Looking in a couple of months (as treads are getting low) to replace the two front tyres on my Vectra
The Car has originally been fitted with Bridgestones, and I would like to keep with this brand as they seem to perform reasonably well.
Forgeting specifics for summer/winter driving for a moment.
I phoned Vauxhall up and was quoted the following
Bridgestone £155
Firestone £135
Online I can get the Bridgestone for about £110 - Vuaxhall dealer said they may price match
but i can get "Value" Tyres for around £50
so counter into cost for fitting, disposing, balancing etc, bridgestones work out slightly cheaper than VX Price
but why would i buy a a "brand" over a Budget Brand?
Firestone, are owned by Bridgestone so essentially they should be made in a simaler proccess although from what ive seen Firestone command a price as a premium brand would
Budget tyre brand - who knows? but arent tyres have to be made to a minimum specification/standard before sale in the UK/EU?
Last edited by: Redviper on Thu 22 Jul 10 at 13:05
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big heavy car the old vectra
dont skimp too much
in fact if you are happy with the way the originals have performed i would be inclined to pay the piper
although Mohawks seem to stay the pace well on big old lumps
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What size are they at that price?
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Thanks BB, I would like to stay with the BS, however how come other "brands" can get away with Charging so low, IF tyres have to be sold to a minimum saftey standard - or do they not?
FT: the tyre size is 215/55R16 93H
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I used to put Kumho's on my Vectra C - they were a mid range at around £80 a tyre (fitted and balanced) and I found them fine for normal driving. Ok in the wet too.
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AFAIK Firestone is owned by Bridgestone and is marketed as their mid range brand (after that Fiasco with Ford in the US a few years back) Bridgestone is the premium brand.
I'd be quite happy buying a brand that was a subsiduary of one of the majors but not a stand alone budget brand like a lot of this Chinese stuff thats coming over - Wanli, Chang Sheng etc etc. Reason being they're probably not putting the same investment into R&D as the larger manufacturers such as Goodyear, Pirelli, Michelin and Continental and the afore mentioned Bridgestone.
Some of the Korean manufacturers are on the ascendancy such as Kumho and Hankook. Ford are now fitting Hankook direct from the factory.
Check out mytyres.co.uk to see what's available in your size together with prices and then research the tyres on tyrereviews.co.uk.
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Thanks - ill certainly check them sites out
Ive been doing a bit of shopping around
Bridgestone
Vauxhall £155
Online Aprox £110
phoned up a local indie tyre fitter - wait for it
£65 Fitting VAT inc - he has assured me that its a brand new tyre.
I dont understand how he can do it that cheap but if its true, then thats outstanding value.
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Redviper, I was just going to suggest that you should ring a few independants. I have found that they can beat the online firms.
I was checking some runflat tyres for my son the other day. One firm quoted £218 per tyre, then asked if I had any other quotes. I said yes £167, he said OK I'll do it for £165 each!
Shop around.
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That does sound VERY cheap for a 16" Bridgestone. What model is it - Turanza?
Last edited by: Marc on Thu 22 Jul 10 at 17:17
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Really not sure, i was to shocked that it was that cheap that I forgot to ask
I might just pop down and see him personally to double check that becasue I think it is a bit to cheap for a BS Tyre, I know you can get different "models" but im not to fussed as long as it keeps me on the road when needed
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I find the Bridgstone Turanza v noisy on my Octavia. The fronts are Pirelli P7000 (i think) and they are much quieter, so when the rears reach the end of their life I think I will be going Pirelli at the back too.
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I've just put Pirelli P7s all round on our Galaxy. They're smooth but not as grippy on the twisty roads as the previous Avon ZV5s.
Would have bought same again but they wore very quickly - this was in conjunction with a couple of tracking adjustments however so not 100% I can blame the Avons. But once bitten and all that.
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I've got Uniroyal Rainsport2's on all 4 corners of my Vectra-C. Best tyres I've ever had. Paid something like £90 each - fitted. Size 225/45/17. The alternate and much cheaper size to the 215/50/17 originals.
