I have a set of 19" Volks. Since I don't race, do I really need to buy brand name tires like Toyos?
Any cons?

 

After having nothing but Michelins or Bridgestones I had to buy new wheels
for my Z so I ordered them with less expensive tires as a package. The very
first time I hit a wet spot on an onramp I got sideways and driving in the rain
was scarey at best. Check with the TireRack and let them know you don't
want Entry level tires but a tire that's rated UTQG: 240 AA A or better. Your
life may depend on it.... Yokohama S drive is a new tire that won't
kill your pocket book and rated high!

 

you do not need to buy brand name tires, but the TYPE of tire has more importance than simply the brand. Almost all brands offer many different types of tires. First thing I wuold do is figure out what sizes you want and then look at specs for what is offered by different brands in that size. You don't need race-compound rubber, but you probably don't want some winter tires either. Weigh out what's important to you (life/grip/season/budget/etc) and go from there.

 

Inexpensive tires wear more quickly and are often noisy in a summer-performance version. They usually have "harder rubber" (which doesn't necessarily translate to better wear) providing less grip (true mostly on the "wet").

Avon is an example of an inexpensive tire. They are certainly adequate, but suffer from quick-wear and they are noisy.

--Spike

 

"Con's of buying cheap tires? '

death.

 

+1

 

Those tires are pretty good too...(S drives). I Usually buy the Kumhos ASX's (Z is a dd) but I decided to spent a couple of dollars more and the S drives.

 

Not at all.

I went to one of the shoppers clubs once, and saw cheap tires on the rack. Just pick up 4, and toss them in the cart. I mean all this tire testing by organisations like Consumer Reports and Car and Driver is just a bunch of smoke-and-mirrors anyway.

 

considering that Tires are the only things that are touching the ground- you should always get the best possible.

you can do everything to make more power or put huge brakes, but if you can't transfer force to the ground then its all pointless.

Typically 'cheaper' tires are made of a different rubber compound than more expensive ones. sure there are good 'cheap' tires, but its all up 2 u what u want to accomplish with your car.

imho.. i will NEVER put those cheapo generic tire companys on any of my cars. only the best i can afford.

 

UTQG can sometimes be overated - it varies by manufacturer and makes it difficult to compare tires from different manufacturers.

And sometimes you actually want lower treadwear ratings (ex: to maximize dry traction). Tires like the Yokohama AD07 is a 180 AA A tire that will likely be faster than the S drive in the dry.

There's also different levels of "cheap" tires - some like new brands like Kumho, Hankook, etc. actually make some very decent tires. Other brands are just less well known in North America like Vredestein but rate highly in Europe. And even other brands like Fuzion and Sumitomo are actually part of bigger companies like Bridgestone and Dunlop (respectively).

There certainly is no "best" tire out there. For example, to maximize grip in the dry, a tire is probably not going to be great in the wet or cold, nor will it last that long. Or a tire that's exceptional in the wet probably isn't going to be the best tire for tracking your car in the dry. It's all about compromise.

Best bet is to do your research, and figure on what you're going to use the tire for, and how much you want to spend. Places like Tirerack usually have decent feedback on most tire brands.

 

well lets see, since your tires are the only part of the car to make contact with the road...i dunno about you, but since thats what delivers my power to the ground/transfers weight for cornering/grips in rain,snow,chicken grease ect, i tend to not go cheap on them

 

If you are worried about saving money, you should opted for cheaper rims + nicer tires, not the other way around

 

As much as I hate cheap wheels, I'd rather see on a set of Rotas with good tires, than your Volks on some crap like General/Federal/Nankang/Sumitomo/Wanli, etc... tires.

 

To the OP, i just can't believe you're actually asking us this question. If you are willing to fork out the cash for a set of volks, why not match it with good tires?

 

+1 Amen brother....

 

I tried saving money on Sumitumos and I wasted 600 dollars. The rears were shot in couple of months. There are plenty of options out there and don't cost an arm and a leg. I recently bought Falken and really like them. If you buy a tire that has a good tread rating you should be fine. If you dont use them to roadrace, autocross etc. Don't try to save $200 b/c youll end up wasting $700...

I wouldn't go as far as saying cheaper tires will cause death Its not like the rubber is that far off from the $100 tire to the $300 tire...

My nickle

Chris

 

get a good/nice rated tire for daily driving that performs well in both wet/dry conditions

there are a lot of options out there and there are a few posted above that are not bad.

i think you should be asking where you can get cheaper tires[price] rather than risk of buying cheap [brand] tires

 

Thanks everyone for posting your 2 cents. Seems like the best place I've found for tires is http://edgeracing.com/

Other suggestions would be much appreciated. =)

 

If you want great tires for a decent price check out Nexen. You won't be disappointed.

 

Harder tires wear more quickly?