Tyres... (tires)

[Dan in NZ]

My mother is paranoid about me driving around on bald tyres, so she has offerred to buy me a new set... BUt only if I get htem from Beaurepaires so she can get the extra air miles. I need these tyres by next week, so I need to get the car booked in soon. The choices are:

Sava Intensa - $185.00 each
Dunlop SP Sport 2000E - $267.00 each

The website also lists Goodyear Eagle NCT3 and Dunlop Le Mans A4 (performance tyre)


The Michelins I have at the moment are Zero Rated, does this mean I need to get ZR tyres again? The other tyres are V-rated, and the Le Mans is H-rated.

[Zeuk in Oz]

I don't know what your legislative bodies are like over the ditch, but here in Oz the issues you have raised open a minefield.
Do NZ cars come with a tyre compliance placard - put on by the manufacturer ?
They do here in Oz and you must abide by the speed (H, V, Z etc ) and load (89,95 etc) ratings on the placard. If you don't and you have a prang, your insurance company can wipe you.
In Oz there is a 1 category leeway allowed but to achieve this you must get approval both from the government authority and the insurance company and get a new plate from the manufacturer. Or at least so I have been told - I have never tried it.
It might be worth giving your insurance company a ring if you are not sure, as well as your roads authority. they should be able to put you straight.
The other thing to realise is that you don't choose the speed rating on tyres with regard to how fast you drive. As I understand it, the higher the speed rating, the higher the quality of manufacture and the higher the consistency of the quality level. In other words, a Z rated tyre should have a higher quality of manufacture and there should be less variation between tyres than in an H rated tyre.
With regard to your choices, I have no experience of them but here in Oz your car would have at least a V tyre speed rating and I would suggest that that would be a minimum requirement.
I tend to prefer Michelin and Pirelli tyres to most others but it depends on what is available in your outlet. It is also worth checking where the tyres are made. In my experience a Michelin tyre made in France or Germany will be superior to one made in Brazil. (With all due respect to any Brazillians reading this).
Hopefully others on this forum can give you advice on the individual tyres that you mentioned.
Good Luck, but take some time to do your homework - it pays off. :D

[Dan in NZ]

Ah... We have to have tyres rated at least what the cars maximum speed is. So for my car with a theoretical top speed of 220kph, I need at least V-rated tyres.

Reading reviews on the net of the tyres available at the outlet with bonus air points, they are all shitty tyres. There is another local outlet with Vredestein Sportrac (directional) tyres on special. They have 225/60/15 reduced from $235 to $195 each fitted, so I think I'll go with those.

Do directional tyes have any pros/cons compared to ordinary tyres, aside from not being able to rotate them side-to-side without taking them off the rim.

[Dan in NZ]

Ok.... It's sorted. I'm getting the Vredestein Sporttrac. The website claims they will improve the look of my car! The reviews on the net seem to say they are good, and they are on special at the moment reduced from $235 to $195 each, fitted.

[Zeuk in Oz]

When I was young I did my first advanced driving course just after I got my licence at 17.
The instructor - later a well known TV motoring journalist - gave me some advice I can still remember 30 years later.
Tyres are the most important purchase you make on a car as they keep you attached to the road - always buy tyres that you cannot afford.
What he was suggesting was that more often than not you get what you pay for and that you should pay as much as you possibly can, within reason.
(I am really happy with my Michelin Pilot MXM tyres on my 1989 525 im.)
Not that I am trying to tell you what to do, just passing on some advice that I have lived by for a long time with no regrets.
There are obviously exceptions, but consider that if you pay too much for a really great tyre, all you have wasted is possibly a little money. If you pay half for rubbish, you regret the purchase everytime you get in the car. :p

[black_bird_blue]

I have to agree with this - only once did I buy "cheap" tyres - funnily enough they were Vredestein's - to replace Michelin's, on a Citroen BX. They utterly ruined the car. The Toyo Proxes I've just put on the E34 were discounted rather than cheap, and I was mightily suspicious of them until I'd given them a go. Ignore anyone who tells you tyres are all just round and black!

Damian

[Dan in NZ]

Got the Vredestein Sporttracs this morning... Quieter than the old Michelins, and feel smoother too, but that's probably just new vs old tyres. I was stuck in traffic doing 80-90, so didn't really get a chance to check out the road holding, but will this afternoon.