People putting off changing tyres

Sheaf · Post by **Sheaf** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 11:05 am

Just seen little piece on BBC News about how people are putting off changing their tyres because of the recession.

Seriously, are people out there totally bloody thick or something?

One woman seemed angry that she had to replace her tyres, going on about how much they cost... and how was she going to afford petrol now...
They're the only thing that keeps you on the road, if you cant afford them, get the bus!

They showed some tyres that people have been driving round on, some down to the canvas... why on earth would people not change them before that?

I know most people out there dont know about cars, have no interest, and aren't technically minded, but surely if you're getting in a metal cage and hurling yourself around the streets in it at speeds up to 70mph then it's only common sense to make sure that the big rubber rings that make you stick to the road are safe? Esp when the car is used to cart other people/kids about. It's just plain stupid and irresponsible.

I get that you can get close to the limit without noticing but it seems people are knowing their tyres are bald and just putting it off due to the money!

Why oh why do people buy uber cheap tyres too? Ok, most of us spend more than we 'need' to on tyres, we dont 'need' to accelerate/brake/corner as quick as we do, but it's a bonus. But surely if somebody gets offered large brand tyres for £50-£70 and a cheap brand for £25 then they must think 'hang on, are these actually good enough?'.

I dont know, maybe I expect too much of the average person, but by the looks of it a lot of people are lacking any common sense when it comes to something which is safety critical. Even my mates who have zero interest in cars have the sense to check the basics, or atleast take it for regular servicing and act on the mechanics suggestions when they spot the problems.

Thinking about it, when it comes to tyre brand choices, I'm actually surprised tyres aren't classed based on friction. They're all classed by top speed, which considering the legal limit is only 70mph is largely irrelevant, but people can legally fit a cheapo tyre on a heavy car with a low top speed and go sliding round every corner. I cant help thinking that there should really be a friction class which a car should meet or exceed to ensure people dont fit crappy tyres.

LondonMX · Post by **LondonMX** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 11:15 am

Well alot of mothers dont give a toss about anyone apart from their precious children so if you tell them little Mollyanne is in danger with dodgy tyres they will rush out and buy some.

Yes half the people in the UK are plank thick.*

I havent got vast experience regarding tyres but i have an Accord like yours but its just a 2.0 auto one and its on pirellis and you can corner it way faster without losing grip than you would ever want to for a lumbering chest freezer of a car. I think if your driving something sporty maybe its more critical to get performance tyres?

I always thought cheapo brands like i dunno 'runway' were safe tyres i just thought they had a shorter service life and wore down quicker or didnt last as long as more expensive tyres. i might be wrong thou so someone correct me on that.

I dont know how much the quality design and build differs on a budget tyre compared to a quality branded tyre would be interesting to know for all us scrooges out there.

* im being tounge in cheek, or am i

Null_Byte · Post by **Null_Byte** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:44 pm

£25 is a lot of money to somebody that has nothing. Some places, especially rural ones, simply don't have the public transport, so not having a car is not an option.

Given the area I live in, I wouldn't consider it isolated as some places around here, but there is no bus, at all. The roads are not on a gritting route. The nearest shop is 7 miles away, the nearest town 20. For somebody that didn't have independent transport, they could be in real trouble, especially if they are elderly, frail, or poor. There used to be a post office shop, but that was shut down because a local post office wasn't 'profitable'

This is why the rural communities feel very let down. While you could feasibly live without a car in almost all the big cities, it just isn't an option in other areas of the country. We have the furthest distance to go to any sort of local services, so already we are out of pocket in petrol. Generally the wages are the lowest - a fair wage in my areas for example is 12 - 13k a year. The house prices are low, so there is zero chance of moving.

I'm not defending the behaviour of a lot of these motorists, many of whom are just chavs and would rather blow the cash of booze and shell suits. But for some I could see it being a real problem.

Scott · Post by **Scott** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:45 pm

Some people earn less , probably why they cant afford tyres...

Phoenix3dfx225 · Post by **Phoenix3dfx225** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:51 pm

I'll be having a tyre change in the new year and will usually budget for around £400 for some Toyo Proxy, or may go for back to my personal choice of UniRoyal RainSports as the Proxys are what arrived on my wheels when bought new. Thing is I've only done about 10k miles

I do wounder though what it would be like to run on some nankangs hedgeseekers with a coupe pushing aprox 300bhp, since I frequently break traction everytime boost kicks in at 4krpm on the toyos aready.

shen · Post by **shen** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 1:27 pm

Sheaf, at this time of year when it's getting colder and wetter I think you're right that tyres need to be inspected.

