Sonar Tyres

[Ext User(D Walford)]

norak wrote:
> I drive a Camry. Since it's got 4 cylinders it's not going to generate
> the power needed for hooning. My brother goes on about brands that he
> can trust and reputation, etc. As I said before, Consumer Reports said
> that there is no correlation between tyre quality and price, and just
> thinking about it carefully it may be that tyre quality and price are
> unrelated in a similar way that car price and quality are not
> related. For example, a base model BMW 3-series costs quite a lot but
> is not as fast as a cheaper Commodore or Aurion. With this comparison,
> most people would agree you're paying for the badge and the same
> concept may apply to tyres. Perhaps Toyo, Yokohama, or Bridgestone
> tyres are snob tyres, and I just want to separate the facts from the
> fantasies.
>
Its quite possible that Sonar are good tyres but at this point in time
their quality is unknown so fitting them is a gamble.
Even amongst brand name tyres there are good and not so good tyre
models, Michelin make some very hi performance tyres but they also make
bottom of the range tyres which whilst still being well made don't offer
anywhere the same amount of grip and handling as their more expensive
tyres but they generally last a lot longer because of their harder compound.
It all really depends what you are looking for in a tyre.



Daryl

[Ext User(D Walford)]

Clockmeister wrote:
> "Jonno" <somewhere@inthecloud.com> wrote in message
> news:45f6f866$0$23675$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.a u...
>> Clockmeister wrote:
>>> "Jonno" <somewhere@inthecloud.com> wrote in message
>>> news:45f69a4e$0$28625$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.a u...
>>>> They all have to be approved to certain Aussie standards.
>>>> They will do the job. They dont want to be sued.
>>> Anyone who has ever had the displeasure of driving a vehicle fitted with
>>> Bob Jane branded tyres will know that the standard and approval of tyres
>>> means jack shit.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> Yeah well we wont advertise those tyres too much.
>> Polyester tyres retain their shape after being hot and take some time to
>> return to circular. Rename them to kangaroo tyres?
>> That's really only a minor inconvenience.
>> Are they safe? Yep.
>
> Bob Jane tyres are not safe in the wet because there is no grip at all and
> Bob Jane tryes aren't unique in that either. I'm willing to bet that the
> cheapest Chinese shit on the market today will perform similarly unsafely in
> the wet as well.
>
>
>
>
They would struggle to worse than Dunlop Monza's in the wet, maybe the
Bob Jane tyres were Monza's with a different name on the side wall.




Daryl

[Ext User(D Walford)]

PHATRS wrote:

> I don't dare try Kuhmo or other dodgy brands from that region as I doubt
> I'd get anywhere near 35k kms out of them, and if I did I'm sure the
> grip levels would be lower. Each tyre would be cheaper, but per km they
> wouldn't be cheap.
>
Kuhmo aren't "dodgy" brands and neither is Hankook, their performance
tyres might not be up to Michelin standard but they aren't all that bad.



Daryl

[Ext User(Marco)]

On Mar 15, 2:39 pm, D Walford <walf...@iprimus.com.au> wrote:
>
> Its quite possible that Sonar are good tyres but at this point in time
> their quality is unknown so fitting them is a gamble.
> Even amongst brand name tyres there are good and not so good tyre
> models, Michelin make some very hi performance tyres but they also make
> bottom of the range tyres which whilst still being well made don't offer
> anywhere the same amount of grip and handling as their more expensive
> tyres but they generally last a lot longer because of their harder compound.
> It all really depends what you are looking for in a tyre.

I got offered a set of Sonar tyres for my Gemini years ago and was
told by the tyre shop at the time that Sonar is Bridgestone's cheap
brand - so it might just be that Sonars are old Bridgestone designs
from say 10 years ago.

Marco

[Ext User(D Walford)]

Marco wrote:
> On Mar 15, 12:53 am, "norak" <k.no...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> I suppose I could always spend more money buying reenforced armour on
>> my car as well as a rollcage made of pure diamond.
>
> You could do that, or you could actually take your safety (and the
> safety of those you might like to avoid crashing into) seriously and
> buy a decent set of tyres.

