Do budget tyres really just not last?

[Jason87]

I had 2 budget tyres on the front fitted in around July (£55 each) and they almost seem worn down to the indicator. Tracking seems ok too. That seems a bit crazy doesn’t it? I’m doing no more than 10k a year. Are budgets just really that bad and don’t last?

[unofix]

Buy real top quality tyres form a major global supplier.....

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Cheap-Car-Tyres-Prices-195-65_1600566719241.html?s=p

or perhaps not 🤣

[TomsFocus]

Depends on the brand & model. 

Some are made of hard compounds so they last forever but offer no grip at all in the wet.

Others are made of really soft compounds to get wet grip & braking performance, but they wear out really quickly.

Some are also made with much less tread than premium brands.  (There is no legal minimum tread for a brand new tyre).

 

When buying premium, you're often buying a better compromise between grip & longevity.  (Though not always lol, I've had some awful premium tyres as well as some awful budgets!)

[StephenFord]

I have had Bridgestone tires at £300 a pop, (on a different car), and budget ones on my current car at £50 each. The budget ones last a lot longer for reasons stated above. Premium ones often prioritise grip, the cost of that is that they leave a sizeable amount of rubber on the road to provide that grip. Budget tires are designed to get you through the next MOT, so grip is not really a priority. As also stated above, any tire is a compromise, you just have to figure out what you want. 

It's easy to criticise any tire for not performing in the way you want, just ask Lewis Hamilton LOL 

[Jimpster]

For the small mileage i do, i throw 6mm+ tread partworns at £15-30 a pop, as stephen says to get thru an MOT, never really had a problem with them. I use the same place and they know me if that makes a difference.

[TomsFocus]

I couldn't even get a tyre fitted for £15 in 2018, let alone supplied and disposal as well.  Around 2010 I was getting them fitted & disposed for a fiver each!  How times change eh...

That reminds me, I've still got a punctured one here.  Council dumps don't accept them locally, not even for a fee.  Anyone know how much a garage would charge for disposal now?  Might chuck it in the boot when the Mk2 gets taken for MOT if it's under a fiver.

[A Sampson]

Jimpster, Like you I have a modest annual mileage, and have never had a problem with part-worns.  I don't drive in boy-racer mode, more with comfort and economy in mind.  Tend to cruise @ 2k and short shift whenever appropriate.  Each to his own, and preferences.

[Jason87]

Also the drivers side tyre seems more worn than passenger side. Isn’t it meant to be the passenger side that wears more due to turns? Tracking seems ok though. Just made me worried something is wrong if the tyres are almost worn already when it was only last summer. Just found the receipt, for them 31st July lol so that really is bad

[StephenFord]

15 minutes ago, Jason87 said:

Also the drivers side tyre seems more worn than passenger side...

If the driver is encumbered with girth, it would weigh the car down more on the RHS 

[Jason87]

Haha! It may just be that there wasn’t that much tread on the tire when new. I’m only going by the rubber marker so maybe that wasn’t that high to start with 

[Jimpster]

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

I couldn't even get a tyre fitted for £15 in 2018, let alone supplied and disposal as well.  Around 2010 I was getting them fitted & disposed for a fiver each!  How times change eh...

That reminds me, I've still got a punctured one here.  Council dumps don't accept them locally, not even for a fee.  Anyone know how much a garage would charge for disposal now?  Might chuck it in the boot when the Mk2 gets taken for MOT if it's under a fiver.

garden planter ?????? bonfire night used to be a god send lol

[TomsFocus]

9 minutes ago, Jimpster said:

garden planter ?????? bonfire night used to be a god send lol

If I had a garden it would be much easier to dispose of!

 

[iantt]

Seems the laybys and entrances to fields round my way are godsend to dispose of your unwanted tyres. 

[StephenFord]

1 hour ago, Jimpster said:

...bonfire night used to be a god send lol

11th July (bonfire night) is still massive here and a huge source for disposed of tires, though the Orange Order, have been advocating a more 'green' agenda recently, I know, ironic LOL

[isetta]

In my experience some new tyres have less tread depth when new than before. There does not seem to be an industry standard depth, and the actual depth is not stated. Also some have less depth at the edges meaning you might still have legal depth in the middle but it will fail as it’s not over 3/4 of the width. Of course they want you to buy new tyres sooner, but if you feel mileage was not good you won’t buy that one again so they shoot themselves in the foot with these ‘tricks’.  I’m talking about budget tyres as that’s all I buy for mine and my wife’s car

[anon]

Tracking seems all right. Well, that's all right then, the fairies are eating your tyres. Wears more on one side. Not tracking though because it seems all right. If the tyres are bought for cheapness, I will be happy to bet that the tracking was checked by the seems all right method.

