**Unofficial Tyre Thread**

I think the Rainsports are a very good "normal" tyre. I use them on my girlfriend's car and they're excellent in the wet and/or cold, no issues in the dry, and they wear well. They're not as good as the the usual UHP suspect but then they're not quite in the same league.
 
Armageus said:
Or maybe they Uniroyal are just unable to supply anything "good enough" to meet Manufacturer specifications at a suitable price point?
Honestly if Manufacturers can save any money on "hidden costs" like Tyres (* hidden in the sense that most people who buy a new car aren't going to complain about which brand of tyres are on it) then you are naive to think they won't. If VW could save £10 a tyre on a Golf, then that would be ~£430000 saved in a month based on sales.




Hankook and Kumho are relatively small firms, but have recently started to supply car manufacturers as OE.
http://www.automotiveworld.com/news-releases/hankook-tyres-original-fitment-new-audi-tt-tts-models/
http://kumhotyre.co.uk/kumho-news/major-boost-for-kumhos-european-oe-tyre-supply/

ref:
https://www.smmt.co.uk/vehicle-data/car-registrations/
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Rather than scrimping to buy less expensive rubber BMW retains for more by insisting on a big brand with a name in motorsport than trying to penny pinch.

Reputation is everything.
 
Hedge said:
Decent for the price though. Not cheap and totally crap like some linglongs or something.
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So not as good as a Michelin/Continental/Goodyear/Dunlop/Pirelli etc.. then?


Hedge said:
Reputation is everything.
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Except it isn't? Manufacturers routinely change brands to take advantage of better deals. If money can be saved without sacrificing the quality (Primarily handling and road noise). Rainsports aren't OE fitment for anything, as there is too much of a compromise on quality for the saving on offer.
 
Armageus said:
So not as good as a Michelin/Continental/Goodyear/Dunlop/Pirelli etc.. then?

Except it isn't? Manufacturers routinely change brands to take advantage of better deals. If money can be saved without sacrificing the quality (Primarily handling and road noise). Rainsports aren't OE fitment for anything, as there is too much of a compromise on quality for the saving on offer.
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No of course uniroyals aren't comparable with a premium high end tyre . I never once said they were. Infact I said my Eagle F1 were better.

Oh dear I've gotten myself into situation where Fox has proven his BMW knowledge. OK they use hankooks. Which Hankook (7th largest tyre manufacturer in the world) do they use then so I can consider them as mondeo tyres.

And also I think Michelin group owns Uniroyal anyway so they probably make any decisions on marketing Uniroyal to manufacturers anyway.
 
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I dislike Rainsports personally. That soft sidewall REALLY puts me off them. Had them on the Alhambra when I got it, and was glad to see the back of them when I put the winter tyres on them wheels.

I have had good experience with Vredstein as a mid-range tyre, and wouldn't hesitate to use them again.
 
Hedge said:
Hankook being 7th biggest tyre maker in world would make them pretty big though right?
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Yes, it would. Pretty big.

Uniroyal, however, are part of Continental, who are the 4th biggest tyre maker in the world.

Uniroyal isn't some sort of little cottage industry making hidden but epic tyres but unable to compete with the big boys. They are a brand of one of the worlds leading tyre manufacturers making midrange tyres.
 
[TW]Fox said:
Yes, it would. Pretty big.

Uniroyal, however, are part of Continental, who are the 4th biggest tyre maker in the world.

Uniroyal isn't some sort of little cottage industry making hidden but epic tyres but unable to compete with the big boys. They are a brand of one of the worlds leading tyre manufacturers making midrange tyres.
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So you said "Big name?" implying that Hankook weren't big, then in your next post you said Pretty big? Righto.

I dont even know why we are going on like this anyway. The fact is in my experience Uniroyal Rainsport 3s were a decent tyre for commuting 20k a year in a Ford Mondeo Estate. They are cheap yes. But they aren't Linglong ditchfinder cheap.

They are fair value for money. Nothing more.

I know from your posts on here you wouldn't dream of putting a none premium branded tyre on your cars so you can't really comment. I currently have Conti Sport Contacts on my Megane and currently have some Avon cheap stuff on my Mondeo. So I can at least say from experience that for day to day driving, the Uniroyals or other rubber for similar prices haven't made my car feel like a deathtrap or anything.

I'd put premium on my "performance" 300bhp car, and I will continue to put good VFM stuff on my commuter.
 
Hedge said:
So you said "Big name?" implying that Hankook weren't big, then in your next post you said Pretty big? Righto.
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I simply agreed with your appraisal. Personally '7th biggest' doesn't feel that big, but there we go.

I dont even know why we are going on like this anyway. The fact is in my experience Uniroyal Rainsport 3s were a decent tyre for commuting 20k a year in a Ford Mondeo Estate. They are cheap yes. But they aren't Linglong ditchfinder cheap.

They are fair value for money. Nothing more.
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So whats the issue? That is what I think too - however they get talked up on here like they are something more than this..

I'd put premium on my "performance" 300bhp car, and I will continue to put good VFM stuff on my commuter.
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Never did understand this logic. Fair enough if you don't agree that the benefits of a premium tyre are worth it, but to link it with car type has always seemed odd. 70mph on a wet motorway is 70mph on a wet Motorway whether you are driving a Kia Picanto or a Ferrari 458. That is when you want tyre performance in the event of an adverse situation.

Frankly when going for a hoon in the bone dry it matters less than when commuting in some respects..
 
I drive 50mph average to and from work. No motorways. Dual carriageway for no more than 2 miles. I'm happy enough with mid range stuff. I don't feel need to buy expensive stuff for that car.
 
Simon said:
Apt name
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I don't buy cheap Chinese tyres but I'm unlikely to spend more than £100 per tyre for my mondeo.

On a track or for spirited driving I would always have premium stuff. But let's be honest the stopping distance between something like an Eagle F1 which I'd class as a cheap premium tyre and a mid range Rainsport 3 or Avon equivalent is probably just a few metres.

For the record I know cheapest tyres vs most expensive tyres show a huge difference. Life saving distances in fact. But for tyres around 80-120 each I doubt it's much different.
 
the way I see it, if you can afford premium tyres, buy them, if not then get the best you can afford. Tyres really do make a massive difference.
 
Andythe Random said:
Just put Michelin cross climates on the wife's polo, they seem pretty impressive so far.
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Heard they're pretty good, although some people report they're a bit more prone to punctures, but probably just as likely it would have punctured with another brand of tyre and that they just got unlucky.
 
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