Thing is, for sedate everyday driving (take incidents out of the equation) I think that cheap tyres will do just fine.

As you've said most of us spend alot on tyres but then most people on this forum will at some time use the performance they give.

Driving at 30 or 40mph calmly and alert would you notice much of a difference between Tigar specials and some top spec Yokos?

stefaclese · Post by **stefaclese** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 1:40 pm

You would notice the difference in the wet

Before I knew much about cars I used to just ride around on cheap and cheerful tyres, appaling 'grip' (if you can call it that) in the wet and they only lasted 6k miles pretty much just on the daily commute at the time. I can pick up Avon ZZ3's for about the same that I was spending on cheap non-branded tyres, they last about twice as long and only ever felt the grip going a bit when they were bald and it was wet

618ireland · Post by **618ireland** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 2:02 pm

shen wrote:
Driving at 30 or 40mph calmly and alert would you notice much of a difference between Tigar specials and some top spec Yokos?

stefaclese wrote:You would notice the difference in the wet

Too right you would, the crap ones would probably be better in the wet than Yokos.

I got two "cheap" tyres on the Coupe, €70 & €80 each for 185 55 15 (had to go to two different places due to locking wheel nut issues, long story). Neither place had a premium tyre in that size in stock.

Sheaf · Post by **Sheaf** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 3:40 pm

I completely understand that some people earn less and that the upkeep on a car will be a real struggle, however I still dont agree that safety can be compromised. If they smack into a kid because they slid and couldn't stop because they've got bald tyres then their reasoning and wages/location aren't going to help anyone.

If money is THAT much of an issue then IMO they need to reassess their situation, and sort themselves out in some other way, not just avoid replacing bald, dangerous tyres on their car. Being in charge of their 1 ton plus lump of metal along a road is probably the most dangerous thing most people do daily and should not be the thing they avoid paying money on, if it makes it dangerous.

It's more the braking than anything. Anyone can pull away/corner slowly but you never know when you have to stamp on the brakes. Plus increased risk of having a blowout.

According to the news, IIRC, in a garage they were looking at, 23% of tyres changed last year were illegal when the cars came in, ie they'd left it too late to change. Now with the recession apparently that figure is now 65%. Over half the people getting tyres changed are driving around on illegal tyres beforehand. It's appalling.

Like I say, what I/we consider a poor tyre is probably actually not that bad. I mean, I use GSD3s @ £90+ a corner, lots of people spend £110+, but I expect there's a fair few cheaper branded tyres which would work just as well for £60-£75 a corner providing I drive nice and sedately. I'm talking about the uber cheap brands that (in my size) would be under £50 and are blatently not going to be any good, chinese made dodgy ones and remoulds. Not just in grip, but in resistance to deformation etc.

In the saxo I think Michelin Energy tyres were only something like £35 each, ok it's a shopping trolley with 13" wheels but if anyone is that skint why would they be driving anything bigger anyway. My mates Ibiza had 4 new tyres for £160 and they were 14" Dunlops I think. On little, average cars tyres are not expensive and no excuse for making a car unsafe I think.

ttrw2 · Post by **ttrw2** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 6:43 pm

stefaclese wrote:You would notice the difference in the wet

Before I knew much about cars I used to just ride around on cheap and cheerful tyres, appaling 'grip' (if you can call it that) in the wet and they only lasted 6k miles pretty much just on the daily commute at the time. I can pick up Avon ZZ3's for about the same that I was spending on cheap non-branded tyres, they last about twice as long and only ever felt the grip going a bit when they were bald and it was wet

Now try getting some decent tyres....

ZZ3's FTEL!

stefaclese · Post by **stefaclese** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 6:48 pm

I've found ZZ3's to be absolutely spot on, been round Combe with them, to Switzerland and back and through all the 'extremes' in weather that Oxfordshire has seen in the past couple of years, and never once had a single issue with them. As I say, the only time I've lost grip on them was in the wet when they were worn down to the markers, and even then the level of grip I was getting was equal to if not greater than that of the cheapo tyres I used to use.

Phoenix3dfx225 · Post by **Phoenix3dfx225** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 7:05 pm

Another point is, its not about how much you earn with tyres. The fact remains bald is illegal, has anyone really touched on that yet?

ttrw2 · Post by **ttrw2** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 7:06 pm

Baldness is illegal?

