Every driver knows that buying replacement tyres for your vehicle is one of the most expensive costs of owning your own car.
Even if you don’t intend to buy diamond-studded tyres, like those sold in Saudi Arabia recently, you may still find yourself paying out a big portion of your monthly budget for new tyres.
For many drivers in Australia, opting for cheap tyres may be the best way to save yourself money and keep your car roadworthy.
Expensive tyres
Branded tyres sold by dealerships or traders are often very pricey. It is not unusual to pay hundreds of dollars for a brand-new set of tyres such as Michelin or Pirelli.
This is particularly the case when some of the more expensive tyres have a reduced lifespan due to the use of thinner rubber.
These tyres are designed to have good grip, and to react well to the road, but you will have to consider
whether the extra handling capacity on these tyres is worth the extra cost.
These higher costs are believed to be caused by:
- corporate overheads
- marketing capitalisation on brand names
- obliging dealerships to only sell one brand
- selling tyres to dealerships at a high price
Cheap tyres
Last year, more than 500,000 tyres in a used condition were imported into Australia, with around 30% of those tyres considered to be unroadworthy.
Road tests demonstrate a considerable difference in a vehicle’s emergency braking times when using budget tyres.
However, this does not mean that all affordable tyres, particularly those less than $100 each, are unroadworthy and should not be trusted.
For example, tyres such as the Ovation brand have been given a high score for both wet and dry cornering, but are still very cost-effective.
If you are looking for affordable tyres, then you should ask these questions:
- Is the tyre rated for wet conditions?
- Is the braking distance increased?
- What is the noise level of these tyres?
- How do they rate when compared with high cost tyres?
Which is best?
After doing some detailed research into cheap tyres, you have to consider whether the saving on the value of the tyres is worth the decreased stopping distance and reduced control in wet conditions.
Despite the negatives, you may decide that you would prefer to make savings on your tyres rather than having to put yourself into debt so that you can afford more expensive branded tyres.
Talking to an experienced Gold Coast tyre seller such as Branigans Budget tyres about your requirements and tyre safety will help us find the best options for you.
To make a booking to have your new or used tyres fitted, please contact us here or visit one of our three convenient locations, Southport, Burleigh Heads or Murwillumbah.
We have published this article in the interests of the safety of our clients and all motor vehicles owners and you can download this article here – Cheap tyres vs. Expensive tyres – which is best?
You might also find our previous article Choosing the Right Tyre for Your Car helpful in deciding what tyres are best for your car.
