Hi Guys, Sorry if this video isn't quite as polished as the other recent videos :( We were meant to shoot over 2 days, but due to poor weather we only had one day which meant all the testing then filming was rushed, plus we couldn't get the drone in the air, so it's only ground shots. The results are still super interesting. The budget tyres really were good in numbers, and priced extremely well too, but numbers only tell half the story. When compared to the Continental premium tyres, the budget tyres were extremely difficult to drive quickly, and prone to surprise understeer or oversteer, not what you want on the road.
Tyre Reviews I know how much you love comparing these rubber shoes on the slick nice sports cars, BUT do you think you can pry yourself away from those chick magnets and do some comparative testing on some of the bulkier vehicles like maybe some trucks, or better yet on an American Cargo Van type road warrior since there are many millions of people and businesses who use that type of vehicle on a daily basis. Compare some All Terrain tires would be very interesting and make up the virtues of the higher priced ones vs the lower end ones. If you start doing some of those types of video I can almost guarantee you that some of those would go viral... Just sayin.....😎👍👌
Casey - The Original Conspiracy Realist interestingly I'm planning a 4x4 video with the new Goodyear Wrangler All Terrain Adventure tyre! Fingers crossed it'll happen soon
Tyre Reviews That's great! I'll be looking forward to that. I'd be interested in how well the tread clears water as well as mud on the AT's. Not that I plan much mudding in my van, but it'd be nice to know how well they do in an off road situation and if they really help you get unstuck if you were unlucky. Puncture resistance is also of some interest, with notating how many layers of (kevlar/or steel mesh/ or?) , and also how well protected the sidewalls are. If I'm going to spend the extra for the Goodyear or other brand names it would be helpful to know what perks they have and compared to another model. Hope I gave you enough to ponder in your sleep, and start thinking how to test and film those variables for the presentation. (GOODYEAR vs FIRESTONE is always a great draw factor...could even go viral if done right.... now I got your wheels spinning..hehe... of course the pun was intended!) Good Luck😎👍👌
This was an interesting test but I'd like to see it done again with a more normal car like a C220d or a fwd hatch. The C63 is a serious performance car well known for initial understeer switching to extreme oversteer under power, so I wonder if the subjective handling differences observed here would be as noticeable in a more normal and less powerful car, i.e the kind of stuff most people drive.
I've tested budget tyres in smaller sizes on cars like Golfs and BMW 1 Series, and honestly, the gap between the budget and premiums has been much larger than on this test. There are so many bad tyre options in 205/55 R16!
My uncle had a BMW 740i years ago. He put budget tyres and guess what, he crashed the BMW exiting a roundabout under the rain. Myself, when I was a young worker, I didn't have a lot of money and I put budget tyres on my first car. One wet sunday morning, going to work, I lost steering, went on the banking, and the car made one roll. Dead. Now, I don't look at budget tyres, I always buy the best after watching a lot of reviews and tests. It's even more important for my motorbike...
Its good to buy tires after tests..until tire producers like Cont.. were catched to pay testers and prepered specia, the better one versions of tires because They knew where hese tires will be bought. Cont... did that many years.
@@zepter00 In the same league, French auto newspaper "auto plus" is owned by... Volkswagen. No wonder why the golf always wins compare against any other brand.
Just changed from from Conti Premium Contact 2 to a Michelin Primacy 4 on a 07 Mercedes 180k and the difference is amazing. Much better even when driven hard. The upgrade is huge, it's quieter, softer over the bumps and has way more grip in every situation and I have really pushed it. I have Michelin Pilot Sport 4 on my Volvo C30 T5 and they are mind blowing. I had the previous PS3 before that. The only brand of tire I will go for now is Michelin, even the budget XM2 Energy on my 95 Opel Astra are incredible. I have had Sport Contacts 1, 2 and 3, Dunlop, Goodyear, etc. Nothing compares to Michelin in performance and safety. They are 15% more expensive but they last 30% longer in milage and I have noticed a better fuel consumption. My only regret with Michelin is a not knowing sooner. I won't touch anything else but if I had to it would be: Michelin Continental Goodyear Riding my bicycle Walking
If you've never had good quality tyres then you probably won't think the cheapies are too bad but from my experience, when I changed to Michellin PS3 and then 4, I can't go back. You really notice the difference in wet/cold conditions.
Neutral and predictable handling is very important for safety and also fun. The suspension setup plays a pretty big role in this just as well as tires.
My rule of thumb is use the tyres for the car type. If it's a budget car put on budget tyres. If it's a sport's car use sport tyres. If it is a premium car use premium tyres. There's no point owning a 70K car and skipping on tyres to save 500.
Few people understand this concept: Brakes stop the wheels, Tyres stop the car! My Ford Escape comes with premium continental contisport contact and guess what my next tyre will be? The same. They are amazing tyres especially in the wet grip.
Absolutely correct 👍🏻🙌🏻 Makes NO difference between a Bimmer M3 or a basic KIA subcompact as rubber at all 4 corners r d object to make FIRST contact with roads. Strangely, I've seen people spending lots of dollars to upgrade their cars in terms of performance n looks but choose to use budget wide tires instead of proven brands. 4 decades ago, I already used Michelin on my used Jensen Healy convertible (doc with dual carbs) simply because my pal whom taught me how to 'properly' drive a stick shift (double clutch action) told me nothing counts more importantly than good tires on safe n performance driving 😎
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Driving an AMG on cheap tires is the same as having private jet but can't afford to fuel it ,all show nothing more ,same as most AMG drivers
People who buy that sort of car on 60 easy payments, and then discover they have £30 a month left to feed themselves and put tyres on the car when they wear in to a hole. So Hoofung Slipomatics or the classic LingLong Ditchfinder it is, because the guy in the tyre place says he drives at 200mph in his Subaru on them, and he must know, right? Or as is VERY common, someone buys that sort of car off a dealer, and the dealer has put the cheapest s**te he can find on, just so he can say "new tyres mate" to the clueless punter who turns up of a Saturday morning to look at the car. Source: bought a Lancer that the dealer had put Kingstar tyres on, nearly put it over the first roundabout I came to at 30mph in the wet.
Cevair Zufe Exactly! People seem to think that shitty budget tyres are fine on a lower powered car, but you still generate the same kind of braking or steering forces in an emergency situation.
If you can afford to own a V8 AMG Mercedes, then buying decent tyres shouldn't be a problem. I doubt that premium tyres would make any difference on something like a 1.4 Corsa though.
God for, Useful conclusion... Tyre choice matters if you drive to the limits of the conditions... We are not always able to control those conditions though most tyres are ok for modest conditions.
BUT budget tires are not too bad the first two months or so, you should try 1 year old budget tyres vs premium (with normal thread ofc). Tried budget tires then bought Michelin pilot sport 4 (they are almost 3x more expensive) and I'm never ever again going for budget ones (225/40 R18)
i don't think nobody mentioned tyre ranking properly, there's not only budget vs premium, there's cheap, decent, premium, ultra sport tyres...so comparing cheap to premium its a huge difference, comparing decent to premium not so much, and ultra sports are story for itself for proper car and purpouse driving
Even with tyres in the same price bracket there can be a big difference, my meagre old MG Metro had a choice of Michelin or Dunlop back in the day, the Michelins were decent in the dry but shockingly bad in the wet, whereas the Dunlops were brilliant all round, grippy enough to get the car up on 2 wheels and easily retain control (not something I recommend on public roads !!!), there was only about £4 price difference between the 2. The Metro wasn't an especially quick car but it was still dangerous in the wet on poor tyres. These days with my hot hatches I stick with Michelin Pilot Sport, they're brilliant
Thanks for the upload, as I always find your reviews and articles extremely interesting. How did the two tyres hold up in terms of wear from the punishment of the testing, as the Contis are quite notorious for wearing down quickly. Also, you're a pretty capable driver. Do you race at all? I'm interested as to where you learned your trade.
Dennis Kwok thank you! The Sport Contact 6 improves wear over the 5P. It took the abuse much better than the budget which tore apart quite badly. Sadly don't have the money to race at the moment, but have been fairly competitive when I have. I'm pretty sure I learnt to drive on Gran Turismo...
I had a rental car with cheap tires that almost killed us. On the freeways near San Francisco, I was being passed by minivans and transport trucks while I was screeching and drifting around bends.
Cheap new tyres are still better than a bald brand name tyre that has gone hard. If you're looking for performance, you should never cheap out on anything. You wouldn't expect KMart sneakers to grip as well as Nike or Adidas.
