Cheap vs Expensive Tyres: Which One Is Best for Your Car?
If you've ever shopped for a new set of tyres, you've probably seen a massive price difference between something that costs like $400 a set versus something that costs like $1,400 a set. And at first glance, you will notice both tyres Warwick might look pretty similar, round rubber, tread pattern, and tyre. But the main difference between a cheap tyre and an expensive one isn't just the logo on the sidewall. It's much more than that. It's about the materials they use to make the tyre, and the performance you can feel when you install them on your car.
Cheap Tyres Let's start with the cheap tyres. Now, these are the tyres that fall within that $60 to $100 per tyre price range. Tyres like Iron Man's, Acceleras, LeXanis. You can get a full set of these tyres for what almost a single one of the premium tyre options costs. And for the most part, for things like daily driving or even mild performance driving, they get the job done.
Expensive Tyres Now, in the other corner, you have more expensive tyre brands, things like Michelin, Continental, and Bridgestone. These tyres are typically coming in at least $250 per tyre. And depending on the size and what type of tyre you're getting into, it can easily
push them over $400 a tyre. But what are you getting with all of that extra cash you're spending, and is it worth it?
The Compound Difference The first major difference that is going to have a strong impact on the overall cost between the two sets of tyres is going to be the compound. What the heck are these things being made from, and what is being put into them? A very popular ultra-high-performance tyre. This tyre uses multiple types of compounds across the entire tread, using a harder compound on the inside for stability and longevity, and a softer compound on the outer edges to help with grip in the corners. Something you’re typically not going to see with a $70 tyre. Cheaper tyres, on the other hand, typically stick to a single compound dedicated to a specific purpose, mostly all-season driving.
Construction and Design High-end tyres often feature things like reinforced belts, and something known as an 'optimized carcass shape'. These are the things that give you that responsive feel when turning or braking. When you go with a high-end, performance-focused tyre, that's what you can expect to have. Some cheaper tyres have this as well, or at least claim to focus on these areas. But often you'll find thinner sidewalls that flex under load, a sloppier steering feel, and less resistance to sidewall rollover or even chunking when they get heat into them. Things you’d consider more if you're looking for a performance tyre than a daily driving tyre. When you're looking at construction and formula, that's where this all comes into play.
Reliability and Comfort Let's step outside of the performance talk for a second and talk more about reliability and comfort. Premium tyres often perform better because of all the stuff we just talked about, but on top of that, they are usually quieter on the road. The tread patterns designed by top-tier manufacturers are often created using something known as CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulation, basically a computer program that tests how the tread will work in real life. On top of that, they do real-world testing to see how much road noise they actually produce and how they handle different weather conditions. High-end brands put a lot of time and money into testing their tyres, even having massive dedicated proving grounds to do so.
We've been to the Continental Tyre Proving Grounds in Texas, an absolutely massive area of different tracks and skid pads, surrounded by an 8.5-mile high-speed ring used for testing. These are things you can afford to do when you're a huge name like Continental or Michelin.
Lifespan and Wear But here's the interesting part: not all expensive tyres last longer, and not all cheaper tyres wear out fast. It depends on what the tyre was made to do and how you use it. A high-performance 200 treadwear tyre like the Falken RT660 or the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 will grip like crazy, but you won't get many miles out of them. Grip equals friction, and friction equals wear. Meanwhile, a budget 400 treadwear all-season tyre might last tens of thousands of miles longer, but you’ll trade off performance. These are the things that give you that responsive feel when turning or braking. When you go with a high-end, performance-focused tyre, that's what you can expect to have. Some cheaper tyres have this as well, or at least claim to focus on these areas.
Finding the Right Tyre for You Cheap tyres Coventry have their place. Whether you want performance or just everyday reliability, there are some great budget-friendly options. Iron Man and Kenda make fantastic drift tyres. Nexen and Yokohama have great everyday driving options that aren't exactly cheap but still budget-friendly.
