cant see a recent search, and i need 2 new fronts for my octavia L&K.
i usually go mid-range and whatever the garage suggest, but last time i ended up with somethings called triple A i think which i then found out were sposed to be a bit sh1t.
last years stw threads seemed to recommend michelin crossclimates and goodyear vector all weather i believe, that still the case?
so..... whats good value for money, quiet-ish and decent performance? or is it another case of 'pick any 2'? 😀
also, i know places like kwik fit are sposed to be cr@p for mechanical stuff, but are they still worth using for tyres? or is online the best way, blackcircles etc?
thanks
online - tyreleader
Etyres - reasonable costs and they come to your house / work and fit them on site whilst you get on with your day. An excellent service.
I've been using my two local independents and they are great, super friendly and competitive pricing.
The cross climates are good, currently i'm running full winters' all year round. Gislaved Eurofrosts - whisper quiet
If you go online check how much they'll cost to fit first- they might not work out as cheap as you hope
Black Circles regular user here.
...they have a good choice of major manufacturer tyres and competitive prices.
Cross Climate are very good by all accounts - are you predicting a chilly winter for us all this year?
I'm personally happier spec-ing myself rather than take whatever the local fitter decides to push - often based on what they've over-stocked on ime
Are these for your angry neighbour?
Fire XC Pros.
Goodyear Eagle f1 assymetrics were
my favourite tyres when money was no object. Then when I got sensible I found Kumho Ecsta Sports were ok for a mid range bordering on budget tyre. I'd stay well away from Maxxis though near the bottom end - I was very underwhelmed by their wet weather performance.
Toyo T1-rs always used to grip ok and be cheaper than the goodyears but wore a bit quicker. Never been a fan of Avon tyres particularly but maybe I just didn't get the good ones.
One of my mates always used to talk up Uniroyal Rainsports as a good mid range tyre but I didn't ever try them.
I've generally found Blackcircles cheapest though it's worth doing a quick web search, on some specific tyres the big chains can do well if you order online for fitting at their centre.
I'd look at Autoexpress tests if you want an objectively better tyre. Personally I'd consider whatever's decently priced from the major brands except Continental, which I've found get annoyingly noisy as they wear.
Tyre-shopper.co.uk have been cheapest recently, fitted at local National Tyres.
Been using Goodyear F1s for the last couple of changes.
I've just done some serious hunting to get the best deal on a set of 4 tyres for my van, Camskill and Blackcircles initially seemed best until you add in the fitting fee from a private garage (if you buy them non-fitted) or including fitting from ATS or somewhere local. So I went direct to ATS (my local tyre place) and they were £20 less than blackcircles. And then it took them 2 hours instead of 40 minutes so I asked for, and got, £50 off.
Bargain.
I just had four new tyres from a place called HiQ. I'm not sure if the are local or a chain but it was about 20% cheaper to order the tyres online first, you get a bigger choice and a fitting time pre booked.
I went for some Nexen blue eco(or something) mid range with generaly good reviews. £208 for four new tyres all fitted and the chaps did a very good job in and out no hassle.
They wven checked the tracking and said it was ok which never would happened(saying it was ok) when I worked in a garage years ago.
thanks, just looking over these suggestions now.....
one quick question, do i have to have the correct speed rating by law? as i mentioned before, ive got an octavia L&K, speed rating on current tyres is a V which i believe is to cover the speed its capable of (so maybes 150mph for instance). if i can say that ill never go above 100mph then the rating drops right down to a T i think it is. but can i do this by law, fit 'slower' rated tyres knowing ill never be going at its max?
Are these for your angry neighbour?
iz confyoozed?
Dont hold me to it but I think I read somewhere in my insurance terms once that puttimg a lower speed rating tyre on my car than the top speed wouldve invalidated my insurance.... I was going to do as you're thinking of.
Also I have maxxis Map 1 tyres on my car (galaxy) with no issues in any weather
😳
😕
Depending on what the rating is in your manual you can sometimes go with a lower speed rating.
But make sure that the speed rating is as specified in the manual. The insurance companies might get funny if they don't match
Winter tyres can have a lower rating. For example on my car the summer tyre is Y rated, the winters V rated. There is a speed warning that you are supposed to set up in the onboard system if winters are fitted, although strangely I think this is below the speed rating of the winter tyre at 120MPH. Not that this is relevant to real world driving in the UK but it is what the car is homologated to. I would assume if I got cross climates they would have to be Y rated
Goodyear Eagle f1 assymetrics were
my favourite tyres when money was no object.
These have been my go to 3 season tyres for ages - first the asymmetric 1's and now 2's. Wear well and grip well too.
Toyo T1-rs always used to grip ok and be cheaper than the goodyears but wore a bit quicker.
Exactly my experience, used these until I went to the Goodyears. Still worth a look IMHO.
My last car came with Michelins from new and they were ok, but with modest driving - still wore badly. Current car has some Hankooks on and they seem ok, if again wearing a bit fast.
Looked online for a few days, then almost as an afterthought rang my local independent.
They were extremely competitive vs online especially when adding up the fitting, balancing, and disposing of the old tyres.