Moral of the story, get the best tires you can afford. It is the only thing that connects the car to the road. Shit tires massively affect the handling characteristics of a car. However, if you have a shit car then obviously you are poor and none of this matters and you should just buy some nangkangs.
I had nangkangs, can’t remember which tyre to be specific. Let’s just say they basically didn’t work in the wet. My car had less than 100 horsepower and it would spin for days when it rained. Although it was quite torque’y
Boo Baa bullshit I had some all season Nankangs £66 per corner and in the wet they were really good. Hardly wheelspinned (170bhp / 270lbft) and were good for 130mph+
@@azaboy2 so you purchased one design and had a certain experience that automatically makes the other person's experience invalid? Or is it maybe more likely that you purchased different designs?
Effectively this video tells us, tyre and car performance should be judged on multiple factors, using just stopping distance is inefficient. Perhaps an arrangement like that used in Formula one racing where an entire engine and car performance is measured would of been better. I would mind betting the subjective viewpoint given could be justified were multiple objective measures taken.
or at least the driver should enter the car not knowing the type of the tires, and then score how they perform, doing several tests in a row with different price level tires but similar pattern.
I'd really like to see a comparison like this on FWD cars. I'm thinking about smaller compact cars, like the Fiesta, the Polo or the Punto, because for what I see that's the kind of cars 18-28 years old people usually drives here in Europe
+SemmyRace check out the tyre reviews website, plenty of tests for smaller wheel sizes. The results are usually a much larger gap in wet braking and handling
There's budget tires and there's budget tires. Just like premium brands the performance of each manufacturer is different. I'm on contact 5 atmo and find them shocking in UK winters but yet the budget brand on before from China was great.
loved that in the wet brake test when hitting the foam that one of the blocks came down on the side view mirror. it moved the mirror quite a bit and i am quite sure it is partially broken if not severly broken as it moved the mirror forward (even if this mirror could move it would be to fold in ) so if it cant move like my car then it cracked the panel and could cost $200-$1500 to fix that
That mirror is quite strong, glad to see you keep up with the comments. Your videos helped convince me to get summer and winters tire sets. keep up the great work.
I somewhat agree with this test, however he was driving a high powered car & the people who buy these tyres will be driving Camry’s, Fiestas, Focus, Golf, Polos & won’t be going hell for leather & drifting the car, they will be cruising at 30mph or 60-70mph on regular roads. Please perform your tests under these conditions & report back as this will be more useful than track driving.
If u buy budget, u will find out its not worth it, then go and buy premium.. then u in fact lost the money on the 4 budgets.. no savings… 250punds is worth to be safe!!. Unless you never pass 35km/h then u most likly be fine
Lets be honest here, if you can afford to run a C63, you can afford the premium tyres. And with 460bhp going to the rears, you'll need them! What about us poor folks who run sub 200bhp machines? Or those of us who have AWD or FWD? Are the premiums worth it when you're engine doesn't have enough power to light up the rears? Or when your car isn't prone to oversteer in the first place?
You'd be surprised. This generation of car (2012) is generally bought by people who stretch themselves to get a high performance car, then try to run it on a budget!
On a rwd car you really can't scrimp on cheap tyres as the unpredictable nature as shown in this video just makes them a touch dangerous. On a fwd car doesn't matter too much just have to drive a bit slower as going faster will just provoke understeer alot sooner. Even then I personally wouldn't choose budgets, a middle of the road tyre can be a good compromise I think
I see you haven’t tested these on a normal car still I would suggest this test really doesn’t matter to 95% of people on the road as they don’t drive these type of vehicles
Test budget tyres on a 10year old Fiesta, the true market for such tyres. If you have a Merc AMG and fit budget tyres you're mad... I replaced old cheap Chinese tyres on my secondhand Cmax, with reasonably priced Firestones, and the car was transformed, for £200 all round. Theres cheap and budget.
I just put pilot sport 3s on a 10 year old fiesta, and they feel fantastic as expected, but also the difference in ride comfort and noise is huge to the mid tier tyres on it before. Even if dry performance is not much better, wet performance is huge, and was definitely worth it imo.
I think you are right. Sort of.. but I bought my 52 REG Octavia estate with half worn 7 years old Kumho Solis tyres. I have replaced them with a set of Rovelo RPX 988. There was a huge difference. It was more comfortable, less noisy, and also less skidding. I think you can buy real cheap, but really good quality tyres. How many cars in the UK are driving on 4 different tyres? In the rest of Europe a car is not passing an MOT if tyres are not matching on axels. When I was getting my Rovelos at National I guy drove in with a 2 years old merc and asking for 1 second hand tyre. Of course he was told, that was not the place for him...
As someone else pointed out, this is a powerful expensive car, would my nan in her fiesta 1.25 zetec notice any difference, or for that matter the 90% of drivers who drive well within the capabilities of their vehicles. Would be interesting to see if budget tyres are the best option for the majority, or if premium tyres still offer enough benefits to justify the extra cost 🤔🙃🙂
What you said is right, but even if you drive slow and careful, when you have to do an emergency braking, the premium tyre can save you, especially on the wet. Furthermore, the performance of a premium tyre lasts nearly for his entire life, while the performance of a cheap tyre starts to fade really quickly when it is consumed
Thanks for the video's. Could you guys make one about tire pressure and the difference it makes driving with regular and lower pressure due to neglection!
YES ? WHY USE a fast car ? Test tyres on a 5 or 6 yr old 80,000 mile Fiesta/ Focus, Corsa / Astra, OR other Best selling avg' car with average engine size. Big Fat low Profiles on an AMG ? ? they should be dammed PERFECT ! !
The real question is: "Is it worth saving a few hundred bucks to risk a much greater chance of crashing your car, ending up with an EXPENSIVE repair bill, AND ruining your life because someone got injured or killed?
Have never bought expensive brands and never had any issues. Can easily go round a bend at 45mph on £50 tyres. Most of the time is not the tyres that are the problem but the people who are driving the car.
Alex2900 100%, I personally buy in middle of the market and sometimes budget and I think some of these tyre snobs that only buy premier brands would have heart attacks if they realised just how many cars are driving about behind them on the motorway on illegal or close to illegal bald tyres.
@@soldiers303 depends on your car, if you are driving on 15" then it sounds reasonable. as a price. But there are people out there who spend about as much on a 20" tyre. let that sink in.
One of the few times where being a "brand snob" could be justified. Michelin, Pirelli, Continental, Bridgestone, Goodyear etc. are famous names for tires for a very good reason. They have the technologies, tread patterns, rubber compounds & engineering to make even a simple 'everyday' tire significantly better than some no-name brand tire.
But don't just go by brand as alot of people do in my experience. You can pay £60 for one Goodyear and £180 for another the same size but they are worlds appart!
Critical Thinker then have fun ending up in wrapped around a tree cheapskate. On the 2nd thought, please take the bus least you ruin someone else's car or god forbid their life.
You can just never go cheap on tyres. Coming from a country where monsoon rain is very common. A lot of budget tyres do quite well in the dry. But in a light, skinny tyred car, cheap ones will just NOT grip at all. That feeling of stress not knowing when is the car going to snap is just terrible. Just swapped the Silverstones out for Michelins and boy do they transform the car!
Ohhh Silverstone? You're Malaysian! I agree man Silverstone tyres aren't good at all. It's a local brand... but doesn't matter if it's bad. We didn't even bother with them on our Myvi we just went straight for Bridgestone Ecopias.
Poor reasoning. A premium tyre might last twice as long as a budget, and while a bald premium will be worse than a new budget in aquaplaning performance, there's a good chance it will still be better at regular wet and dry braking.
Do the test. I think you'd be wrong. You can't have it all. The softer the compound = more grip and the faster your tyre will wear. Yes you can get premium branded low rolling resistance tyres that will last a long time, but high grip premium tyres do not last as long e.g MICHELIN Cup 2's
Google "Should we change tyres at 3mm? Michelin say no", and the first result should be a link with data from tests where new budget tyres are out performed by worn mid range tyres.
