The Tyre Thread

[ope126]

As per tyre placard;

(Front) kPa 230 / psi 33.5 (Rear) kPa 210 / psi 30.5 (Applies to cold tyres) Up to 3 passangers.

12/2003 Holden Astra CDX 205/50 R16 87V Pirelli P6000 (OEM)

Glenn

Warning: This is an Old Thread This discussion is older than 120 days. information contained in it may no longer be current . Please think of the children before resurrecting this ancient thread!

[nick_sixx]

Anyone ever heard of/used:

Avation (probably a typo from an ebay seller)/Ovation?

Altenzo?

I can get a set of 4 for $300 which is obviously great value, even if they are completely shit.They come fitted on a set of VXR wheels I am looking at. Just wondering if i should even bother using them on the road?

[J]

Michelin dont list 225/40/18 93Y's on their aussie website

Neither do Bridgestone RE002 or S001, nor Kumho KU39 on their respective web sites...all 92 load rating.

Sorry Nurb608, but it seems to me like trying to find a needle in the haystack!

Anyone ever heard of/used:

Avation (probably a typo from an ebay seller)/Ovation?

Altenzo?

I can get a set of 4 for $300 which is obviously great value, even if they are completely shit.They come fitted on a set of VXR wheels I am looking at. Just wondering if i should even bother using them on the road?

nick_sixx: Obviously we all have different priorities, and I am not sure what your current wheel and tyre sizes are, but I won't be surprised if the VXR wheels + Ovation tyres, even if the tyres are new, would perform WORSE than your current setup, especially if we compare the Ovations to back when your current tyres were newer.

Google "ovation tyre test", "budget tyre test" etc. and see what you get. Or these articles:
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article...erformance.htm
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article...erformance.htm

The second article talks about how the Wanli / Triangle / Linglong-equipped VW Golf in their wet braking test, was still travelling at almost 45km/h at the same point where the Continental-equipped Golf stopped!

Also, google "Wheels tyre test 2008" and note its introductory paragraphs, as well as its summary after Test 7.

[Incidentally, www.tyrereviews.co.uk does not even bother to create a section for people to comment on Ovation tyres, which may be saying something...]

Basically, with budget tyres, they may be reasonably quiet and be reasonably long lasting, but that's about it. Ever wonder why the seller is so keen to get rid of them? No offence to the seller (especially if he/she is a member here), but my guess is PERHAPS because he/she could not afford to put better replacement tyres on the VXR wheel size (indeed, I cannot), and would rather say goodbye to the VXR rims and spend another say $200 on top of the $300 he/she'll be getting, in order to go back to better tyres on smaller wheels, than his/her current setup. And $300 to me is quite a good deal for VXR rims. The fact that he/she is willing to let them go at that low a price so that he/she may sell them sooner, MAY indicate how desperate he/she is wanting to rid him/herself of running on these Ovations.

Look, bigger wheels in general look better, no contest. And who would check out the tyres on people's cars anyway (actually, I do, but I am weird like that!)? There will also be times when we really, really cannot afford quality tyres, and I would not hesitate to say that I did that once, and I even said to myself that all I had to do, is to drive within the limits of the cheaper (not even cheap!) tyres that I had. But the next time you are heading downhill in pouring rain, and someone cut in in front of you so that he/she can turn into the next side street 10 metres away, would you rather that you are running on, for example:
A) 16 inch used alloys @ say $200, with new quality tyres @ say $180 each i.e. $920, OR
B) VXR used alloys @ $300, with a set of Ovation tyres @ $300 i.e. $600 that would look WAY better, but with potentially greater stopping distance of a FEW car lengths?

Obviously, the best option for anyone in your situation with the used VXR rims available at that price, would be C) VXR alloys with new quality tyres, because you get both form AND function. But that could cost a good $800 more than even option A). Having said that, even if option C) is say $1,000 more than option B), is a single injury/life (if not multiple injuries/lives) worth more than 3.3 cents every km (assuming tyre life of only 30,000km)?

Of course, there are still other options for you. For instance, you can always buy the rims now, and not fit them until you can afford quality tyres in that new size. Or you can take advantage of the special deals every now and then eg. Bob Jane currently offering no deposit, no interest, no repayments until 2013 (but do read the fineprint!). At the end of the day, it is your car, your wheels, your tyres, your call. And of course, you want your car to look good and stand out etc. But I just want to offer you my 2.2 cents to help you make a more informed decision, that's all!

[As for me, I am just thankful that I have managed to get a set of 205/45R17 RE002's fitted at only $875 for the set including wheel alignment. This may still sound expensive, but I see it as cheap insurance for the next few years.]

Sorry for the long post, but I'd rather more people out there get offended, than potentially getting injured!

[hazrd]

Rory
just go with whatever you have on there now.... seems like the easiest option lol

[nick_sixx]

Neither do Bridgestone RE002 or S001, nor Kumho KU39 on their respective web sites...all 92 load rating.

Sorry Nurb608, but it seems to me like trying to find a needle in the haystack!




nick_sixx: Obviously we all have different priorities, and I am not sure what your current wheel and tyre sizes are, but I won't be surprised if the VXR wheels + Ovation tyres, even if the tyres are new, would perform WORSE than your current setup, especially if we compare the Ovations to back when your current tyres were newer.

