Is it just the older generation - tyres and general understanding?

Soldato
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Evening all,

After what turned into a rather heated debate at lunch today at work (lord knows why) it got me wondering the following :

Is it just the older generation that don't understand the concept of an engine using no fuel on the overrun whilst in gear or do many people assume that the engine constantly uses fuel? One person piped up and said where do the valves get the lead they require.. I asked him if a clue was that petrol was now called unleaded and he wasn't best impressed.

Second topic of debate turned to tyres. The older generation bar one all insist that there is absolutely no difference between a cheap tyre and a premium brand. My boss in particular, has just purchased infinity tyres and categorically states they are no worse than my Goodyear ones. Where does this assumption come from that all are created equal?

I asked one of them why he uses Bosch drills when he could have an Aldi/Lidl equivalent and he told me "why would I buy a cheap crap drill that will last ten minutes, doesn't have as much power and isn't as good as a Bosch. By this point, my mind boggled.

Perhaps its just me, but as far as the tyres go, they are the only thing that keep you on the road?
 
Having experienced a set of Sagitar P307 I can say with absolute certainty that your colleagues speak utter garbage.
 
The tires thing; the average joe won't notice any difference between Goodyear and YingYong because they don't push them, and when they do slam on the anchors in the wet they just blame 'it was wet and that's how long it takes to stop'.

The fuel... some people just refuse to believe it, the leaded guy would get a slap lol
 
The tires thing; the average joe won't notice any difference between Goodyear and YingYong because they don't push them, and when they do slam on the anchors in the wet they just blame 'it was wet and that's how long it takes to stop'.

The fuel... some people just refuse to believe it, the leaded guy would get a slap lol

The leaded guy is the same one I previously posted asking advice for as he'd filled his diesel Zafira up with petrol!
 
Is it just the older generation that don't understand the concept of an engine using no fuel on the overrun whilst in gear or do many people assume that the engine constantly uses fuel? One person piped up and said where do the valves get the lead they require.. I asked him if a clue was that petrol was now called unleaded and he wasn't best impressed.

Time to educate me!

I assumed that the car always uses fuel if it's on and rev'ing? What's overrun?
 
Rolling down a hill with the car in gear and no throttle is an example of overrun. A modern engine will be using no fuel in this situation.
 
My Conti's are definitely, obviously and demonstrably better than the cheap tyres I had before... (A couple of Events, a Jinyu and a Wanli)

You must have to be a total muppet to think that a £35 tyre is as good as an £85 tyre. If that were the case, there wouldn't be any £85 tyres...
 
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My Conti's are definitely, obviously and demonstrably better than the cheap tyres I had before... (A couple of Events, a Jinyu and a Wanli)

You must have to be a total muppet to think that a £35 tyre is as good as an £85 tyre. If that were the case, there wouldn't be any £85 tyres...

Most stupid post ever.
 
Rolling down a hill with the car in gear and no throttle is an example of overrun. A modern engine will be using no fuel in this situation.

Highlighted is the operative bit. Would an older car with less sophisticated engine management computer or a carburettor would still use fuel on the overrun?
 
Most stupid post ever.

... How exactly?

I said that my premium tyres are noticeably better than the cheap ones I used to have, and that you have to be a muppet to think that cheap tyres are as good as premium ones.

If a £35 tyre was as good as an £85 tyre, nobody would buy the £85 tyres, so there would be no market for them and they would cease to be produced.

It is relevant to the OP/thread. Am I just being targeted now? :confused:
 
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Driven well within the speed limit, like 'normal' people who simply drive to the shops and back no one is going to notice the difference between a cheap tire and an expensive one, that's my point. If you drove like a granny then you'd not be able to tell the difference either, but because you're into cars and drive them enthusiastically then you notice the difference.

There IS a difference, but only during certain conditions, i.e cornering hard, braking whilst cornering, braking harshly in the wet etc... that's why average joe buys cheap tires.

No you're not being targeted, just think about what you reply to.
 
Cheap tyres are also typically louder and they can be dangerous in the wet where a premium tyre would cope just fine.

All I said was that the premium tyres ARE better, I didn't specify what driving style or conditions would need to be in place for the difference to become apparent. :p
 
Basically, British cars were garbage, so the only way to sell them to the British public when they could buy Jap imports that were cheaper, more reliable and all round better, was to mind **** them into believing that British cars were not garbage, this required ensuring that generation basically knew nothing about cars except Fords, French cars and Japanese cars were bad and that German cars were over priced.

Many old people will still tell you just that, and that the reason the British car industry died was the fault of either the unions or the government (depending if they are Labour or Tory voters) and the cars themselves were great.


There IS a difference, but only during certain conditions, i.e cornering hard, braking whilst cornering, braking harshly in the wet etc... that's why average joe buys cheap tires.

Those are NORMAL driving conditions!

Hell I once bought a car with budget Diamondback tyres fitted and had them changed the next day because they were outright dangerous in the wet, they would spin under normal acceleration lol.
 
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... How exactly?

I said that my premium tyres are noticeably better than the cheap ones I used to have, and that you have to be a muppet to think that cheap tyres are as good as premium ones.

If a £35 tyre was as good as an £85 tyre, nobody would buy the £85 tyres, so there would be no market for them and they would cease to be produced.

It is relevant to the OP/thread. Am I just being targeted now? :confused:

It wasn't the most stupid post ever, but the reasoning in it was (and is) completely wrong. People frequently do buy more expensive products that are no better than cheaper products, even with a much larger price inflation than £35 to £85. Cables are the most famous example - there's a market for cables costing hundreds of pounds to be used in circumstances where a £10 cable is as good.

You're right about tires (when it comes to something that's crucial in keeping control of a car, "the cheapest one possible" really shouldn't be the criterion for which one to buy), but your supporting argument is wrong and a bit daft considering how common it is for people to pay much higher prices because of fashion and advertising.
 
It's mainly because they switch their shagged bald premium tyres for brand new ditchfinders that they don't notice much difference.

The brand new ditchfinders offer marginally better grip than the bald tyres so they think they have a result :)
 
Driven well within the speed limit, like 'normal' people who simply drive to the shops and back no one is going to notice the difference between a cheap tire and an expensive one, that's my point. If you drove like a granny then you'd not be able to tell the difference either, but because you're into cars and drive them enthusiastically then you notice the difference.

There IS a difference, but only during certain conditions, i.e cornering hard, braking whilst cornering, braking harshly in the wet etc... that's why average joe buys cheap tires.

No you're not being targeted, just think about what you reply to.

I'd bet even people who drive like grannies occasionally have to brake hard in wet conditions, where the difference between budget and premium tyres is immediately obvious.
 
With cars that have over run cut off, don't they still have to supply a small amount of fuel in each cycle?

So if you're engine breaking at 4000 rpm, it would still use more than freewheeling at 800 rpm?

(in a Honda b series engine)
 
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