Love these videos! Has my mind totally made up for my car plans now ... Sticking with 17 inch wheels and putting premium tyres (Goodyear asymmetric 3's) on them 👌🏼
I liked the video. And I have to congratulate you for your effort. You do really good work on this channel. But, honestly, the person who chooses a budget tyres, would not have a powerful car. Meaning, the budget tyre would not be under so much stress, due to the amount of torque applied by the engine (and this C63 AMG has a lot of it), and not under the stress of those kinds of speeds and G-forces put it through (which increases heat). On my Peugeot 106 (~60hp 1.1L Petrol), I have used budget tires, as it does not have much power, low stopping power, and does not handle high cornering speeds. On my Renault Megane III Sportstour (110hp 1.5L Diesel), I have placed Michelin Primacy 4, as it will deal with more weight (which increases the stress under cornering), and will face more torque (not much, unfortunetly). Furthermore, the stopping capabilities are there, to take advantage of the more expensive tyre. I think this test should be done on a budget car. Like the Citroen C1, the Ford Fiesta, the Renault Megane, or the Peugeot 508. These are the budget segments people are more likely to purchase budget tyres. By using these cars, in my opinion, the weight, torque, and speed applied to the tyres would be more realistic.
Couldn't agree more.. I brought budget chinese tyres unipass 235/40/18 for $340 for my mitsubishi evo6 TME road wheels and they are absolutely scary in the wet. They tramline, aquaplain and change lanes by themselves like crazy and in 100km/ph zones I get overtaken by grandma's in grocery getters. Whereas my rx7 with Bridgestone 245-275/30/20, s15 silvia with stretched dunlop 235/35-245/40/19, galant vr4 with toyo 215/35/18 and holden ss with pirelli 245/40/18 all feel more sure footed and confidence inspiring in all conditions. My evo should be the best in all conditions being awd but is by far the worst. I tend to think my semi's may fare better in the wet but am unwilling to try lol
semi slicks will certainly give you more aquaplaning issues with standing water. You've got enough power, go and destroy the budgets on a (dry) track day and get some proper tyres on :)
try driving without brake pads and tell me tyres are still the most important thing on a car. Tyres are a big con. I've had Avon tyres for years and never had an issue
@@lauriepowell6819 I am driving on budget tyres from National, and I had Nokians before. I think a set of brand new budget tyre is better than a set of half worn premium.
Awesome video man...I've successfully ruined my fiesta ST by putting cheap budget tires on it..I hate them every time I drive...its amazing how much tires really make a difference in overall driving pleasure...never again will I buy budget tires..
I tried bald (used) Chinese tires on My Fiesta ST couldn't tell much dif between them and the new Michelin Pilot Sport 3 A/S, the Chinese ones actually gripped really well, but wasn't too confident about how they'd hold up in wet or bad conditions.
I can relate. My ford fiesta 1.5tdci is absolutely awful in ride comfort with the two budget tyres I've put on the front. The handling is no where as nice as it was on conti 2 it came with. The grip in the wet worries me and coming into the winter it doesn't take a lot to get wheelspin or break traction and this is in a FWD 74|105 Bhp 270nm fiesta. So I can't wait for these tyres to wear out so I can get some better ones. Sure they're are more expensive but I'll get better economy, handling and comfort from them. An all round better experience imo.
Saving a 200-300 euros/dollars/pounds what ever is nothing when you crash and possibly die because of it. Probably not the the smartest move to buy the best and most expensive set for a daily drive, but at least, buy something decent. Not all about the safety but also the tire noise, worse fuel consumption and comfort (less grippy and harder rubber).
I used the cheapest chinese tyres for my bmw f30 for 2,5 years. After 50.000km it still had a lot of rubber on it. It would have lasted for 70.000km for sure. Never had an issue, did a lot of high speeding. Only on roundabouts i was carefull
In science and engineering courses, 5% is the difference between an acceptable and an unacceptable test statistic. So the results of these tires in this video makes sense.
Back in 2021 I bought a set of Rotalla RU01's for a 2017 Ford Mondeo (MK5). On my way home from the tyre shop, I thought my car was broken - the steering was nervous, it was slightly vibrating and it was way louder than the Michelins I had prior. I really can't recommend this brand to anybody.
I still can't comprehend how people are willing to put their life and their family's life at risk just to save some money. Tyres are the only thing that keeps our car on the road, and yet some people still believe they are yet another annoying expense
Just bought a 2015 Lexus IS 350 F-Sport last week. Currently has 225/40/18 (Fronts) and 255/35/18 (Rears), with Continental DW06’s. Swapping those out for 255/35/18 (Fronts) and 275/35/18 (Rears), with Michelin Pilot 4’s. Sooo excited to experience the difference! I get that this was a budget vs premium tire video, but I just wanted to share. Love the content.
What is the whole purpose of this test? If I wanted to drift a car I would buy drifting tyres more over, rear wheel drive high performance cars are all vulnerable in wet conditions and cannot be driven hard unless one fits 100 percent wet tyres anyway and if I wanted to drive the car on the track I would fit track tyres anyway so not sure what the whole purpose of this test. If you drive an AMG and worried about saving 250£ on tyres you cannot afford the car period.
Your final sentence might be correct and good logic, but sadly definitely isn't the case in the UK. All tyre testing pushes the tyres to, and past the limit, otherwise it wouldn't be testing the tyres, merely a pleasant drive around a track. The purpose of testing at the limit is to highlight both where the limit is, and how the car will behave at the limit, which applies to when you need your tyres the most, during emergency situations. The drifting was for show, no tyre test genuinely judges a tyre on its ability to drift, however how the car is balanced is an important factor.
think about it, if cheap tyres do good as premium tyres, why brand new cars never comes with cheap brand tyres? car manufactures wants to put the cost of productions and wants to sell reasonably good price, if they put cheap tyres on, they can save millions millions but they don't. Premium well known branded tyres have been tested or examined by tyre companies for countless times + situations before go on sale, means its not just a ripoff price making money out of rubber!
The problem here is that you're driving an AMG. Who owns an AMG and puts cheap tires on it? What you should have done is use a car that people would most likely put cheap tires on. That would have been informative.
I own a small garage near Rotterdam (NL) specialist in oil for performance cars, over 50% of older (performance) cars with younger men with relative small financial means Will drive cheap cars. Because they Will trash them anyway. Unfortunately Some Will only learn the hard way I am afraid.
I bought a car that came with cheap tires and tbh its been great, my last car had yokohamas on and i can’t tell the difference, i used to live in louisiana where it pours rain literally everyday, then i move to Arizona i drove 24 hours without any issue at all, I guess when it comes to agresive driving yes it matters, but if you drive normally you shouldn’t have any issue at all, (braking its great as well) i was surprised when i saw how much this tires worth i’m definitely buying another set whenever is necessary
Hi! Love the videos, great knowledge. I have a question I would hope you could answer. What road legal tyre should I fit on the 2017 Focus Rs for daily driving but with the purpose of gravel/dirt rally? Thanks
Tyre Reviews thanks for your reply! I went on gravel with the supersports on and it seems like the gravel eats the tyre real fast. Any tips on perhaps a tyre that would wear a lot less on gravel?
Outside of dedicated rally tyres for cars, or a crossover ATR 4x4 tyre, I'm not sure there will be many road car tyres which will handle gravel with ease
So basically, put budgets on your car, you would have to be a careful driver. Yeah, that would upset a lot of Mercedes owners. Without premium tyres, they wont be able to drive behind you three foot away from your rear bumper, or overtake on a single carridgeway putting everyone elses lives at risk, because they believe their bad time keeping is everyone else's problem. And the worst are A and C class drivers. Firstly, you haven't got a premium super car, you have a ford focus with a three spoke badge on it, and the more you flash your lights behind me the slower I will f##king go! (Sorry folks, but I really needed to vent a bit.)
I tell people that cheap tyres will work ok for normal driving. But when it comes to an emergency manoeuvres that's when it's safer having better tyres. Spend the money, just incase
I dont know anyone who would buy cheap Chinese tires and put it on their c63 amg. But I could think of a billion people in small economy cars , that would. Take out an economy car , and do some breaking and emergency handling situations. But don't get me wrong , did enjoy your panic on the cheap tires in the wet 😂.
He's coming from the standpoint of putting budget tires on an expensive high performance vehicle. If this video fails anywhere, it's that, that's not what budget tires are for. One shouldn't ask tires to handle 300+ hp in the rain, they're just not made with those specifications in mind. low-cost tires are made to go on commuter vehicles, like my old ZX2 or the Focus I'm replacing it with (though both *can* take advantage of nicer rubber if you want or need to spring for it). Tires are built to take a certain amount of heat, handle a certain amount of lateral G, and maintain traction on differing surfaces. That has a cost associated with it. You do spend more to have a well-known name on the sidewall, but with that usually comes a better warranty and/or a reputation for quality control. Take my Focus. It currently has $52 Sentry all-weather tires on it. They're positively okay! However, they slip a bit if you turn really hard, and they don't like ice very much at all. If I wanted to go into an Autocross match, I'd do well to spend the money on a better set of tires, ditto if I end up driving more in the winter then I have so far.
