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[Fritz]

Well its time to replace "Fritz's" tyres  so if it was u and u had a choice of Pirelli, Kuhmo, Continental or Bridgestone what would u buy ??

[Brabs]

Hi Noel! I'd buy (and have got on both of my smarties) Falken. However, if those are not available then any of the brands you name are excellent so I'd probably be guided by price. Cheers.
 

[CrazyG]

All the makes that you have stated are good for a standard car,
with Bridgestone being the original factory fit tyres, but 10 yrs ago.

Then there's Dunlop's....
I had a set of 'Sport BluRresponse' fitted to my daughters 1.3 ForFour
after the previous set of Toyo's didn't last anywhere near as long as
expected, and they're doing fine for wear and grip. (Rated A, C, 67Db).

Or, there's Goodyear 'EfficientGrip Performance'...same ratings and price.

If money is no object, you can't rule out Michelin Pilot Sport 3...
rated F, A, but noisier at 71Db.

Personally I'd toss a coin, between the Dunlops n Goodyears.

[FireFlower]

Dunlop and Goodyear tires come from same factory and are basically the same tire

Dunlop tire is more 'aggressive' with response and Goodyear has more delay.

[mr singh]

I have hifly on the front and nexens on the rear. I get decent priced oned from work. Dont bother with premium tyres unless they are cheap. I tend to aim to pay less than £100 for a pair

[Scoobysook]

Mr S, didn't you have matadors on before, how were they, did they wear out quickly.

I currently have uniroyal rainsport 3s on and had Michelin pilot spot 3s as well. Both were good. No real difference in the cost.

[mr singh]

i bought a full set of matador tyres when i fitted 16" wheels, i think i fitted the wheels and tyres at about 90,000 miles and the fronts wore out at 115,000 miles and then the rears were fitted to the fronts and they have lasted till 132,000 miles. i rotate my tyres when i fit new tyres, new tyres always fitted to the back.

[steddie eddie]

G'day there,
Mr Singh, is there any reason why you always fit new tyres to the back?
As the Smart forfour are front wheel drive and the o.d. of the new tyres is bigger than worn ones, to me it is better to fit them to the front to have a more accurate speedo reading imho.
Just a question and maybe I can learn something.
Greetings,
Eddie.

[Alex]

Better tires on the rear will mean the car will understeer, better tires on the front and worn on the back invites oversteer in all sorts of situations, which is much harder to counter.

Understeer is generally safer and more predictable, and intuitive to counter. You just instinctively brake, which should bring more weight over the front, increasing traction.

So it is now common practice to recommend and fit the newer tires to the back, irrespective of driven wheels. Also, they break in more gently on the back, if that's a factor...

[mr singh]

what alex said, plus i only have to replace 1 pair per axel instead of 2x front and 1x rear.

when i had the matadors fitted, the fronts wore out faster, weight being at the front and it being front wheel drive, which is why its 'cheaper' as i see it to rotate the wheels and tyres and put the new to the back

[steddie eddie]

G'day there,
Thanx Alex and mrSingh for your answers, I have learnt something.
Greetings,
Eddie.

[steddie eddie]

G'day again,
May I put a ''but'' on my last post, as I am a slow driver and the speed restrictions over here in NZ, I am not sure or it is in my case necessary to put the new tires on the back.
To me it sounds like you guys like to go really fast around corners ,its something I don't do.
Don't think its criticising your drive stile, as I am again trying to learn something.
Greetings,
Eddie.

[Alex]

Nope, actually it's a safety thing.

A novice driver will loose it even on a moderate speed corner if the rear brakes breaks loose, but will instinctively brake and recover from understeer if the front goes.

Of course this caters for the worst case scenario, and in day to day driving maybe you'd get more benefit from fitting the better tires on the front.

In my case, l have 'staggered' sets on both winter and summer wheels, 175/195 and 205/225...so i have designated front and rear tires, no chance of following the advice. I was just explaining the reasoning because it's counter-intuitive.

[steddie eddie]

G'day there,
Alex, thanx again for your very good and clear explanation,
Here in the North Island of NZ ,where I live anyway, we don't get snow or ice on the ground, only on the mountain roads and  I don't have or need winter tires or wheels, so I am lucky there.
As I think I am a slow driver and don't rivv over 3000rpm very often, in the nearly 50 years ive been driving cars I have never ever lost the back or front of a car while cornering or going around a bend,  as I mentioned before, the speed limit here is very low and fines high, so I keep to the speed limit as much as possible.
Thanx again and greetings,
Eddie

[FireFlower]

Understeer is considered saver than oversteer for novices because your car's front will hit the obstacle if you cannot recover. With oversteer you will hit obstacle sideways and cars by design don't have so much protection on the side than they have on the front.