Riken Tyres?

[AB100]

Scorpion Verde on our 17 XC60, 17" wheels, 2WD.
At 30k miles, rears on 6mm at recent service.
Fronts changed at 28K miles 3 months ago. Had about 3mm, but got a large self tapper type bolt in one, thought the drive shaft or a bearing had gone.
Happy with these, so replaced with the same from Black Circles, on the doorstep, at £225 the pair. Why go cheaper?
Dont drive like a maniac, but dont hang about and been round the French Alps, the Italian Alps, and last year the Scottish Alps, all with no problems - up or down! Not too noisy and in comfort!
Previous car, a Vitara, had Continentals, cant remember which, lasted about15K and noisy.
AB

[Whyman]

Originally Posted by V90Towman

A quick look at Blackcircle and based on a 19 inch wheel / tyre the Riken UHP was 100 GBP vs 116 or 119 for a one of the more trusted brands Kuhmo was in there i had them on an A8 and can vouch for them also had Goodyear 119GBP. It's a small price difference for peace of mind. Not sure of your tyre size but pro rata it should not be a great difference.

Completely agree.

When the 4 little bits of rubber are your only contact with the road it is false economy to buy on price rather than quality and performance!

[Zebster]

Originally Posted by Whyman

Completely agree.

When the 4 little bits of rubber are your only contact with the road it is false economy to buy on price rather than quality and performance!

Which is why I was seeking feedback from somebody who'd actually fitted Rikens to a P3. Throwing money at tyres doesn't necessarily make them a good fit.

[BorderVolvo]

Originally Posted by Zebster

Throwing money at tyres doesn't necessarily make them a good fit.

Totally agree.....there's a lot of tyre snobbery out there.

Last year I ran an Audi 80 estate with the cheapest winter tyres I could find on the front.....the rears were also cheepos but were on it when I bought it.
Got a feel for how it drove and never had a problem.
Like the 80 estate, a Volvo is no Ferrari is it !!

[Dash300]

Originally Posted by BorderVolvo

Totally agree.....there's a lot of tyre snobbery out there.

Last year I ran an Audi 80 estate with the cheapest winter tyres I could find on the front.....the rears were also cheepos but were on it when I bought it.
Got a feel for how it drove and never had a problem.
Like the 80 estate, a Volvo is no Ferrari is it !!

I take your point but they are heavy lumps perched on their rubber. Get mine from Costco so choice restricted to just 3 premium brands. As I have said in other posts Wranglers were horrendously noisy when they aged and stepped the tread.
Crossclimates virtualy silent, so will be sticking with them next change.

[Tannaton]

Been following this thread with interest, have two points to add.

Tyres are subjective and suit different uses and drivers, for example Goodyear Wrangler is a 4x4 tyre meant for use both off road and on road, they are durable and grippy on tracks but hence noisy on the road and numb handling.

My other point is in many walks of life, you get what you pay for, and with cars that’s usually most true on “sacrificial” components - I.e. tyres and brakes. I don’t mean to suggest budget tyres are bad or shouldn’t be considered but there is usually a downside of some sort.

[Zebster]

Originally Posted by Tannaton

Been following this thread with interest, have two points to add.

Tyres are subjective and suit different uses and drivers, for example Goodyear Wrangler is a 4x4 tyre meant for use both off road and on road, they are durable and grippy on tracks but hence noisy on the road and numb handling.

My other point is in many walks of life, you get what you pay for, and with cars that’s usually most true on “sacrificial” components - I.e. tyres and brakes. I don’t mean to suggest budget tyres are bad or shouldn’t be considered but there is usually a downside of some sort.

True, but 'good enough' is good enough. I'm not reshodding a top-of-the-range supercar, neither will my car be enjoying any track days! Riken is owned by Michelin and the tyres are made in Europe... therefore it seems reasonable to assume that they will not be ditchfinders. In any case, I'm not particularly happy with the current relatively expensive Continental tyres (factory OEM on my 2015 V60?) so what have I got to lose?

Similarly the Pagid disks and pads I fitted all round in the last year have been great.

It's an aging FWD diesel barge and I don't drive it like I stole it!

[AB100]

Most manufacturers make a tyre marketed as a sort of 'B' listing, and whilst they may vary the compound, tread pattern etc, they are mostly more than good enough for normal motoring, and will in the main, perform just as well as their premier counterparts in that use.
We have had a Golf V where 5 year old Michelin Energy's were scarily cracked to pieces, a Passat that turned German made Dunlops to very big black 50p pieces on the rear in under 10k.
Both went to far eastern tyres (Hankook, Toyo etc) with good results.
There may also be another factor - availability in the right size.
My Stag (Self destruct engine, bit like a Volvo VEA? Nothing new then.) had 2 Michelins and 2 Pirelli tyres, all old, and the ride and handling was transformed with a set of Hankook Optimo's at £55 each.

If only for the safety aspect, new "mid range" tyres then, have got to be much more preferable than older worn stuff or what I would term true "budget" tyres any day. Just check the ratings, especially wet grip!