What really grips my s++t is the assumption, by ALL such bloggers, that the people who wish to enjoy driving are restricted to those with high performance cars. I have a smart 451. I love it, I love exploring the , admittedly narrow, envelope, but it seems impossible to find a reviewer prepared to advise what is the majority of us.
The problem with most people is all they know about tires (sorry , I'm American) is R,R,and R! Round ,Rubber , and Rolls! On my '99 Hyundai Accent I have economy tires. But being small and 18 years old there's not much car to support and it's primarily used for to and from work. However, on my '13 Hyundai Sonata (i45 in Europe) that I use for business I have top of the line Michelins! It never ceases to amaze me how many Mercedes and BMWs I see with China cheapie tires!
I used to run (slightly) cheap tires on a z06 corvette for practice autocross days. saves thousands of dollars. Yes much slower but it wasn’t out of control or anything. good times
Simeon Scott nah mate definitely fork out on the premium tyres so you can drive everywhere 4 inches behind the car in front, great plan aye! If you can’t drive to the capabilities of your car get the hell off the roads!
For all those wondering about (relatively) low powered FrontWD vehicles. I recently purchased an Alfa Giulietta QV (235HP Manual - please...no mocking comments), on which the previous owner put $80 AUD (42 GBP) tyres to pass registration. I took it out once (and once only) on a wet and twisty B road equivalent. EVERY slightly fast corner was downright scary - I had to slow down for the tradie-vans to pass (embarrassing much). This is was no fun at all. Needless to say they were replaced with proper tyres (Eagle F1-Supersports) for $190 each (100 GBP) the following week. The difference is phenomenal - it's like a completely different car. That said I have purchased more expensive Chinese tyres (220 AUD / 110 GBP) in the past because I simply could not swallow the 600 AUD / 310 GBP asking price per corner for a P-Zero or PS4 SUV at the time and they were actually pretty damn good on a 350HP/800nM Q7 V8 Diesel, sure I might have mowed down the odd granny crossing the road due to slightly extended wet braking but hey ....there has to be some trade-off....right?
Tyres performances changes using them. After 15k miles their performance will be as new budget tyres. With our speed limits, if you drive 10k miles every year, their rubber became hard even in a brand tyre. I suggest to change every two years every kind of tyre. Neither cheap or premium: I just need a good tyre (Nexen, Falken, Kumho a.s.o.)
Erwt64 sadly we didn't have time to test this properly. The cheaper tyres certainly wore faster during the test, and the sure hardness of the rubber was much softer. Fuel consumption details can be found via the EU label scores for the tyres, as can drive by noise
*Shore* hardness. Could you elaborate on 'much softer', seeing as car tyre rubbers are in the region of 70 Shore A? Much softer implies a substantial difference, and the A scale doesn't capture that well - an example being the rubber used for door seals is only 10 points lower, and there's no way on earth even a budget tyre rubber is even close to that soft.
Hi Guys,
Sorry if this video isn't quite as polished as the other recent videos :( We were meant to shoot over 2 days, but due to poor weather we only had one day which meant all the testing then filming was rushed, plus we couldn't get the drone in the air, so it's only ground shots.
The results are still super interesting. The budget tyres really were good in numbers, and priced extremely well too, but numbers only tell half the story. When compared to the Continental premium tyres, the budget tyres were extremely difficult to drive quickly, and prone to surprise understeer or oversteer, not what you want on the road.
Tyre Reviews
I know how much you love comparing these rubber shoes on the slick nice sports cars, BUT do you think you can pry yourself away from those chick magnets and do some comparative testing on some of the bulkier vehicles like maybe some trucks, or better yet on an American Cargo Van type road warrior since there are many millions of people and businesses who use that type of vehicle on a daily basis.
Compare some All Terrain tires would be very interesting and make up the virtues of the higher priced ones vs the lower end ones.
If you start doing some of those types of video I can almost guarantee you that some of those would go viral...
Just sayin.....😎👍👌
Casey - The Original Conspiracy Realist interestingly I'm planning a 4x4 video with the new Goodyear Wrangler All Terrain Adventure tyre! Fingers crossed it'll happen soon
Tyre Reviews That's great! I'll be looking forward to that. I'd be interested in how well the tread clears water as well as mud on the AT's. Not that I plan much mudding in my van, but it'd be nice to know how well they do in an off road situation and if they really help you get unstuck if you were unlucky.
Puncture resistance is also of some interest, with notating how many layers of (kevlar/or steel mesh/ or?) , and also how well protected the sidewalls are.
If I'm going to spend the extra for the Goodyear or other brand names it would be helpful to know what perks they have and compared to another model.
Hope I gave you enough to ponder in your sleep, and start thinking how to test and film those variables for the presentation.
(GOODYEAR vs FIRESTONE is always a great draw factor...could even go viral if done right.... now I got your wheels spinning..hehe... of course the pun was intended!) Good Luck😎👍👌
This was an interesting test but I'd like to see it done again with a more normal car like a C220d or a fwd hatch.
The C63 is a serious performance car well known for initial understeer switching to extreme oversteer under power, so I wonder if the subjective handling differences observed here would be as noticeable in a more normal and less powerful car, i.e the kind of stuff most people drive.
I've tested budget tyres in smaller sizes on cars like Golfs and BMW 1 Series, and honestly, the gap between the budget and premiums has been much larger than on this test. There are so many bad tyre options in 205/55 R16!
7:40 - mirror folded, 7:43 - mirror unfolded xD
Good eyes!
Fuck off zyzz
Tyres are the one thing you shouldn't cheap out on. If they save you from one crash, even a small one, they will pay for themselves.
Oh and also, I'm assuming these tyres are new. Wonder how they would be after its worn 50%.
Great points!
Aalok Galappatti but the cheaper prices outweigh the chance of you crashing during everyday driving
Not in my eyes. But then again, I love driving, so I always get the best tyres that I can find.
Agree 100% Tires and breaks, most important part of the car.
My uncle had a BMW 740i years ago. He put budget tyres and guess what, he crashed the BMW exiting a roundabout under the rain. Myself, when I was a young worker, I didn't have a lot of money and I put budget tyres on my first car. One wet sunday morning, going to work, I lost steering, went on the banking, and the car made one roll. Dead. Now, I don't look at budget tyres, I always buy the best after watching a lot of reviews and tests. It's even more important for my motorbike...
There's a good reason no one buys budget tyres on a motorbike, they realise how important tyres are!
Hard to enjoy understeer on a motorcycle.
I don't like crashing so i buy the best tyres i can, never know what's coming next that's how life is.
Its good to buy tires after tests..until tire producers like Cont.. were catched to pay testers and prepered specia, the better one versions of tires because They knew where hese tires will be bought. Cont... did that many years.
@@zepter00 In the same league, French auto newspaper "auto plus" is owned by... Volkswagen. No wonder why the golf always wins compare against any other brand.
Just changed from from Conti Premium Contact 2 to a Michelin Primacy 4 on a 07 Mercedes 180k and the difference is amazing. Much better even when driven hard. The upgrade is huge, it's quieter, softer over the bumps and has way more grip in every situation and I have really pushed it. I have Michelin Pilot Sport 4 on my Volvo C30 T5 and they are mind blowing. I had the previous PS3 before that. The only brand of tire I will go for now is Michelin, even the budget XM2 Energy on my 95 Opel Astra are incredible. I have had Sport Contacts 1, 2 and 3, Dunlop, Goodyear, etc. Nothing compares to Michelin in performance and safety. They are 15% more expensive but they last 30% longer in milage and I have noticed a better fuel consumption. My only regret with Michelin is a not knowing sooner. I won't touch anything else but if I had to it would be:
Michelin
Continental
Goodyear
Riding my bicycle
Walking
Since very few of us will ever be on a F1 race track the quastion is " do the budget tires suffice for normal driving conditions?"
No, no they dont.
All it takes is you to not grip up doing an emergency brake and youve hit a child
If you've never had good quality tyres then you probably won't think the cheapies are too bad but from my experience, when I changed to Michellin PS3 and then 4, I can't go back. You really notice the difference in wet/cold conditions.
