Experiences about cheap car tires ?

[Hannu]

I just noticed, my car tires are pretty bald. As it seems they are not gonna last longer than ~7k miles, I am not gonna buy expensive Potenza RE050, EAG F1 etc.

Any experiences of Federal, Falken etc. tires ?

[68Charger]

I had a set of Falkens years back- wore out very quickly.. replaced them with Hankook Optimo H418s, they did very well.. this was on a commuter car that got around 20k miles/yr just got a set of Firestone Precision tires that were on sale- look similar to the Hankooks... but only time will tell on wear- they are quiet & perform well...

[CHA-LEE]

I have a friend that is a Manager of a Discount Tire. Shoot me a PM if you want his contact info and he will be able to give you the run down on the positives and negatives of using "Cheaper" brand tires. He will probably also be able to save you some extra $$$.

In my experience with low profile tires on 18 - 19 inch rims the life expectancy of the tires is greatly linked to how often you have them rotated. If you don't rotate your tires every 2K - 3K miles they will wear unevenly quickly. The duration of the tires is also closely linked to their traction rating. Higher traction rating tires are usually softer and softer tires wear out faster than harder tires.

What you mainly pay for with major brand tires is consistent traction in most temp and weather conditions. The major brand tires will usually work better in most driving conditions (Hot, cold, dry, wet, etc) verses the cheaper ones which work really good in some conditions but really suck in others. Most of the cheaper brand tires REALLY suck in one or more driving conditions (usually cold or wet conditions) so you need to be careful about balancing the cost difference with the reduced overall performance.

One thing to keep in mind with getting tires from Discount Tire is that they honor the manufactures mileage warranty. So if you get a major brand tire that has a mileage warranty of 35K miles but it only lasts 7K then you get the prorated mileage difference in price applied to your new set of tires. This becomes a HUGE benefit when you have high performance low profile tires on a performance car which get worn abnormally quickly.

I have tried both major brands and cheap brands for performance tires and you really can't beat the performance of major brand tires in all driving conditions. They are worth the extra $$$.

[blackford76]

I feel that tires are not where you want to get cheap, they are important in all your car does, steer-go-stop. I agree, go to Discount, see what they offer that is right for your car.

[Glock Shooter]

Before you visit the shops, do your research and make phone calls. I was able to get a nearly 60% discount on my tires because I called Discount, BigO, Costco, then had them all compete for my business. Last 5 sets I got from Discount I've been very happy with.

Most of the stuff you can negotiate for free: stems, balancing, rotation, side wall insurance, etc. Basically, you should get all this stuff for free and just price tire vs tire. Nothing wrong with letting the salesperson know that if you get a good deal you'll not only bring in your car, but your wife's car, the kids, tell the grandparents....and everyone on this forum.

I know a sales manager at a Discount tire in Westminster, shoot me a pm if you want his name and number.

Dave

This thread just gave me a thought...there are enough of us here to probably start negotiating group discounts at some common stores we shop at. Tires might be the first time to test this theory....

[Mtn.man]

tirerack.com

[Daniel_187]

the Kumho's am running on my truck were cheap and they have help up well