View Full Version : Expensive Tyres
£1032 for a set of four Bridgestone 19" run-flats for my BMW :(
Seeing as run-flats are becoming standard fit in an increasing number of cars these days (with the saving of a spare), it's about time the price of these tyres comes down somewhat. Choice is also virtually non-existent, with no other brand offering a replacement for my rears.
My wallet is in casualty...
Crikey, that is a lot of pennies (or else someone is taking the Michael at over £250 per corner...)
I need to replace 4 225/60W18 which are only made by Pirelli (P7's) and I'm annoyed at "only" £125 each... Well, we will have these nice motors, I guess that's part of the deal...
Covenant
03-06-2010, 21:51
I got a Bridgestone tyre yesterday for my Lexus and it was £67.50. Are run flats that much more?
Are run flats that much more?
Yep :(
I was going to compose a reply about men who need big cars to disguise their.........
.....but I changed my mind... :D
It's not a big car, but it is very fast.
Oh yes, I see what you mean... :)
StanleyB
03-06-2010, 22:07
How much is the car worth?
It cost £42k new and it's 18 months old.
The Vinyl Adventure
03-06-2010, 22:10
that will teach you to have such a posh car... i can tell you one thing, i wasnt jealous when i sat in the front seat and the car passed me the seat belt.... passed me the seat belt people... the car!!!
posh git....
it is a proper nice car!... i guess thats what comes with owning such nice things eh?!
Don't worry Dave, I already know I have a small dick so you won't hurt my feelings! ;)
Don't worry Dave, I already know I have a small dick so you won't hurt my feelings! ;)
It's not size that matters, it's how you use it. Applies to amplifier power ratings, engine capacity, the number of pixals on your digital camera, and something else - but I've forgotten what that is!
Regards
Mine shrivelled up a long time ago - car as well...
Seriously, I reckon there's as much slurp in the motor industry as anywhere else. Enjoy your big/fast motors :) There's certainly something about the feel of a car well made and balanced just right, that will hopefully still feel much the same with 100,000 miles plus on it. Fords and Vauxhalls are better than they were, but get that mileage on them and I reckon they still start to show it...
The Vinyl Adventure
03-06-2010, 22:19
It's not size that matters, it's how you use it. Applies to amplifier power ratings, engine capacity, the number of pixals on your digital camera, and something else - but I've forgotten what that is!
Regards
shoe size :scratch:;)
It's annoying when your eleven year old son wears shoes two sizes bigger than yourself :(
There's certainly something about the feel of a car well made and balanced just right, that will hopefully still feel much the same with 100,000 miles plus on it.
Yes, indeed. I put 124k miles on my previous BMW 540i and it still went as sweetly as ever. However, the 4.4l engine was too thirsty. My current 335d is faster and twice as economical. More expensive tyres, though...
The Grand Wazoo
03-06-2010, 22:56
Don't start me on the price of car parts.
This is a precision moulding made to tight engineering tolerances and with a highly complex finish applied.
http://anwo.com/store/media/giraffe-toy-animal-ww.jpg
It costs pennies.
If you needed a part for your car that required a manufacturing process using the same volume of the raw material, the same accuracy of moulding, with no finish applied, how mch do you think it would cost?
...........grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Beechwoods
03-06-2010, 23:02
:lol: Love it!
Ali Tait
04-06-2010, 00:13
I can't talk from personal experience,but having an (old) BMW,I have frequented some of the beemer websites,and everything I've read says runflat tyres are awful! Take them back Martin,and demand some decent rubber!
Take them back Martin,and demand some decent rubber!
I can't, Ali! Cars configured with run-flats have no spare and no space for one. I have to say, though, that apart from a pretty hard ride, which I've got used to, the Bridgestones are superb. Grippy as hell and very sure footed.
It's just the price that hurts. My fault for specifying the optional big 19" wheels. They do look good, though :)
Ali Tait
04-06-2010, 08:58
Normal tyres and a can of tyre weld.;)
Gosh those are expensive tyres, Martin! :eek:
I thought the Continentals for my Merc at over £110 a pop were pricey!
Hey, if they do the biz then why not? I know from experience that the right tyres can make a huge difference to a car's performance and how it handles, so it's probably money well-spent :)
Anyway, you can't beat German engineering..... BMWs and Mercs seem to run forever. My C180's done over 120,000 miles and it still goes like a bomb and runs as smooth and silent as a very smooth and silent thing!
Can you imagine a Ford, Vauxhall, Peugeot, or something like that lasting for that length of time?
The way BMWs and Mercs drive and the 'feel' they have is just totally different from your average car; there's a sense of 'poise' and effortlessness about it all - it really spoils you! Personally, I don't think I could go back to driving an 'ordinary' car again, so when this one goes, It'll be another Merc for me, probably an E-class next time :cool:
Marco.
