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At some point in the future, I'm going to need to get some new tyres. I'm not sure quite how far in the future, as I've still got plenty of wear left in my existing tyres, but I just want to think ahead a bit here (and budget for it as much as anything else 4 lots of 18 x 245 x 45 -- not sure about that last number -- isn't going to be cheap).

 

So my natural instinct is to go for a premium brand of tyre, because basically these are the only things that keep you on the road. Something like the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3, or Continental SportContact 2 or whatever. However I know absolutely nothing about tyres, so my slightly controversial question is are the premium brands (Goodyear, Michelin etc) really any better than brands like Nankang (Taiwanese), or is it all just marketing hype?

 

My perspective on this is that without any hard data I'm going to go with Goodyear, Michelin, Bridgestone or whoever, because basically you know what you're buying, but I'd be interested in knowing if at any time any comparisons have been run between all the brands. Or is there anyone here who works in tyres who knows anything about this?

 

 

Thanks,

Bart

Goodyear F1's. I have them on the Back and the grip is outstanding.

 

I have Nankangs on the front, and Im hoping to change them ASAP. They are fine, for everyday use in all weathers. But try to push the car, and instant understeer

Goodyear F1's. I have them on the Back and the grip is outstanding.

 

ahem so what happened last sunday then dave??? :x:

I have Toyo Proxes all round and think they're superb.

235 x 35 x 19 on front and 265 x 30 x 19 on rears.

Not sure how the prices compares with other makes though as I bought them as a package when I replaced my wheels.

ok i used to work in a tyre and exhaust centre so i could take all day explaining this....

cheap/budget tyres nankang-jupiter-roadhog etc etc are made up with less width of banding in the carcass therefore allowing more sidewall flex in the tyre the also use lower grade compounds for the main tread of the tyre which returns less mileage for your money. also the way water is disspersed from under the tyre is less efective on cheaper tyres. when you do a side by side comparison with a cheaper tyre to a leading brand you will see exactly the diferences yes maybe michelin pirelli goodyear toyo kumho are more expensive but the return you will get will outway the costs.

 

other factors affected by cheap tyres are road noise handling stopping distances and of course fuel consumption whereas with a leading brand you will run quieter on the road feel more positive in the corners/roundabouts stop quicker and get slightly better mpg from the car (all of these items are dependant on correct tyre pressure being maintained.

 

any reputable garage will be more than happy to give you a demonstration of what i have just said

hope this has helped some and not got boring

I've got Kumhos all round on my n/a and they are way better than the michelins I had on the rear when I got the car, the michelins let go all the time in the damp even at 20mph coming into my road I was glad to get shot of 'em and the Kumho's only cost me £200 for 4.

 

Chris.

ahem so what happened last sunday then dave??? :x:

 

:x: Note the initital understeer in that vid though, thats from the Nankangs on the front.

  • Author
ahem so what happened last sunday then dave??? :x:

 

LOL, yeah I saw that video too. I can only imagine how much of a heart-stopping moment that was. :rofl:

  • Author

hope this has helped some and not got boring

 

No, that's perfect: you've told me exactly what I need to know. I guess I'll probably end up going for the F1s when the time comes: £480 for a set of four from mytyres.co.uk isn't as bad as I was expecting anyway. I seriously thought I might end up forking out £800 or something.

 

 

Cheers,

Bart

  • Author
I've got Kumhos all round on my n/a and they are way better than the michelins I had on the rear when I got the car, the michelins let go all the time in the damp even at 20mph coming into my road I was glad to get shot of 'em and the Kumho's only cost me £200 for 4.

 

Chris.

 

Oh no... conflicting advice. Stress! Brain explosion!

 

Seriously I'd be quite interested to know where you got those from because I just did a search on mytyres.co.uk, and came up with the KU31 which is only £20 cheaper per tyre than the F1, so it still costs £400, which is double what you paid. What size did you get?

 

 

Cheers,

Bart

LOL, yeah I saw that video too. I can only imagine how much of a heart-stopping moment that was. :rofl:

 

 

talkin about tyres, my rear left tyre keeps on gettin bold every about 2-3 months whereas the right tyre is fine.i changed both rear tyres together about 3 months ago n now the left one is almost out but the right one is fine. now till where i can think the reason y this is happenin is because about 7-8 months ago when i was new to a Z im gonna be honest i lost the back and the left wheel hit a kerb quite hard.no visible damage as i got the alloys changed but its always the left tyre that keeps waring out.maybe the wishbone or something is bent on it.can anyone help me with wat i need to check rear left??i would be greatful.

 

 

thanks guys

Oh no... conflicting advice. Stress! Brain explosion!