The car originally was fitted with Goodyear NCT5's. I realised very early on that NCT stood for Nominal Contact to Tarmac. To describe these tyres as dreadful would be an understatement.
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"The car originally was fitted with Goodyear NCT5's. I realised very early on that NCT stood for Nominal Contact to Tarmac. To describe these tyres as dreadful would be an understatement"
As before I have to disagree with you on that one Dave. On my fourth set on the fronts now. Still getting 30k per front set and they're ideal for motorway driving IMO. Sure there are better tyres on the market for grip and enthusiastic driving but I think the NCT5 are a good compromise. BMW still fit them as OE on the 5 series too I think.
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NCT5s may well be ok for straight line driving and longevity, but give them a corner to deal with and they're rubbish. They may well suit other cars better, but definitely not Vectras. You'll find similar views about how rubbish the NCT5 is over on Vectra-c.com
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I fitted a pair of NCT5s on my old Mondeo TD, and agree they are not great.
The only saving grace where mine were concerned is that they came brand new, fitted and balanced on brand new rims off Ebay for £45! :-) Swapped the complete wheels, took the old wheels and tyres to the dump afterwards, and job done.
The old NCT2 with its unusual diagonal tread pattern was a fabulous performance tyre, but the 5 bears no relation.
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VxFan
Ill have a look out for them Uniroyals, if they are as good as you say they are - thanks
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Getting a new tyre this weekend
As im only replacing the one tyre, and not both front ones (the Passenger side tyre is above limit and I cant afford two right now) I have decided to stick to the same Brand of Tyre
When I come to replace the front 2 or all 4 then I think I will check out VxFan's Recommendation
The tyres that ive got and getting a replacement one is Bridgestone Turanza E30 215/55/R16 H
Online Prices around £120 without fitting
Kwick Fit it was around £104 *IF* I book online
Local Indie Tyre Fit £99 if paying with Loyalty Card otherwise its £110.
Im tempted to go with the Local Tyre Fit as I would rather support them.
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>> The tyres that ive got and getting a replacement one is Bridgestone Turanza E30 215/55/R16H
Is that the ER30? If so, then I had them on my previous Vectra-C. Had no problems with Bridgestones, unlike the NCT5 that were fitted to newer Vectras. I replaced like for like when they were worn.
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Yes thats the ER30, I should have put that instead of E30
I find they are great in all situations apart from snow where they can lose grip, but they are AFAIK classed summer tyres anyway
But as they are (AFAIK) what where fitted originally to the Vectra im more than happy to stay with them until I have to replace 2 or more.
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Called into vauxhall last week and bought a steel wheel to replace that stupid space saver 16" 215 55 16 £51.00 just for the wheel & bought a part worn 7mm goodyear to put on which i did.
Now before anyone jumps on me for the part worn i do know tyres and it was my job for a few years it's your choice if you want them but if i had e bay when i was selling my runners to the second hand tyre shops which i did at just a fiver per tyre today these lads have got it made!!
You can get some great tyres part worn 7mm when a brand new tyre as 8mm at a fraction of cost but be carefull no dodgy sidewall repairs i ask before i buy.
On the new front Blackcircles used to be cheap but not much more these days, so shop around.
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>> On the new front Blackcircles used to be cheap but not much more these days,
>> so shop around.
>>
After a couple of weeks Extensive "research" of Internet and local tyre fitters taking into account fitting costs as well the cheapest for the type of tyre I have found are.
Quick fit (surprisingly, but online booking abd payment)
Local indie tyre fit
Both can do it for the same price so it's just a case of deciding which one
Last edited by: Redviper on Mon 16 Aug 10 at 20:31
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>> On the new front Blackcircles used to be cheap but not much more these days,
Whenever I've shopped on-line for tyres, Blackcircles have always quoted more than anyone else.
