Ballpark figure for complete change of car tyres?

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I'm a bit skeptical about the FUD that many people, never mind vested interests, sow about "non premium" brand tyres, given that all tyres sold are subject to EU regulation and labelling.

Tyres

Poor-quality tyres with reduced tread depth may cause your car to skid in wet weather or when braking. New, quality tyres hold your car on the road, save fuel and reduce noise and emissions.
road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu
Perhaps cheaper tyres wear quicker (and even then, as effective commodities, is that actually the case?) but I find it difficult to believe that they're necessarily somehow more dangerous as some people would lead one to believe. I suspect that there's a significant element of consumerism, brand loyalty/tax, and buyer's remorse/cognitive dissonance at play here.

My 142 car originally came with Kumho Ecowing ES01 tyres - hardly a premium brand, maybe "mid-range"? - which have lasted fine (albeit over limited enough mileage) and, for what it's worth, have passed the recent NCT (not the be all and end all in terms of vehicle health but, then again, what is?), and I've never had any dodgy moments with them. Then again, I'm definitely too old to be a boy racer so drive accordingly and am at low risk of speeding or jamming on the brakes most of the time.

Anyway, I'm probably going to replace them with something similar (Kumho Ecowing ES31) most likely using this crowd:

Tyre prices ~ Tyres for Long Miles

Tyre prices, main parameters and last known stock.
tyresforlongmiles.ie
I'm driving a Dacia Sandero to and from the school, around town, and the odd time on the motorway. Not a Maserati on the Nurburgring. I comfortable that my risk assessment is adequate. But, if you're still worried, just steer clear of the blue Sandero on the cheap tyres driven by the grumpy old sod around Dublin (mostly).

Thanks again to those who contributed useful info so far.
 
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Paid €660 for 4 Bridgestone for an Audi A6. That was three years ago. Went to Ace Tyres in Sandyford, asked him if I needed new tyres. He told me two needed changing, the others have about 6 months left. Told him to change the 4 of them. I had a BMW before that with run flats, so was happy to pay €165 a tyre rather than €450!!

Tyres are a safety issue. I want to have decent tyres. I'm surprised your car passed the NCT with tyres with some cracking on them.
 
This kind of thinking is dangerous, most accidents occur close to home, and you dont need to be driving a maserati around a race track for wet road braking distances to be of the utmost importance. The fact that you were happy to leave a set of tyres on your car for 10 years speaks to your risk assessment imo.

For what its worth Kumho are genuinely mid range and id be more comfortable with them than whatever the other ones you mentioned are.
 
I've always suspected this too but I've always spent that 10%-15% extra on a premium brand as I didn't want to take the risk.

It would be nice to hear an informed opinion on it.
 
I remember my now deceased Dad saying to me a long long time ago: "your tyres are the only few small square inches of your car that grip the road. Whatever else you skimp on, don't skimp on your tyres."
I thought it was good advice then; I still think so, and I pass it on for what it's worth.
 
NoRegretsCoyote said:
I've always suspected this too but I've always spent that 10%-15% extra on a premium brand as I didn't want to take the risk.

It would be nice to hear an informed opinion on it.
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you can get reviews of most tyres online with wet and dry braking tests etc,

as to whether cheap tyres wear quicker, i doubt it, probably last longer due to harder compounds.
 
Blackrock1 said:
The fact that you were happy to leave a set of tyres on your car for 10 years speaks to your risk assessment imo.
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As, presumably, does the fact that I never had one accident in that time either?
Blackrock1 said:
For what its worth Kumho are genuinely mid range and id be more comfortable with them than whatever the other ones you mentioned are.
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I never mentioned any other brand.

As I said - people love the FUD in contexts like this in my opinion...
 

The cheapest tyre on Oponeo for 185/65/15 is a Firemax at €51 with a C B rating

The most expensive is a Goodyear ( Efficientgrip Performance) at €129 with a C C rating, so the wet grip performance is worse with the Goodyear.

FWIW no tyre fitter has ever recommended any supplier or brand to me but a supplier and fitter has, and they are incentivised to sell the dearer tyre !
 

Id suggest you take a look at the links below. 7 metres longer braking distance 80-0km/h in the wet.

Firemax FM601

Will the Firemax FM601 suit your car? Find the best tyre for your car read 8 reviews for Firemax FM601 and compare to other Economy Comfort tyres
www.tyrereviews.com

Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance

Will the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance suit your car? Find the best tyre for your car read 250 reviews for Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance and compare to other Premium Comfort tyres
www.tyrereviews.com
 
ClubMan said:
Perhaps cheaper tyres wear quicker (and even then, as effective commodities, is that actually the case?)
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It can be the other way round. Wear is usually a factor of tyre compound hardness. The harder they are, the longer they last, but then the harder compounds will offer less grip. Think Formula 1 and the performance impact of the different compounds they use.

Eiretyres is good for comparing the different options even if you purchase elsewhere. They include the ratings for rolling resistance, noise, and wet performance along with links to independent test results where available.
 

The question is why does the EU labeling system not reflect this and ,if it doesn't, what's the point of it ?
 
demoivre said:
The question is why does the EU labeling system not reflect this and ,if it doesn't, what's the point of it ?
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It does, all are rated for wet grip. and braking distance from 80km/h is tested to come up with that rating.
 
  1. Bridgestone Weather Control A005
  2. Michelin CrossClimate+
  3. Continental AllSeasonContact
  4. Vredestein Quatrac 5
  5. Pirelli Cinturato All Season+
  6. Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen-2
  7. Nokian Weatherproof
  8. Hankook Kinergy 4S2 H750
  9. Fulda MultiControl
  10. Kleber Quadraxer 2

Austone - Not rated in the top 10 in the test above, all-season tyres for passenger cars​

Overall Austone SP-901 review winter tyres below.​

Austone took 12th place. [out of 13 brands tested]

Main conclusions:
  • Average dry braking distance and handling time; the lowest slalom speed.
  • Extremely long wet braking distance and the worst handling.
  • The lowest straight aquaplanning resistance.
  • Good snow performance: the shortest braking distance and good handling.
  • Average rolling resistance.
  • Low noise.
 
The tyres are not the most important safety feature in a car. The driver is.
Drive with respect to road conditions and visibility of the road in front, at or below the speed limit and keep well behind the car in front. Don't veer across continuos white lines and anticipate what is happening in front of you and the cheapest EU compliant tyres are entirely safe.
 
Keeping well behind the car in front is not as safe as you think it is when your cheap tyres need 8 metres longer than a decent set to stop.
 
No car has ever failed it's NCT because it's owner bought the cheapest EU compliant tyres. It's not a safety issue. The main causes of longer stopping distance are speed and driver reaction time.
 
S class said:
No car has ever failed it's NCT because it's owner bought the cheapest EU compliant tyres. It's not a safety issue. The main causes of longer stopping distance are speed and driver reaction time.
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Who mentioned the nct? If you think 8 metres difference in stopping distance (at the same speed) is inconsequential then there isnt much point continuing a discussion.
 
Has there ever been a road safety complain which suggested buying premium tyres ?
There have been lots of campaigns advising speed reduction and mind that gap.
Tyre safety campaigns highlight thread depth, defective tyres and maybe age.
 
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