# Budget tyres



## T.D.K (Mar 16, 2011)

Hi guys,

The tyres on my Astra sporthatch are due to replacement shortly, particularly the rear tyres as one has a slow puncture and are looking worn now.

Looking at tyres online, the cheapest are arrowspeed tyres at £80.25 each, other brands, Dunlop, Pirelli, Michelin are going for £140.00 each + :doublesho:doublesho:doublesho

I can afford it but it's such alot of money. I have Pirelli tyres on the car now, would I notice that much of a difference with budget tyres? Anyone use Arrowspeed?

Many thanks.


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## DampDog (Apr 16, 2011)

Little article about budget tyres here, including "ArrowSpeed" Though not as good as the premium makes they're not shocking..

http://www.tyrepress.com/News/20243.html


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## fla (May 14, 2011)

look at good mid range tyres such as Vredestein, Marangoni, Falken, Hankook, Kumho and Toyo.


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## Method Man (Aug 28, 2009)

I think KwikFit have a deal on at the moment on Marangoni tyres. I have them on the front of my Passat and they are fine for my driving.

Just had two new ones on the back - had to go for budget ones and ended up with some "Events". £160 fitted.


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## TRN Ent (Nov 16, 2008)

I use: http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre-Size/ to look at reviews & use http://www.blackcircles.com/ for supply/fitting.
Tom.


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## Darlofan (Nov 24, 2010)

I've used online tyre dealers for a few years now and always get the cheapest i can find and regularly get over 30k miles out of a front set and rears i don't think i change before car goes. I get the tracking done every 4-5 months and they seem to last.


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## e32chris (Sep 21, 2011)

most important safety aspect of car really not worth scrimping on, personally i would rather have part worn quality tyres than cheap new tyres.


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

Buy some part worns from somewhere, I hate budget tyres.


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## msb (Dec 20, 2009)

the mid range tyres would be a better bet, although just had some accelera's(manufactered by vredestein) fitted on the partners car and for the money they are bloody good imo, so not all budget tyres are crap,just gotta have a good read up and speak to owners of the same car and see what works, for instance on the partners V6 omega i was told falkens were problematic which i found strange after being happy with them on other cars so took advice off the owners forum and went with acceleras and havn't been dissapointed so far
Oh personally i would steer clear of part worns, you don't know whats been done to them:thumb:


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

Part worns are fine, your new ones are part worn as soon as you come off the ramp.


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## msb (Dec 20, 2009)

bigmc said:


> Part worns are fine, your new ones are part worn as soon as you come off the ramp.


each to their own buddy but personally i like to know the history of the little bits of rubber stopping me crashing when i go up the road, part worns are whichever way you look at it an unknown quantity:thumb:


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## CliveP (Feb 1, 2009)

I shared your view msb until I found the place opposite the Town Hall in Burton one Sunday afternoon selling part worn ones when everywhere else was shut and I had no choice. They have a machine to test them at the equivalent of 80 mph (or something like that) fully loaded and let me inspect them myself - ok they were for my Sportage rather than my little pocket rocket, and the Sportage isn't blasted down the A38 at er 70mph, but £40 for Bridgestones with 6mm left and no puncture repairs compared to £140+ new and I've been really impressed. That, plus my other half seems to find every loose nail in Burton so have needed a few and that's made them even more worthwhile.

Regards,
Clive.


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

I got my last 2 Toyo proxes from ebay for £75.


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## toomanycitroens (Jan 14, 2011)

No problem with Maxxis...........


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## Mick (Jan 23, 2010)

I suppose it depends on the car really TBF, I dont mind budgets on my Current car (mondeo) because i dont really use it for "spirited" driving and I just potter about in it. Budgets are fine for my needs and always provide ample grip in both the wet and dry.

When I had more performance cars like my clio 182, Civic type R and 220 Turbo, I always kept them on premium tyres due to wanting that bit of extra grip when on a run. Each to their own though.


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## Jace (Oct 26, 2005)

My Lupo GTI had budget tyres on when I bought it, 'Admiral' brand, who ?

