Budget Tyres

viatorem replied on 02/02/2018 19:49

Posted on 02/02/2018 19:49

Having recently been made redundant at the "wrong age" we decided to embrace an earlier than planned retirement which has the advantage of more caravanning trips but the disadvantage of a tight budget. Time had come for new tyres, Now I would normally have chosen an all season tyres to cope with frequent CL visits but they are quite pricey £140+ each and a very limited range in the 225 55 18 SUV size In fact there are very few tyres that seem CL compatible in this size Uniroyal rain Expert is one of the few that have good reports of soft ground traction (about £105 ea) My neighbour swears by Accelera Iota on his Disco 3 but they don't do my size. I decided to try a budget tyre with the criteria that they must be  made in Europe after past experience on a second car (now gone) After a bit of research found a brand called Tigar from Serbia, Michelin own the brand and have invested over $200M in the factory in 2014.      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCemXgw10Ag

I could not find any real reviews of the 225 55 18 SUV summer tyre but decided to risk it and try a set at £77 each from ATS (Michelin owned) They are not all season but are M&S rated in old school terms which is unusual for this size.

So far so good, very quiet and grippy in the wet. Not sure how they will wear but will keep an eye on it. First CL visit next week so it is bound to be soft.

Has anyone found a good budget brand tyre, what is your experience?

 

 

viatorem replied on 02/02/2018 22:43

Posted on 02/02/2018 22:43

p.s The same tread pattern/size is available branded as Kormoran and Riken both Michelin budget brands. When I inquired about these at the dealer they told me that Tigar was the correct compound for UK and Northern Europe and that the other brands were for different territories. Southern Europe and Eastern Europe/Russia. Also differing compounds as road surfaces are made up of different aggregates with different grip/wear characteristics. Maybe BS but who knows! 

I have found that some tyres are not available from UK dealers but are on some websites that ship you the tyres supply only (no fitting) eg Maxxis AP2 all season. Maxxis do not import these to the UK. 

replied on 03/02/2018 10:36

Posted on 03/02/2018 10:36

I assumed providing more traction for use on grass and soft going

cyberyacht replied on 03/02/2018 17:53

Posted on 03/02/2018 17:53

Unless it has the tread profile of a tractor tyre, I doubt that you would really notice the difference. If it's wet, muddy and slippery, the only thing that will make any difference, IMHO, is a really knobbly tyre. Anyone remember the old 'town & country' tyres. Knobbly edges but they were noisy on tarmac.

Boff replied on 03/02/2018 18:19

Posted on 03/02/2018 18:19

I disagree, Tyres with a decent treed pattern will make a difference on wet or muddy ground.  Mind you once the tread is full of mud then the tyre becomes just another slick. We have had General grabber AT2 and now AT2s on the rear and Maxis bravos A/T tyres on the front of the Landcrusier and I am happy with them. 

viatorem replied on 03/02/2018 20:01

Posted on 03/02/2018 20:01

I agree with Boff I have used General Grabber AT2s in the past and never got bogged, even towed a 3.5T motorhome through a boggy gate once.

However  the later generation SUVs generally have larger rims with lower profiles, in the 225 55 18 size I have most tyres are similar to a road car tread.  There is nothing like the AT2. We prefer basic CLs these road bias tyres are hopeless on sloping wet grass, something with a bit more traction actually reduces wheelspin and saves the turf. 

Rocky 2 buckets replied on 03/02/2018 20:40

Posted on 03/02/2018 18:19 by Boff

I disagree, Tyres with a decent treed pattern will make a difference on wet or muddy ground.  Mind you once the tread is full of mud then the tyre becomes just another slick. We have had General grabber AT2 and now AT2s on the rear and Maxis bravos A/T tyres on the front of the Landcrusier and I am happy with them. 

Posted on 03/02/2018 20:40

Plus with AT’s they eject mud from the tread very quickly👍🏻

Rocky 2 buckets replied on 04/02/2018 08:42

Posted on 04/02/2018 08:42

Fit longer rear mud flaps Boff. I did to stop my log trailer being covered in mud, it works👍🏻😊

Hakinbush replied on 04/02/2018 09:26

Posted on 04/02/2018 09:26

have you looked at Michelin Latitude Cross DTs basicly a summer tyre but deffo an all terrain without the noise of general gabber, which to be honest is getting a bit dated now, your probs want  "extra load" or 108h if you google em theres usually some one doing deals.. 

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