CHEAP TYRES FROM CHINA!

vorsprung dork

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you guys may have heard the horror stories of cheap tyres from china! blowing out or failing! about 4 years ago i bought 4x 205/17/45 linglong tyres for my 1.9 quattro and 35000 miles later these are still on the car and have at least 3 mil left on them! now there not the grippyist of tyres i admit but to me that seems like proper good mileage from cheap tyres! as an example i got marshall 235/35/19s on my avant done about 10000 miles on these and theres only 3 to 4 mil left on them! what should i buy to get the best ware? want to steer clear from china this time as i wasnt aware of probs with them when i got the last set!
 
Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas (I think) were getting rave reviews on this site just before Xmas, especially from quattro owners...

Personally I have Chinese Sunews on the front which the previous owner fitted and they are completely and utterly useless in the wet, let alone the snow, got Hankooks on the rear, and a friend who has a non quattro just fitted 4 x pirelli's for £30 more than what hankooks would have cost him, and he has 18" s-line wheels on his B7 avant....

Personally I don't scrimp on tyres, at the end of the day they are the only thing keeping you attached to the road and yes the bigger name brands cost more, but they are engineered to a higher standard and tested very rigorously....

I will be getting 4 new Vredesteins before the trip to Le Mans later this year....
 
I of the same mind set, dont scrimp on tyres or brakes, Conti Contact 3's on mine £117 a corner but they dont miss a beat rain or snow :)
 
The only cheap chinese tyres i've fitted are Nankang Ultra Sport as they only cost me 67 quid a corner(225/40/18) and they are ok with my driving style-very good in the dry but a bit unnerving in the wet when i push my quattro to the limit ! The best budget tyres i ever had were Falkens but they are a bit too soft but the grip is better than twice the price Michelin tyres. I have Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta tyres on me allroad and did not drive the car for too long to make a better ideea but so far they look and perform ok !
 
from tests ive seen at work with tyres i would say that Falkens offer the best bang for buck.

Mine were 70 quid a corner and tbh they are only a minute amount off the michelins and they are half the price.

I can see people thinking don't scrimp but the best way to do it is to make an educated decission in line with your financial abilitys and how you drive the car.
 
I'm not one for sticking to the EXACT manufacturer's recommended tyre, but also it's just not worth scrimping and i prefer to feel that I can push the car fairly hard: tyres that last that long are normally a very hard compound, so reduced grip in the wet and probably hard to the point of being brittle below 7deg C (most summer tyres are).

I've got some friends with Golf R32's and A3's, that rave about the Vredestein Sessantas.

I've got the Vredestein Wintrac Xtremes for winter (my excuse is that I'm saving my tyres - remember summer tyres get 40% more wear below 7deg C ;) ) - so for £90 a corner, they are WELL worth it given the extra grip you get below 7 degs an the fact the car is perfectly drivable on sheet ice where Range Rovers dare not tread...

For Summer, I've always had good experiences with the Toyo Proxes: currently on T1-R's, but if you want to really push the car and need some road tyres you can also use on the track, then Proxes T1-S's have a better tread pattern if you're getting them properly "sticky-hot" on a track. Both tyres are great for the UK as they have very good dry-grip and exceptional stability if (when) you hit standing water.

The thing I probably prize even more highly than good grip is a tyre that communicates to you and lets go gradually as you (eventually) approach the limit.
 
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I never skimp on tyres its your first point of contact with the road and could be the difference between life and death

the original poster mentioned how good his linglong tyres are , well there one of the worst tyres on the market tread maybe passible but ive seen so many of them and other crap makes split on the side wall and generally on the inside were you dont notice till its to late .
 
now there not the grippyist of tyres i admit
So how much longer is the stopping distance when braking? And how many extra tail end accidents would be caused if we all bought theses cheap cr*p tyres?

Tyres are the ONLY thing that keeps you on the road, they just are not worth skimping on. Pay for the best and save the money on less repair buills and bigger insurance discounts.
 
I've been running a set of the Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta since mid 2009.
I just did my 3rd free Audi MoT 2 days ago and they still have 4mm left all round after 20k.
Im definately getting them again.
 
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