Tires are among the most important parts of an automobile that shouldn’t be subject to compromise. But if you’re on a budget, which tire should you go for that come near the quality of a premium brand? More importantly, are cheap tires good enough to be safe? YouTube channel Tyre Reviews aims to answer that question with its latest tire review video.
The video above presented a tire test comparing eight cheap tires. The inexpensive tires were the Nankang Econex NA1, Davanti DX390, Winrun R330, Tomket Sport Series 1, King Meiler Sport 1 KM, Triangle SporteX TH201, Maxtrek MAXIMUS M1, and Double Coin DC99.
Meanwhile, the Continental PremiumContact 7 was also present to serve as a benchmark for affordable brands. The presenter explained that the test is not only to determine the best tire but also to establish how much better the premium tire performs.
The test began with a wet braking demonstration, where the premium Continental Premium Contact 7 was used as the benchmark. The other eight tires were then tested, and the results showed a significant difference. The cheap tires had a longer braking distance and were less predictable. which could cause accidents.
Wet handling was also tested, and the results showed that the Continental Premium Contact 7 was still the best, with the Tomcat tire coming second. According to the presenter, the difference between the premium tire and the best cheap tire was smaller than the difference between the best and the worst cheap tire.
The Nankang tire was found to be a good value tire, but it had an oversteer problem. The Retreaded King Milo was noted to be a budget tire that responded well to steering initially, but the compound could not keep up with the grip demands. The Double Coin tire was the worst-performing tire, with vast amounts of understeer and occasional oversteer.
In the end, the presenter highlighted the importance of choosing a tire in terms of safety, be it budget or premium. The wet braking and handling tests concluded why premium tires are worth the investment. For people who need to purchase new tires and are looking for information on the best options in the market, the test was a definite must-watch.
