Guys and Gals,

I have no shame to admit I went and bought some really 'cheap' tyres to pass rego.

Front tyres are some brand I never even heard of 'LingLong L688' 225/40/18. Rear tyres are 'Firenza ST-03' on 265/35/18.

At the time I was a little broke so thats the only reason why I went that route (Yes I'm still in uni :-( )

I only just read up about these tyres and they rated terrible in the tests, in fact they pretty much came last in everything.

Not surprisingly the ride quality of my car is pretty sh*thouse to say the least. I've changed all my rear bushings and front as well so no clunks. My suspensions are pretty top notch as well which leads me to believe that something so simple and overlooked as tyres could be the culprit.

When I mean poor ride, I'm talking about feeling lots of vibration and noise and overall its just not a comfortable ride. I originally thought my engine mounts or springs were the cause but having checked them I know thats not the case.

Like most here I hate spending money on my car particularly on things that don't fix the problem so could anyone give me some advice?

 

I once had some really crappy tires from Big-O and indeed they made the car into a crappy riding and handling POS. They were noisy, didnt grip worth a damn, and wore out fast. Last time I ever cheap out on tires. I would bet the tires are your problem as well.

 

replace them... period.

Some WanLi's or Nankang's are a DECENT tire. they're not the best tire out there, but they are inexpensive and the ride is DECENT. they arent GREAT tires, but they're better than what you got right now until you can afford something better

 

"I only just read up about these tyres and they rated terrible in the tests"where did u get to see these tests ,wouldent mind checkin out my own.

 

I once put miss-matched tires on my car as a temp thing while it was sitting. Then my daily driver had an issue so I decided no harm in driving the car. Very first turn I took the back end came out on me and I hit a curb. Front tires were good, rears were ES-100s. Busted an oil-cooler in the process.

Get those tires replaced!

 

Took her into a tyre shop yesterday and had a look at a few different brand tyres. I gave the car to one of the blokes who worked there so that he could drive around the block and confirm what I already thought.

As expected he said my wheel was out of balance and when I mention I had **** tyres at the front, he had a look and said 'rubbish tyres'. He went on to say how they use to stock those cheap tyres but people kept coming back to get them rebalanced again and again.

It felt good knowing this because that same afternoon I threw on some Apexi Coilovers and not suprisingly the ride was exactly the same. Uncomfortable with lots of vibration in the steering wheel and its relatively bumpy even on flat roads.

I'm going to tyre shop tomorrow morning to get rid of these tyres once and for all so that I can enjoy driving my car like in the good old days. I regret not being able to appreciate the stock shocks thinking that they were on their way out when it fact it was only my tyres. The same goes to my rare Ohlin shocks but nevertheless you learn from your mistakes and buying cheap tyres will be a thing of the past for me.

 

I can't remember the exact site but I think www.tirerack.com has an entire section where people have posted a comment of the tires they run etc so I'm sure you'll find your own tire in there somewhere.

Does anyone know whether tirerack ship internationally? Its just the prices there are so good compared to here.

 

If you want to go cheap try a nexen tire. I have them on mine and my Gf daily drivers and they are a good tire. They balance well, and wear well, but the ride is a lil rough, but they do have a good amount of grip to them. And the $50US is nice to.

 

LingLong?!?!~

I borrowed a set of wheels one with mismatched rears (one was an S02, one a Firestone), and even though they were technically sister models, the slight difference in diameter ran my diff full time!... if I hit the gas, the car would shoot off towards the side of the road.

Tires are one place not to be cheap.

 

Thats what my friends said too lol haha

It sounds cheap already and yes I will never skimp when it comes to tyres again. I think I just proved that regardless of what shocks or coilovers your running, if your tyres are crap to begin with then your ride will be shithouse regardless.

 

there is a pretty good difference between cheap tires and quality tires... one example is felt with weight... cheap tires way alot more and require frequent balancing as stated up top... and the tire wear... they usually come with a lot of meat but dont last... but if you using as a daily get a decent set...

 

uh, wanli s-1088. best tires i have ever run on, second to a set of bfg kdw nt's. ****** nice tires, but are 4x the price.

peace

 

I like General UHP Exclaims. They are cheap, quiet, but still provide good traction.
Made in Czech Republic and if they make a size that you need, you should take a look at them.