They were fitted all round & the grip they offered was next to zero.


Within 2 weeks I'd fitted a full set of eagle F1's

Result, handling & grip were up, but also the mpg was up, by over 10% on a tank :thumb:

Budget tyres tend to have a higher rolling resistance, thus working the engine harder & using more fuel.:driver:


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## wayne10244 (Aug 24, 2008)

I was told that you are better off buying budget tyres if you do short runs but if you do a lot of motorway driving then you should by the best. I just brought a set of budget tyres and I fine them great were I was spending nearly a £1000 for a set of conti's that would last just under 6500 miles or 1 year were I get 3 years on budgets and save £600


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

Accelaras I have a pair on the polo and they are poor, most tyres offer decent grip in the dry but its when it rains you can see where the money went, accelras are really poor, they understeer at low speed And I can wheel spin them with no problem even with 75bhp going through the front wheels


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

had two Avon ZZ3's fitted on my car today, £152 all in for the pair. 205/40R17 size. budget tyres are just inviting trouble imo, tyres are the only contact patch a car has with the road so spending a bit more on even mid range ones is a good idea


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## uberbmw (Jan 31, 2006)

I would buy a set of Kuhmo KH31s or KU30s, the KH31s are getting great reviews and are a good price too. Try Camskill.co.uk for they are cheap for tyres then get a local Indy/tyre place to fit them for £10/20 

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Kumho/Ecsta-HM-KH31.htm


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

wayne10244 said:


> *I was told that you are better off buying budget tyres if you do short runs *but if you do a lot of motorway driving then you should by the best. I just brought a set of budget tyres and I fine them great were I was spending nearly a £1000 for a set of conti's that would last just under 6500 miles or 1 year were I get 3 years on budgets and save £600


sounds like a load of rubbish to me lol


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## msb (Dec 20, 2009)

SteveTDCi said:


> Accelaras I have a pair on the polo and they are poor, most tyres offer decent grip in the dry but its when it rains you can see where the money went, accelras are really poor, they understeer at low speed And I can wheel spin them with no problem even with 75bhp going through the front wheels


thats why i sought advice from others with regards to what to buy, they came highly regarded for a budget tyre on our particular vehicle, as my first choice Falkens 912s were being slated by users on our particular car, they also came recommended by my brother in law who ran them on his 10th anniversary mr2 with no complaints:thumb: Also what acceleras are yours, mine are alphas, bet on the polo they are something different and may not have been the best choice for your vehicle, also anyone can spin the wheels on pretty much any car with any tyres if aggressive enough


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

Only thing keeping you on the black stuff why skimp on them?


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## msb (Dec 20, 2009)

Ross said:


> Only thing keeping you on the black stuff why skimp on them?


totally agree but not all are in the position to afford contis etc, buying carefully you can get perfectly useable tyres that will do everything required within the confines of speed limits, road conditions etc, most of the time my other halfs car tootles into town at 30/40 mph max and occasionally gets a run up the dual carriageway which it does with no probs at speeds upto and if required in execess of the speed limit, don't need a fancy brand name to fulfill these requirements.:thumb:
However my mx5 daily and weekend track car grip is of highest priority so i buy tyres offering the best of that, currently running toyo's t1r, which are a great road tyre but a little to soft on track so will be looking for something better next, but the speeds and temps achieved on track would not be achievable on the road:wave:


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## mrbloke (Oct 13, 2010)

You don't need to buy premium tyres if you don't want to spend the money. But I would always buy at least mid-range as previously stated - its the only thing keeping you on the road. You never know when you will need that grip regardless of your speed. The last thing you want is to pay the insurance excess for the sake of a few feet of braking distance (or to watch as a kid bounces off your bonnet).

I would also recommend camskill.co.uk and your local tyre fitter. Has worked out cheapest for me the last few years.


