Good afternoon

I need new tyres for my fabia size 215/45/16

What are you guys using?

Been looking at ps3’s, kumho esta or just budget tyres, although don’t like buying cheap.

Any recommendations will help.

Thanks

Generalisation only from me now.

It depends on what you are used to, want and expect, your driving style, whether you value grip over wear.

Don't be too strict about pricing, what you think of (or labelled) as a budget may not be cheap tyres and may out perform the better known brands (that often own "lesser" brands anyway).

kumho tyres as a generalisation can be good to very good but I've no idea about Estca model and then there might be more than one tyre in the Estca range and the size you want/need.

Also don't get too hooked up on tyre labelling ratings treat them as a very general guide, lower rated tyres can be better than higher rated tyres in real world use.

If you want Michelin Pilot Sport then unless someone can give you a poor report about them on their Fabia Mk3 and they have the same wants and needs as you and drive same as you in similar situations then go for them. If you can get them at better price then even better.

Unless your car has been changed/modified/upgraded in some way(s) or you like a lot of spirited driving, I'm not sure the Fabia Mk3 chassis is worth too much in performance tyres but always better to have more margins in the tyres fitted as tyres are an important part and component to the brakes, steering and suspension.

Edited 27 March, 20251 yr by nta16

The Khumo Estca hs51 and hs52 are very good tyres for the price. We have the HS51 on the Fabia and a relative has the later version on this Peugeot partner and we’re delighted with them.

Unfortunately the 16 inch tyres are a relative rare size, hence expensive. Out of interest I priced up replacing the wheels and tyres (with steel 15”wheels and cross climates) and they worked out the same price as just replacing the 16” tyres.

1 minute ago, mark999 said:

The Khumo Estca hs51 and hs52 are very good tyres for the price. We have the HS51 on the Fabia and a relative has the later version on this Peugeot partner and we’re delighted with them.

Unfortunately the 16 inch tyres are a relative rare size, hence expensive. Out of interest I priced up replacing the wheels and tyres (with steel 15”wheels and cross climates) and they worked out the same price as just replacing the 16” tyres.

Thanks for that just comparing the khumos at moment

Take a look on the tyre reviews website 😀

I replaced the original Kuhmo Ecsta tyres with the same as they've been great for me.

With tyre reviews they do need to be for the current model and exact model of tyre and relate to the same vehicle and style of driving and then of course are still subjective to some extent at least. Mr Muscles himself when reviewing and doing tyre tests, on the few videos I've seen, uses a BMW on track(s) which doesn't always compare well with everyday driving on our 3rd-world roads.

If your looking for an all season son has GT radial on his MK1 and there excellent. Good grip in wet/snow etc. Think they were around £70-00 fitted. I run GT radial summer on my octavia and have had no problems. Avoid budget comforser I fitted two on the front and first roundabout in the wet went straight on. Wasn't a one of either and I wasn't pushing it at all. Next day went back and got them swapped for GT radial. Kept the comforser as spares. They were good in dry but awful in wet.

Tyre service also said that the wet grip rating on some tyre manufacturers tyres is down to the manufacturer and not independantly tested.

Alasdair

I was wondering what a comforser was not thinking it was a brand of tyre. It's from Shandong New Continent Tyre Co Ltd, one of their brands, Comforser. Perhaps they are yet to fully learn about UK roads and weather.

Budget is just a marketing term and used by some as a category the name and description doesn't necessarily relate to to good or not quality and value in itself, same as any other name to groups or categories but personally I wouldn't use any tyres the 'Tyre Reviews' website calls budget but I could be doing some or all a disservice and they are fine, for gloried shopping trolley car use that are driven sedately around towns and villages on short journeys.

The tyre labels last I heard are the tyre manufacturers marking their own work and anyway measurements at only certain points can allow for design and build to look god at that point which is fine but may not apply too much to other points over a range, and then there can be fiddling by the manufacturer to look good at that point (some VW owners might recognise this practice).

Edited 29 March, 20251 yr by nta16
spelling

Budget or cheap tyres are fine for an MOT if your selling the car on. Best option I reckon is to go by personal reccomendation and not by the labels. I find that cheap budget tyres seem to go almost hard and lose there grip after a year. Tried a good few when money was tight or needed them for an MOT. They preformed ok when new but soon lost there grip etc.

Personally I would avoid Autogrip,Comforser and Tomket to name a few. I generally go for mid range as I don't drive like I used to anymore and don't have the need for anything better.

Alasdair

Meant to add that I have had two cars fitted with Michelin when I bought them and both had tyres that went out of shape with plenty of tread and within 5 years from date stamp. Not bulging but almost twisted. Tyre service who are very good said that they get a lot of Michelin tyres like that especially after a few years. Said for an expensive tyre they seem to get them more than others.

Alasdair

I've also found a "mid-range" tyre(s) that cracked badly well within a normal lifespan and use of other tyres on that car and other cars we've owned. A neighbour had a couple of obscure Chinese tyre brand tyres that didn't last as long as most other tyres before they were badly cracked between the the treads. I couldn't find any trace of one of the names on the internet but then there are so many Chinese tyre manufacturers and some names come and go so quickly. That is not to say all Chinese tyres should be dismissed.

Thanks for all your advice, I’m going to get either khumo hs51 or hs52, I can get hs51 for 167.50 from black circles or hs52 for 175 on few sites, would I be best getting a newer tyre or is there not big enough difference to spend 7.50 more?

Tyres are often about fashion and marketing/sales so an older tyre can be better than the ones that come after or replace it - but other side is newer tyre can be better. You'll ned to research hs51 against hs52 for your make, model and year of car for the sort of conditions and use you will put them to or want to drive to on occasion perhaps.

All tyre manufacturers will have some models of their tyres that are better or not so good to others in their brands and ranges, and ones that suit your needs and wants more and less.

Let us know how you get on and what you decide.

You normally can't really compare a fresh tyre against a used tyre because of the wear difference and getting used to the differences, and driving, both in same or similar conditions, which takes at least many months or year-round or longer depending on if your driving use and conditions change.

In the late 1980s when I had my third (non-VW) Škoda I went from a set early Eagle F1s to a set of less expensive harder wearing tyres the chap that fitted them advised me to take it easy on the new tyres even after I'd run the tyres in as the new ones wouldn't perform as well as my F1s with wear on them, he was very right.

Edited 29 March, 20251 yr by nta16

If your getting them mail order(no fitting) make sure your local tyre services will fit them or you know someone who will. All of mine now fit new tyres they supply themselves or charge a fortune. Mate found out after ordering from Oponeo.

My go to tyre fitters won't now fit new tyres that they have not supplied. They will fit part worn that the customer has sourced themselves for £15 a pop balanced and disposal of the old one, which seems cheap to me.

10 hours ago, daviemck2006 said:

My go to tyre fitters won't now fit new tyres that they have not supplied. They will fit part worn that the customer has sourced themselves for £15 a pop balanced and disposal of the old one, which seems cheap to me.

Thats not a bad price especially as disposal is around a £5-00. My local garage used to fit new tyres and balance them for me if I bought lunch for the staff but he retired so stuck with the tyre services. Might try some of the part worn sellers to see wwhat price they will give for fitting. Have one locally thats cash only which I got 4 part worn for an old fabia for £100 fitted and balanced to get through an MOT.

Alasdair