Why buy Avon zz3 tyres for £70 when I can get budget Fullrun HP199 tyres for £40?

Question

I have a Volvo S80 2.9 SE Auto & do 40K miles a year nearly all on the motorway.

Why should I pay nearly twice the price for a W speed rating tyre against a V rating tyre - I never go over 100mph?
The load ratings are the same 97 & they seem to have the same rim protector & tread pattern as the Avon zz3 although I have only seen the Fullruns on a website on Ebay.
Are Fullrun HP199 tyres any good?
I live in nr Kettering (Northamptonshire) & work in Telford (Shropshire) UK so if anybody can recommend a good tyre dealer where I can get tyres and fitting I would appreciate it?
My tyre size is 215/55 x 16.
thanx

Answer 1

First of all it is a legal requirement that the speed rating of the tyre exceeds the maximum possible speed of the vehicle, even if you never intend to drive that fast. I have to buy a W or Z rated tyre as my car can theoretically exceed 150mph but I have no intention of ever driving that fast, unless I get a spin on a track!!

Volvo will have tested thousands of tyres for your vehicle and chose the Avons for a good reason. You can change of course but you may find you get tyre rub, poor wear, strange handling and other differences with a different tyre. I put Continentals on my car instead of Michelin and the handling was atrocious, it would slither round corners rather than steer.

I would let you fingers do the walking and phone a few places for prices and advice. I would advise to stick to a performance trye for the increased safety they will bring but don't think you have to pay for a well known brand. Hankook are a reputable make which I have used happily on other cars for exampe. I'd try to avoid the likes of Kwikfit and the like if you can, they are OK for emergencies but independant dealers will probably give you a better deal in the long run.

Oh and don't forget to change both tyres on an axle to avoid grip problems, especially with winter coming up.

Answer 2

Considering the tyres are the only thing touching the road so you rely on them for braking accelerating and cornering,The budget tyres are ok they do the job but they dont do it under extremes just when you need it.I would only fit brand tyres on my car doing motorway driving. And after all a fraction of the tyre is in contact with road.
I always go for safety. How much would you pay for your life or your childs life.

Answer 3

I think that Michelin are worth paying for if you intend to keep the vehicle for a while
We put two cheap tyres on our car because the car is old
One of them only lasted 3 weeks
Better tyres come with a guarantee

Answer 4

I've tried really expensive (Pirelli 6000) , medium (Hankook) & budget tyres (who knows) - the pirellis gave by far the better grip in both wet & dry. I used to slide all over the place with the cheap ones.

At present I'm running the Hankooks - they seem fine.

Fullrun aren't too bad...and great for general use, but crap is pushed in the wet.

Price is all to do with 1. Brand. 2.Water displacement 3.compound/grip.

Cheap ones often don't perform as well.

Answer 5

the best reason to buy good tyres is simply because your life depends on them !..and all so the safety of other road users..the only part of a car in contact with the road is a bit of rubber the size of the palm of your hands ..with the speed of cars today they don't have to be good .. they have to be excellent ..car makers are all ways trying to save money ..but they never go for cheap tyres ..they dare not risk it !..tyre manufacturers spend millions on development ..to make their products safe for all types of weather and conditions ..buying cheap tyres could be your most expensive mistake ..ever ...PS .. I'm a builder!

Answer 6

Think of buying at a supermarket, are you happy paying for well known brands that cost more so that they can advertise, or do you go for their own brand?, every product you buy has a built in advertising and sponsorship cost. If your happy to pay those costs, then buy the ones you prefer, remember, all tyre makers are subject to very strict safety standards.

Answer 7

Try Klebar tyres! Half the price of the Michelin and they are the EXACT same tyre!!!

Answer 8

why dont look for sales such as buy 3 get 1free a lot of these tyre boys have some sort of offer.

Answer 9

i always buy budget tyres they are just as good and very often made by top brands,,

Answer 10

Avon is goot tire, is waste on Volvo.
yu get Nanking, crap tire but much fun paint in name in wite ant change N to W so it read Wanking hahahahah