The AUSubaru.com.au Forums

I found they have both 185/75R-14's and 195/70R-14's in stock.

Their tyres with 80% tread left cost $70 each
and tyres with 50-60% tread left cost $55 each

Assuming these are good tyres,
I'm thinking it's probably better to get the ones with 80% tread left
so I change tyres less...

OR

buy the 50-60% tread tyres in case I want to change tyre sizes later
or because a lower tread height means easier turning in deep sand.

Thoughts on any of this?

Or would it be worth my while just to buy brand new tyres instead?

Sorry but I just dont understand why people skimp on tyres. Its an extremely important part of the car & your life is not worth a little bit more money in the pocket. Buy new & buy quality.

Stop agonising over the details and just get something.

Newer is better. Go the 185s.

If you are going to spend 70 dollars a tyre for second hand ones, you may as well spend an extra 20 to 40 dollars per tyre and get new ones. depending on what brand you buy you can get them starting from around 90 dollars per tyre new.

TOONGA

2nd Hand Yank wrote:Or would it be worth my while just to buy brand new tyres instead?

Yep.. and if most of your offroad driving is going to be on the beach, then I'd buy a good quality set of road pattern tyres, as these work best on the sand. Remember the higher the profile the better the footprint when lower pressures but also not too high to cause rubbing due to 14" rims. We found 185/70R14 work best on a L.Series with a 2" lift.

Not worth buying secondhand unless you're selling the car.

I "think" mine are a Sumitomo standard street tyre and were only about $110 fitted, your size should be a bit cheaper considering mine are 205/60/16 and have a pretty aggressive tread pattern compared to most I looked at.

I get secondhand tyres all the time (for my L series and oldish small cars), yes they are secondhand but they are always 90-99% tread and either a full set or pairs. Last time I got an decent set of 14"s for $160 and 13"s for $100.
If anyone ever needs a set for bunkys or trailers etc pm me cos the guy knows me and always gives me a good deal cos i keep coming back.

However I do think that if you want performance, specific quality and maybe dont know much about tyres and what to look for in bad ones then a new set from someone who does and can fit them and do the wheel alignment is worth the money.

My 2c

Wagonman

Wow cheap, STi tyres are nowhere near those prices. Hopefully Brumbys are like these not STi.

I have been buying secondhand for years. You just have to be savy about what the brand you are getting as secondhand. I pay around $30/33 per for my 13''
Cheers Pete

RSR 555 wrote:Yep.. and if most of your offroad driving is going to be on the beach, then I'd buy a good quality set of road pattern tyres, as these work best on the sand. Remember the higher the profile the better the footprint when lower pressures but also not too high to cause rubbing due to 14" rims. We found 185/70R14 work best on a L.Series with a 2" lift.

Not worth buying secondhand unless you're selling the car.

I already have both of those.
185/75R-14 wouldn't be better for deep sand?
It has 9mm extra radius for ground clearance.

If not, then I'll just replace them with my current size.

apg39 wrote:Sorry but I just dont understand why people skimp on tyres. Its an extremely important part of the car & your life is not worth a little bit more money in the pocket. Buy new & buy quality.

TOONGA wrote:If you are going to spend 70 dollars a tyre for second hand ones, you may as well spend an extra 20 to 40 dollars per tyre and get new ones. depending on what brand you buy you can get them starting from around 90 dollars per tyre new.

TOONGA

Couldnt agree more. Tyres are the ONLY thing keeping you on the road.

I use this method for tyres:
Buy the 2 very best tyres you can afford & put them on the front. Use the best 2 of the existing tyres for the rear.
When its time to buy new rear tyres put the 2 top quality but worn tyres from the front on the back & buy 2 more of the very best you can afford for the front again.

This way you keep the best tyres for the front where you have ALL the steering & 90% of the braking.
Its even more apt for a FWD.

Unfortunately this method wont work for AWD as you need the same diameter tyres all round so you dont bugger the centre diff. So just do standard frequent tyre rotations.

Anyway, 2nd Hand, i really would buy new. you just dont know what youre getting with old.

Few points:
*Tyres go hard with age & lose grip.
*Tyres go hard with use & lose grip.
*2nd hand tyres may have hidden faults you & the dealer are unaware of that can cause sudden blowouts or tread delamination. Imagine that...you're driving along at 110kmh & the tread peels off wrapping around the axle, locking it up instantaneously & spearing you off to that side, either into oncoming traffic or off the road if you're lucky! If this happens on the front you will have no control, no way of stopping, no way of steering...you will be a passenger staring at your future in the hands of the gods!

Buy new!

my (very strong lol) opinion...

+1 with all these guys. New tyres all the way. Is $100-200 more at the most worth your life if the possibility of an accident is increasing by a good percentage?

Taza

Okay, where's a good place to buy new tyres in Oz?
Is there anything like TireRack.com where you can get online deals for new tyres?

I bought some before from the USA and it ended up costing the same as if I bought locally,
but I wanted an uncommon tyre so it saved me heaps of time.

Australia's usually more expensive than Canada,
and I thought second hand tyres might be good if new ones start at $170+AUD.
But it seems tyres here aren't that "dear", to use what some people here say.

Does anyone recommend any tread patterns/tyre models in these sizes, for occaisional sand use?

In Canada, most people don't want to buy good tyres just for the front,
but then again we can have ice on the roads any day from late-Oct to early-April... possibly outside that period as well.

Do what i did & get on the phone. Decide what you want then call around for the best price. play them against each other till u get a good price. & i would strongly suggest getting a wheel alignment to keep your new tyres in good condition.

If you get passenger tyres shouldn't cost much more than $110 ea for some very good tyres in your size plus you have a big choice.

I'd suggest anything but Bridgestone lol...ooh i hate Bridgestone!

I've been happy with Sumitomo, Kuhmo, Yokohama but there's many others...just not...you guessed it... Br...

Would it be worth it to buy a different spare tyre?
Either new or second hand?

My current spare tyre is oversize and I think I'd prefer carrying the same size.
My spare is probably 5-7 years old but has full tread. (195/70R-14)

nachaluva wrote:Do what i did & get on the phone. Decide what you want then call around for the best price. play them against each other till u get a good price. & i would strongly suggest getting a wheel alignment to keep your new tyres in good condition.

If you get passenger tyres shouldn't cost much more than $110 ea for some very good tyres in your size plus you have a big choice.

I'd suggest anything but Bridgestone lol...ooh i hate Bridgestone!

I've been happy with Sumitomo, Kuhmo, Yokohama but there's many others...just not...you guessed it... Br...

play them against each other? hehehe.
Yes I agree I need a wheel alignment, but even if it wasn' obvious it's good to get that adjusted periodically.

Thanks for all the tips.

Bridgestone has some of the dumbest commercials in Canada. You had bad experience with driving them?

Thanks.

Your profile pic is a bilby?

Practicing for your citizinship test are we 2nd Hand? Hahaha

Brumby Kid wrote:Practicing for your citizinship test are we 2nd Hand? Hahaha

Is that about the bilby?
I love bilbies. I never heard of them before coming to Australia.
They look like they're in costume, wearing someone else's ears.

Citizenship Test: (funny cartoon)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb4LoTG3C8E

Yeah it was, ive seen this before, I was about to show you.
"Fu#$ing horse, pass his test?" Best line

Yeah very funny...exc point too!

Yep its a bilby, Aus's native rabbit. Very endangered n VERY cute lol. My nieces were lucky enough to pat some at Healesville sanctuary a while back...so jealous lol. You can buy chocolate Easter bilbies now