Oh no, not another f***ing tyre thread. *Contains CHINESE*

[warninglight]

I learnt my lesson about ditchfinders 5 years ago. Bought a Volvo S70 TDI with new Federals on the front and Wanlis on the back. Did loads of miles over 3-4 months of winter, and the first greasy May morning when we'd had the first wet night after a dry spell, on my way to work on a backroad between Hillsborough and Moira, following someone dawdling around a gentle right hander I normally went round at twice the speed, the back end (Wanli) lost it, clipped the verge on the other side of the road and dropped me through a hedge into a field. A ditch, if you will...

 

I had decided to leave them on as they were new when I bought the car and I couldn't justify £100 to change them, I didn't really know any better.

 

That cost me £500 by the time I had paid for someone to replace the 8 fence posts and sheep wire, replant the hedge, get a rear door and wing for my Volvo, and replace the 2 rear tyres with Kumho. Never happened before or since, but I've also never owned a Chinese tyre before or since, apart from a 'BCT' that was on the back of my S60 when I bought it. Kent to Cumbria with a 50p shaped tyre on the back wasn't a pleasant experience.

 

I've never had problems with Kumho Ecsta even on my T5s. Avon ZV5/7 seem a good bit grippier still but are a tad pricier.

 

My new V70 TDI came with matching and fairly new Goodyears all round, including the spare. £400+ of tyres on a £380 car. I'll probably fit Kumho when they die...

[somewhatfoolish]

The old man put some linglongs on his W202 to replace the worn out Contis, because skinflint; it went from being rocksolid in the wet and forgiving of stupidity to ZOMGDRIFTGODYO! at roundabouts and me refusing to drive it if it looked like rain.

[bunglebus]

I'm afraid at the moment the Chinese are not to be trusted to provide quality products of any kind - they're well known for changing spec/ingredients without telling anyone, so you might find the results of the review of the Wangbang 6000's you read online might differ vastly to the quality* of the tyres you end up with.

 

I did it once, when I was sklnt. Chinese ditchfinders, fitted to the back of my ol' buddy's 320i. We span off a roundabout in the wet. He decided to get shot and I put them on the back of my Sierra. Span off the A414 into a field...

[jonathan_dyane]

I'm currently running Marshal tyres, apparently they are the budget brand of Kumho made in China.

 

I've found them fine and I do like to press on...

[Rusty_Rocket]

WHAT ? 

 

sorry cant hear anything over the roar from the ditch finders !

 

This ^^^ is what annoys me most about nasty tyres. They can transform an otherwise ok car into something that transmits every single bloody resonance from the road surface and convince you a wheel bearing is about to collapse or your dif. is ready to exit the casing! 

Four new quality tyres, correctly balanced is one of lifes little pleasures for me   

[Partridge]

This is why I love Autoshite. I have a fascination for tyres and get two pages of conversation to read about shit tyres. I love this place.

On balance I will probably sling some decent rubber on it, like I do with every bloody car. Then it two weeks later, which normally seems to happen.

 

Evergreen tyres are shite and overpriced. You only seem to see them at Halfords Autofit centres where they're always within several quid of something decent in the same size. 
 

Yeah, I've noticed this too. I've never actually seen any in the flesh. That's probably why.

[Coprolalia]

I generally save up and replace with decent rubber, however recently had a blowout 200 miles from home in the gf's Yaris so required emergency replacement.

 

Also found out one of her tyres was bald, and the rest were a mismatch of M+S chinese things and a very old Michelin.

 

Put two Jinyu's on (because emergency and cheap), recommended by the fitter as "we put them on all the taxis".

 

Decent grip in wet and dry, bit of squeal, preconceptions doubted.

[barefoot]

Different cars, different tyres, different perceptions.

Four Khumos were slippery from the word go and utterly bald after 8,000 miles on the 944, but Evergreen from the local bloke for cheapish are totally fine on the back of the Jaaag.

Scirocco/ Barium equals

fun and fuck knows what brand of eight ply van tyres the T2 is running on.

[alcyonecorporation]

GT Radials are alright provided your yoke hasn't got much torque. Ditto Runways. People speak highly of Davantis but if they couldn't cope with my mate's 1.9TDI Golf, they're not going to calm an X308 down when it decides to impersonate a pendulum.

Hankooks are probably the best compromise between grip and cost; if you can go a bit pricier, Falken ZIEXs and Nokian Lines are similarly decent. 

[PiperCub]

Just one question - the OP ad mentioned the tyre had 'A sense of style' - Sorry, how does a tyre have a sense of style? Have I missed something?

[PiperCub]

On a more constructive note, without running down or praising Chinese-type tyres, the point I'd make is to compare these with a mid range "Better quality" (quote/unquote) affairs that you may have had experience with in the past. You may find there's literally only a few quid in it.

 

Just got four new tyres for the Rover 214 (ex-Sigmund Fraud)- got several quotes for over £60 a corner for NeverHeardOfThem makes, scored four Falkens for £45 per - all fitted etc. from a local outfit I've used before. Now I can't say definitively they are 100% better than the aformentioned ones as I haven't experienced them but I know which I'd trust! 

 

Would agree that Nankang's are surprisingly good, I've known a number of people fit them to pretty high performance stuff and been very happy with them (esp. given the price). I've driven a mates Impreza WRX with quite well worn ones fitted and even on damp roads, the grip was impressive.