Budget tyres (again no doubt!)

[laddiesdad]

Now, I'm not going to start by asking are budget or cheap tyres any good, I would not buy them myself................................except that a near new pair were on the front of my car when I bought it.
I was ready and prepared to chuck them off as soon as I lost confidence in them, which to be honest I thought would'nt be too long.
3000 miles later and I've found them to be surprisingly good!
They are a tyre I've never come across before, GERUTTI.
Any one else had any experience with them?
Brilliant in the dry, and very very good in damp, wet and torrential rain as well as greasy conditions.
I have the reciept for them, last December they were just on £50 each all in.
I'm considering getting a pair for the rear but I can only find them at a distance from me in Bristol and (of course) they've gone up, + fuel so they start to get near the better makes cost wise that I can get here in Bath.
Bathwick tyres sell some decent rubber for what would be the same cost and its only down the road, they also tried to convince me their budget tyre called ACCELERA is as good, instincts tell no, but then on the other hand I am really surprised by the Gerruti, has any one else tried Accelera?
For's for going to Bristol/Gerruti:
Same tyre in each corner.
Still within budget of a reasonable tyre.
Known tyre to me.
Against:
Distance away
I'm not supposed to like or trust them.
If I had'nt got them already common sence says DONT BUY!
For's staying local:
Less travel/fuel
Against:
2 different makes what ever price range.
Their Budget is unkown to me, but then again so were Gerutti!

I googled Accelera and write-ups in the Alfa forums were generally very good.
I've been invited out to Poland for a holiday, their laws prohibit different patterns let alone make on the same axle so being as the existing rear pair are different they will have to be changed anyway.
I think I'll sleep on it for a day or so and wait for some comments.

Cheers
Terry

[suffolk boy]

they are not bad but go to e tyres and for nexens n6000 you will be happy

[diplo-matt]

ACCELERA

Avoid at all costs, i have a pair on the rear of my MG estate and they lethal in the wet, its caught me a few times at very slow speed. It's been embarrasing at times. Half of these people who go on about tyres have never driven a car on a wet track or on the limit. Just to prove my theory i stuck the pair of Maxis that i have on the front onto the rear and the car understeered terribly. I was going to replace them, however they are a very hard compound and have lasted for ages.

There also noisy, the only time they are good is on a hot day, and lets face it what tyre isn't when you start putting heat into it.

Prior to owning my MG i used a 3.0 Carlton and had good results with Uniroyals, maxis Pirellis and conti's and i drove that hard.

I generally find my MG to be quite tail happy for a fwd car especially if you go into a corner with no brake and light throttle.

[diplo-matt]

Nexens aren't bad either.

[laddiesdad]

As I was in Trowbridge yesterday I popped in to Bathwick tyres and had these Accelera Epsilon tyres put on, £102 all in!
I'll report back when its been raining (wont be long then), they seem to have decent write-ups from Alpha forums and others, apart from the obvious idiot drivers.
Terry

[rovexCDTi]

During normal handling you may not feel the difference between a premium and a budget all that much, especially if you are a 'sedate' driver, but when you need to stop fast in the wet, you will.

In the dry the stopping distance of a budget might be 3 metres more than a premium, in the wet it might be 20+ metres.

Its not about being an 'idiot' driver, you can be a 'spirited' driver and still be within the law (for now anyway). The 'idiot' drivers are the spirited drivers who cant feel the difference..

I think the problem with modern cars is that they numb responses and hide poor tyres better than old cars did. All the electronic assists and high weight and good balance of modern cars make you think everything is fine until its too late.

[HarryM1BYT]

Originally Posted by rovexCDTi

I think the problem with modern cars is that they numb responses and hide poor tyres better than old cars did. All the electronic assists and high weight and good balance of modern cars make you think everything is fine until its too late.

To some extent I will agree, but the car cannot hide from you the fact that it is sliding or that the ABS has been triggered when braking.

I'm a 'spirited driver' using budget tyres and I have not provoked either of the above so far.

If you are looking for a particular make and model, the best way to order them is via one of the online suppliers. It is cheaper, you get exactly the tyre you order, then just go along to the fitter they designate close to where you want and get them fitted within a couple of days at a time which suites you.

[rovexCDTi]

ABS maybe not, but there are other things that the driver wont be aware of. An LSD doing its thing isnt obvious to many drivers, but some can feel the effect. Trust me once you know what to look for you can feel the difference with cheap tyre. Stability control and other such aids work harder, and hide the true quality of tyres.

The 75/ZT is mercifully free of most of these things, but being a heavy car also hides a tyres true value in a straight line.

I suspect that if you havent provoked ABS or a slide yet the you arent as 'spirited' as you think.

[rossocorsa]

I have been happy with nexens they are not the cheapest but come with a free puncture or damage warranty and they perform a lot better than the chinese tyres that were on the front of my car when I bought it, the difference in steering feel has to be experienced to be believed. A premium brand would no doubt be even better but these are a good compromise the only chinese tyres I've experienced that are acceptable are maxxis but they are as expensive as mid range tyres anyway

[AndyJ75]

When I bought my 75 it came with budget tyres all round, I soon noticed that road noise was a major issue and when it rained they were useless. As the tread was good I decided to keep them until funds allowed to replace. My works vehicle has always been shod with Michelin energy savers and I have found them to hold the road well in the wet and dry, road noise minimal. So, yesterday I went to my local ATS and had the two front tyres replaced with Michelin energy savers. I can't believe what an improvement they have made to the car, the handling is 100% better, the road noise has disappeared from the front. So impressed was I that today the rears are being replaced !

Andy J