My company car was delivered on Bridgestone tyres. The lease company claim that they always replace tyres with 'premium' brand tyres, which in my case turned out to be Hankook.
Recently, I've seen several new cars with Hankook tyres as OEM (including a BMW 7 series and an Audi A5) and some other VAG cars with Falken tyres fitted from new.
Are we to believe that the likes of Hankook, Falken etc are up there with Michelin, Pirelli, Good Year etc, or are the manufacturers just looking to save money on tyres from new?
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Hankook and Kumho never seem to win the comparison tests* but neither are they embarassed these days.
*Autoexpress
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Good sources for tyre reviews etc include:
www.tyrereviews.co.uk/
z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30792
www.which.co.uk/reviews/new-and-used-cars/article/best-car-tyre-brands/other-tyre-brands
Continental Sports 17in tyres were fitted to my VW Jetta when I bought it (originl fitments) and I replaced two of them with S3s at a cost of £235 after three years.
However I discovered that Continental has a big share of Matador tyres, which are well rated, so I bought a pair earlier this year. They cost a total of £104 delivered from Openo Tyres (despatched from Germany but manufactured in France) and my independent garage fitted them for £30 including balancing etc.
So far, after four months' use, they've proved excellent. Apparently they use the previous Continental Sports pattern.
Last edited by: Stuartli on Mon 3 Sep 18 at 16:36
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>>....delivered from Openo Tyres...>>
Should be Oponeo Tyres (memory lapse!)
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>> Are we to believe that the likes of Hankook, Falken etc are up there with
>> Michelin, Pirelli, Good Year etc,
Yes they are. As you say chosen by car makers, inc Porsche.
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Having had Khumo tyres for years when I got the X type it was on Pirellis but I soon swapped them for Khumos. I had trust in the Khumos but the transformation to low noise levels was most marked.
Now have Hankooks that were fitted by a big main dealer so they too must trust them.
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SWMBO's old Mini Cooper S convertible came from the factory on Hankook Ventus V12 Evo tyres. They were good in both wet and dry, to be fair, although the fronts were looking decidedly past their best when we chopped the car back in at 10k, and they weren't that badly abused.
Of all the tyre manufacturers whose products I've tried, the one that stands head and shoulders above the rest, in my opinion, is Michelin. I've had various cars shod with them from an MX5 to a mk4 Golf GTI, and a 320d to my current M140i. They always give excellent grip, and they last really well. I won't even consider anything else to replace the tyres on the M140i when the time comes.
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Michelin was inevitably OEM on various Citroens I've had since 1989 and are my first choice but will fir BF Goodrich if Mich are too expensive. Local branch of Formula One usually has offers on Goodrich. Berlingo currently has Goodrichs at front and Yokohama, latter a distress purchase after driving on a punctured flat, at rear. Seem OK for wear, ride and grip though they may need a re-balance; some vibration at around 80.
The Roomster has Pirelli Cinturato fronts (fitted just after I got it as one was a ditchfinder). Firestones at rear were on when I bought it 30k miles ago. Unlike the 'lingo it doesn't wear these much. Again been an OK mix with no grip etc worries. All four will need replacing in next year or so.
Although I cannot detect it with eye or hand I think one of rears has a slight flat spot or bulge in tread - there's a low frequency drumming at slow traffic speeds.
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For the past decade I’ve always used Michelin. When I bought the 330 at 6yo it came shod with Pirelli which were at minimum tread level...part of the price negotiation. I immediately put on a full set of Michelin Alpins which were fantastic. The stop gap mega miles Focus came shod with 3 different brands of Chinese ditchfinder. Soon sorted with a full set of Michelin X Climates which transformed grip, stopping ability and everything in between. The current jalopy came shod with Michelin Latitude Sports.
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It's all about personal experience then. My current car has Michelins which were the original ones and they are cracking. I'm currently "in discussion"with Vauxhall over it as it seems to be a known problem. Made me think I wouldn't pay the Michelin premium in future though (but the forum recommendation is for extra quiet Goodyear anyway)
Last edited by: smokie on Tue 4 Sep 18 at 18:35
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You take your clothes off to make a decision? Surely it'd be better the other way around?
Last edited by: No FM2R on Tue 4 Sep 18 at 18:33
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Oops. Auto correct. Lol
Fixed
Last edited by: smokie on Tue 4 Sep 18 at 18:35
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>> It's all about personal experience then. My current car has Michelins which were the original
>> ones and they are cracking.
How old is the car?
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There's the rub. I deliberately omitted that lol.
First registered in June 2015
But vin says it was built in 2012.
Vauxhall did not market them at all and they were only sold between 2012 and 2015, and many of the later reg cars were built in 2013 or earlier. There were only ever about 1200 in the UK. GM sold more across Europe and there is a new version in the states which they aren't even bringing here.
So the tyres are probably 6 years old.
Michelin would normally warrant them up to six years for this kind of issue. But they rejected the claim. Vx have also rejected it so I am now going through the ombudsman as I know they have replaced others.
Last edited by: smokie on Tue 4 Sep 18 at 18:44
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You decded to pay the bare minimum?
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Hankook, Kumho and Barum tyres have been my tyre of choice for some time.
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Barum tyres are connected to the Continental brand, as is the case with Matador.
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Premium tyres - Lygonos
