Technical Wet weather tyre suggestions

[Bonefish Blues]

My advice;

1) Avoid cheap places that just deliver tyres and then you have to get them fitted yourself... finding the someone to fit them yourself is a PITA and they charge you a tenner a wheel minimum, plus the old tyre disposal, plus nitrogen gas etc., so you have to add about £60 to the price for 4 tyres.

Just Google "buy cheap tyres in <where you live>". If you're buying 4 you can get decent discounts that will work out cheaper, incl. fitting.

2) Look at all the tyres in your price range. Choose the one with the sexiest tread pattern.
There is no real difference between the different noise and wet weather grip ratings so don't obsess about those. Anything A - C will be cool. The difference between a 69DB and a 71DB noise rating falls into "you won't notice" so again, don't pay extra.

3) 500 only needs a T-rated tyre, so don't spend extra on H-rated... although not every H-rated is more expensive than every T-rated tyre. Just look at the price, not the speed rating.

4) Similarly an XL tyre is not needed. They tend to cost about a fiver more and make the ride slightly firmer. If you always lug around 4 people plus a dead body in the boot OR your local roads look like a bomb-site then XL might be better since they have a stiffer sidewall and will be more resistant to sidewall damage.

• Goodyear Efficient grip (A-B rated) are the best wet weather tyres I've used personally... but their prices have gone a bit bonkers lately. You might find a good deal locally though.
• I currently have Bridgestone T005 (C-B rated) and they're fine, though again, prices are creeping up.
• Avon ZT-7 seem to be available in a mid-£60s price bracket and even though they're "only" D-B rated, I had them before on my old Alfa '45 and they were phenomenal (albeit replacing a mixed set of Ling-Long, Nankang, Lifejoy and Nicky-nacky-noo).

Ralf S.

Db is measured on a logarithmic scale so the difference between 69Db and 71Db is significant. A 3 Db increase represents an apparent doubling of noise level. It may be an important factor for some.
Choose the sexiest tread pattern is simply an odd statement - there are real and measurable differences between tyres.

 

[jrkitching]

Db is measured on a logarithmic scale so the difference between 69Db and 71Db is significant. A 3 Db increase represents an apparent doubling of noise level. It may be an important factor for some.

For me, most definitely.

And the 500 bodyshell doesn't have the best sound deadening; I'd recommend choosing tyres with a low noise rating, all else being equal.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

For me, most definitely.

And the 500 bodyshell doesn't have the best sound deadening; I'd recommend choosing tyres with a low noise rating, all else being equal.

Luxury! Us Panda drivers look up to the paragon of placidity and calm that is a 500

 

[Tessia]

My advice;

1) Avoid cheap places that just deliver tyres and then you have to get them fitted yourself... finding the someone to fit them yourself is a PITA and they charge you a tenner a wheel minimum, plus the old tyre disposal, plus nitrogen gas etc., so you have to add about £60 to the price for 4 tyres.

Just Google "buy cheap tyres in <where you live>". If you're buying 4 you can get decent discounts that will work out cheaper, incl. fitting.

2) Look at all the tyres in your price range. Choose the one with the sexiest tread pattern.
There is no real difference between the different noise and wet weather grip ratings so don't obsess about those. Anything A - C will be cool. The difference between a 69DB and a 71DB noise rating falls into "you won't notice" so again, don't pay extra.

3) 500 only needs a T-rated tyre, so don't spend extra on H-rated... although not every H-rated is more expensive than every T-rated tyre. Just look at the price, not the speed rating.

4) Similarly an XL tyre is not needed. They tend to cost about a fiver more and make the ride slightly firmer. If you always lug around 4 people plus a dead body in the boot OR your local roads look like a bomb-site then XL might be better since they have a stiffer sidewall and will be more resistant to sidewall damage.

• Goodyear Efficient grip (A-B rated) are the best wet weather tyres I've used personally... but their prices have gone a bit bonkers lately. You might find a good deal locally though.
• I currently have Bridgestone T005 (C-B rated) and they're fine, though again, prices are creeping up.
• Avon ZT-7 seem to be available in a mid-£60s price bracket and even though they're "only" D-B rated, I had them before on my old Alfa '45 and they were phenomenal (albeit replacing a mixed set of Ling-Long, Nankang, Lifejoy and Nicky-nacky-noo).

Ralf S.

I noticed that once you add in the delivery cost and fitting cost it actually doesn't seem to work out cheaper anyway. Add in what @jrkitching said about warranties and two different companies blaming each other and it doesn't make sense to buy the tyres separately even if I could save a little.

