Tire question

[Tmugz88]

In the the not so distant future I will need new tires for our Chevrolet Spark. We live on a budget and I haven't found a thread that answers my question.

Aside from what I can find, has anyone gone with an off brand tire for their needs?

[freebeard]

When I needed tires for the Metro XFi, I went to a local tire store and they had a set of used '95%' tires for $200, balanced and mounted. Kumho Powerstar 758. I can't find pricing online possibly because they're discontinued.

[braking on wet streets sucks]

Anyways, one data point.

[Drifter]

I have used various house brands and regretted it on every car I've owned for the long term. It is rare that 1 out of the 4 cheap tires doesn't end up with unusual wear, out of round vibrations, tread separations, etc. With my prius, I'd rather go to a junkyard and buy a set of used wheels with quality tires than a no-name set of new tires.

If you look at the installed cost of the tires and their rated tread life, you can see that even a little more expensive tire (up front) costs less in the long run. Here's a quick spreadsheet I made when looking at new economy cars with the standard vs upgraded/plus-sized wheels (which I was surprised didn't matter that much):

[Tmugz88]

Originally Posted by freebeard

When I needed tires for the Metro XFi, I went to a local tire store and they had a set of used '95%' tires for $200, balanced and mounted. Kumho Powerstar 758. I can't find pricing online possibly because they're discontinued.

[braking on wet streets sucks]

Anyways, one data point.

This is a good idea I'll have to call around and see what I can come up with . I actually think our pick and pull sells tires also

[Drifter]

Originally Posted by Tmugz88

This is a good idea I'll have to call around and see what I can come up with . I actually think our pick and pull sells tires also

My local pick-n-pull charges half price for tires on Mondays - tires mounted on steel wheels are like $15.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

What's the tire size currently fitted to your car? And what do you mean by off-brand? Something like a second-tier range from a mainstream manufacturer or some random Chinese brand? If you go Chinese, I'd rather get Taiwanese tires instead of mainland Chinese ones.

[Tmugz88]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

What's the tire size currently fitted to your car? And what do you mean by off-brand? Something like a second-tier range from a mainstream manufacturer or some random Chinese brand? If you go Chinese, I'd rather get Taiwanese tires instead of mainland Chinese ones.

On our 14 Spark we have 185/55/R15 , the tires are two different brands . The ones up front are Falken Sincera SN250 and the rears are Lionheart lh501. I was referring to using a brand such as Lionheart which can be had for $62 from Walmart. Basically trying to locate a brand made by one of the larger brands that is more affordable.

I'd prefer to go with something that is LRR or known for providing good MPG.

[freebeard]

If you go Chinese, I'd rather get Taiwanese tires instead of mainland Chinese ones.

I've got Federal Formasa 165/50-R15s on the front of my Superbeetle. Better than the 145s most lowered Beetles run. They're available in 10mm width increments and various aspect ratios.

duckduckgo.com/?q=Federal+Formasa+185%2F55-R15&iax=shopping&ia=shopping

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Tmugz88

On our 14 Spark we have 185/55/R15 , the tires are two different brands

Just a little smaller than the 185/60R15 fitted to my mother's Yaris.

The ones up front are Falken Sincera SN250 and the rears are Lionheart lh501. I was referring to using a brand such as Lionheart which can be had for $62 from Walmart

I'd rather use some bias-ply tire from a reputable suppiler instead of a brand such as Lionheart, even if I would have to change the wheels. As there are still many traditional rear-engined Volkswagens in my country, it's not hard to find 5.60-15 bias-ply tires, and at least one local manufacturer provides a tubeless bias-ply tire specifically for the Beetle.

Well, how hard would it be to find 155R15 or 155SR15 tires from some more reputable brand there?

Basically trying to locate a brand made by one of the larger brands that is more affordable.

Euzkadi, a brand originated from Mexico, is now used by Continental for its budget range. Goodyear IIRC used the Kelly brand for its affordable range, and there might be others that I don't remember right now.

I'd prefer to go with something that is LRR or known for providing good MPG.

If you could safely fit 155R15 tires to your car, or if the 165R15 Kelly Metric could still be found there, those would be a good option, as their larger diameter would act like a higher final transmission ratio on highway, and since it's narrower the rolling resistence would likely be lower too.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by Tmugz88

In the the not so distant future I will need new tires for our Chevrolet Spark. We live on a budget and I haven't found a thread that answers my question.

Aside from what I can find, has anyone gone with an off brand tire for their needs?

Only in the 1990s.
Discount tire's 'house brand' was made by Kelly Springfield, and 'Kelley' was owned by Goodyear.
Their all-season steel-belted radial was good for 63,000-miles, and returned as good a fuel economy as Michelin's Green-X, LRR tire.
Since then. I've regretted every time I tried to save by purchasing an unknown quantity.
Nittos 'exploded'.
Others were out of round, could not be 'balanced', and would require buffing some of the tread off just to accurize them into a 'circle.'