It's the brand snobbery that's the issue.

"Got to be branded, none of that cheap chinese rubbish, they're crap!" Yeah, the one's you see for sale with "E"/"E" ratings are.

I have had brand new cars with branded tyres of all brands, some of which are ludicrously expensive to replace and they're like driving on oil or last 7,000 miles (P Zeros)

I've had £48 chinese "B" "C" rating with never vibrate, lasted and stopped, if they were crap the ABS would be on all the time

Skodas are Audis, and are built better, they're higher up JD Power than Audi

1 minute ago, DaveT70 said:

It's the brand snobbery that's the issue.

"Got to be branded, none of that cheap chinese rubbish, they're crap!" Yeah, the one's you see for sale with "E"/"E" ratings are.

I have had brand new cars with branded tyres of all brands, some of which are ludicrously expensive to replace and they're like driving on oil or last 7,000 miles (P Zeros)

I've had £48 chinese "B" "C" rating with never vibrate, lasted and stopped, if they were crap the ABS would be on all the time

Skodas are Audis, and are built better, they're higher up JD Power than Audi

Skoda, Audi and Seat are all VW platform vehicles.

Each brand has slightly different priorities, but they all use the same drivetrains, modules and main chassis components.

I do find it quite funny how Skoda have better build quality and interiors than the new VWs though. 😆

4 minutes ago, alexp999 said:

I do find it quite funny how Skoda have better build quality and interiors than the new VWs though. 😆

Yes, been disappointed with Audis I've looked at recently. Skoda now seems more like the Audis I had a few years back. 

Not sure how good they are, but for a medium priced 'named' tyre, I was recommended to have a look at Nexen tyres. I'm on the Michelin Primacy at the moment and while I've no problem sticking with them (I believe the car came with them out of the factory?) depending on the cost I'd be open to switching to something else (a bit less expensive) in future

Wow, people are super passionate about cheap tyres.

It's not snobbery, I understand people have different budgets and cannot afford more expensive tyres - but when people ask for recommendations, those of us who don't buy budget/chinese tyres are also allowed to state our opinions on more recognised brands as well without being told we're out of touch, or snobs.

I've had cars with budget tyres, granted I didn't know the history of the tyres, but multiple drives in the wet was enough to put me right off. I've had both good and bad experiences with Toyo tyres (midrange brand, same model of tyre was great for one set, ***** for the next) which also goes to prove the consistency of the manufacturing processes might not be great.

I can only speak from experience when I say that out of 17 years of driving and multiple sets of tyres on multiple different cars, the best driving experiences I've had and the safest I've felt is when running the current set (Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 on the Focus, and Michelin Pilotsport 4 on the Fiesta) - bought using "BOGOF" style offers or cashback deals meaning I've not paid more than £300 for a set of 4 fitted.

1 hour ago, dontpannic said:

I can only speak from experience when I say that out of 17 years of driving and multiple sets of tyres on multiple different cars, the best driving experiences I've had and the safest I've felt is when running the current set (Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 on the Focus, and Michelin Pilotsport 4 on the Fiesta) - bought using "BOGOF" style offers or cashback deals meaning I've not paid more than £300 for a set of 4 fitted.

I'll raise you to over 40 years driving LOL The best I recall were a full set of Goodyear Eagle F1s, I also loved their tread pattern, because I'm quite superficial 😂

2 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

I also loved their tread pattern, because I'm quite superficial

That's never a 'stock' photo Stephen !!

Surely you must have photos of your actual wheels and tyres ? 🤣

I've used Uniroyal Rainsports - currently RS5 - on my MX5 for years, been happy enough with them to have a set fitted to the Focus last week.

I have had Toyo in the past, good for the 1st couple of years but go off (hard) very quickly IME.

Stopped using Goodyear several years back 'cos I had a set go threepeny-bit shaped within a year (they were stored on the wheels, pumped-up and kept topped-up over winter, with the tyres lying on thier side).

I've found on the Focus - and on other cars in the past - that the Michelins gradually start to tramline when down to 3 - 3.5mm. Classic case on a Cavalier - terrible tramlining, replaced the Michelins on the front with the Goodyears that someone else has posted a photo of and the tramlining stopped happening!

 

18 hours ago, StephenFord said:

I'll raise you to over 40 years driving LOL The best I recall were a full set of Goodyear Eagle F1s, I also loved their tread pattern, because I'm quite superficial 😂

My previous car (Fabia vRS) had GSD2s on when I bought it, and I replaced them with GSD3s as shown above. They had a very elegant design, performed great in the wet, sliced through standing water without a problem, and weren't bad in the dry. However they didn't like the cold one bit! I can remember accelerating up a hill in to gear on a frosty road and getting wheelspin!