Budget tyres

[briwy]

Has anyone fitted any budget price tyres?
Our Cali has a couple of thousand left on the original Dunlops so I'm starting to look around.
We had some Acceleras on the Bongo which performed well and are available with 103 load rating for the Cali at about £80 which is a big saving on Dunlops etc at around £150.
Obviously the premium tyres are better but a saving of £280 will buy a few gallons of diesel.
Any opinions please.

 

[MKRW]

i just got a quote for winter tyres and steel rims. total price 1080. they said would have been cheeper but they are advising heavy load tyres due to the weight of the cali.

worth making sure what ever you go for can carry the weight.

 

[Sheffield26]

I've just had a new set of wheels which came with a 'brand' of tyres called 'Wanli' - according to the website they are Chinese manufacture. Size wise and load rating they are as per VW recommends for 18" wheels. Personally think they are fine for a 'van, not exactly racing round the bends! Doesn't appear to be any difference to handling/ stopping. Only been on 2 months so I guess time will tell on how they wear.

 

[calikev]

I would be interested to see how long they last

 

[sebking]

I've heard Wanli referred to as ditch finders....

 

[dfps]

Ditch finders.......a term often used by spotty youths driving gerishly coloured Renault Clios with exhaust pipes the size of drain pipes or middle aged men who should know better driving Subaru Impreza's complete with Starsky and Hutch stripes.

Any tyres on the UK market and sold by reputable dealers must have passed UK safety standards.

Agreed that some tyres will outperform others and possibly last longer due to different hardnesses of rubber compounds but " ditch finders " ...... come on ..... REALLY !

I suppose it does come down to driving styles..... but who buys a Cali to drive it hard into the corners ?

Sometimes these terms get banded around the internet and then the term catches on because it sounds " COOL " or there is a concerted conspiracy by the expensive tyre brands to justify their hgh prices ( they have to pay for those expensive Formula 1 sponsorship rights somehow .It takes a MASSIVE volume of sales to recoup the sponsorship on an F1 or rally car to the tune of £ millions ).The everyday punter has to pay for this.

Have just fitted budget tyres to the back of my Cali and noticed an improvement from the old tyres which were a main brand.
Only time will tell how they perform over a period of time and I wont buy them again if I feel there are issues.

 

[sebking]

In all seriousness and I've worked in the trade. The Standards are a minimum standard and some brands are better. The really interesting thing as everyone always harps on about ride and wear is the difference in braking distance in both wet and dry.

The difference in tests between the best and worst are scary, 30+m on stopping. Yes Chav boy may well have been pushing the limits but maybe his tyres don't help. Out vans are 3+ tonnes that's a hell of a weight to stop.

On the other side not all budget brands are bad but Wanli is not up there with the big boys.

 

[dfps]

I appreciate you have worked in the trade and therefore your experience and knowledge is far greater than mine but thought I would give some feedback on the budget tyres I put on the back of my Cali.

Have now covered over 3000 miles in the last 3 weeks through France at Autoroute speeds and on non autoroute roads of poorer quality atsteady speed and through Spanish Catalonia on some pretty poor rural roads.

With insane french drivers driving too fast and too close ---had to do some pretty heavy braking at times.

Am glad to report the score was Cali budget tyres 3000 ----ditches --NIL. :clap

So all in all they performed pretty adequately---admittedly in dry conditions. I suppose the real test does come in the wet so will report back at a later date on wet road performance.

 

[Custardtart]

I've just replaced the front OE Dunlops (235/55 R17) on my van with Kuhmos - at a VW main dealer as I wanted the tracking checked at the same time. Their price was surprisingly competitive.

I found the Dunlops wore out very fast - they're a soft sports tyre for cars really and not great for a 3t van.

The Kuhmos are probably similar but came in at around £120 ea compared to £180 for Dunlop/Michelin type brands.

The ride is silky smooth and quiet so I'm pleased so far.

I think they're a good intermediate level - not Michelin/Dunlop but not at the bottom of the cost pile either. I drive my van very steadily so don't need blistering performance capability.

 

[2into1]

When I acquired my Cali (older and high top vs. most here) it appeared to have just been fitted with brand new cheapo tyres, but at least they were the correct load rating. (They are GT Radial MaxMiler Ex :crazy ).
Although I was tempted to change them for a good brand, I've now run them for a year without issue and am happy with their performance.
I worked in the tyre industry for a while and agree with most of what has been said in the previous posts (both for and against). The high-end tyre companies do have huge marketing budgets that drives up their costs, but do spend huge amounts on R&D, and then on better polymers to drive up performance.
My advice would be if you were buying tyres, then shop around for a serious brand at the best price, but, if like me you find yourself with some cheapo's, don't panic. Going slower saves fuel too!

 

[culprit]

I would prefer peace of mind on my £40k+ van....all arguments for and against have merit but for me, a brand I can trust is worth an extra £50 a corner.

It maybe a placebo however - if you weren't paying, would you put cheap ones on? If the answer is no, pay the money for the more expensive tyre and move onto worrying about important things like the meal you will cook up on the first night of your next trip

 

[bjw970s]

I race on Kumho's so whilst they are not a premium brand, they are good quality. I would suggest that, if they do the spec required for a van, Kumho, Falken and Toyo offer an intermediate option.

 

[Nomad]

Just had 4 new tyres fitted from main dealer C rated at £75 fitted inc VAT.
on California driven 2000 miles in France no problems..

 

[TwentyOneThirtyFive]

move onto worrying about important things like the meal you will cook up on the first night of your next trip

Saw a nice recipe for a mushroom, ham and potato bake that I think will work in the dutch oven today. Probably that.

Oh, and the last 13,000 miles on the winter tyres that were fitted to the van when I bought it.

 

[crossa]

Hi briwy,
I have a set of 4 hardly worn original 16 inch Bridgestone tyres for sale.
They are advertised in the 'accessories for sale ' section of the forum (3 August).
Regards, Pete.