Baden, your tyres are probably the go for a high performance car doing more than 20,000km x year and/or RACING and/or being used in arduous conditions
I just paid $73 fitted and balanced for my CAPRI for brand new 5 year warranty 205/60/13 Nang Kang ($292) via a Dandenong Tyre Service that advertise this price to everyone on EBAY !
These cheapies are the only way to go on collectables (IMHO), doing 2-5,000kms a year, as Roadworthy Laws demand new tyres every 10 years, regardless of how perfect they are at present, and there's talk this limit may become 5 years !
So whats the point of spending top dollar for top tyres anymore UNLESS you're racing or intend to be doing 20,000 kms x yr or more ?
I've been in the Motor Trade for many decades, and I've yet to see a Chinese Tyre "let go" of its own fault ! I'm sure they had their share of problems, but I'm not recalling any.
Back in the 70's 80's and 90's, while famous Australian brands like Dunlop, Olympic, Goodyear/Kelly Springfield, and Goodrich were making their fair share of "rubbish" tyres, the likes of start-ups like Hankook, Khumo and other Asian Tyre makers decided to show how tyres could be made for much less money and much less problems.
The ONLY tyres widely available now are Asian, Chinese, Korean and Japanese.
ALL Australian Tyre Makers no longer exist as of over 15 years ago.......correct me if Im wrong
DUNLOP JAPAN make a "Grand-Trek" for SUV and it's the only tyres we've ever used on our Prado because theyre so good, but bloody expensive. My local Bridgestone TS reckons they can do my Prado Tyres for almost half the price of Dunlop Grand Treks and he guarantees they will perform just as well. Our Prado only does 5,000kms a year.............a legacy of having so many collectables!........You can only drive one at a time !
Other good brands that have stood the test of time are Pirelli, Vreidestein, Avon(for millionaires), Roadstone,
Firestone, Continental, Federal, Uniroyal and Toyo (that I can remember atm)
My first car, Holden FE, which I still have, got Goodyear Grand Rally G800 tubeless steels and new 7" wide wheels fitted over 40 years ago!.........theyre only half worn and look perfect with no signs of disintegration................go figure !
(Steel belted and radials and tubeless, weren't so common back then: Fabric Cross-plys and inner tubes were!)
post edited by BEEVEE - 2017/03/27 22:08:07