Neutral and predictable handling is very important for safety and also fun. The suspension setup plays a pretty big role in this just as well as tires.
Unfortunately on most cars it's a lot more complicated and expensive to change the suspension than it is buying good tyres :)
My rule of thumb is use the tyres for the car type. If it's a budget car put on budget tyres. If it's a sport's car use sport tyres. If it is a premium car use premium tyres. There's no point owning a 70K car and skipping on tyres to save 500.
Few people understand this concept: Brakes stop the wheels, Tyres stop the car! My Ford Escape comes with premium continental contisport contact and guess what my next tyre will be? The same. They are amazing tyres especially in the wet grip.
Great way of putting it :)
Absolutely correct 👍🏻🙌🏻 Makes NO difference between a Bimmer M3 or a basic KIA subcompact as rubber at all 4 corners r d object to make FIRST contact with roads. Strangely, I've seen people spending lots of dollars to upgrade their cars in terms of performance n looks but choose to use budget wide tires instead of proven brands. 4 decades ago, I already used Michelin on my used Jensen Healy convertible (doc with dual carbs) simply because my pal whom taught me how to 'properly' drive a stick shift (double clutch action) told me nothing counts more importantly than good tires on safe n performance driving 😎
Driving an AMG on cheap tires is the same as having private jet but can't afford to fuel it ,all show nothing more ,same as most AMG drivers
Nobody in there right mind would put budget tyres on a car like that???? Why didn't you use a normal everyday car?
johnysreef not sure where you're from, but in the UK there's so many cars like this (it's a 2012 model) on cheap tyres!
Oh yeah i forgot, everyone has a v8 merc to fall back on, and everyone drifting around on there way to the shops.....
People who buy that sort of car on 60 easy payments, and then discover they have £30 a month left to feed themselves and put tyres on the car when they wear in to a hole. So Hoofung Slipomatics or the classic LingLong Ditchfinder it is, because the guy in the tyre place says he drives at 200mph in his Subaru on them, and he must know, right?
Or as is VERY common, someone buys that sort of car off a dealer, and the dealer has put the cheapest s**te he can find on, just so he can say "new tyres mate" to the clueless punter who turns up of a Saturday morning to look at the car. Source: bought a Lancer that the dealer had put Kingstar tyres on, nearly put it over the first roundabout I came to at 30mph in the wet.
Andy D perfectly worded!
Cevair Zufe Exactly! People seem to think that shitty budget tyres are fine on a lower powered car, but you still generate the same kind of braking or steering forces in an emergency situation.
March 2018 This was a very informative video .Does nt have to be a work of art in editing.The information is the pearl.
Thank you
Thank you..
Yep , they're very different ... But do you have to push it in the wet at each and every corner on public roads ?
in an emergency maneuver? Yes
Great review. Not sure why someone would put crappy tires an an AMG anything lol. Fun to watch.
If you can afford to own a V8 AMG Mercedes, then buying decent tyres shouldn't be a problem. I doubt that premium tyres would make any difference on something like a 1.4 Corsa though.
@@TheWhiskeyMan-rk7qv went from Michelin To cheap Chinese on my c63 for purpose of burnout only. Barely a difference. Feels the same. 1/5 the cost
They just came with the car and I didn’t change them
@@TheWhiskeyMan-rk7qvThe tyres are fairly expensive, they cost like £1400 for a set
I had no idea tires made such a difference, ive been purchasing budget tires thinking they were good because they were new XD
Tyres are the only thing between the car and the road, they can make a huge difference!
God for, Useful conclusion... Tyre choice matters if you drive to the limits of the conditions... We are not always able to control those conditions though most tyres are ok for modest conditions.
BUT budget tires are not too bad the first two months or so, you should try 1 year old budget tyres vs premium (with normal thread ofc). Tried budget tires then bought Michelin pilot sport 4 (they are almost 3x more expensive) and I'm never ever again going for budget ones (225/40 R18)
i don't think nobody mentioned tyre ranking properly, there's not only budget vs premium, there's cheap, decent, premium, ultra sport tyres...so comparing cheap to premium its a huge difference, comparing decent to premium not so much, and ultra sports are story for itself for proper car and purpouse driving
Even with tyres in the same price bracket there can be a big difference, my meagre old MG Metro had a choice of Michelin or Dunlop back in the day, the Michelins were decent in the dry but shockingly bad in the wet, whereas the Dunlops were brilliant all round, grippy enough to get the car up on 2 wheels and easily retain control (not something I recommend on public roads !!!), there was only about £4 price difference between the 2. The Metro wasn't an especially quick car but it was still dangerous in the wet on poor tyres. These days with my hot hatches I stick with Michelin Pilot Sport, they're brilliant
Thanks for the upload, as I always find your reviews and articles extremely interesting. How did the two tyres hold up in terms of wear from the punishment of the testing, as the Contis are quite notorious for wearing down quickly.
Also, you're a pretty capable driver. Do you race at all? I'm interested as to where you learned your trade.
Dennis Kwok thank you! The Sport Contact 6 improves wear over the 5P. It took the abuse much better than the budget which tore apart quite badly. Sadly don't have the money to race at the moment, but have been fairly competitive when I have. I'm pretty sure I learnt to drive on Gran Turismo...
Good guy foam block. It closes your mirror when crashing but then is nice enough to reopen it XD
Foamy was the real MVP
I had a rental car with cheap tires that almost killed us. On the freeways near San Francisco, I was being passed by minivans and transport trucks while I was screeching and drifting around bends.
That's why I stick to premium tyres. They make cars a lot safer to handle especially in wet weathers.
Exactly :)
The Rotalla works Great and i have 518 hors power in my car. Dont need to bye exepensive tyres.
Cheap new tyres are still better than a bald brand name tyre that has gone hard. If you're looking for performance, you should never cheap out on anything. You wouldn't expect KMart sneakers to grip as well as Nike or Adidas.
Moral of the story, get the best tires you can afford. It is the only thing that connects the car to the road. Shit tires massively affect the handling characteristics of a car. However, if you have a shit car then obviously you are poor and none of this matters and you should just buy some nangkangs.
Nankangs are actually fairly good economy tyres now! There's certainly much worse out of China...
Well put together
I had nangkangs, can’t remember which tyre to be specific. Let’s just say they basically didn’t work in the wet. My car had less than 100 horsepower and it would spin for days when it rained. Although it was quite torque’y
Boo Baa bullshit I had some all season Nankangs £66 per corner and in the wet they were really good. Hardly wheelspinned (170bhp / 270lbft) and were good for 130mph+
@@azaboy2 so you purchased one design and had a certain experience that automatically makes the other person's experience invalid? Or is it maybe more likely that you purchased different designs?
Effectively this video tells us, tyre and car performance should be judged on multiple factors, using just stopping distance is inefficient. Perhaps an arrangement like that used in Formula one racing where an entire engine and car performance is measured would of been better. I would mind betting the subjective viewpoint given could be justified were multiple objective measures taken.
Bridgestone were an unknown tyre maker years ago...now look at them, same for Hankook, now a premium brand
I'd like to see some scientific numbers and comparisons. Otherwise, great video!
Numbers for subjective differences are quite hard to explain, but it's something I'll work on for next time :)
or at least the driver should enter the car not knowing the type of the tires, and then score how they perform, doing several tests in a row with different price level tires but similar pattern.
People don't race around the track in their daily lives.... Unrealistic review
I'd really like to see a comparison like this on FWD cars. I'm thinking about smaller compact cars, like the Fiesta, the Polo or the Punto, because for what I see that's the kind of cars 18-28 years old people usually drives here in Europe
+SemmyRace check out the tyre reviews website, plenty of tests for smaller wheel sizes. The results are usually a much larger gap in wet braking and handling
Don't want to insult anybody. If you have enough money for a Mercedes, but not enough for high quality tries, than something is wrong.
There's budget tires and there's budget tires. Just like premium brands the performance of each manufacturer is different. I'm on contact 5 atmo and find them shocking in UK winters but yet the budget brand on before from China was great.
loved that in the wet brake test when hitting the foam that one of the blocks came down on the side view mirror. it moved the mirror quite a bit and i am quite sure it is partially broken if not severly broken as it moved the mirror forward (even if this mirror could move it would be to fold in ) so if it cant move like my car then it cracked the panel and could cost $200-$1500 to fix that
The mirror was fine. On one of the runs the go pro got knocked into the bonnet and caused damage :(
That mirror is quite strong, glad to see you keep up with the comments. Your videos helped convince me to get summer and winters tire sets. keep up the great work.