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

msb said:


> thats why i sought advice from others with regards to what to buy, they came highly regarded for a budget tyre on our particular vehicle, as my first choice Falkens 912s were being slated by users on our particular car, they also came recommended by my brother in law who ran them on his 10th anniversary mr2 with no complaints:thumb: Also what acceleras are yours, mine are alphas, bet on the polo they are something different and may not have been the best choice for your vehicle, also anyone can spin the wheels on pretty much any car with any tyres if aggressive enough


They are the Alphas, and lighting them up isn't by revving it and then dumping the clutch its just pulling away in second. If i was to keep the polo they would be in the bin. Tyres are the only contact between you and the road, but the best you can.


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## robtech (Jan 17, 2011)

best advice,ask the taxi companies what there using.


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Mick said:


> I suppose it depends on the car really TBF, I dont mind budgets on my Current car (mondeo) because i dont really use it for "spirited" driving and I just potter about in it. Budgets are fine for my needs and always provide ample grip in both the wet and dry.
> 
> When I had more performance cars like my clio 182, Civic type R and 220 Turbo, I always kept them on premium tyres due to wanting that bit of extra grip when on a run. Each to their own though.


Totally agree with this approach tbh.


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## msb (Dec 20, 2009)

mrbloke said:


> You don't need to buy premium tyres if you don't want to spend the money. But I would always buy at least mid-range as previously stated - its the only thing keeping you on the road. You never know when you will need that grip regardless of your speed. The last thing you want is to pay the insurance excess for the sake of a few feet of braking distance (or to watch as a kid bounces off your bonnet).
> 
> I would also recommend camskill.co.uk and your local tyre fitter. Has worked out cheapest for me the last few years.


have used camskill for a good while now, but thanks for the recommendation:thumb:


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## msb (Dec 20, 2009)

robtech said:


> best advice,ask the taxi companies what there using.


I think you might be shocked if your local taxi companies are like the ones round here, seen some right weird brands, ling longs,triangle,sunew, jinyu to name but a few on local abdul taxis, they definately don't like spending any money on them thats for sure


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

I have used www.event-tyres.co.uk for the last six sets of tyres I have had fitted. Work about £1 or £2 more expensive than Camskill and local tyre fitter but for me the hassle of having to be in when they are delivered, getting them to the fitter and waiting etc etc just is not worth the saving.

Always had fantastic service from them, never arrived late (more often than not they are early)


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

msb said:


> totally agree but not all are in the position to afford contis etc, buying carefully you can get perfectly useable tyres that will do everything required within the confines of speed limits, road conditions etc, most of the time my other halfs car tootles into town at 30/40 mph max and occasionally gets a run up the dual carriageway which it does with no probs at speeds upto and if required in execess of the speed limit, don't need a fancy brand name to fulfill these requirements.:thumb:
> However my mx5 daily and weekend track car grip is of highest priority so i buy tyres offering the best of that, currently running toyo's t1r, which are a great road tyre but a little to soft on track so will be looking for something better next, but the speeds and temps achieved on track would not be achievable on the road:wave:


I know that mate I am just saying I would not put super cheap tyres on my car always at least mid range,the spec B has a unusual size tyre 215/45/r18 meaning a half decent tyre is from150 and up quid a corner.


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## msb (Dec 20, 2009)

Ross said:


> I know that mate I am just saying I would not put super cheap tyres on my car always at least mid range,the spec B has a unusual size tyre 215/45/r18 meaning a half decent tyre is from150 and up quid a corner.


ouch! £600+ for tyres. Totally agree i wouldn't fit anything thats an unknown quantity(and sorry part worn lovers that definately includes part worns)but the i still stand by the accelera's i put on the other halfs car are exellent for the money, its probably down to the fact the cars a big car and rwd that it transmits its power ok as well as handling more than adequatley on the tyres.
Although from experience fitting cheap tyres to a front wheel drive car especially ones with good power can cause alot of problems,for example my V6 vectra a few years back came with nankangs on the front and they were seriously shocking,after being replaced with some new michelin tyres the car was a totally different animal:thumb:


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## ITHAQVA (Feb 20, 2011)

