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[TheBoy]

If the people who have shared their opinions on tyres could agree on what was the 'ideal' tyre for an Omega I would fit a set to experience what this mythical state of perfection felt like. Until that day each new set of tyres is going to be selected from what is available using a bit of common sense & taking into account any supporting information I can find at the time..........

As chrisgixer says, driving style has everything to do with it though.

Tunnie has publically stated that all that matters to him is durability. Tight bastard.  As long as he gets 50k from his plastic tyres, he's happy. Noise is a factor for him. Grip appears unimportant. Given his driving style, I can understand that. Maybe, just maybe, Michelin do make a tyre that suits him.

I have publically stated that wet/dry grip is highest on my priority list. Not quite so fussed about snow grip. Currently running Dunlop Sport MAXX TT. Superb tyre for me. Shit to a blanket until the tread is low (then like all Dunlops, falls off a cliff), good striaght line stability, good stopping ability. Reasonable cost. Awful durability, and quite noisy.

[Shimmy]

Need any help getting down from that high horse ? 

Quite happy on my perch thank you.

I'm being serious though, people who buy budget tyres and try to pass them off as good tyres to other people are ignoring every tyre test done in the last decade.  Other like minded people are more than happy to make their decisions based solely on a few internet opinions.  Have you ever seen a car manufacture sell budget tyres on a new car?  Of course not, in fact some manufacturers develop tyres specifically for their car.

Having good tyres is even more important than having good brakes, yet a lot of people still go for whatever is cheapest in their size.

It's a bit like going for a run in some clogs.

[feeutfo]

Need any help getting down from that high horse ? 

Quite happy on my perch thank you.

I'm being serious though, people who buy budget tyres and try to pass them off as good tyres to other people are ignoring every tyre test done in the last decade.  Other like minded people are more than happy to make their decisions based solely on a few internet opinions.  Have you ever seen a car manufacture sell budget tyres on a new car?  Of course not, in fact some manufacturers develop tyres specifically for their car.

Having good tyres is even more important than having good brakes, yet a lot of people still go for whatever is cheapest in their size.

It's a bit like going for a run in some clogs.

Ultimately, have to agree Shimmy. Buit the fact is the omega is worth so little now, it's budget motoring for a lot of people. Can't argue with that. 

hello,its got to that time where im looking to replace the 2 rear tyres on my 2.2 auto omega,can anyone recommend a good brand of budget tyres?

Kumho ku31 have been mentioned on here many a time as a good all rounder and reasonable price, sadly they have been superseded by the ku39(?) which is an unknown so far I believe.
Accelera alpha have had several mentions as being cheap and.... bareable. (?)
Herd talk of Nexen being odly reasonable in the wet for a cheap tyre.

From personal experience avoid Falkens if you want the car to drive straight and not tramline from new, feel like a water bed after about 3k, and be dangerous by half worn meaning  they got binned with plenty of tread left, ESP of you like to crack on on Elite suspension. A shame because they are quiet and reasonably priced, which catches people out when they wont bloody drive straight,not a performance tyre by any means. Avoid. (by dangerous I mean, about 50 corrections in 100 yards on half 1/3 worn falkens to keep the car in the middle of a b road at 40, compared 2 or 3 minor corrections on the same bit of road and speed with well worn dunlops)

[D]

Wanlis are terrible terrible pieces of shite. I think they got that name from the owners who died screaming " (I) wanna live". I remember driving a Mazda 6 that a friend had with his new found budget tyres on a wet blustery day and nearly died due an extreme lack of grip on a wet road. Suffice to say they went into the bin at the earliest. Equally poor are Accelera and Sunny. They are ok in the dry I think.

The one tyre that I felt was decent at the budget end of the spectrum were Cooper tyres. They are huge in the US and are competitively priced to get a foothold in the UK market. I got 4 coopers for £90 a corner(18") for a focus ST I was selling off and drove about 1.5k miles on them with not a huge difference to the Conti SC3 that the car came with from the factory.

Kumho's are actually quite good. Nokians were ok as a winter tyre option but I have no experience of the summer variants.

Heard ok reports about Maragoni's, never tried one myself.

[omega3000]

No wonder mine handles like a wheelbarrow  ....ive just looked and there are 2 prestivo's on the back and one continental and one kumos ? on the fronts ...for the bin soon 

[ndmv6]

as i said before,its all down to the actual tread pattern,load rating and speed rating ,not the actual manufacturer,and all depends how the car is driven..those who want to zoom around everywhere should expect that if the tyres are pushed so far,they will skid...all tyres will do that..regardless of how much they cost...