FFS pls don't tell C2K this...

southside · Post by **southside** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 7:06 pm

Just because tyres are expensive and branded doesn't always mean they're good. Same as everything else you pay for the name not always quality.

I had pirelli's on one of my cars in the past and they were terrible, Also had bad experience with Yokohama's. Yet i've had Federal and Nankang NS2's on my cars and cant fault them in the dry or the wet.

Null_Byte · Post by **Null_Byte** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 8:14 pm

I do agree, I have always been very strongly for making sure your tyres are tip top, as it is the only thing that keeps you on the road regardless of how good the car or driver are. Every time I have had a close call myself it has been down to poor tyres! One of the reasons why I wouldn’t take a chance on them.

But I can see quite easily why people are letting them become bald.

Sheaf wrote:If money is THAT much of an issue then IMO they need to reassess their situation, and sort themselves out in some other way, not just avoid replacing bald, dangerous tyres on their car. Being in charge of their 1 ton plus lump of metal along a road is probably the most dangerous thing most people do daily and should not be the thing they avoid paying money on, if it makes it dangerous.

That is very easy to say when your in work, and your account is in the black. But we are in the middle of the worst recession for 50 years, unemployment is rife. The goverment is very keen on bailing out the car companies and the banks, but happy to still sting the motorist with fuel duty rises, higher tax and more expense, at the same time as telling us we all have to tighten our belts and take pay cuts.

I would guess there is a large sector of the populations, for which putting food on the table and paying the rent is more important than the state of their car, for whom there are no options to reassess.

I'm not defending the action at all, but I'm really not surprised in the least, infact I would say over the next few years the situation will get a *lot* worse. I'd be expecting to see a large rise in the amount of people without insurance, and with cars that fall well below MOT standards.

The government are still under the misconception that the motorcar is a luxury, seen in the same light as 50 years ago, where only those that could afford one owned one. Unfortunately in that era we also had local communities and a public transport service the envy of the world. Sadly no longer the case.

Phoenix3dfx225 wrote:Another point is, its not about how much you earn with tyres. The fact remains bald is illegal, has anyone really touched on that yet?

Yup it does remain illegal, along with things like fraudulent expenses claims, financial fraud and illegal wars, but that could just be me being cynical

618ireland · Post by **618ireland** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 9:11 pm

Very true John, if a couple are really struggling to keep the house going, feed and cloth the kids etc the car tires being less than the 1.6mm (that's what the legal limit is over here) is probably not a problem that can be prioritised. Still illegal but in tough times folks have to prioritise, I would imagine shelling out £80 for a pair of tires may not be easy to do if it meant not paying the electricity bill or cutting back on meat for the dinners etc.

Now any cnut that has illegal tires and goes for the few pints / handbag shopping etc should be strung up imo.

stefaclese · Post by **stefaclese** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 9:23 pm

Every day at uni I walk past a R25 parked in front of the building fitted with a spacesaver to the FRONT. Its been like that for over a month now. Utter moron.

I think stupidity must also play a big part in all of this.

Sheaf · Post by **Sheaf** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 9:50 pm

I think the fines they get when they get caught will outweigh the cost of the tyres anyway... even if I wasn't fussed about the safety, surely it's not worth taking the risk of getting caught?

If you hit anything you'd be utterly screwed over.

618ireland · Post by **618ireland** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 9:55 pm

You don't seem to comprehend the having no cash bit Alex, there are thousands of families and individuals absolutely penniless and really really struggling. It doesn't make it right to have illegal tires but they many folk have no option.

marc9584 · Post by **marc9584** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 10:30 pm

No joke my cars being run on nankang ns2s and iv never thought they where going to throw me off the road, i do change them quite regularly though i can normally get around 5000 miles on the fronts.I find that tyres tend to wear in other ways like perishing if they are not changed often enough on expensive tyres rather than run low on tread but thats just my experience i wont deny though that tyres like toyo proxes etc give you better cornering and last longer either way it is stupid to ignore worn tyres.

Stealth213S · Post by **Stealth213S** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 10:36 pm

budget tyres for my Rover start at £15 per corner fitted

(155/SR13)

tbh some people will be in a fix with losing their job, though in theory no job = no commute so less tyre wear.

There will be a good many that don't think sensibly. Still going on the school run twice a day when they could walk their children to school or stick them on the school bus.