IMO deciding what is a "decent set of tyres" is quite a problem for the
average driver, price isn't always a good indication.
Sonar may turn out to be excellent tyres (may also turn out to be
garbage) but until they have been around long enough to develop a
reputation fitting them is a gamble and I would buy something else.
Hankook K406's would work well on a Camry and they aren't expensive.


Daryl

[Ext User(D Walford)]

Marco wrote:
> On Mar 15, 2:39 pm, D Walford <walf...@iprimus.com.au> wrote:
>> Its quite possible that Sonar are good tyres but at this point in time
>> their quality is unknown so fitting them is a gamble.
>> Even amongst brand name tyres there are good and not so good tyre
>> models, Michelin make some very hi performance tyres but they also make
>> bottom of the range tyres which whilst still being well made don't offer
>> anywhere the same amount of grip and handling as their more expensive
>> tyres but they generally last a lot longer because of their harder compound.
>> It all really depends what you are looking for in a tyre.
>
> I got offered a set of Sonar tyres for my Gemini years ago and was
> told by the tyre shop at the time that Sonar is Bridgestone's cheap
> brand - so it might just be that Sonars are old Bridgestone designs
> from say 10 years ago.

Thats quite possible.
I had a guided tour of the big tyre factory in Somerton just north of
Melb a few years ago and I was surprised that the only significant
difference in many tyres was the brand on the side, they were
constructed exactly the same then placed in mould's which put different
brands on the side walls.
Dunlop and Goodyear brand tyres plus other brands were made there and
they were more or less the same tyre.



Daryl

[Ext User(atec 77)]

D Walford wrote:
> PHATRS wrote:
>
>> I don't dare try Kuhmo or other dodgy brands from that region as I
>> doubt I'd get anywhere near 35k kms out of them, and if I did I'm sure
>> the grip levels would be lower. Each tyre would be cheaper, but per km
>> they wouldn't be cheap.
>>
> Kuhmo aren't "dodgy" brands and neither is Hankook, their performance
> tyres might not be up to Michelin standard but they aren't all that bad.
>
>
>
> Daryl

Hankook are good value , have them on 3 of the toys ( I do get good
prices on the high silica version)

[Ext User(Clockmeister)]

"D Walford" <walford@iprimus.com.au> wrote in message
news:45f8c201$0$492$61c65585@uq-127creek-reader-03.brisbane.pipenetworks.com.au...
> PHATRS wrote:
>
>> I don't dare try Kuhmo or other dodgy brands from that region as I doubt
>> I'd get anywhere near 35k kms out of them, and if I did I'm sure the grip
>> levels would be lower. Each tyre would be cheaper, but per km they
>> wouldn't be cheap.
>>
> Kuhmo aren't "dodgy" brands and neither is Hankook, their performance
> tyres might not be up to Michelin standard but they aren't all that bad.
>

My father got 140,000km out of the original set of Kumho's on his Daewoo.

Not bad going I think.

[Ext User(Just JT)]

"a9x5l" <a9x5l@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, 14 Mar 2007 00:09:23 +0900, Clockmeister wrote:
>
>> "Jonno" <somewhere@inthecloud.com> wrote in message
>> news:45f69a4e$0$28625$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.a u...
>>> They all have to be approved to certain Aussie standards. They will do
>>> the job. They dont want to be sued.
>>
>> Anyone who has ever had the displeasure of driving a vehicle fitted with
>> Bob Jane branded tyres will know that the standard and approval of tyres
>> means jack shit.
>
> There was a test of many different brands of 17" tyres in Wheels last
> year and the worst of lot were Chinese made tyres, I can't remember the
> brand name but they performed similar to a space saver in wet weather
> testing and not much better in the dry! If the overall results were
> anything to go by, you generally, with few exceptions, get what you pay
> for with tyres.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Chinese brand is Ling Long.

--
Should've.been.Shite.short.brand

[seant]

There's a tyre brand called Sumitomo, reasonable price, made in Japan. I found them not bad.

[Ext User(norak)]

On Mar 28, 9:24 pm, seant <seant.2o5...@no-mx.phorums.com.au> wrote:
> There's a tyre brand called Sumitomo, reasonable price, made in Japan. I
> found them not bad.
>
> --
> seant

I don't see how the spatial location in which a tyre is made
reasonably affects its quality. It's like saying cordial mixed in the
kitchen is superior to cordial mixed in the living room.