 

Seriously I'd be quite interested to know where you got those from because I just did a search on mytyres.co.uk, and came up with the KU31 which is only £20 cheaper per tyre than the F1, so it still costs £400, which is double what you paid. What size did you get?

 

 

Cheers,

Bart

 

16s guessing by his sig pic

I have Kuhmo's on my NA, standard tyre size, £255 fitted.

:x: Note the initital understeer in that vid though, thats from the Nankangs on the front.

what vid is this guys

Between my previous Supras and my 300zx I have tried many a performance tyre - the following brands from memory:

 

Avon ZZ1, BF Goodrich, Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop SP9000, Fulda Extremo, Goodyear F1, Michelin Pilot Sport, Pirelli, Uniroyal.

 

The best by miles and miles is the Goodyear F1. With these all round on the ZX grip and road feel were nothing less than outstanding in the dry or extreme wet. Michelin Pilots were very good but pricey compared to the others and the BF Goodrich gave excellent grip in most conditions but lasted 5 minutes.

 

I currently have Dunlop sp9000 sports on the back of the ZX as I needed 2 tyres in a hurry and they were all I could get before I went on hols. They are good but not in the same league as the Goodyears. Bridgestones are not bad either but cannot compare to Goodyears in the wet.

 

All the others I've mentioned are IMO nothing short of crap and as for the cheepo brands - DON'T!

 

HTH

 

Richard :D

I have something to say............ It's better to burn out than to fade away..... :tt2:

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Thanks Andy, that's exactly the kind of thing I was after.

Cheers,

Bart

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Well, the way I see it, it's between the F1s and the SportContact 2 from Continental based on what Richard has said, and the info from the article Andy posted. My only hairy moments in the Z have been in the wet so I reckon it might end up being the F1.

 

Thanks to everyone for all the comments.

 

Cheers,

Bart

 

Interesting test there Andy but they are all based on "ordinary" car tyres of 185/60/hr14.

 

When you compare high performance Z-rated, wide low profiles the results are very different compared to how those brands scored against each other. Manufacturers invest much more time and costs into their flagship tyres as grip and safety is far more relevant in a tyre that is designed to sustain speeds in excess of 160mph.

 

So where Vredestien scored a first in that test I would guarantee it they tested, say 255/40/zr17 tyres on a sports car that Goodyear, Michelin, Toyo etc would trounce the budget brands.

 

Richard ;)

I have something to say............ It's better to burn out than to fade away..... :tt2:

Just to be different.

 

My son has a tuned R33 GTR, he is 19 and is not yet aware that he isnt bulletproof. He is the hardest driver I know, happy to drop his clutch at 7+k revs for a fast getaway.

Anyway, to the point. He has Nankangs on, front and rear. These replaced some Bridgestones and Dunlops. He is convinced they are as good.

 

It never loses grip, wet or dry. As for wear, too early yet to tell.

Following on from Zevo guys informative post , there is another factor to take into account. Grip from any tyre is partly due to the hardness/softness of the compound used in construction. This is stamped on tyres as the "tread wear factor".

I dont know how they arrive at the number, but basically the higher the number the harder the compound so less wear but probably less grip too(all other things being equal)

My interest in this of course stems from racing at da Pod, where power is nothing without traction.

Let me give you some numbers to show you.....

My Kumho V70 Trackday tyres are rated at 50.

I have some Kumho 712s on my Azevs for normal road use rated at 250(IIRC)

And my mate Skiddell, from Zclub.net has some Kumho K15s which are somewhere in the middle with a figure of 125.

HTH

i was really happy when i had kumho and nankangs on my old car they lasted well without poor performance imho

my brother had goodyear f1s on his car which i must admit were fantastic in the wet but he was replacing them every 3 months!!! so soft but amazing grip

 

point: if you have the money get f1's because they are great but for a performance tyre that will last between mots get the nangkangs ect

 

obviously imo

Oh no... conflicting advice. Stress! Brain explosion!

 

Seriously I'd be quite interested to know where you got those from because I just did a search on mytyres.co.uk, and came up with the KU31 which is only £20 cheaper per tyre than the F1, so it still costs £400, which is double what you paid. What size did you get?

 

 

Cheers,

Bart

 

Fronts are 225/50-16 and rears are 245/45-16 £50 each from a local small tyre fitters.

I read a few tests on tyres a couple of months ago and a lot of the time the results of a good few brands and types were pretty close. I also read that these differences are only really noticeable on the track when it comes down to grip.

 

Everyone imo has their own preferred choice of tyres made from past experiences of tyres letting go at inappropriate moments etc which they put down to the tyres grip when it could've been something like spilt deisel that caused that little slide in the first place.

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