Its the job of the police/VOSA and the courts to enforce it, so I'll leave it in their capable hands.

richard moss · Post by **richard moss** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 10:50 pm

The piece on the BBC did the usual trick of saying that you must never buy part worn tyres because you don't know what's happened to them. Well, I've got news for them - we've ALL bought part worn tyres every time we've bought a used car.

Think about it, any used car is fitted with used tyres and you don't know what's been happening in the hands of previous owners. At least when you buy a part worn tyre you have the opportunity to inspect it first, if you want to.

Post by **Punx0r** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 12:51 am

How are speed ratings on tyres "irrelevant"? I bloody well wouldn't buy tyres that weren't speed rated.

I agree, bald tyres = bad. Cheap tyres though, well they're ok. Todays bottom-end tyres are probably as good as top brand tyres 20 years ago.

tonyrally · Post by **tonyrally** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 12:53 am

southside wrote:Just because tyres are expensive and branded doesn't always mean they're good. Same as everything else you pay for the name not always quality.

I had pirelli's on one of my cars in the past and they were terrible, Also had bad experience with Yokohama's. Yet i've had Federal and Nankang NS2's on my cars and cant fault them in the dry or the wet.

i agree totaly i had 4 pirellis on my coupe an they were far to hard a compound for a cold day. i changed them for yes wait for it 4x linglongs 205/40/17 an because they were soft rubber they griped so much better. i do think the pirellis would have lasted longer tho cheers tony

Limecat · Post by **Limecat** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 12:57 am

618ireland wrote:You don't seem to comprehend the having no cash bit Alex, there are thousands of families and individuals absolutely penniless and really really struggling. It doesn't make it right to have illegal tires but they many folk have no option.

I'm sorry but that is rubbish.

If people are on the breadline then they cannot afford a car. How will they pay insurance if they are living hand to glove? How will they pay tax? MOT? Upkeep etc? That's why, as I always say, people who are unemployed should have their licence revoked (unless very severe medical circumstances etc) as they should be given enough to SURVIVE, not enough to enjoy life and have the freedom of a car.

I left my car on the drive for a week because I was late booking my MOT. It was taxed, insured etc but I got the bus because it wasn't legal.

I use soft cut slicks on my daily driver, people say they will last about 3k miles per pair and I have had almost that already and they are standing up (I dont drive like a c-nut everyday!).

I have had my old R5GTT brought home on the back of a truck and due to the fact the car was that low and it had massive camber the guy got wire in his finger when removing the straps from the front wheel. I honestly didn't know. By the letter of the law the central 75% was mint as I never spotted the inside edge.

People taking the tripe n onions should be shot.

A good example of car ignorance is a woman in her 50's at my work. She asked me to find her a new automatic car for her as her old one was knackered. Her 'old' car was a mess, don't get me wrong. She had split with her husband and moved into a flat in a rough area where her Nissan Sunny had EVERY panel keyed and the front and rear quarters kicked in. She was happy to drive it to work and back like that and use it to take the dog out but she assumed it would fail an MOT because 'it looks bad'. I looked over it, told her she may get an advisory on one of the CV boots and it passed. She thinks the sun shines from my arse as she was ready to buy another car and scrap hers.

Sheaf · Post by **Sheaf** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 1:23 am

Punx0r wrote:How are speed ratings on tyres "irrelevant"? I bloody well wouldn't buy tyres that weren't speed rated.

I agree, bald tyres = bad. Cheap tyres though, well they're ok. Todays bottom-end tyres are probably as good as top brand tyres 20 years ago.

I may be wrong, but a speed rated tyre surely just dictates what the top speed of a tyre is...

Looking on the net, the lowest speed rating for a car/van is N, which is 81mph. That's 11mph more than we're allowed to go. So, given that we're all driving legally, what does it matter if anyone fits an N or a Y to their car?

Surely you could have a N which grips ok, just cant go very fast, but have a really hard compound Y which you could stick on a heavy car and find it just slides when you brake?

Ok, realistically, most people speed, and most people wouldn't want to have a rating that close to 70mph, but my point is that rating tyres to speeds which are all above what we're supposed to do, but totally ignoring how well they may grip seems a little crazy and unhelpful when people want to figure out what tyres are best.

Also, I totally agree with the above. If you cant afford to run a car, you shouldn't have a car. End of story IMO. It's a harsh reality, and I in no way think life would be easy without a car, but if they cannot afford to maintain it, then it should 100% not be on the road. I feel sorry for anyone in that situation, I really do, but I'd rather somebody have a crappy life with no car and no money than somebody else get killed because somebody KNOWINGLY* drove an unsafe vehicle.