But I don't want to 'get it sideways and be a hero'. TO WHO? Some teenagers watching me drive like a fool?
I somewhat agree with this test, however he was driving a high powered car & the people who buy these tyres will be driving Camry’s, Fiestas, Focus, Golf, Polos & won’t be going hell for leather & drifting the car, they will be cruising at 30mph or 60-70mph on regular roads. Please perform your tests under these conditions & report back as this will be more useful than track driving.
If u buy budget, u will find out its not worth it, then go and buy premium.. then u in fact lost the money on the 4 budgets.. no savings… 250punds is worth to be safe!!. Unless you never pass 35km/h then u most likly be fine
Lets be honest here, if you can afford to run a C63, you can afford the premium tyres. And with 460bhp going to the rears, you'll need them! What about us poor folks who run sub 200bhp machines? Or those of us who have AWD or FWD? Are the premiums worth it when you're engine doesn't have enough power to light up the rears? Or when your car isn't prone to oversteer in the first place?
You'd be surprised. This generation of car (2012) is generally bought by people who stretch themselves to get a high performance car, then try to run it on a budget!
But what's the difference when driving normal conditions on the public road?
Well, it's all safe because the normal buyer doesn't drive the car as a F1 driver. Drive normal and safe and buy the budget 👍🏼
Pls teach me how to drift in my GT-R!
Oh wait.. :/
Adnan Ebrahim much sideways, very snap, ow.
Adnan Ebrahim
Ask Alex. he is pretty much a racing driver.
Adnan Ebrahim
Step 1: wet surface
Step 2: turn steering wheel
Step 3: mash throttle
Step 4: enjoy
Moe Thats exactly my recipe with my RS haha
IceDan don't you have a button to help? :)
I bought 2 new expensive tires and 2 new budget tires both same size but thread on the expensive one is like almost twice the thread on budget ones
On a rwd car you really can't scrimp on cheap tyres as the unpredictable nature as shown in this video just makes them a touch dangerous. On a fwd car doesn't matter too much just have to drive a bit slower as going faster will just provoke understeer alot sooner. Even then I personally wouldn't choose budgets, a middle of the road tyre can be a good compromise I think
He's talking the highest premium tire you can get. Those tires wear rating is also lower.
Oh man, you missed the best tire of all. The Big O r-compound Big Foot! ;-)
great video, but it is telling me cheaptires arent too bad as no one... 99% of consumers will never drive their cars to that limit.
I see you haven’t tested these on a normal car still I would suggest this test really doesn’t matter to 95% of people on the road as they don’t drive these type of vehicles
I've done the test plenty of times on "normal" cars, the difference between premium and budget in the smaller sizes is even greater.
Who the hell drifts to the shops anyway. Bit of an extreme review !
Am I the only who believes the budget tires were never intended to be used for this purpose?
Literally a fella driving a car waffling to himself
Literally a fella sitting at his computer watching a fella waffling to himself
In conclusion: get premium on the fronts and cheap on the rears, which is what I'm going to do in my rwd bmw..
Marco WY I've tried that on a 1 series and trust me when I say I wouldn't want to run it outside of a test facility!
Uniroyal or roadstone both A rated wet grip could of at least used somthing like that for a cheap tyre
Test budget tyres on a 10year old Fiesta, the true market for such tyres. If you have a Merc AMG and fit budget tyres you're mad...
I replaced old cheap Chinese tyres on my secondhand Cmax, with reasonably priced Firestones, and the car was transformed, for £200 all round. Theres cheap and budget.
Glad you're getting on with the tyres. The new Firestone Roadhawk is a real gem!
Yup, Roadhawks. Wonderful tyres.
I just put pilot sport 3s on a 10 year old fiesta, and they feel fantastic as expected, but also the difference in ride comfort and noise is huge to the mid tier tyres on it before. Even if dry performance is not much better, wet performance is huge, and was definitely worth it imo.
From what i saw,there are much more expensive cars on chinese tires than cheap older and less powerfull cars...
I think you are right. Sort of.. but I bought my 52 REG Octavia estate with half worn 7 years old Kumho Solis tyres. I have replaced them with a set of Rovelo RPX 988. There was a huge difference. It was more comfortable, less noisy, and also less skidding. I think you can buy real cheap, but really good quality tyres. How many cars in the UK are driving on 4 different tyres? In the rest of Europe a car is not passing an MOT if tyres are not matching on axels. When I was getting my Rovelos at National I guy drove in with a 2 years old merc and asking for 1 second hand tyre. Of course he was told, that was not the place for him...
As someone else pointed out, this is a powerful expensive car, would my nan in her fiesta 1.25 zetec notice any difference, or for that matter the 90% of drivers who drive well within the capabilities of their vehicles. Would be interesting to see if budget tyres are the best option for the majority, or if premium tyres still offer enough benefits to justify the extra cost 🤔🙃🙂
Well said.
What you said is right, but even if you drive slow and careful, when you have to do an emergency braking, the premium tyre can save you, especially on the wet.
Furthermore, the performance of a premium tyre lasts nearly for his entire life, while the performance of a cheap tyre starts to fade really quickly when it is consumed
Yes, yes they would. Not having any scenario where budgets are acceptable. Theyre dangerous!
Budgets tyres are a false economy, they are usually made from soft compounds so wear out quicker than premium or mid range brands.
Premium tyres don't cost that much on smaller sizes anyway
Thanks for the video's.
Could you guys make one about tire pressure and the difference it makes driving with regular and lower pressure due to neglection!
jdvosix it's certainly on the list :) it's a very complicated subject though so needs to be planned properly
I’d love to see the same.. it’s a hot topic :)
Could you make the same video, but the test car is a 60hp Skoda Fabia?
It might not be a Skoda Fabia, but we'll look to make the same video using a more normal car (probably a Golf diesel)
Nice. I would love to hear "These continentals are fantastic...Yes!" Going full throttle out in a corner in a Golf diesel.
:D I will do my best!
Lol Why not use some random Nissan Pulsar or Toyota Corolla standard type car
YES ? WHY USE a fast car ?
Test tyres on a 5 or 6 yr old 80,000 mile Fiesta/ Focus, Corsa / Astra, OR other Best selling avg' car with average engine size.
Big Fat low Profiles on an AMG ? ? they should be dammed PERFECT ! !
The real question is: "Is it worth saving a few hundred bucks to risk a much greater chance of crashing your car, ending up with an EXPENSIVE repair bill, AND ruining your life because someone got injured or killed?
4G12 I think no. But the cheaper end of the market is definitely getting better!
Have never bought expensive brands and never had any issues. Can easily go round a bend at 45mph on £50 tyres. Most of the time is not the tyres that are the problem but the people who are driving the car.
Alex2900 100%, I personally buy in middle of the market and sometimes budget and I think some of these tyre snobs that only buy premier brands would have heart attacks if they realised just how many cars are driving about behind them on the motorway on illegal or close to illegal bald tyres.
@@soldiers303 depends on your car, if you are driving on 15" then it sounds reasonable. as a price.
But there are people out there who spend about as much on a 20" tyre. let that sink in.
Or you can just learn to drive to the conditions, and your car’s capabilities..
Braking test without mentioning the speed was a bit pointless. If you brake from ie 120mph, the difference must be huge.
Fair point, sorry. The braking was from 110 kph / 68 mph.
Maybe its just me, i did only see the budget rotalla tire in this wet braking test?
One of the few times where being a "brand snob" could be justified. Michelin, Pirelli, Continental, Bridgestone, Goodyear etc. are famous names for tires for a very good reason. They have the technologies, tread patterns, rubber compounds & engineering to make even a simple 'everyday' tire significantly better than some no-name brand tire.
+Trades46 well put :)
They also make vertical tile adhesive mixture
Peter L Dunlop passenger car tires are safe and reputable, but prior experience with them has been less than stellar.
But don't just go by brand as alot of people do in my experience.
You can pay £60 for one Goodyear and £180 for another the same size but they are worlds appart!
Critical Thinker then have fun ending up in wrapped around a tree cheapskate. On the 2nd thought, please take the bus least you ruin someone else's car or god forbid their life.
dude nobody is going to be drifting on the way to work
🤣
I do 😂 and it feels good to start your day by burning tyres in a controlled environment
@@MuhammadOmer_Arifeen controlled environment.. oh which route is that to work .. circuit ? 😂
Tyres are one thing you dont want to cheap out on.