Martin,
That is a serious amount of outlay for pair of tyres, I suspect the run flat tech is the culprit here.
Though I found these on line I deliberatly picked a very odd size to check.
- RE070 RUNFLAT
Fully fitted price £356.50 inc VAT each.
285/35R20Y
Price includes mobile fitting, new valve, electronic balancing & environmental tyre disposal. No hidden extras
Must be a 335, an i or a d. How are the 19inch rims, I hope they've not cracked! More by luck that judgment I stayed with 18 inch, this also means I can run Michelins.
One good thing about run flats is that with super low profiles you don't break the beads when hitting potholes, I had to replace tyres on previous cars due to bulges in the walls. 19 inch rims and BMWs are another matter....
LOL - £1032 for a set of tyres!
I've bought cars for less than that!
In fact, £1032 would buy a really good car by my standards - one with four wheels, an engine and electric windows that all work (if I shop around, perhaps even a sunroof that doesn't leak:lol:).
Just though I'd add a bit of balance :).
Sorry, I'm not helping much, am I...
;)
Martin
Ali Tait
04-06-2010, 10:30
Yes the cracked rims thing is a common fault from what I've read.Marco,you're right about the cars,though I would say they don't have the fun factor that my Alfa had.I do like the rear wheel drive though.Great fun in the snow!
Yep, I know exactly what you mean about Alfas.... It's the close-ratio gear box, superb handling, and that 'rasp' from the engine which add to its all-round fun-factor.
Undoubtedly it's a sportier drive (and I'd love a classic Spider, or something like that as a second car), but these days I enjoy the way a big Merc (or BMW) 'cossets' you in silky smoothness, as if alienating you from the surrounding environment, and on a motorway has sufficient 'poke' in a completely effortless, un-fatiguing way, to make driving fun, too! :)
Marco.
StanleyB
04-06-2010, 11:05
I still prefer the sound of my turbo spinning up and the sexy induction noises as it takes in air:eyebrows:. Dunno much about tyres for Mercs and BMWs, but I have seen their front grills in my rear view mirror disappearing in the far distance.
:lolsign:
What is it you drive, Stan?
Marco.
Can you imagine a Ford, Vauxhall, Peugeot, or something like that lasting for that length of time?
Yep - 14 years ago I had a Mondeo 1.8TD as a company car - had it for nearly 4 years and apart from servicing and consumables nothing (absolutely nothing) went wrong - not even a bulb - I did 175,00 miles in it! We sold it to a local garage, and that was the last I saw of it until 4 years ago after I moved to Suffolk, called a taxi - and guess what rocked up, with over 330,000 miles on the clock! - yep, my old Mondeo! (Must say it was looking a bit shabby by then though!)
I reckon £1032 kept it in tyres for its entire lifetime! :lol:
(Of course it was a quite horrible car, gutless as hell (I used to change gear without taking my foot of the accelerator!) and boring, but as it was a free company car I couldn't really moan.)
Lol, Alex - I guess there are always exceptions to the rule!
I know that Steve Toy was speaking to an RAC man the other day and the guy told him the new Mondeos were pish, as there's always something going wrong with them.....
He told Steve that the Vauxhall Insignia he chose instead for his taxi was a smart move :)
Marco.
The Vinyl Adventure
04-06-2010, 11:41
yeah, my car cost £1000... but i cant drive it and when it rains water comes through the air vents and sits in the foot well...
I still prefer the sound of my turbo spinning up and the sexy induction noises as it takes in air:eyebrows:. Dunno much about tyres for Mercs and BMWs, but I have seen their front grills in my rear view mirror disappearing in the far distance.
They do BM's with turbos (even with petrol), mine has 2 turbos, though they are small & fast to spin up. You don't hear them for the growl of the engine and rushing sound of the petrol tank being emptied.
Lol, Alex - I guess there are always exceptions to the rule!
Indeed, and I rather conveniently didn't tell you about the Rover 216 GTi I had before the Mondeo which blew up after 2 years/65,000 miles and was constantly going wrong... Or the fact that the Mondeo needed an oil change/service every 6,000 miles - roughly every 6 weeks, and I always had a Ford Ka or a 950 Fiesta as a courtesy car - at least that made the Mondeo feel quick when I got it back!
Alex, the Rover kept going wrong because it was a GTI and thrashed mercilessly for it I suspect :lol:
As an aside, I had a retired client who bought a friend in (an ex bank manager in the city I understand). This chap looked at the top B&O audio system (the 7000 stack system at the time) which cost around £3K with speakers and pronounced it too expensive. i politely asked which car he drove - answer, Jag XJ6 4.2, which he bought new and changed every two years with his own money. I asked how much he lost on trading in and he replied it was about £7K each time. My answer was that £3K spent on this B&O stereo would last him ten years at least (more like thirty) and would still be well usable after this time. He couldn't really reply to that..
yeah, my car cost £1000... but i cant drive it and when it rains water comes through the air vents and sits in the foot well...