*Obviously, from time to time, things get missed, stuff goes wrong on cars and they end up being not entirely roadworthy when the owner has them on the road, but there's a big difference between not knowing and willingly continuing once the problem is brought to your attention.

I've also never quite understood the part worn tyres thing... as said, they are always part worn on a 2nd hand car and I certainly wouldn't buy a car and change the tyres for the sake of it.
However, I also wouldn't buy part worn basically because I figure that
a) There must be a reason somebody wanted rid
b) I don't really want to pay for fitting/balancing/environmental disposal and only get 1/2 the life of the tyre

Limecat · Post by **Limecat** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 1:35 am

At the end of the day Sheaf, any tire has been deemed legal. Granted, to yourself, myself and other people who can drive a bit spirited it is utter toss but they have legal minimum standards for a reason.

It's not as if a 1000BHP Skyline owner will be driving on them is it? It is all relative.

People should worry about uninsured drivers more than they do people buying cheap tyres.

I could making a sweeping generalisation about a certain area of Manchester which would be completely true but the Asians would start flapping!

shen · Post by **shen** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 1:52 am

Limecat wrote:Absolutely everything I've said in this thread

Null_Byte · Post by **Null_Byte** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 2:40 am

Limecat wrote:
618ireland wrote:You don't seem to comprehend the having no cash bit Alex, there are thousands of families and individuals absolutely penniless and really really struggling. It doesn't make it right to have illegal tires but they many folk have no option.
I'm sorry but that is rubbish.

If people are on the breadline then they cannot afford a car. How will they pay insurance if they are living hand to glove? How will they pay tax? MOT? Upkeep etc?

I think the difference is, that a monthly outgoing such as insurance, tax, etc is something that can be budgeted for, whereas a set of tyres would be an sudden extra outlay that they may not have the cash to afford straight away.

To most (non car enthusiasts) a car is simply a method to get from A to B, with busy lifestyles and the improvement in reliability, people generally do not check the condition of the car from one week to the next, so the condition of the tyres could go unnoticed until they are pulled up for it, by which time it is too late to budget for new ones. I can see quite easily how you could arrive at the situation.

That's why, as I always say, people who are unemployed should have their licence revoked (unless very severe medical circumstances etc) as they should be given enough to SURVIVE, not enough to enjoy life and have the freedom of a car.

If they had their license revoked, how would they get a job?. A full, clean, driving license is the requirement for many jobs. How would the commute to a place of work? If you are unemployed on Job Seekers you are expected to make your way to whatever position they find for you, at the time specified. Removing somebody’s license, apart from a huge infringement of civil liberties would totally destroy the point of trying to get people back into work....

I left my car on the drive for a week because I was late booking my MOT. It was taxed, insured etc but I got the bus because it wasn't legal.

That is ok if
A) there is a bus (see my earlier post)
B) the busses run
C) the busses run on time
D) the timetable allows you to get into work on time.

Once again, I suspect many of the people posting here do not come from rural communities where public transport is all but non existent. This is a pet hate of mine, and I could rant for days on the subject

An example would be my county bus company: Due to the rural routes, the busses seldom (almost never) run to time, breakdowns are common and if the driver is running late he/she will detour and miss out some of the more awkward stops to get to make up the time.

This leaves people stranded at the bus stop with a 2 or 3 mile walk home, to get the car. By the time you have added on the walking time, the time you spent waiting for a bus that never showed, and the travel time by car, you would be almost certainly facing a warning at work. Throw that in 2 or 3 times a month and you’re as$ would soon be out the door.

In this situation you have no choice but to run a car.

Even if you were unemployed, you would still need a car to go shopping lol, unless you fancy a 20 mile walk with some shopping bags

Of course there will be an element of people who just don't care, and have no intention of maintaining their car, but these are most probably the ones that are going to be a danger anyway. Chances are also high they would be the ones with no insurance and tax.

However penalising the people who have to run a car as a necessity and are struggling to keep on the right side of the law is hardly fair, especially as it wouldn't solve the problem with those who willingly break it.

Those that consider a car a luxury, have never had the need to consider it a necessity.

618ireland · Post by **618ireland** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 5:08 am

Limecat wrote:
618ireland wrote:You don't seem to comprehend the having no cash bit Alex, there are thousands of families and individuals absolutely penniless and really really struggling. It doesn't make it right to have illegal tires but they many folk have no option.
I'm sorry but that is rubbish.