I’ve just ordered a Bridgestone Potenza Run flat from Black Circles, cool site, fitted for £274 cool green :thumb: :thumb:


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

Just got 2x Michelin Pilot Sport 3's on the A3...
Local Indy £140 each - needs to order them in
National Tyres £190 each - as above
Kwik Fit £135 each with 1yr guarantee - fitted in 30 mins

First time in a while that KF have been cheapest for Mitchies, it's usually national who match their online price at tyre-shopper-co-uk

My experience of budget tyres from my experiments when doing 30k a year... Budget last 1/3rd the distance, grip badly and get lots of punctures, mid range tyres last 2/3rd distance, grip OK and get punctures, Mitchies last the distance, grip well and don't think I've ever had a puncture.


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## Mick (Jan 23, 2010)

Nanoman said:


> Just got 2x Michelin Pilot Sport 3's on the A3...
> Local Indy £140 each - needs to order them in
> National Tyres £190 each - as above
> Kwik Fit £135 each with 1yr guarantee - fitted in 30 mins
> ...


if you are sticking with michelins you should try costco, its all they sell and the prices are usually cheaper than anywhere local for me (if you need it the same day)


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## IanG (Nov 21, 2007)

Mick said:


> if you are sticking with michelins you should try costco, its all they sell and the prices are usually cheaper than anywhere local for me (if you need it the same day)


And when they have an offer on you can usually get a set of tyres with 20% off

Latest offers start tomorrow and the Michelins are 20% off if you buy 4


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

as Mick says, it depends on the car..

although I have to laugh at people saying they ran out of grip...you are on a public road, and even budget tyres can cope with driving in any weather and any condition when you are not driving like a prat (I run budgets on my Jeep)

waaay too many wanna be race drivers on this thread by the sounds of it and people running out of talent and trying to blame the tyres...you're not in F1 guys..... 



:thumb:


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

Having AWD makes a huge difference.


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## wayne10244 (Aug 24, 2008)

Like I said not all budget tyres are bad I know someone who was asked to try a set on his car 300bhp+ to see what they were like the only differents was that the side wall of the tyre was softer so the car would roll more if you was driving hard into corners. And most of the budget tyres are made by some of the big tyre companies but change there names


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## Darlofan (Nov 24, 2010)

The Cueball said:


> as Mick says, it depends on the car..
> 
> although I have to laugh at people saying they ran out of grip...you are on a public road, and even budget tyres can cope with driving in any weather and any condition when you are not driving like a prat (I run budgets on my Jeep)
> 
> ...


Have to agree, I've read on so many forums about people saying they've had budgets that
don't grip the road. Not the tyre its the driving that's wrong.


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

^^^^ not always, budgets can and do let go even without driving like a nutter.


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

The Cueball said:


> as Mick says, it depends on the car..
> 
> although I have to laugh at people saying they ran out of grip...you are on a public road, and even budget tyres can cope with driving in any weather and any condition when you are not driving like a prat (I run budgets on my Jeep)
> 
> ...


I'm not sure I've ever done this before but I'm going to publicly disagree with Mr Cueball. I'm talking about having grip to do an something a bit out of the ordinary to avoid a collision such as harsh braking or harsh steering in less then deal circumstances. My average speed on a motorway is 60-70 and 50-60 on single carraigeways so I'm hardly a wannabe Schumacher (Cars are for transport - bikes are for fun).

Also my experience of more punctures and less miles out of budgets as previously explained is why I buy Michies.


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## kh904 (Dec 18, 2006)

I agree with some of the points on here. Premium tires may may perform better, but budget tires should be sufficient for everyday use if you drive sensibly. It's a point of deminishing returns (a bit like boutique wax's - does a £500 pot of wax perform that many times better than say a £30 pot?)

I've personally replace my tires with part worn (premium brands usually like Michelin or Pirelli's) with plenty of tread. I don't do enough miles to justify spending a premium. My tires usually have to be replaced because they are too old & have perished rather than worn down dangerous levels.

