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      12-22-2015, 11:34 PM   #1
Krakkudoo
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Anyone running Nexem tires?

3.0 si that will never see the track. Looking for a reasonably priced tire that rides well and performs decent.
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      12-23-2015, 10:29 AM   #2
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      12-23-2015, 11:09 AM   #3
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Believe it or not, I've spent some "quality time" working in the tire industry.

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

You really do. The technology that goes into making a tire last long, ride well, or grip better, it really isn't that different from one brand to another. Sure, you may pay more for one brand than another because one probably has a higher overhead than the other (size of company, distribution/logistics, warehousing, marketing, etc) but in the grand scheme of things, that stuff is but a small drop in the bucket for a ginormous industry. The margins are so thin in the tire industry that they usually make it up in volume.

In all honesty, this is where going to an off-brand or Chinese made tires makes little sense. They're cheap because they don't use any of the tech available that cost more money to make them either last longer or perform better in inclement weather. The cost of a tire is simple to break down. It's the cost of the reinforcement in the carcass, the cost of the rubber, and the cost of the mix in the rubber (silica, carbon, various oils etc). Nylon threads cost money. The more complicated weaves in the carcass cost more money. The more expensive nylon substitutes (like kevlar) cost MORE money. Rubber in itself cost the same across board, because there's only a handful of rubber plants around the world. Doesn't really matter where you get them and really, rubber is rubber. The MIXTURE though, we know the higher the silica count the better it is at repelling water and more pliable it is. We know there a certain ideal carbon mix for durability. We know the oil mixture changes the property of the rubber and its grip level. All these vary in cost and vary in cost in amount used in the compound mixture.

So why is an off-brand Chinese tire $60 per vs $120 for say, a Bridgestone?

Because you can remove a lot of the reinforcement in the carcass (use 1 layer of nylon weave rather than 6 layers of combination of nylon, kevlar, and with added steel reinforcement), use less sidewall reinforcement, use less silica compound, less of everything but still maintain high wear rating since less silica compound is used.

The end result is it cost a lot less to make, and in most conditions you will likely not notice a significant difference, and while increase in noise can be offset by tread design, and the tire may even feel like it rides more comfortably because it has less reinforcement...But come the first emergency braking in inclement weather, or running over a decent sized pothole, you'll either end up in the back of someone's car, or you'll blow out a tire and ruin your expensive rims because the sidewalls are too soft or the belts snap inside the tire.

In the tire industry, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAID FOR.

Which isn't to say some of the off-brand, no name tires are bad. Heck I'm riding on Maxxis tires on my MZ4 Coupe. I'm about to put a set of Achilles if I can secure another set of rims. Neither are considered competition to the THIRD tier of tire companies in the industry. And while I have no idea how much these tires are (I got them as take-offs from a race team), I can't imagine them being more expensive than say, Hoosiers for slicks and Michelin for R-comps.

As long as you understand what you're buying, the cheap, alternative brand tires do serve a purpose. The purpose they serve is to fill a niche in the market for budget conscious customers. If your primary reason is to save a few bucks, they're excellent tires for that specific reason.

It's just, somehow, I don't feel comfortable leaving the ONLY thing that connects me to the road to $60 budget tires, where you buy 3 get 1 free.

Just my opinion.
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      12-23-2015, 12:50 PM   #4
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Agree with all that Hack says.

Having said THAT.....Nankang NS 20 here for 3 seasons of "spirited" supercharged driving and going strong.
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      12-23-2015, 03:42 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The HACK View Post
Believe it or not, I've spent some "quality time" working in the tire industry.

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

You really do. The technology that goes into making a tire last long, ride well, or grip better, it really isn't that different from one brand to another. Sure, you may pay more for one brand than another because one probably has a higher overhead than the other (size of company, distribution/logistics, warehousing, marketing, etc) but in the grand scheme of things, that stuff is but a small drop in the bucket for a ginormous industry. The margins are so thin in the tire industry that they usually make it up in volume.

In all honesty, this is where going to an off-brand or Chinese made tires makes little sense. They're cheap because they don't use any of the tech available that cost more money to make them either last longer or perform better in inclement weather. The cost of a tire is simple to break down. It's the cost of the reinforcement in the carcass, the cost of the rubber, and the cost of the mix in the rubber (silica, carbon, various oils etc). Nylon threads cost money. The more complicated weaves in the carcass cost more money. The more expensive nylon substitutes (like kevlar) cost MORE money. Rubber in itself cost the same across board, because there's only a handful of rubber plants around the world. Doesn't really matter where you get them and really, rubber is rubber. The MIXTURE though, we know the higher the silica count the better it is at repelling water and more pliable it is. We know there a certain ideal carbon mix for durability. We know the oil mixture changes the property of the rubber and its grip level. All these vary in cost and vary in cost in amount used in the compound mixture.

