Grip levels of new tyres

[kingkarl 136]

So after giving my old set of tyres a big smoky farewell, I went and bought the cheapest set of new 185-65-14 tyres I could get my hands on for my Toyota yesterday.

The tyre place hooked me up with some Kingstar's (some Chinese rubbish) - apparently it's Hankook's mega budget line. Cost me $360 all up, fitted balanced and with an alignment, so I'm not complaining. Now I wasn't expecting grip levels to rival R888's, but as soon as I drove the car round a corner I noticed how incredibly sh*t they were... borderline dangerous.

There is HUGE amounts of understeer which then translates into lift off oversteer. The steering feels all soft and wallowy and the car feels about 200 tonnes heavier than when it went in.

I swear to god these tyres have far less grip than my old yokohama's (which were down to the wires!), and the yokohama's were dirt cheap also, which is why I can't help but think something's not quite right.

Is it maybe just the fact there's still some of that shiny tyre lube stuff left in the tread from the shop that will eventually wear out, or should I just get used to the joy of buying rubbish tyres?.

chur

On a positive note they are really, really, really quiet!

[kerry 10]

So after giving my old set of tyres a big smoky farewell, I went and bought the cheapest set of new 185-65-14 tyres I could get my hands on for my Toyota yesterday.

The tyre place hooked me up with some Kingstar's (some Chinese rubbish) - apparently it's Hankook's mega budget line. Cost me $360 all up, fitted balanced and with an alignment, so I'm not complaining. Now I wasn't expecting grip levels to rival R888's, but as soon as I drove the car round a corner I noticed how incredibly sh*t they were... borderline dangerous.

There is HUGE amounts of understeer which then translates into lift off oversteer. The steering feels all soft and wallowy and the car feels about 200 tonnes heavier than when it went in.

I swear to god these tyres have far less grip than my old yokohama's (which were down to the wires!), and the yokohama's were dirt cheap also, which is why I can't help but think something's not quite right.

Is it maybe just the fact there's still some of that shiny tyre lube stuff left in the tread from the shop that will eventually wear out, or should I just get used to the joy of buying rubbish tyres?.

chur

On a positive note they are really, really, really quiet!

there total s**t dude. but do give it were in time. (had them on one of my cars before)

[JiB 0]

They are pretty poo tyres. But like ALL tyres, they'll need 100-200kms to wear in before grip/ride/noise/etc can be judged. It's not just surface tyre lube.

IIRC it's because the layer of the tyre closest to the mold has a mold release compound. And this doesn't represent the same compound as the rest of the tyres. Unless that's what you meant by tyre lube?

Hope that helps.

[charles28 117]

I had them on a Honda Torneo SIR-T that i purchased, (Came with them fitted).

They were not good really, especially in the wet.

I ended up changing them for Toyo T1R's, the difference was incredible, however the T1R's cost me $160 a tyre.

[Forrest 35]

My old wheels had Kingstars on them, did not like being pushed in any conditions at all.

[zenetti 0]

At the end of the day you get what you pay for

We always tell our customers to let the tyres "bed in" before driving "vigourously" Jib is pretty much on the money with his comments, however you will also find that the better tyre brands have a compund that is less conspicuous than their cheaper counterparts and tends to wear off a lot quicker.

Give your Kingstars about 100km and they should get a lot better. TBH they are one of the better 'budget' brands around.

[Mark 178]

Just do a burnout... that'll get rid of the goop on the fronts at least (well one of them anyway).

[brockie123 31]

+1 but don't get caught

Edited September 10, 2009 by brockie123

[Guest FrantiC]

I have kingstars on the front of my e30.. they SUCK. If I turn corners too fast or on round abouts teh car starts to sledge.

They will now be moved on to the rear to be destroyed.

[bekker 7]

I ended up changing them for Toyo T1R's, the difference was incredible, however the T1R's cost me $160 a tyre.

$160 sounds ok. Is that a good price? What size are they?

[bravo 34]

Andrew had some on the back of the techII he had. Used to take them around Albany roundabouts in the wet for shits and giggles. They were total crap in the wet, but fun as you could lose traction at speeds well under the legal limits.

[Apex 693]

Just do a burnout... that'll get rid of the goop on the fronts at least (well one of them anyway).

X2. Just fitted new Pirelli P Zero’s to the Megane, they are slippery at the moment as they have only done 40km.. Will wear them in on the weekend, a good launch should have them ready for action... maybe a gravel road to rub up the rears.

[kingkarl 136]

cheers for the input gentlemen

[charles28 117]

$160 sounds ok. Is that a good price? What size are they?

this was about 18 months ago from Tonys Tyre Service, 205/50/16's

They may cost a bit more now, but worth asking

[antil33t 90]

I have GoodYear 195/60/14 from tony's tyre service... Came on the car, but were basically brand new, seem to be fine.