Google "ovation tyre test", "budget tyre test" etc. and see what you get. Or these articles:
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article...erformance.htm
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article...erformance.htm

The second article talks about how the Wanli / Triangle / Linglong-equipped VW Golf in their wet braking test, was still travelling at almost 45km/h at the same point where the Continental-equipped Golf stopped!

Also, google "Wheels tyre test 2008" and note its introductory paragraphs, as well as its summary after Test 7.

[Incidentally, www.tyrereviews.co.uk does not even bother to create a section for people to comment on Ovation tyres, which may be saying something...]

Basically, with budget tyres, they may be reasonably quiet and be reasonably long lasting, but that's about it. Ever wonder why the seller is so keen to get rid of them? No offence to the seller (especially if he/she is a member here), but my guess is PERHAPS because he/she could not afford to put better replacement tyres on the VXR wheel size (indeed, I cannot), and would rather say goodbye to the VXR rims and spend another say $200 on top of the $300 he/she'll be getting, in order to go back to better tyres on smaller wheels, than his/her current setup. And $300 to me is quite a good deal for VXR rims. The fact that he/she is willing to let them go at that low a price so that he/she may sell them sooner, MAY indicate how desperate he/she is wanting to rid him/herself of running on these Ovations.

Look, bigger wheels in general look better, no contest. And who would check out the tyres on people's cars anyway (actually, I do, but I am weird like that!)? There will also be times when we really, really cannot afford quality tyres, and I would not hesitate to say that I did that once, and I even said to myself that all I had to do, is to drive within the limits of the cheaper (not even cheap!) tyres that I had. But the next time you are heading downhill in pouring rain, and someone cut in in front of you so that he/she can turn into the next side street 10 metres away, would you rather that you are running on, for example:
A) 16 inch used alloys @ say $200, with new quality tyres @ say $180 each i.e. $920, OR
B) VXR used alloys @ $300, with a set of Ovation tyres @ $300 i.e. $600 that would look WAY better, but with potentially greater stopping distance of a FEW car lengths?

Obviously, the best option for anyone in your situation with the used VXR rims available at that price, would be C) VXR alloys with new quality tyres, because you get both form AND function. But that could cost a good $800 more than even option A). Having said that, even if option C) is say $1,000 more than option B), is a single injury/life (if not multiple injuries/lives) worth more than 3.3 cents every km (assuming tyre life of only 30,000km)?

Of course, there are still other options for you. For instance, you can always buy the rims now, and not fit them until you can afford quality tyres in that new size. Or you can take advantage of the special deals every now and then eg. Bob Jane currently offering no deposit, no interest, no repayments until 2013 (but do read the fineprint!). At the end of the day, it is your car, your wheels, your tyres, your call. And of course, you want your car to look good and stand out etc. But I just want to offer you my 2.2 cents to help you make a more informed decision, that's all!

[As for me, I am just thankful that I have managed to get a set of 205/45R17 RE002's fitted at only $875 for the set including wheel alignment. This may still sound expensive, but I see it as cheap insurance for the next few years.]

Sorry for the long post, but I'd rather more people out there get offended, than potentially getting injured!

The tyres on my current wheels are quite good (potenza on the rear, azenis on the front), so I would probably just use these. Or I was thinking of just buying the wheels ($700) with the tyres ($300) and using the cheapies on the rear only.

[gman]

I have used the RT-615 Azenis on my Astra. They are a good high performance tyre for sure, but wrong load rating in the 225/40/18 of 92W

[J]

The tyres on my current wheels are quite good (potenza on the rear, azenis on the front), so I would probably just use these. Or I was thinking of just buying the wheels ($700) with the tyres ($300) and using the cheapies on the rear only.

nick_sixx: Now that we know of your current set up, I can assure you that the Ovation will be a huge step off in performance.

And as for using cheapies at the rear, have a look at this:
http://theautoprophet.blogspot.com/2...s-on-rear.html
or Google "best tyres rear" and see what you get...!

[lonewolf1983]

if you cant afford to put decent tyres on new rims, you shouldnt be buying new rims!
Personally i'd love to go to 18's for looks and for brake room, but the unavailability of decent r-comp rubber in the sizes for the astra means i'll likely stay at 17's!

[gman]

TBH, 18's on a TS Astra are not a great idea IMHO. Sure they look really nice, but at the expense of usability and handling...

You don't really need the extra room for brakes, the tyres you will get to fit under the guards on an 18 are going to make the ride harsher and handling worse, 18's will increase the unpsrung weight and affect the handling again. I had 18's (they came on the car when I bought it new) and they looked great, but the 215/35/18 tyres were a pain, the rims were always getting damaged and the handling was OK but not great.

I now run 17's with various size tyres. 215/45/17 (racing slicks), 225/45/17 (AD08's, R888 & NT01) & 235/40/17 (NT01). All are much better than the 18's, its easier to get decent tyres and my 330mm brakes fit under the 17's with no problems...

[nick_sixx]

alrighty, just wheels it is then!

How much should i expect to pay to swap my current tyres over to the new wheels?