I had a budget set of Nexens on an old Merc I had a few years ago and vowed to replace them with Michelins when they wore out. They didn't. This inconvenience was due to some monkey using tracking gauges on it.

 

[alanfp]

3 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Council dumps don't accept them locally, not even for a fee

I think that's mad, given all the other things that they do accept. They can be recycled, but I guess that your council doesn't have a route into that recycling process.  Will it squeeze into your wheelie bin diagonally, possibly inside a bin bag?

[alanfp]

3 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Anyone know how much a garage would charge for disposal now?

My GUESS is less than £5, since you can buy cheap, small part-worn (sorry "pre-loved") tyres and the disposal costs are included in their overall price. But you'd have to get it to them , of course.

[TomsFocus]

2 minutes ago, alanfp said:

Will it squeeze into your wheelie bin diagonally, possibly inside a bin bag?

I'd rather it was recycled tbh, I don't mind paying a couple of quid to do so now.  Didn't have it spare in 2018...was literally driving around local garages with a single £10 note in my wallet at the time.  One garage reluctantly did the change for that, but wouldn't include disposal.

 

2 minutes ago, alanfp said:

My GUESS is less than £5, since you can buy very cheap, small tyres and the disposal costs are included in their overall price. But you'd have to get it to them , of course.

That's my guess too, but if rather get some solid confirmation from someone in the trade lol.

The Mk2 will have to be taken for MOT, or collected by the garage, so will put it in there at the same time.  Some of the car buying services won't even value it without MOT!

[Jimpster]

21 minutes ago, alanfp said:

I think that's mad, given all the other things that they do accept. They can be recycled, but I guess that your council doesn't have a route into that recycling process.  Will it squeeze into your wheelie bin diagonally, possibly inside a bin bag?

did i not see or read that they now put a % or tyres into road resurfacing to save costs.

up norf we dont care about recycling theres old mills full of old tyres LOL

[alanfp]

9 minutes ago, Jimpster said:

did i not see or read that they now put a % or tyres into road resurfacing

I think i read that too, which seems inspired - must help the road grippiness too. Two birds with one stone.

Also used to make 3G astroturf pitches nice and soft.

[iantt]

There's minions of uses for a used tyre or two. 

[Botus]

longevity is never what its about - your life is dependant upon the grip found - the simplest way to get this message across is stopping distances...  wet or dry - standing on the brakes at 70mph and stopping 5 metres shorter than an alleged comparable tyre is the difference of having having a scary moment and having the agro of an insurance claim and to walk to work for a few weeks, all for a saving of £15 quid a tyre ? But budget tyre are far worse, like saving £25 a tyre but stopping 12m longer and having no legs in a situation where using good tyres would have meant nothing ever happened .... worth the money? many seem to think so - but if we spell it out so clearly even a bloke on min wage and in debt would get it

In general

Bridgestone have an appalling life span, but otherwise can be OK

Michelin expensive, competent to a point and used to last well, but at 11/10ths they give up and you fall off the road wondering why they suddenly let go

Continental are designed for idiots, to drive like idiots and last ages - much like the cars from the same country, unrefined but cope with high speed abuse

Pirelli are good in the dry, hopeless in the wet, for many years they were deadly in the wet

Goodyear are better everywhere. slight vagueness on the steering, but more than compensate by hanging on far better even at 12 / 10ths and usually win all the tests by a country mile - but the pathetic scoring for irrelevant bits holds them back from everyone realising this

Silica can increase wet grip and extend life dramatically and we get more of it in high end newer tyres - rubber is old hat and is in older budget tyres and many last much less then proper tyres

the cost in premium tyres is in the research and development and the overall competence in multiple areas, vs sort of work for some areas almost as well as class leaders - but often woeful in most other areas, and outright dangerous in some critical places

[StephenFord]

5 minutes ago, Botus said:

longevity is never what its about...

Spoken like a person with a shedload of disposable income, I use to be as arrogant as that when I was younger LOL Now, I just like the ability to potter around in my old rust bucket, though I'm very lucky when driving. The more careful I am, the luckier I get  (My Institute of Advanced Motorist test, and RoSPA class 1 test all taught me that...)

[anon]

I don't think that there is anything in your post that I can agree with.  Goodyears I find to be below average and Continentals are not designed for idiots. As for German cars being unrefined, I would say that You are talking  nonsense  but I shall hold my tongue because I cannot drive at 12/10ths or even 11 on Michelins. Silica is sand. It doesn't add grip, just life.

Budget tyres have to meet stringent safety standards and most people using them don't drive like morons which is why so few of them get killed doing so.