Cheap new tyres or worn expensive tyres

charlie4561, Dec 2, 2:17am
What would be safer, new cheap tyres like for example the Triangle brand, or worn expensive tyres at the minimum warrantable depth - Pirelli P Zero's for example! Say the car is a Mitsi Lancer Evo X.

phillip.weston, Dec 2, 2:21am
obvious answer would be new good quality tyres. The worn P Zeros would probably be excellent in the dry but wouldn't be surprised if the Triangles out perform them in the wet.

I have to ask though. if you can afford an Evo X why can't you afford the quality tyres it deserves!

mrfxit, Dec 2, 2:28am
Mmmm A little off target there Phillip ;-) but a good point on the other bit

Better with moderately worn GOOD tyres rather then new cheap tyres.
Presuming that the cheepys are no were as good a grip as the expensive tyres.

Done this before a few times
Had brand new cheepys on & they slid all over the place, put a pair of barely wof Bridgestones on & they had far better grip even in the wet.

llortmt, Dec 2, 2:30am
Cheap Chinese if that's all you can afford, however I'd aim a bit higher than aTriangle on an Evo!

sw20, Dec 2, 2:31am
Sell your EVO X and buy something you can afford to shoe properly.

mrfxit, Dec 2, 2:33am
LOL. .DING

saki, Dec 3, 4:07am
Double ding, cars probably $1 down and a $1000 a month for life.

theram1, Dec 3, 4:35am
Cavalino. I think that's the spelling.
Canvas and Lino

theram1, Dec 3, 4:36am
Giddyup.

socram, Dec 3, 5:21am
If the secondhand tyres are already at their minimum.

However, I almost slid off the road on brand new cheapo Firestones and moved on quickly to secondhand better quality tyres, but they needed replacing quite quickly as they wore out.

I have since found that brand new Toyos are brilliant in the wet or dry, but they age to a level where they are useless in the wet, even with plenty of tread on them, but are acceptable in the dry.

jokerboss, Dec 3, 5:34am
Kingstars err day, even used them on the track more than a handful of times (TwinTurbo Legacy) so I know their limits and drive to suit them

aragorn2003, Dec 3, 5:43am
Kingstars really have come a long way . them toyo proxes and hankook ventus . all mid range but good tyres

neo_psy, Dec 3, 5:47am
I'd be worried about used tyres. You never know how they've been treated (underinflated etc).

Can't there be hidden damage to the belts!

tazcsv, Dec 3, 8:29pm
The best way to spend what little money you have would be on the 2nd hand tyres that will only last a month or 2 no questain.

jan106, Dec 3, 9:29pm
Beaurepaires have 12 months interest free and buy three get one free at the moment.Why dont you buy decent tyres!

chook90, Dec 3, 9:54pm
Perhaps a little off topic. I fitted a brand new pair of cheap 235/45x17 to the front of a BF XR6 some time ago.
The decision was driven due to them being the only pair that the tyre shop had in stock rather than anything else.
Initial impressions were actually quite good, they gripped well, had good feel and the only down side was road noise beyond belief.
10,000km down the track however it is a different thing. Although less than 1/3 warn they have absolutely zero feel, shocking understeer and have turned the falcon into something that feels like steering a cruise liner.

Made the decision a week ago to fit top end new tyres to see if that cured it and WOW, suddenly it turns, feels stable and acts like it always used to.

My opinion is that the performance of these cheap brands is woefully inadequate and I can only put my initial positive impressions down to them replacing tyres that were absolutely shot.

You wouldn't ride a motorcycle wearing a bicycle helmet so why put inferior rubber on an otherwise good car. If the "real operating difference" equates to a reduced stopping distance of even a measely 5% that is the difference between a near miss and a coffin.

socram, Dec 4, 3:19am
Good post.

clark20, Dec 4, 6:29am
Yep , exactly

trogedon, Dec 4, 6:45am
The other option is cheap, secondhand and low quality. Our family car is still shod with the 195s (can't be bothered going outside to see the brand) tyres it can from Japan with. We got the car at 58k kms. Its now done say 175k kms (10 years later) and it still has the same tyres on it. Its never slid out or done anything else untoward on the road.

supernova2, Dec 4, 8:29am
BUT they never ever wore out!IIRC they were the specified dry tyre for the Formula Ford race car.The wet tyre was the Dunlop Aquajet.

gunhand, Dec 4, 8:32am
Have a car at work with a set on it, still look brand new LOL, prob done 100000kms.
Cavalinos that is, "where the rubber meets the road."