Many people go over the top with scaremongering about part worns, but i think it's over the top. 
As soon as you've driven on a new set of tires they become part worn.
When you by a second hand car, do you instantly change all the tires since they are part worn? 

As long as they are in good condition, plenty of tread, & no punctures, it's all good to me.


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## T.D.K (Mar 16, 2011)

Wow - loads of replies - cheers guys :thumb:

I decided to get some new alloys with tyres in the end, my current alloys (despite being refurbed in March this year) are looking tired, rears in particular, so I've bought these

A little bigger than my current alloys and look great on the Astra Sport Hatch. 
£774 out of my bank account but decent tyres with fitting would have cost at least £540.


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

Nanoman said:


> I'm not sure I've ever done this before but I'm going to publicly disagree with Mr Cueball. I'm talking about having grip to do an something a bit out of the ordinary to avoid a collision such as harsh braking or harsh steering in less then deal circumstances. My average speed on a motorway is 60-70 and 50-60 on single carraigeways so I'm hardly a wannabe Schumacher (Cars are for transport - bikes are for fun).
> 
> Also my experience of more punctures and less miles out of budgets as previously explained is why I buy Michies.


don't get me wrong, I have very good tyres on my XKR (£1,200 for a set ouch!!!!) and of course the bike has very sticky tyres too, but I don't see the point for everyday, town driving type cars.....I.e. the jeep...

I've never had many punctures with any car/tyres, so can't comment...and I can't remember anything caught me out in order for me to have to brake/steer harshly....touch wood!!! :devil:

:thumb:


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## T.D.K (Mar 16, 2011)

So my wheels are on :argie::argie:

The alloys are lovely, well finished and came with centre caps. 

The tyres are manufactured by Sunny, a Chinese make. 

Just been reading reviews and it seems no one likes them, alot of reviewers consider them dangerous :doublesho

I drove home slow today as I had four heavy tyres in the back so I haven't tested them.


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## msb (Dec 20, 2009)

T.D.K said:


> So my wheels are on :argie::argie:
> 
> The alloys are lovely, well finished and came with centre caps.
> 
> ...


you have to take some reviews with a big pinch of salt, not had sunny's myself but some cheaper lesser known tyres can be quite good/perfectly acceptable on a road car anyway:thumb:


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## T.D.K (Mar 16, 2011)

msb said:


> you have to take some reviews with a big pinch of salt, not had sunny's myself but some cheaper lesser known tyres can be quite good/perfectly acceptable on a road car anyway:thumb:


I took the car for a little run to Chepstow, it was wet, I maintained the speed I would have with the Pirelli tyres I had on previously, car responded as normal. Road noise is certainly an issue.

I'm getting vibrations through the steering wheel though, at high speeds.


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## amiller (Jan 1, 2009)

Aren't all tyros certified to minimum standards? I doubt they could sell dangerous tyros to the public.

--->Would a cheap winter tyre be better than an expensive summer tyre when temps go below 5degrees and snow and Ice on the road?


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## Spoony (May 28, 2007)

Whats a Tyro andrew?


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

Just ordered some kuhmo ku39s today, a new asymmetric tyre from them with good reviews, £175 fitted for two 215/45/17 tyres from Black Circles and I know the local fitter.

Was going to go for RE050A's but it would have worked out nearly £80 more for the two, so I decided to stick with the Kuhmos.


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

Not quite sure where I stand on budget tyres to be honest having never used them. I don't expect them to perform well though and the reviews seem to substantiate this.

What I would say though is that I've had some Bridgestone's on the Cougar that felt dangerous with 5mm of tread left in the wet and they were £98 a corner. Then I switched to Kumho KU31's at £58 a corner and they're as planted as it gets.

I don't drive like an idiot but it's nice to know you've got the performance there if necessary. I had a car pull out on me on a rainy day and because of the Bridgestones I came to within about 3 inches of hitting the idiot. ABS was straight on with the car barely pitching and didn't feel like it was stopping in a hurry. I saw that as an indicator to get some new rubber and I don't have anything to worry about with the Kumho's


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