Ryo

Hi all,

Ive had an impreza for about 6 months now.

When I got the car (classic my00) it had Bridgestone Potenza's on it. I should add that the car has standard size 6 spoke subaru alloys.

I had to get new tyres as the Bridgestones became bald. Long story short - my brother works in the car trade and owed me a big favour, he said he would sort my tyres for me and go 50/50 with me.

I told him I wanted exact replacements. He calls up and says "your tyres are here, bring the car in".

When the car comes back its got "Achilles Matrix" tryes on it They were about £60 each !

They are the same profile, size and tread pattern as the bridgestones and I have had them on the car for the last month.

Now - my question is this:

I know nothing about tyres at all, but these cheap tyres dont fill me with confidence. In fact I am worried about them making my car unstable and more likely to spin out. Are my concerns correct? I suspect they are.

I want to go back to real quality tyres for saftey reasons and because I dont think the Impreza desrves cheap rubber. Especially with winter on the way.

What tyres should I be looking at other than the Potenzas?

Thanks,

swifty.....!

iTrader: (4)

toyo's t1r best tyre i've had and i've had alot

Tidgy

toyo's t1-r or toyo t1-s.

or if you wanna go mad for summer get R888

CARL2000

Your new tyres might be ok in dry conditions, but with a lot of budget tyres as soon as it gets damp they are crap.
Ive just replaced all four on my my98 it had cheap budget tyres fitted all with plenty of tread & they were dreadfull if not dangerous in the wet.
Ive just fitted a set of Goodyear F1's GSD3 pattern and there excellent, offering good traction in both wet & dry conditions & also they are really quiet on the road compared to the budget ones fitted.

It was a choice between Goodyears & Toyo's I think there both excellent value for what you get Id just recommend toyo T1-R's to T1-S's though.

Ryo

Thanks guys - you've been a big help so far.

I checked etyres.co.uk and put in my current tyre dimensions:

205/50/R16/87v

The only Toyo's that come up in the list are TOYO - CF1. These look a bit...well....volvo rather than scoob.

Should I be looking for a different profile? What would the dimensions of my previous Bridgestone Potenza have been?

Heres the etyres page I have been looking at:

etyres - Search Results

Sorry for all the numptie questions, I certainly am a tyre details newbie

Tidgy

you can get t1-r's in that size. think i heard about £65 per tyre mentioned

CARL2000

TOYO T1-R'S ARE AVALIABLE IN 205/5016W RATING THEY ARE 81.90 FROM ETYRES FULLY FITTED WHICH IS A GOOD PRICE

Tidgy

NO NEED TO SHOUT pmsl


dunno mate, i can get em for £65 + deliv when i last looked for em lol

Ryo

Thanks for all your help - I feel a lot better about this all now.

The reason I couldnt see the Toyo T1-R was because I was selecting a speed rating of V, the T1-R is a W.

Right, Im sorted for my new tyres.

One final question - whats the best to do with the old ones? Ebay - or something else (not plant pots in the garden!)

Tidgy

um, bin em prob, doubt you'll get anything much for em, might even be charged disposal.

o beware of bying toyo's cheap on ebay, they will be euro imports and not designed for use on uk salty roads so will break down in winter

Ryo

Cheers mate - Im gonna get them from etyres - mobile fitting and all that.

Im not a fan of ebay.

gubby

I just bought a Brand New Suzuki Swift 1.5 GLX for my wife.

I upgraded the 15" Alloys for 17" Wolfrace Pro-Race alloys thinking that the Bridgestones that came with it originally,would be upgraded to with the 17" Alloys.

But oh no, could not believe it when I looked a few days later to see I too had Achilles Matrix tyres fitted.

Spoke to the dealer who just fobbed me off with "thats what came from Wolfrace with the alloy package, so thats what you have paid for".

Maybe, but if I had been told I would have insisted on a better quality tyre, even if I had to pay extra.

Could not find a Tyre supplier that had even heard of them so I contacted the Tyre Industry Council who told me that they were definately Cheap Budget Tyres from Indonesia.

They said that although they were certainly fit for purpose and not unsafe, they were surprised they were turning up in this country, as they were developed for the North American Market.

Ryo

Wow - someone else with the Matrix ! I searched high and low on the web and found nothing about them anywhere.

Glad to see that someone else is as worried about them as me.

I was so annoyed that my brother got these for me, he wouldnt put cheap tyres on his motorbike - so why do it on my scoob - I know why, cos he was paying for half the cost!

gubby

They certainly don't inspire confidence do they?

However it must be said the man from the tyre council said they are perfectly safe and fit for purpose but they won't be a Goodyear or a Michelin that's for sure.

So they won't have the roadholding properties of a quality tyre nor the mileage probably

Oh by the way my dealer reckoned they cost £47 plus VAT. Yeah right!!

pheunos

I just bought an MY04 WRX with 18" Wolfrace wheels and they have a delightful set of Achillies Matrix on the front!

They are absolutely abysmal and my car understeers everywhere (Insert terrible achillies heel joke here). As soon as I have the funds I'll be treating myself to 4 new Toyos. Can't wait.

gubby

I know this is an old post but I think you should seriously keep your eye on these tyres.

The tread blocks on the outer rim of mine have started splitting and peeling.

I took it to a tyre fitter, who told me the tyres were rubbish and to change them.

I took the car back to the dealer. I said how unimpressed I was that they should fit these tyres to a new car. He wouldn't change all four but offered to change the front two.

He said he didn't think he would be able to get the same make though.

Shark Man

That is highly worrying, the climate in various NA states can be massively different to here. If the tyre is designed for higher average seasonal temperatures, asphault surfaces, and a predominantly dry climate. They well perform lethally on a damp, tarmac road in a cold climate.

I honestly think that much stricter standards on tyres need to be enforced: I see far too many cars running round with the likes of "Road Champ" (Kwik fit special), or "performance" tyres designed for dry hot climates (that would also include some mainstream brands). The UK has no place for these tyres, as the climate doesn't support them.

Last week I had the (dis)pleasure of driving a 318 with 18" Falkens. I couldn't even shift from 1stto 2nd in slow crawling traffic up a damp hill without a wheel momentarily breaking traction. A shocking contrast to my 325 which would not bat an eyelid - even if I floored it

Remember, it not just you it affects: All it takes is a child to runout infront of you; ABS is useless if the tyres won't grip in the damp. It doens't matter if the car is a perfromance car or not. The tyre quality still matters.

Enough of the moral stuff, I said my 2p. Everyone has probably gathered that cheap (and sometimes not so cheap) no name brands is a game or Russian roulette.