[Lazydocker]

as i said before,its all down to the actual tread pattern,load rating and speed rating ,not the actual manufacturer,and all depends how the car is driven..those who want to zoom around everywhere should expect that if the tyres are pushed so far,they will skid...all tyres will do that..regardless of how much they cost...

Indeed, but some will let go far sooner than others

[hercules]

hello,its got to that time where im looking to replace the 2 rear tyres on my 2.2 auto omega,can anyone recommend a good brand of budget tyres?

off topic...another huddersfield lad,howdo 

[Shimmy]

as i said before,its all down to the actual tread pattern,load rating and speed rating ,not the actual manufacturer,and all depends how the car is driven..those who want to zoom around everywhere should expect that if the tyres are pushed so far,they will skid...all tyres will do that..regardless of how much they cost...

Tread pattern plays a role yes but it is by no means the only contributor...

Tyre compounds determine a large chunk of the performance, then there's the tyre construction etc...

I don't avoid budget tyres due to driving style - I'm actually pretty steady, I avoid them because they give much smaller margins in all conditions particularly wet ones.

If you come across a puddle around a blind bend a tyre's aquaplaning characteristics could make the difference, as could it's braking performance when someone or something unexpectedly steps out/pulls out in front of you.  These things have nothing to do with driving style at all, it's a matter of SAFETY.

[GastronomicKleptomaniac]

No wonder mine handles like a wheelbarrow  ....ive just looked and there are 2 prestivo's on the back and one continental and one kumos ? on the fronts ...for the bin soon 

Do as I intend to later in the year - save up, get it set at Wheels in Motion, and four new decent tyres.

If you come across a puddle around a blind bend a tyre's aquaplaning characteristics could make the difference, as could it's braking performance when someone or something unexpectedly steps out/pulls out in front of you.  These things have nothing to do with driving style at all, it's a matter of SAFETY.

Exactly. It's akin to the classic drunk driver going "I know I'm pished, I'll only go slow" - it's when you need that 5m shorter stopping distance you'll regret it.

No, I'm not morally comparing people buying cheap tyres to drunk drivers.

Cost per mile of a decent tyre versus a cheapy, it's a no-brainer.

[RobG]

Premium tyres are good tyres, generally soft compounds for increased performance meaning less mileage per set.

Mid range tyres are average tyres, average performance and average mileage generally.

Budget tyres are poor tyres, poor performance but will last longer.

Simple.


People who say good things about budget tyres are just trying to justify their own purchases imo.  There are dozens of tests over the last decade showing that budgets are a false economy.  If people can't afford to have some decent rubber they should own a cheaper car to run imo.

....and that`s exactly what an Omega is

[GastronomicKleptomaniac]

  If people can't afford to have some decent rubber they should own a cheaper car to run imo.

....and that`s exactly what an Omega is

No, it's a cheaper car to buy. It still has 16" or 17" tyres, which are exponentially more expensive than 13"s or 14"s on things like the Focus. And ignoring the obvious thirst of a 1.7 tonne car, if you don't know about TC they're still expensive to service, never mind things like cambelts.

[TheBoy]

as i said before,its all down to the actual tread pattern,load rating and speed rating ,not the actual manufacturer,and all depends how the car is driven..those who want to zoom around everywhere should expect that if the tyres are pushed so far,they will skid...all tyres will do that..regardless of how much they cost...

The compound has far more effect than pattern. In fact many cheap nasty tyres copy big brand tread patterns, esp those from Chinese providers, who can copy exactly the pattern. Yet lack the performance.

Yes, any tyre will lose traction at some point, but bad ones lose it far earlier.

[hit it with a hammer]

got 4 x 225 55 16 95W SUNNY SN3800 on my 2002 2.6 and have no complaints,good in wet and dry.cost was about £140 fitted for all 4 (part worn with 7mm + tread) and i do drive with a heavy right foot and have been known to slide sideways round roundabouts at times ,,that reminds me ,,i need new front disks and pads,,

[hotel21]

As TB says the compound is as important if not moreso, than the pattern. Much as I hate to say it, consider formula one slick tyres. Minimal if not any tread and so it's all about the compound and construction methods. Yes, F1 needs tread of some sort for inters and wets but construction and compound is far more important.

That technology transfers readily to the consumer market so don't get hung up on pattern. I've driven some cars with really deep and recognisable tread patterns but made of plastic rather than rubber. Ditch finders spring to mind.  You pays your money and takes your chance, ultimately.