I did notice that the noise level only seemed to differ by around 2db which is not going to be noticeable so I just ignored that. Seeing what others said, which falls into line with what you said about the ratings I just looked for anything above C.

I did see the H and T ratings, I didn't know the exact speed ratings but knew that my 1.2L wasn't going to need anything specific so just ignored it.

I heard that XL tend to be worse unless you really need them, seems they make the ride less comfortable. I do drive around some pretty badly potholed roads but I tend to either avoid them or drive very slowly over them so I don't think I need the XL.

 

[Tessia]

For me, most definitely.

And the 500 bodyshell doesn't have the best sound deadening; I'd recommend choosing tyres with a low noise rating, all else being equal.

I always have music on and turned up, so I never notice tyre noise much anyway. I also always have my window cracked about 2 inches so the wind is louder then the tyres, though I did fit wind deflectors so it's not too bad.

 

[vexorg]

2dB is about 1.6 times louder.

I'd got for wet rating of A, I'd avoid a rating of C (unless it's efficiency, since efficiency usualy means less grip)

 

[Twotone2]

Halfords are good for tyres OP there's a discount available free of charge or you can buy their subscription thing for £49 and that gets you more benefits plus a larger discount.

We bought a set of Goodyear Vector 4 seasons gen 3 recently and the difference was night and day from the previous tyres which were brand new Dunlop Duragrip which came with the car. Think we paid about £340 for the four.

 

[A3jeroen]

Uniroyal Rainsport!

gr J

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Uniroyal Rainsport!

gr J

Used to be a fantastic recommendation (and still a very good tyre) but they've got more expensive relative to the competition than used to be the case, so OP can get a good quality all season tyre for less.

 

[John202020]

At the cheapest end of the scale these

Mazzini ECO809 185/55 R15 V tyres | Blackcircles.com

Buy tyres online and get them fitted locally with Blackcircles. Lifetime Guarantee now on all car, van & SUV tyres. Peace of mind, at no extra cost.

www.blackcircles.com

Have the same rating as Dunlop at twice the price?

 

[steveras57]

At the cheapest end of the scale these

Mazzini ECO809 185/55 R15 V tyres | Blackcircles.com

Buy tyres online and get them fitted locally with Blackcircles. Lifetime Guarantee now on all car, van & SUV tyres. Peace of mind, at no extra cost.

www.blackcircles.com

Have the same rating as Dunlop at twice the price?

Good info there John very helpful!

 

[vexorg]

Have the same rating as Dunlop at twice the price?

Ratings are subjective and subject to fraud (teams in india boost them for a little money).
Mr Cheapo-Tyre isn't likely to be screaming round corners feeling for the point they are gong to break away.

I've had plenty of cheap tyres on cars I've bought and wonder how can people live like that beyond being a pensioner sunday driver. I've yet to find a cheap tyre that is a match for the top branded ones. Lets face it, mercedes are going to fit mezzini to their F1 cars any time soon.

You get what you pay for with tyres, it's your life and expensive pride and joy on the line. It's really not worth scrimping on over the life of the tyre.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Ratings are subjective and subject to fraud (teams in india boost them for a little money).
Mr Cheapo-Tyre isn't likely to be screaming round corners feeling for the point they are gong to break away.

I've had plenty of cheap tyres on cars I've bought and wonder how can people live like that beyond being a pensioner sunday driver. I've yet to find a cheap tyre that is a match for the top branded ones. Lets face it, mercedes are going to fit mezzini to their F1 cars any time soon.

You get what you pay for with tyres, it's your life and expensive pride and joy on the line. It's really not worth scrimping on over the life of the tyre.

I agree with your post

Just to add what I think's a relevant point. The 'top'* say 5% of performance is there, but I think that comes at a disproportionate cost (at least in my personal judgement). I no longer fit Summer tyres, having been using All Seasons exclusively for many years, and have followed that market & tyres very closely. IMHO the premium for CC2s and Goodyears isn't worth paying, because the performance of the gaggle behind is now so close to the very best, and at a significantly better price. As a personal example, I run Hankooks on our XC70 and Vreds on our Panda 4x4. Interesting test linked below (note his comments about making your own call on tyres based on the different characteristics of each tyre in terms of the different parameters he tests)
Note also the truly awful performance of the budget all seasons tyre.


and here:

Results Table 2023 24 Tyre Reviews All Season Tyre Test - Tyre reviews and ratings

A table of results for the 2023 24 Tyre Reviews All Season Tyre Test tyre test.

www.tyrereviews.com

*And even that's arguable, given comments about no single tyre excelling in every parameter.