Guilty
just bought the RU01 s pace for my BMW E91 325D with 350hp 700nm. 235/35 R19. 275/30 R19. no complaints so far
I hope you don't have to try emergency braking on wet, you might be disappointed with them...
Still fine? Maybe I will also get these for my Juke 190hp
You can just never go cheap on tyres. Coming from a country where monsoon rain is very common. A lot of budget tyres do quite well in the dry. But in a light, skinny tyred car, cheap ones will just NOT grip at all. That feeling of stress not knowing when is the car going to snap is just terrible. Just swapped the Silverstones out for Michelins and boy do they transform the car!
Very sensible :)
Ohhh Silverstone? You're Malaysian! I agree man Silverstone tyres aren't good at all. It's a local brand... but doesn't matter if it's bad. We didn't even bother with them on our Myvi we just went straight for Bridgestone Ecopias.
Depends on your financials. You can change your tyres twice as often on the budgets. A bald premium tyre is going to lose against a new budget tyre.
Poor reasoning. A premium tyre might last twice as long as a budget, and while a bald premium will be worse than a new budget in aquaplaning performance, there's a good chance it will still be better at regular wet and dry braking.
Do the test. I think you'd be wrong. You can't have it all. The softer the compound = more grip and the faster your tyre will wear. Yes you can get premium branded low rolling resistance tyres that will last a long time, but high grip premium tyres do not last as long e.g MICHELIN Cup 2's
Google "Should we change tyres at 3mm? Michelin say no", and the first result should be a link with data from tests where new budget tyres are out performed by worn mid range tyres.
Love these videos! Has my mind totally made up for my car plans now ... Sticking with 17 inch wheels and putting premium tyres (Goodyear asymmetric 3's) on them 👌🏼
Glad we could be useful, let me know how you get on with the new setup :)
I liked the video.
And I have to congratulate you for your effort.
You do really good work on this channel.
But, honestly, the person who chooses a budget tyres, would not have a powerful car.
Meaning, the budget tyre would not be under so much stress, due to the amount of torque applied by the engine (and this C63 AMG has a lot of it), and not under the stress of those kinds of speeds and G-forces put it through (which increases heat).
On my Peugeot 106 (~60hp 1.1L Petrol), I have used budget tires, as it does not have much power, low stopping power, and does not handle high cornering speeds.
On my Renault Megane III Sportstour (110hp 1.5L Diesel), I have placed Michelin Primacy 4, as it will deal with more weight (which increases the stress under cornering), and will face more torque (not much, unfortunetly). Furthermore, the stopping capabilities are there, to take advantage of the more expensive tyre.
I think this test should be done on a budget car.
Like the Citroen C1, the Ford Fiesta, the Renault Megane, or the Peugeot 508.
These are the budget segments people are more likely to purchase budget tyres.
By using these cars, in my opinion, the weight, torque, and speed applied to the tyres would be more realistic.
Tyres are the only thing that touch the ground. Why even have decent car if you save on tyres?
Exactly!
Couldn't agree more.. I brought budget chinese tyres unipass 235/40/18 for $340 for my mitsubishi evo6 TME road wheels and they are absolutely scary in the wet. They tramline, aquaplain and change lanes by themselves like crazy and in 100km/ph zones I get overtaken by grandma's in grocery getters. Whereas my rx7 with Bridgestone 245-275/30/20, s15 silvia with stretched dunlop 235/35-245/40/19, galant vr4 with toyo 215/35/18 and holden ss with pirelli 245/40/18 all feel more sure footed and confidence inspiring in all conditions. My evo should be the best in all conditions being awd but is by far the worst. I tend to think my semi's may fare better in the wet but am unwilling to try lol
semi slicks will certainly give you more aquaplaning issues with standing water. You've got enough power, go and destroy the budgets on a (dry) track day and get some proper tyres on :)
you have a evo and you put budget tires man????? hahahahaha so stupid!!!
@@jeffa4822 Only bought them to pass roadworthy check. Didn't want to spend lots on temporary tyres
Tyres are the most important of an car (In my option). As there in direct contact with the road
qrogueuk yes they are, though they're so often overlooked!
Why does this comment has only 15 likes
try driving without brake pads and tell me tyres are still the most important thing on a car. Tyres are a big con. I've had Avon tyres for years and never had an issue
I think the engine is more important
@@lauriepowell6819 I am driving on budget tyres from National, and I had Nokians before. I think a set of brand new budget tyre is better than a set of half worn premium.
Awesome video man...I've successfully ruined my fiesta ST by putting cheap budget tires on it..I hate them every time I drive...its amazing how much tires really make a difference in overall driving pleasure...never again will I buy budget tires..
travis clarkin as least you understand where the problem is coming from and know how to fix it. I'd be very excited for your next tyre change! :)
I tried bald (used) Chinese tires on My Fiesta ST couldn't tell much dif between them and the new Michelin Pilot Sport 3 A/S, the Chinese ones actually gripped really well, but wasn't too confident about how they'd hold up in wet or bad conditions.
100%. Never.
I can relate. My ford fiesta 1.5tdci is absolutely awful in ride comfort with the two budget tyres I've put on the front. The handling is no where as nice as it was on conti 2 it came with.
The grip in the wet worries me and coming into the winter it doesn't take a lot to get wheelspin or break traction and this is in a FWD 74|105 Bhp 270nm fiesta. So I can't wait for these tyres to wear out so I can get some better ones. Sure they're are more expensive but I'll get better economy, handling and comfort from them. An all round better experience imo.
@@kwl189 I have Michelin Alpine 5 on my ST200 in the winter. I can basically cruise up a roof parking lot with 10" of snow covering the road.
Saving a 200-300 euros/dollars/pounds what ever is nothing when you crash and possibly die because of it. Probably not the the smartest move to buy the best and most expensive set for a daily drive, but at least, buy something decent. Not all about the safety but also the tire noise, worse fuel consumption and comfort (less grippy and harder rubber).
all depends what you're driving. If you're driving a C63 with budget tyres you're a nob haha
I used the cheapest chinese tyres for my bmw f30 for 2,5 years. After 50.000km it still had a lot of rubber on it. It would have lasted for 70.000km for sure. Never had an issue, did a lot of high speeding. Only on roundabouts i was carefull
Was it Rotalla Setula?
In science and engineering courses, 5% is the difference between an acceptable and an unacceptable test statistic. So the results of these tires in this video makes sense.
Back in 2021 I bought a set of Rotalla RU01's for a 2017 Ford Mondeo (MK5). On my way home from the tyre shop, I thought my car was broken - the steering was nervous, it was slightly vibrating and it was way louder than the Michelins I had prior. I really can't recommend this brand to anybody.
I still can't comprehend how people are willing to put their life and their family's life at risk just to save some money.
Tyres are the only thing that keeps our car on the road, and yet some people still believe they are yet another annoying expense
Plus people who spend £2,000 on expensive suspension upgrades only to put on the cheapest tyres!
Budget rear tyres on the C63 last 500km while the premium only 150. :D
Just bought a 2015 Lexus IS 350 F-Sport last week. Currently has 225/40/18 (Fronts) and 255/35/18 (Rears), with Continental DW06’s. Swapping those out for 255/35/18 (Fronts) and 275/35/18 (Rears), with Michelin Pilot 4’s. Sooo excited to experience the difference! I get that this was a budget vs premium tire video, but I just wanted to share. Love the content.
Let me know how you get on!
Tyre Reviews Will do.
What is the whole purpose of this test? If I wanted to drift a car I would buy drifting tyres more over, rear wheel drive high performance cars are all vulnerable in wet conditions and cannot be driven hard unless one fits 100 percent wet tyres anyway and if I wanted to drive the car on the track I would fit track tyres anyway so not sure what the whole purpose of this test. If you drive an AMG and worried about saving 250£ on tyres you cannot afford the car period.
Your final sentence might be correct and good logic, but sadly definitely isn't the case in the UK. All tyre testing pushes the tyres to, and past the limit, otherwise it wouldn't be testing the tyres, merely a pleasant drive around a track. The purpose of testing at the limit is to highlight both where the limit is, and how the car will behave at the limit, which applies to when you need your tyres the most, during emergency situations.
