage. After six years, the tyre is duff, whether expensive or otherwise.

most of the time more expensive does mean better, particularly safety critical things like tyres. Michelin for instance have a vastly better stopping distance than cheapos. Michelin annual research budget is probably more than a cheapo tyre company annual profits. Which is part of the reason it is worth paying more, whether it is buying a cheapo car or parts for it, you do get what you pay for.

If you like Michelin tyres, then you fit Michelin tyres. But you pay double extra because of the brand name status. I have tried all kinds of tyres in my life, and I could hardly feel or hear any difference. It also gets complicated since same manufacturer have different tyres with different emphasis. I used to go for a value brand name (at least a brand name), but now tried budget tyres and found no problem. It is sad to fit a Michelin tyre, and then the next day find a nail in the side wall. This has happened to me in the past.

me too, but I still fitted another michelin. I know they are better than most and will continue to use them as I don't want to compromise safety for the sake of a few quid.

But I drive moderately 30-70 mph on tyres rated for 150mph! I can't honestly see that is a problem unless the tires are uncertified, dodgy from an illegal source, black market and hence cannot be officially sold by any reputable tyre fitter.

Do you honestly believe that every make of tyre has the same characteristics and levels of grip and longevity? I really cannot believe that you do.

Do you actually believe that you will never need the very best that is available in terms of grip? If you do then you are fooling yourself.

You do realise that 80k miles is barely more than a year of motoring for many people, don't you?