 

[jrkitching]

Note also the truly awful performance of the budget all seasons tyre.

Midrange tyres are a reasonable choice for someone on a budget, but the bottom third of the market is truly dreadful, and best avoided.

Around £20-£25 of the final price is taken up by fitting, balancing and disposal. You'll pay this £25 regardless of whether you buy the cheapest tyre or the most expensive. So if you're comparing all-in prices, a £75 midrange tyre has at least twice as much of your money in the actual tyre as a £50 budget one.

It's essentially the same argument as the difference between a £4 bottle of wine and an £8 one.

 

[A3jeroen]

But unless you drink either bottle before driving it is not going to influence your stopping distance.
For me the testrating in the wet has to be A. everything else isnot as important. Usually the ones I choose are not the most expensive brands.
We once had a testdrive in a Corolla VVTI (192 Hp) on Landsail tires. Let's just say they performed exactly as expected (Sailing on Land) and never ever were we even thinking of unleashing more than 50-60 horses. And it wasn't even wet...

gr J

 

[The Panda Nut]

Hi all,

I'm lookimg for some tyre suggestions for my 2008 1.2 sport. Tyres are 185/55r15.

I bought this car used and every tyre is a different brand. Currently on the front there is a Yokohama BluEarth-ES though on the tyre is it spelt BlnEarth, maybe a sign of a knockoff? The other front tyre is a Westlake Zupereco.

The wet weather handling is appalling!! Even in the dry, the wheel spin like crazy if I take off in a hurry. Not sure how normal that is, always thought it was just due to how light the car is.

Anyway, British weather being what it is I want some new tyres on the front with GOOD wet weather grip. This is really my one and only requirement. Preferably in the £70/£80 range. Any suggestions would be grand.

Edit: £70/£80 per tyre

My Panda 100 was similarly afflicted. I find Michelin are worth the money and perform well these days on everything. ALso had Toyos on the Panda and they were very good in the wet. I currently use Continetal tyres and these too are very very good. For Value Toyos were cheaper. Wear rates make Michelin better overall value in my opinion.

 

[The Panda Nut]

Midrange tyres are a reasonable choice for someone on a budget, but the bottom third of the market is truly dreadful, and best avoided.

Around £20-£25 of the final price is taken up by fitting, balancing and disposal. You'll pay this £25 regardless of whether you buy the cheapest tyre or the most expensive. So if you're comparing all-in prices, a £75 midrange tyre has at least twice as much of your money in the actual tyre as a £50 budget one.

It's essentially the same argument as the difference between a £4 bottle of wine and an £8 one.

Black circle prices are good, but watch they fit what you have ordered!!!

 

[The Panda Nut]

But unless you drink either bottle before driving it is not going to influence your stopping distance.
For me the testrating in the wet has to be A. everything else isnot as important. Usually the ones I choose are not the most expensive brands.
We once had a testdrive in a Corolla VVTI (192 Hp) on Landsail tires. Let's just say they performed exactly as expected (Sailing on Land) and never ever were we even thinking of unleashing more than 50-60 horses. And it wasn't even wet...

gr J

I have Landsail on our old Seat, I have tried wet and dry to unhinge the car. The ones we have 185x15 I believe are certainly OK.. Not as good as top brands but these are predictable and safe at worst. The car is now very old and is probaly going to be scrapped soon so that will be the end of that experiment..... Landsail are apparently owned by Michelin so maybe they have gained a little in that process.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

I have Landsail on our old Seat, I have tried wet and dry to unhinge the car. The ones we have 185x15 I believe are certainly OK.. Not as good as top brands but these are predictable and safe at worst. The car is now very old and is probaly going to be scrapped soon so that will be the end of that experiment..... Landsail are apparently owned by Michelin so maybe they have gained a little in that process.

Landsail are a wholly Chinese owned brand.

 

[The Panda Nut]

I've been looking around and most places supply and fit Kumho Ecsta HS52, guessing it's a newer model. The HA32 has a B rating for wet, the Ecsta HS52 have an A rating and I can get 4 fitted for £280. So by the time you add on fitting for the HA32 it would end up around the same price but with a slightly better wet rating. I think I may go for this as long as no one here has any red flags on the 52's.

Kuhmo are a higher end sub brand of Michelin. They were OEM on my Smart car. I was impressed. Ok the Smart wasnt that powerful, but it was totally unstickable in all conditions. An under rated brand,