It's not rubbish to couples who have lost one or both jobs in the recent past and who are up to their necks in debt. To many that is the real world. I reckon the proof is in the stats qouted in the 1st post, before the recession hit 23% of replaced tires were illegal, now its 60 odd %. It doesn't take a genius to work out why does it.

ebell · Post by **ebell** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 8:47 am

Tangent sort of ! !
Bald tyres. V. Cheap tyres ?
Ok .considering that the cheaper brand tyres are NOT illegal and that you are fully aware of the road conditions and whatever is going on around you i see no real problem.
Unlike the other day when i was sat at the front of a red traffic light and watched as a B*W (the driver was preening him/her self in the rear view mirror)came sailing straight across the junction in the opposite direction and with more bloody luck than judgment narrowly missed 2 young kids that were crossing .
I do mean he missed by a gnat b**l**k .
I dont imagine that he/she could really have used the excuse that his tyres were very very expensive and that they should have stopped him in time .

200coupe · Post by **200coupe** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 10:15 am

Limecat wrote: If people are on the breadline then they cannot afford a car. How will they pay insurance if they are living hand to glove? How will they pay tax? MOT? Upkeep etc? That's why, as I always say, people who are unemployed should have their licence revoked (unless very severe medical circumstances etc) as they should be given enough to SURVIVE, not enough to enjoy life and have the freedom of a car.

I agree on null byte on this one, after having spent half the year unemployed due to being made redundant at the end of last year id still be unemployed as it would be very difficult to get to alot of the job interviews.

Revoking licences of people is unfair, bringing up a family on only dole money is hard.
No real spare money (for us at least. lol) to take the kids anywhere but at least you can take the kids to the park or round to see family.

Besides if you revoked the licences from them then the lazy shite bags out of them would have another excuse up there sleeve.

Post by **Din** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 1:13 pm

Sheaf wrote:
Why oh why do people buy uber cheap tyres too? Ok, most of us spend more than we 'need' to on tyres, we dont 'need' to accelerate/brake/corner as quick as we do, but it's a bonus. But surely if somebody gets offered large brand tyres for £50-£70 and a cheap brand for £25 then they must think 'hang on, are these actually good enough?'.

£25.00 pays for a weeks petrol and a couple of beers at the end of the week, £25.00 keeps my youngest in nappys for a month....

Cheap tyres are good enough, they meet the legal standard and if they are cheap its a bonus.
Im not saying they are very good when it comes to ultimate grip, some are actually very good, some are utter rubbish, that said an utter poo tyre with 8mm of tread is better than down to the cords on a bridgestone potenza where the tyre blows out on the motorway throwing your 3 month old out the windscreen and killing them (yes that happend on the M4 a few months back)... i know what i would rather have tbh.

I agree with the post in general, ie why ignor totally bald tyres just because you cant affod them, in which case if you cant afford to run your car you should not have one etc,
But if you have a family, young kids, bills to pay and not exactly a huge income, then a £25.00 cheaper tyre makes alot of sense, thats a saving of £100.00, and to me, that is alot of money that could pay a months council tax, or tax the car for 6 months.

Mine are on 3/4mm on the front of the golf atm, good to know ive got 4 ditchfinders second hand with at least 6mm of tread on them for when mine are fubar..... and they were free

Phoenix3dfx225 · Post by **Phoenix3dfx225** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 1:18 pm

My next pet hate is as can be found on the girlfriend 206, is a differnt tread pattern on each corner of the car with a different manufactor as well. Surely that cant be good either (from a performance POV) of course she doesnt notice anything driving 30mph to work and back.

stefaclese · Post by **stefaclese** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 1:21 pm

I find it somewhat hilarious how a lot of people seem to think that the dole is megabucks, I was on Jobseekers allowance for about a month a few years back, and it was barely worth the hassle to get it in the first place. Worked out to around £90 per fortnight iirc, not anywhere near enough to cover my bills let alone anything else.

Rovertech 2.0

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Re: People putting off changing tyres

Re: People putting off changing tyres

Re: People putting off changing tyres

Re: People putting off changing tyres

Re: People putting off changing tyres

Re: People putting off changing tyres

Re: People putting off changing tyres

Re: People putting off changing tyres

Re: People putting off changing tyres

Re: People putting off changing tyres

Re: People putting off changing tyres

Re: People putting off changing tyres

Re: People putting off changing tyres

Re: People putting off changing tyres