So why is an off-brand Chinese tire $60 per vs $120 for say, a Bridgestone?

Because you can remove a lot of the reinforcement in the carcass (use 1 layer of nylon weave rather than 6 layers of combination of nylon, kevlar, and with added steel reinforcement), use less sidewall reinforcement, use less silica compound, less of everything but still maintain high wear rating since less silica compound is used.

The end result is it cost a lot less to make, and in most conditions you will likely not notice a significant difference, and while increase in noise can be offset by tread design, and the tire may even feel like it rides more comfortably because it has less reinforcement...But come the first emergency braking in inclement weather, or running over a decent sized pothole, you'll either end up in the back of someone's car, or you'll blow out a tire and ruin your expensive rims because the sidewalls are too soft or the belts snap inside the tire.

In the tire industry, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAID FOR.

Which isn't to say some of the off-brand, no name tires are bad. Heck I'm riding on Maxxis tires on my MZ4 Coupe. I'm about to put a set of Achilles if I can secure another set of rims. Neither are considered competition to the THIRD tier of tire companies in the industry. And while I have no idea how much these tires are (I got them as take-offs from a race team), I can't imagine them being more expensive than say, Hoosiers for slicks and Michelin for R-comps.

As long as you understand what you're buying, the cheap, alternative brand tires do serve a purpose. The purpose they serve is to fill a niche in the market for budget conscious customers. If your primary reason is to save a few bucks, they're excellent tires for that specific reason.

It's just, somehow, I don't feel comfortable leaving the ONLY thing that connects me to the road to $60 budget tires, where you buy 3 get 1 free.

Just my opinion.
I agree with your statement 100%. I have no intention of having a $60 tire on any vehicle that I own. I would however be interested in hearing the opinion and real world experience of drivers who have bought and used tires in the say $150 - $180 range as apposed to some of these tires that I see listed well over the $200 or in some cases $300 range. Not to say that I wont end up going that route, I have tires on my jeep that are well over $300 each because that is the "best" application for what I expect from that vehicle. Thank you for the time and consideration that it took to write such a great response and I truly appreciate your opinion and insight.
Thanks,
Clint, newbie BMW owner
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      12-23-2015, 04:58 PM   #6
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I know several people that have run Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2 tires. They run in the $150 - $160 price range and while they're not super sticky extreme performance summer tires, they're decent performers.

255/35 x 18 are $160, 225/40 x 18 are $130 at Tire Rack.
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      12-24-2015, 11:12 AM   #7
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Nankang Noble Sport NS-20s were fantastic for me. I couldn't tell much of difference between them and the high priced Michelins or Contis for just everyday driving (slightly less grip was the one big thing). I went in expecting not much (I needed a set of tires to last me about four months until the Spring when I was buying an all new set of wheels/tires), and was extremely surprised to see how happy I was with them. I think when I grind down what I have now, I just might buy another set. I used them in the rain many times and the car was always planted, zero issues.

They do run narrow though, a 275 looked like a 255. As well, the one thing that might stop me from getting another set are their appearance. They don't have a very nice looking sidewall to them.

Oops, I also forgot to add the main reason I'm leaning more towards cheaper tires in the future....you can shred them worry free!! Hang that back end out whenever you want, light 'em up, burnouts, whatever. Who cares? Honestly, they're more fun to drive on anyway due to less grip. Who wants a street car planted like a damned race car everywhere you go? I want to hang that back end out whenever I feel like it, etc. Cheaper tires are more FUN!!

Last edited by NickyC; 12-24-2015 at 12:17 PM..
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      01-03-2016, 09:29 PM   #8
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I've used sumitomo htrz's before. Wouldn't recommend them for anything other then spring/summer weather. I recently had a set of nankangs before I sold my old wheels and drove through some down pours heading to sc, only major complaint was a decent amount of hydroplaning the entire ride but on dry roads they gripped pretty well. But as stated above you get what you pay for, and knew full well they weren't going to be on the same level as pss or potenza's
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