Doesn't compare to the Nexen N2000's on my old lancer though.

[vyking56 0]

I acquired a set of factory 16s with brand new Kingstars for my WRX with the intention of pulling them off and running R888s all round. I ran them on the car for a while, just to see what they were like and oh dear lord they were bad. Even in an AWD car they had below average grip in the dry and virtually none in the wet... but what was worse is that the car became VERY unpredictable in all weather conditions.

Unfortunately many sellers on Trademe advertise these as "sports" tyres because of their directional tread patterns - when in actual fact they are dangerous even for a commuter tyre.

Tyres. You get what you pay for.

[Apex 693]

Unless you are buying Michelin or Pirelli, they are twice the price as say a Dunlop or Toyo but are not noticeable better.

Also, AWD would actually show tyres weakness before a 2wd drive car.

[hybrid 1039]

...with brand new Kingstars for my WRX with the intention of pulling them off and running R888s all round. I ran them on the car for a while, just to see what they were like and oh dear lord they were bad.

Tyres. You get what you pay for.

Hahaha .. when I bought the m325i they had these junk tires on it. For the short time I used the car with them on it they got dubbed "Movie tires" as they lite up so well. In the wet the car was a lot of fun.

Went to 8.5/18inch with direzza's and never looked back.

[kiwi328i 118]

My Mum has a set of kingstars on her Beemer and they are not good. Good wear though they dont like going down anytime soon. I think there are better options out there. I would rather buy near new performance tyres then buy new crap tyres, its just a different gamble...but if you cannot buy new performance tyres then hey???

I have an old motor tyre test I think where they tested the chinese tyres and they are mud. Avoid if at all possible.

[kingkarl 136]

^^Yeah, I read that test.

I love driving, and going around corners fast. But my love of driving pales in comparison to the shortfalls of my bank account. So $90 tyres are about all i can muster.

I've done 1000km on the kingstars and they have definitely improved, which is a relief.

[Apex 693]

Im not a tyre pro, I just posted what I have found over the years driving on different tyres on different vehicles.

A tyre can not be judged on cost.

What top of the line Pirelli's did you have? The top Pirelli costs over 2k per corner is all, not many people spend a cars value on rubber.

[tire 10]

Nor am I - They were a snip at $1,100 a corner in the sizes that fit my car

Holy moly . I bet you think twice when someone says 'do a skid'

[Apex 693]

Nor am I - They were a snip at $1,100 a corner in the sizes that fit my car -- and I dont judge them on cost - I judge them on performance and then work whether they represent "value" to me.

One can apply the initial gauge of " You get what you pay for" and if you are paying "budget" money dont expect anything startling

As a basic formula that works, most people would consider $300 an ultra mega expensive tyre and $300 will buy a safe tyre that is more than adequate for your average Joe.

It doesn’t always work though, because of where we are on this planet and what the main importers bring in, two tyres that may cost the same in Europe may be separated 100% in our market, the Michelin Pilot Sport vs the Dunlop Sport Max for example, these tyres are as good as each other and price reflects that in European markets but over here you will pay double for the Michelin. Works in reverse too, we are lucky to get Toyo’s for cheap in NZ, they are a lot more expensive in Europe, does that make them a better tyre in Europe?

If the performance aspect of a tyre (grip and steering feel) is all that’s looked at I can assure you the likes of the Dunlop, Goodyear and Toyo produce economical tyres that will perform or outperform the likes of the expensive but equally rated Continental, Michelin or Pirelli. The expensive tyre will often excel in combining the performance aspects with reduced noise and improved ride and tyre life, in saying that I have seen $1,000+ a corner Continentals only last 8,000km, that’s akin of a track tyre. I have read and experienced this with the likes of Pirelli whose tyres often fail to put down real life figures in extensive testing and often fall behind Bridgestone, Michelin and Goodyear etc.

Getting a road car on road tyres out on a track for shits and giggles will quickly show what a tyre is made of, while not applicable to most roads it is still a good test of raw performance.

I run Pirelli’s now due to a good deal I was offered on them in my desired size and performance rating, they are coined as Pirelli’s most confident tyre on a track outside of their ultra expensive track tyres and with 100% honesty I can say they are no better in terms of ultimate performance than the Dunlop’s.

Edited September 22, 2009 by Apex

[zenetti 0]

Unfortunately this has just degenerated into a subjective argument offering little value so lets park it.

QFT

Cheers PJAY

[pjay 8]

Get Nexens

Cheers ZENETTI