|
What seems to be an ongoing theme of recent tyre-related threads is that even for mid-range and expensive tyres, let alone cheapo ones (not even the really bad ditch-finders), two sets of brand new, even similarly-priced and specced tyres from different manufacturers can make huge differences in the grip, handling and comfort in that car (whether the car itself is new or not). It just goes to show that brand names or price isn't always the be all and end of all in choosing the right tyre for a car.
In my own situation, my old car, a Nissan Micra from 1996 with odd-sized 175/60 R13 tyres (very rare thesedays, not common back then) had OEM Dunlop Sport 2000 (if I recall), which, wear-wise were ok (I got 45-50k out of them) but once they reached 3mm, they got seriously dangerous in the wet. Admitedly they were 7-8 years old at the time, which goes to show that (sorry to the BRer who loves not changing old tyres) old tyres just aren't up to the job, at the very least no good unless your car is garaged in a warm and dry environment away from direct sunlight all year round.
I replaced them in around 2003/4 with Bridgestone Potenza RE720s, which stuck to road like glue in all conditions. Again, that's only only 2-3 years of use as I PXed the car for my current car in Jan 2006. Very little wear - only 1mm for about 5-7k of use (low mileage at the time).
Ironically, for my current Mazda3 1.6 petrol, bought (essentially) new in Jan 2006, it had bridgestone ER30s as the OEM tyre (205/55 R16). Only ok for the first six months to a year, then started to get hard and noisy, though handling and grip was ok until they got to about 5 years old, then terrible noise and wet weather grip - I almost lost control at relatively slow speeds on roundabouts in not that wet conditions and scared the living daylights out of me. The tyres had 4mm tread left on the fronts and 5mm on the rear at the time for about 40k usage over 6.5 years (when replaced). Again, the issue over tyre age/where its kept (private car park with some shading, but outside) and serious deterioration in the compound/performance seemed a big factor.
When I started to research getting some replacements, I used the Tyre Reviews website (my reviews of both the new and old tyres on my car are there) and found that the Dunlop SP Sport Fastresponse was a decent tyre and very good value too. Over 24k and 5.5 years since they've worn down to 4.5mm on the fronts and 5.5mm on the rears, but have fared far better in terms of comfort, noise and grip/handling in all weathers than the Bridgestones.
Just goes to show that two makes can have both good and bad tyres (the ER30s get terrible user reviews on the Tyre Reviews website) and all are at least mid-range or upper price wise. I do recall though that bridgestone had gone through a 'bad patch' as regards the review ratings (from magazine tests) from the mid 2000s until quite recently, when their tyres' score and placings imporved quite a bit, though they still don't match the front-runners across the board as yet as they used to.
Dependent upon my funds available and when I change my car, I'll be more than considering all-season tyres next time round, even on a new car, or at the very least changing out the OEMs earlier than usual if they don't work well. Pointless me getting winter tyres as, unless I move to a very rural area regularly and badly affected by snow and ice (I live in a flat with little storage space in a town in Hertfordshire), I'm not going to get winter tyres that's only really worth using for a couple of weeks a year costing me £££ to buy and store them, when all-seasons would do fine.
|