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Booked it in for this Saturday at my Local Indie Tyre Fit £116 Fully Fitted for a Bridgestone Turanza ER30
I think I would rather support a local indie than a nationwide chain - ill report back when complete if anyone is interested :-)
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>> Online Prices around £120 without fitting
>>
>> Booked it in for this Saturday at my Local Indie Tyre Fit £116 Fully Fitted
>> for a Bridgestone Turanza ER30
mytyres have them for £106.20 each (including p&p)
ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/reifenbestellen.pl?typ=76731&dsco=10
ATS usually charge me £10 a corner so £116 from your local indie isn't too bad a price per tyre fitted.
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Thats what I thought
The one that has punctured (on the drivers side front of the car) is a Michellin Primacy (was on when I bought the car). the other 3 are Bridgestone Turanza's so Im glad im getting a correct replacement, I dont know how much of a difference mixing tyres like that is, but at least its going to be correct and the car should perform how it should.
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I find the Bridgstone Turanza v noisy on my Octavia.
Don't think changing the tyres will make much difference. Unfortunately Octavias are known for road noise (I drive one). Think its more due to poor sound insulation than the tyres
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I have to admit, sometimes the car can be quite noisy, if im honest my Laguna's used to be much quiter
I dont know if its down to as you say the Turanza's or just generally the sound insualtion on the car - but i dont find it to much of a hassle, but when you go over them concrete sections on the motorway it can be a bit noisy
For now as im just replacing one ill keep all 4 the same, but When It comes to changing all 4 I might consider trying out VxFan's suggestion of Uniroyals.
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...Unfortunately Octavias are known for road noise...
Focuses - particularly older ones - are the same.
Changing the tyres on mine made a big difference to the noise.
It was just as loud, but different. :)
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>> I used to put Kumho's on my Vectra C -
Kumho, Falken, Federal, Vredestein - there's a whole bunch of perfectly respectable tyres that are a bit cheaper because they don't have the brand image of the "premium" tyres.
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New tyre on, its a brand new Bridgestone Turanza, so I have now Turanza's on all 4 wheels as the car originally was supplied
dont know how much of a difference it is, but ive got a 2 and half hour drive to Cadwell Park tommorrow so we shall see then, it can only be for the better.
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Remember to take it easy for a little while to allow the tyre to bed in and adhere itself properly to the wheel rim. Also allow for any mould releasing agents to wear away.
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Turanzas were standard fitting on 16" Vectra C wheels from the start AFAIK (NCT5s were standard on 17")
You've paid top dollar for a premium tyre so it's good that you've now got a full matching set. Looking at your size on mytyres I'm surprised there wasn't a cheaper premium alternative, cheapest I found were around £90 so there's not much in it.
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This weeks Autocar has been testing tyres. The verdict for 16" 205/55 in front drive applications is the Vredestein Ultrac Cento, though your Bridgestone was a close second. Vredestein cheaper, too.
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Hi All
Many Thanks for your advice and suggestions, it is very much apreciated.
VxFan: "Remember to take it easy for a little while to allow the tyre to bed in and adhere itself properly to the wheel rim. Also allow for any mould releasing agents to wear away. "
- Thanks, I got them on saturday, and sunday morning set off for Cadwell Park - took it easy all the way down, noone around - so could just cruise control kept it at 70mph
Marc : "You've paid top dollar for a premium tyre so it's good that you've now got a full matching set. Looking at your size on mytyres I'm surprised there wasn't a cheaper premium alternative, cheapest I found were around £90 so there's not much in it."
- Yes thats what I thought, I thought I would pay just the bit Extra to have a matching set as you say when I shopped around the cheapest "budget" I could get IIRC was around £80 + so there was no point in getting them, and I more than happy now ive got all the same on all 4 corners.
Alastairw: "This weeks Autocar has been testing tyres. The verdict for 16" 205/55 in front drive applications is the Vredestein Ultrac Cento, though your Bridgestone was a close second. Vredestein cheaper, too. "
Yes I might consider changing brands when its time replace 2 or more but for now im more than happy ive got 4 all the same as originally came with the car - becasue the one I replace ( i neglected to mention when I originally started the thread) was a Michellin Primacy which must have replaced the original Bridgestone that came with the car - so now I have all 4 the same.
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Vauxhall Vectra C - Tyre Choice - Bellboy