You lucky, lucky bastard.
Where I come from, that's air conditioning.
In fact, if the water's deep enough, that qualifies as an integral pool.
You flash git :lol:
Martin
You lucky, lucky bastard.
8EI7p2p1QJI
Sorry Martin, your thread has well and truly skidded off the road, must be those run-flats! :lol:
Hopefully you'll have had a little laugh to ease the wallet pain!
'Lucky Bastard' to 'Vicious Bastard'.........
78b67l_yxUc
:lol:
Marco.
Ali Tait
04-06-2010, 13:16
LOL - £1032 for a set of tyres!
I've bought cars for less than that!
In fact, £1032 would buy a really good car by my standards - one with four wheels, an engine and electric windows that all work (if I shop around, perhaps even a sunroof that doesn't leak:lol:).
Just though I'd add a bit of balance :).
Sorry, I'm not helping much, am I...
;)
Martin
My beemer only cost £780! 17 years old with 54 thou genuine miles on it,and a full history.Not even run in yet! :lolsign:
They do BM's with turbos (even with petrol), mine has 2 turbos, though they are small & fast to spin up. You don't hear them for the growl of the engine and rushing sound of the petrol tank being emptied.
Mine has two different turbos in a sequential setup. I love the whistle as the torque sets in. All 700nm of it :)
Clive - it's a 335d remapped for 350bhp.
All - thanks for the laughs!
Ali Tait
04-06-2010, 14:00
Aye,I think it's a small turbo and a large one.Idea is no turbo lag.Simple and clever idea.350bhp?? How many points on your license??
None for a while now :)
I want to take it to Germany to stretch its legs. Others with the same remap say it's good for 170mph+.
On another note, is anyone here going to the British GP at Silverstone in July?
I want to take it to Germany to stretch its legs. Others with the same remap say it's good for 170mph+.
Sounds like fun, Martin - and the Autobahn is the place :)
I've had 127 M.P.H from my C180 on a stretch of road in the countryside near me, which was fun, and not bad from an (old) 1.8 engine, delivering nothing like the B.H.P of your Beemer!
Marco.
Ali Tait
04-06-2010, 14:16
That's seriously fast Martin.
It is. I got 150mph from my old 540i some years ago and the countryside was going past at a rate of knots. You do have to prepare and be sensible about it, but Ferrari chasing on the autobahns is fun!
Others with the same remap say it's good for 170mph+.
You'll have to take the restricting widget off first, they're electronically limited to 155mph I think. Even the M5. Or does the re-map take care of that?
Mark Grant
05-06-2010, 10:04
. My current 335d is faster and twice as economical. More expensive tyres, though...
Nice car :)
http://www.buyacar.co.uk/cars/bmw/bmw_3_series/review_bmw_335d_304.jhtml
(From above link) - that's more torque than a Ferrari F430..
Have you compared the tyre price on a site such as http://www.blackcircles.com/
Try working out the pence per mile costs for those tyres if you know how many miles they have lasted, frightening just for the tyre costs if you are 'enthuastic' .
Must be good fun though wearing them out :)
Mark.
You'll have to take the restricting widget off first, they're electronically limited to 155mph I think. Even the M5. Or does the re-map take care of that?
The remap derestricts the maximum speed limiter.
Nice car :)
Thanks Mark, but it's not the saloon, it's the Coupe (this is my actual car):
http://www.mtc.me.uk/images/335d_1.jpg
I used Black Circles in the end as they gave me the best price and a loyalty discount.
The Vinyl Adventure
05-06-2010, 13:26
And it looks even nicer in real life.... And in case anyone missed my previous coment ... IT PASES YOU THE SEAT BELT WHEN YOU SIT DOWN!
Quality! :respect:
Marco.
And it looks even nicer in real life.... And in case anyone missed my previous coment ... IT PASES YOU THE SEAT BELT WHEN YOU SIT DOWN!
Some cars pass it to you, put it on, AND fasten it for you! :mental:
My M5 didn't though... it just raped my wallet at every available opportunity! :(
Some cars pass it to you, put it on, AND fasten it for you!
.......then give you a blow-job.
Marco.
.......then give you a blow-job.
No... I might have kept it longer if it had.
Mind you, the cost of one single service would have bought many, many 'services' of the nature you have in mind! :rolleyes:
Ah, Mikey knows all about 'extras'! :eyebrows:
;)
Marco.
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