Bias in favorite tire brands

[Dave T]

I'm a bit of a bigot with tires. Some of it is bigotry, some of it is snobbery. Certain brands of tires, I like. Of course, sometimes I think a particular tire model is not so good so I'll avoid it.

In general, my tier A is Dunlop, Pirelli, and Goodyear. I like the sound of the Dunlop name and it's my #1 choice. It's no longer a UK company but sounds like one. The Pirelli P6 Four Seasons is a very mediocre tire and standard on some Saab 9-3 so I didn't buy another set but I still like the Pirelli name.

Tier B is close to the top. Continental and Michelin are there. So is Nokian but I worry that tire availability might be less. Michelins tend to be far more expensive than other tires in my tier A and B.

Tier C is Bridgestone and Yokohama. I still would buy Tier C without hesitation.

Tier D are the small brands. I worry about replacements. Brands include Fulda, Vredstein, Gislaved, Semperit, etc.

Tier E, I really don't want even though some of them may be reputable. Kumho, Hankook, Federal, Ohtsu, Sumitomo, Barum. Linglong, Sunny and Blue Streak, I won't even touch.

[nordwulf]

Yokohama, Continental and Michelin are on the top of my list. Michelin tires are usually quite a bit more expensive and I have had good experiences with all three. I do like the Pirelli name and marketing and have had good experiences with some of their tires.

I never would buy any of your Tier E list. Small brands on your Tier D list like Gislaved (Continental) are sometimes owned by larger companies so that wouldn't stop me from buying them. Continental also makes General tires.

One a side note.. I read an article recently about a world shortage of rubber so tire prices are increasing.

I can spend hours researching and reading about tires. I even consider the look of the profile, sidewall and the difference between directional and asymmetrical tires in my tire decision. Tirerack lists the place of manufacture for each model/size and somehow I rather buy a tire made in Germany than one made in Brazil. I liked the old Continental ExtremeContact symmetrical/directional tires but don't like the newer asymmetrical design at all. Perhaps that's just me..

[TooMany2cvs]

I'm a bit of a bigot with tires. Some of it is bigotry, some of it is snobbery.

Likewise.

For me, Mich is the default choice. It might be irrational due to the long relationship between Citroen & Michelin, but I've always found them to be absolutely superb tyres. Yes, they're a bit more expensive, but they last, so the cost-per-mile is no more.

Except they don't make any performance-oriented tyres in c900 standard size. Only "Energy Saver" low-rolling-resistance. Which are only H-rated. As I realised too late, after fitting a pair. Hiho. They're OK, but nothing special. They do seem to have had a slight positive effect on economy, but at the expense of a bit of grip and feel.

I've gone Continental for the latest pair - PremiumContact 2. Good, but I'd have the Pilot Primacies back.

The others on my list would be Avon or Vredestein - if pennies were short, Avon as a no-brainer. Vredestein more of a left-field Tier A. I nearly went for Sportrac 3 instead of the Contis, and have Snowtrac winters.

As for the "owned by..." - don't care. If anything it's going to make me less likely to buy. I'd rather have an unknown but reputable indie than a B-team from a big-boy.

For the ones I've not mentioned, they'd probably be "avoid", largely to uncertainty (I don't want to chuck £150+ on a pair of tyres that turn out to be over-rated junk or only last ten minutes). The cheapie rubbish is a no-brainer, but I'd also avoid Pirelli - their usual offering over here, in c900 sizes, is the P6000. Awful, awful tyre. Thoroughly unpredictable in the wet. So that goes down as a firm "Thanks, no thanks" for me.

[TooMany2cvs]

But looks is not a factor when I buy tires, though I am tempted at times.

It _sort_ of is here, but in the other direction. I mentioned above that I quite fancy Vredesteins. Yet the looks are actually putting me off a bit. They're just _too_ "styled", including "OOoh, styled by Giugaro!" all over the marketing. Umm, I don't want _styled_ tyres. I want the tread pattern to be what it is because it WORKS, not "looks good".

[SaabScott]

Likewise.

For me, Mich is the default choice. It might be irrational due to the long relationship between Citroen & Michelin, but I've always found them to be absolutely superb tyres. Yes, they're a bit more expensive, but they last, so the cost-per-mile is no more.

See, we can agree on some things! ;-)

Michelins are my first choice.
Superb quality, long life, and very quiet on the road (I have Michelin Pilot Sport A/S+ on the car right now and they transformed it!!!).
Continentals would be my second choice, but only the DWS model.

And I take the "pickiness" even further as noted above.
Conti can make a very good tire, but just because they have one doesn't make the rest of their line up good.
I willl say that the model they replaced, the Conti Extreme Contacts, were exceptional in the rain, right to the end of their life.
I hope the Pilot Sport A/S+ lives up to their reputation as a great tire in the rain just as well.

As for winter tires, it all depends on the climate you live in.
Where I am, the Gislaved seem as though they were designed for the winter we have (they are a Swedish company and their climate is very similar).
I've run those for 2 years now and find them to be a perfect fit, for the weather and the car.

[SmaartAasSaabr]

Am I the only one who picks tires because they are black, mostly round and sitting at the curb on garbage day?

I still can't believe the deal I got on some almost new looking Snowtrakkers that way...

[Shazam]

Being a student, I get the best tires I can afford. My summer tires are nothing special Continental something-or-others. Decent tire, not great, but they squeal rather easy around corners. For winter tires I have Cooper WeatherMasters... best winter tire I could afford at the time. They do excellent in actual snow, but the slide/slip rather easy in slush and/or wetness. Scared me a couple times, but I wouldn't call them "unsafe" but something I'm going to enjoy getting rid of at the end of this winter (if they wear accordingly).

As for brands... I don't care what the brand is, but I do look at the big names first, but from there I mostly go by ratings/reviews I can find on the web. I know they can't all be trusted, so they are read with a grain of salt.

[LEGage]

I can only judge from my personal expierence with tires.

My rating would be as follows:

#1 Bridgestone (Potenza RE-960, Blizzak WS-60). Potenza is an incredible rain tire, and tread depth is holding up. Love my winter tires also. Big Bridgestone fan here.

#2 Michelin (Only number 2 because I only purchased one set and they were really good, but did not last long).

#3 Pirelli (P6- Only had them because they came with the 9-5. Bad tire IMHO)

#4 Goodyears that came on my Jetta VR6 (had two sets of them, hard tire slid allot with them).

#5 Kumos (sad to say I bought a set. They were the last set on my VR6. Worst set of tires I have ever gotten)

[euromobile900]

I drive so little in the summer that I just keep my Nokian Hakka NRWs (Now discontinued by Nokian and replaced by Nokian Hakka WR) on year-round. After four years and 25000 miles, they are still doing OK. I shall keep using them until they are no longer safe. Traction could be better on a dry road, but I just don't care (I've four-wheel-locked on wet concrete and I still slide in a straight line--gotta love c900 chassis) and I never thrash my car enough to make any difference round corners or accelerating (gotta love N/A ).

A local junkyard (Minnesota) sells good tires from unfortunate cars that got scrapped right after being re-shod. I once found a set of four beautiful Goodyears like that, for under $150. Came back the next day with my checkbook and they were gone.