[Ext User(Daryl Walford)]

norak wrote:
> On Mar 28, 9:24 pm, seant <seant.2o5...@no-mx.phorums.com.au> wrote:
>> There's a tyre brand called Sumitomo, reasonable price, made in Japan. I
>> found them not bad.
>>
>> --
>> seant
>
> I don't see how the spatial location in which a tyre is made
> reasonably affects its quality. It's like saying cordial mixed in the
> kitchen is superior to cordial mixed in the living room.
>
So you think there is no difference in quality between an unheard of
brand tyre made in China and one made by Michelin in France?
It doesn't take much testing to find out the Michelin is a superior tyre.
There are some reasonable tyres made in China but they also make some
dodgy crap, it would be rare to find tyres made in Japan that are of
poor quality.


Daryl

[Ext User(Scotty)]

"Daryl Walford" <user@example.net> wrote in message
news:130v3i7n6kdu559@corp.supernews.com...
> norak wrote:
>> On Mar 28, 9:24 pm, seant <seant.2o5...@no-mx.phorums.com.au> wrote:
>>> There's a tyre brand called Sumitomo, reasonable price, made in Japan. I
>>> found them not bad.
>>>
>>> --
>>> seant
>>
>> I don't see how the spatial location in which a tyre is made
>> reasonably affects its quality. It's like saying cordial mixed in the
>> kitchen is superior to cordial mixed in the living room.
>>
> So you think there is no difference in quality between an unheard of brand
> tyre made in China and one made by Michelin in France?
> It doesn't take much testing to find out the Michelin is a superior tyre.
> There are some reasonable tyres made in China but they also make some
> dodgy crap, it would be rare to find tyres made in Japan that are of poor
> quality.
>
>
> Daryl

You need to broaden your horizons dude. Japan makes some of the worlds best
and worst tyres. Have a look at 99% of Japanese imported cars such as
Toyota Surfs, Delica Vans, and, well pretty much almost everyone that's got
newish tyres have been replaced by plastic cheap shitty units to sell to
unsuspecting Australians.

Hell they have even banned a lot of em in NZ due to their piss poor
performance.

Usually a well respected brand such as Michelins are good, but these days
almost all tyre companies make shitty units to fill the market niches.

[Ext User(Daryl Walford)]

Scotty wrote:
> "Daryl Walford" <user@example.net> wrote in message
> news:130v3i7n6kdu559@corp.supernews.com...
>> norak wrote:
>>> On Mar 28, 9:24 pm, seant <seant.2o5...@no-mx.phorums.com.au> wrote:
>>>> There's a tyre brand called Sumitomo, reasonable price, made in Japan. I
>>>> found them not bad.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> seant
>>> I don't see how the spatial location in which a tyre is made
>>> reasonably affects its quality. It's like saying cordial mixed in the
>>> kitchen is superior to cordial mixed in the living room.
>>>
>> So you think there is no difference in quality between an unheard of brand
>> tyre made in China and one made by Michelin in France?
>> It doesn't take much testing to find out the Michelin is a superior tyre.
>> There are some reasonable tyres made in China but they also make some
>> dodgy crap, it would be rare to find tyres made in Japan that are of poor
>> quality.
>>
>>
>> Daryl
>
> You need to broaden your horizons dude. Japan makes some of the worlds best
> and worst tyres. Have a look at 99% of Japanese imported cars such as
> Toyota Surfs, Delica Vans, and, well pretty much almost everyone that's got
> newish tyres have been replaced by plastic cheap shitty units to sell to
> unsuspecting Australians.
>
But are those low quality tyres made in Japan?
I doubt they are, more than likely they are made in China.

> Hell they have even banned a lot of em in NZ due to their piss poor
> performance.
>
> Usually a well respected brand such as Michelins are good, but these days
> almost all tyre companies make shitty units to fill the market niches.
>
Michelin make tyres for the cheaper end of the market that usually don't
offer the level of grip that more expensive tyres have but I've never
seen or heard of a Michelin thats not well made.