The drifting was for show, no tyre test genuinely judges a tyre on its ability to drift, however how the car is balanced is an important factor.
think about it, if cheap tyres do good as premium tyres, why brand new cars never comes with cheap brand tyres? car manufactures wants to put the cost of productions and wants to sell reasonably good price, if they put cheap tyres on, they can save millions millions but they don't.
Premium well known branded tyres have been tested or examined by tyre companies for countless times + situations before go on sale, means its not just a ripoff price making money out of rubber!
The problem here is that you're driving an AMG. Who owns an AMG and puts cheap tires on it? What you should have done is use a car that people would most likely put cheap tires on. That would have been informative.
You'd be surprised, in the UK at least there's plenty of AMGs this age (2012) with cheap tyres on!
I would say its the driving style that is more important. If you are gonna drive like a prick then get good tyres
@@OrdinaryJoe12 except the one who drive like that are the ones who cheap out on tyres. and they are mostly the 2nd or 3rd owner of the car.
I own a small garage near Rotterdam (NL) specialist in oil for performance cars, over 50% of older (performance) cars with younger men with relative small financial means Will drive cheap cars. Because they Will trash them anyway. Unfortunately Some Will only learn the hard way I am afraid.
I bought a car that came with cheap tires and tbh its been great, my last car had yokohamas on and i can’t tell the difference, i used to live in louisiana where it pours rain literally everyday, then i move to Arizona i drove 24 hours without any issue at all, I guess when it comes to agresive driving yes it matters, but if you drive normally you shouldn’t have any issue at all, (braking its great as well) i was surprised when i saw how much this tires worth i’m definitely buying another set whenever is necessary
Please can we just have a supercut of the small awkward noises you make whilst drifting
Whoorrr
Ohhh
Brrrr
Nnnggghhhhh
Hi! Love the videos, great knowledge. I have a question I would hope you could answer. What road legal tyre should I fit on the 2017 Focus Rs for daily driving but with the purpose of gravel/dirt rally?
Thanks
I'm afraid this is a little out of my comfort zone. Dmack make good rally tyres, though I'm not sure they're road legal. If you find some let me know!
Tyre Reviews thanks for your reply! I went on gravel with the supersports on and it seems like the gravel eats the tyre real fast. Any tips on perhaps a tyre that would wear a lot less on gravel?
Outside of dedicated rally tyres for cars, or a crossover ATR 4x4 tyre, I'm not sure there will be many road car tyres which will handle gravel with ease
So basically, put budgets on your car, you would have to be a careful driver. Yeah, that would upset a lot of Mercedes owners. Without premium tyres, they wont be able to drive behind you three foot away from your rear bumper, or overtake on a single carridgeway putting everyone elses lives at risk, because they believe their bad time keeping is everyone else's problem. And the worst are A and C class drivers. Firstly, you haven't got a premium super car, you have a ford focus with a three spoke badge on it, and the more you flash your lights behind me the slower I will f##king go!
(Sorry folks, but I really needed to vent a bit.)
I tell people that cheap tyres will work ok for normal driving. But when it comes to an emergency manoeuvres that's when it's safer having better tyres. Spend the money, just incase
Very well put!
g4rr377 if you scan the road ahead you'll very rarely need emergency maneuvers.
this video pretty much sum it up me every time it rains when im driving my 350z it came with budget tyre cant wait to get some Continentals
Let me know how you get on with the new tyres :)
Sponsored by Michelin Thank you and goodbye
sorry continental
@4:00 that was enough for me to get the point lol, the frustration was real!
+mas921 it wasn't fun!
I dont know anyone who would buy cheap Chinese tires and put it on their c63 amg. But I could think of a billion people in small economy cars , that would. Take out an economy car , and do some breaking and emergency handling situations.
But don't get me wrong , did enjoy your panic on the cheap tires in the wet 😂.
Biased and unscientific/subjective tyre snob review.
He's coming from the standpoint of putting budget tires on an expensive high performance vehicle. If this video fails anywhere, it's that, that's not what budget tires are for. One shouldn't ask tires to handle 300+ hp in the rain, they're just not made with those specifications in mind.
low-cost tires are made to go on commuter vehicles, like my old ZX2 or the Focus I'm replacing it with (though both *can* take advantage of nicer rubber if you want or need to spring for it). Tires are built to take a certain amount of heat, handle a certain amount of lateral G, and maintain traction on differing surfaces. That has a cost associated with it. You do spend more to have a well-known name on the sidewall, but with that usually comes a better warranty and/or a reputation for quality control.
Take my Focus. It currently has $52 Sentry all-weather tires on it. They're positively okay! However, they slip a bit if you turn really hard, and they don't like ice very much at all. If I wanted to go into an Autocross match, I'd do well to spend the money on a better set of tires, ditto if I end up driving more in the winter then I have so far.
What really grips my s++t is the assumption, by ALL such bloggers, that the people who wish to enjoy driving are restricted to those with high performance cars. I have a smart 451. I love it, I love exploring the , admittedly narrow, envelope, but it seems impossible to find a reviewer prepared to advise what is the majority of us.
The problem with most people is all they know about tires (sorry , I'm American) is R,R,and R! Round ,Rubber , and Rolls! On my '99 Hyundai Accent I have economy tires. But being small and 18 years old there's not much car to support and it's primarily used for to and from work. However, on my '13 Hyundai Sonata (i45 in Europe) that I use for business I have top of the line Michelins! It never ceases to amaze me how many Mercedes and BMWs I see with China cheapie tires!
More tyre eduction is the reason Tyre Reviews was set up in the first place, it's scary how little people know about the subject!
Didn't Toyo have a tyre called triple r?
I used to run (slightly) cheap tires on a z06 corvette for practice autocross days. saves thousands of dollars. Yes much slower but it wasn’t out of control or anything. good times
Budget are fine for going back and forth to work we don't all drift to work every day
until you need to emergency stop on the way to work and need that extra few meters in reduced stopping distance
@@simeonscott4224 well drive slower!
@@stevenjr6582 aye I'll just drive at 20mph on the motorway then shall I!? Get back in your shed you fucking plantpot
moron... this is a bunch of crap ... you loose 5% 10% ... because of harder tyres ...the stopping distance is not what they say ...
Simeon Scott nah mate definitely fork out on the premium tyres so you can drive everywhere 4 inches behind the car in front, great plan aye!
If you can’t drive to the capabilities of your car get the hell off the roads!
Why are you wearing a womens small t shirt?
It's a womans medium
For all those wondering about (relatively) low powered FrontWD vehicles. I recently purchased an Alfa Giulietta QV (235HP Manual - please...no mocking comments), on which the previous owner put $80 AUD (42 GBP) tyres to pass registration. I took it out once (and once only) on a wet and twisty B road equivalent. EVERY slightly fast corner was downright scary - I had to slow down for the tradie-vans to pass (embarrassing much). This is was no fun at all. Needless to say they were replaced with proper tyres (Eagle F1-Supersports) for $190 each (100 GBP) the following week. The difference is phenomenal - it's like a completely different car. That said I have purchased more expensive Chinese tyres (220 AUD / 110 GBP) in the past because I simply could not swallow the 600 AUD / 310 GBP asking price per corner for a P-Zero or PS4 SUV at the time and they were actually pretty damn good on a 350HP/800nM Q7 V8 Diesel, sure I might have mowed down the odd granny crossing the road due to slightly extended wet braking but hey ....there has to be some trade-off....right?
Good video but not a fair match. Budget B’s versus premium A’s. You should try budget A vs Premium A
Are there budget A's? Lol!
Tyres performances changes using them. After 15k miles their performance will be as new budget tyres. With our speed limits, if you drive 10k miles every year, their rubber became hard even in a brand tyre. I suggest to change every two years every kind of tyre. Neither cheap or premium: I just need a good tyre (Nexen, Falken, Kumho a.s.o.)
what about noise level, fuel consumption and longevity?
Erwt64 sadly we didn't have time to test this properly. The cheaper tyres certainly wore faster during the test, and the sure hardness of the rubber was much softer. Fuel consumption details can be found via the EU label scores for the tyres, as can drive by noise
*Shore* hardness. Could you elaborate on 'much softer', seeing as car tyre rubbers are in the region of 70 Shore A? Much softer implies a substantial difference, and the A scale doesn't capture that well - an example being the rubber used for door seals is only 10 points lower, and there's no way on earth even a budget tyre rubber is even close to that soft.
5:03
RIP, hood cam (bonnet cam)
And foamy! :(