Daryl

[Ext User(Scotty)]

"Daryl Walford" <user@example.net> wrote in message
news:131194q9e8f1k9b@corp.supernews.com...
> Scotty wrote:
>> "Daryl Walford" <user@example.net> wrote in message
>> news:130v3i7n6kdu559@corp.supernews.com...
>>> norak wrote:
>>>> On Mar 28, 9:24 pm, seant <seant.2o5...@no-mx.phorums.com.au> wrote:
>>>>> There's a tyre brand called Sumitomo, reasonable price, made in Japan.
>>>>> I
>>>>> found them not bad.
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> seant
>>>> I don't see how the spatial location in which a tyre is made
>>>> reasonably affects its quality. It's like saying cordial mixed in the
>>>> kitchen is superior to cordial mixed in the living room.
>>>>
>>> So you think there is no difference in quality between an unheard of
>>> brand tyre made in China and one made by Michelin in France?
>>> It doesn't take much testing to find out the Michelin is a superior
>>> tyre.
>>> There are some reasonable tyres made in China but they also make some
>>> dodgy crap, it would be rare to find tyres made in Japan that are of
>>> poor quality.
>>>
>>>
>>> Daryl
>>
>> You need to broaden your horizons dude. Japan makes some of the worlds
>> best and worst tyres. Have a look at 99% of Japanese imported cars such
>> as Toyota Surfs, Delica Vans, and, well pretty much almost everyone
>> that's got newish tyres have been replaced by plastic cheap shitty units
>> to sell to unsuspecting Australians.
>>
> But are those low quality tyres made in Japan?
> I doubt they are, more than likely they are made in China.

Nope, MADE IN JAPAN on the side walls.

>
>> Hell they have even banned a lot of em in NZ due to their piss poor
>> performance.
>>
>> Usually a well respected brand such as Michelins are good, but these days
>> almost all tyre companies make shitty units to fill the market niches.
> Michelin make tyres for the cheaper end of the market that usually don't
> offer the level of grip that more expensive tyres have but I've never seen
> or heard of a Michelin thats not well made.
>

Most shitty brands are made in better brand factories and sold as s
different brand.


>
> Daryl
>

[Ext User(norak)]

The reputation a company has is also biased by emotional influence by
the marketing department as well as urban myths. For example, your
average person will probably believe that European cars are superior,
but reliability surveys show that an Australian made Commodore will
likely be more reliable than a Merc ML. Using nationalities as a proxy
for quality does not allow you to see the legal, engineering, or
accounting complexities. For example, a tyre may be made in Japan but
who says the rubber used to make that tyre wasn't imported from China?
Also, what if a Japanese firm makes tyres in China or a Chinese firm
makes tyres in Japan? What if the factory is in Japan but all the
workers are Chinese? At the end of the day you're just changing the
passports of a bunch of people, and to believe that significantly
affects quality is like saying that workers with green shirts make
better products than workers with red shirts.

[Ext User(Daryl Walford)]

norak wrote:
> The reputation a company has is also biased by emotional influence by
> the marketing department as well as urban myths. For example, your
> average person will probably believe that European cars are superior,
> but reliability surveys show that an Australian made Commodore will
> likely be more reliable than a Merc ML. Using nationalities as a proxy
> for quality does not allow you to see the legal, engineering, or
> accounting complexities. For example, a tyre may be made in Japan but
> who says the rubber used to make that tyre wasn't imported from China?
> Also, what if a Japanese firm makes tyres in China or a Chinese firm
> makes tyres in Japan? What if the factory is in Japan but all the
> workers are Chinese? At the end of the day you're just changing the
> passports of a bunch of people, and to believe that significantly
> affects quality is like saying that workers with green shirts make
> better products than workers with red shirts.
>
Globalisation has certainly blurred things, it is possible to get
quality goods out of China and they are improving every day but they
still have a long way to go to catch up to places like Japan which has a
reputation for excellent quality especially for cars.
If I had a choice of Toyota made in Japan or a Toyota made at any of
their other plants anywhere in the world I would choose the one made in
Japan every time.


Daryl

[seant]

Why get upset novak? I only said that I found Sumitomo quality is nod bad. I didn't says that everything made in JPN is good. You must drive a Falcodore. I heard that tone everywhere. Have a nice day.