QUOTE(mrl @ Mar 6 2011, 08:54 PM)
for me, it's going like this...
do I really need the expensive good tires while my brakes can't even lock the wheels with current cheap tires??? I'd say no...
it's not like I'm saying it's not good to have those expensive UHP tires... heck, if I have extra money, I'd go for those too... most of the time, I'd drive in city condition where I seldom exceed 80km/h... for emergency maneuvers under 80km/h on dry asphalt, those Silverstone NS500/NS700 is good enough already for that purpose.... heck, my brakes can't even lock them when they're new (of course after running in) proving they don't lose grip that easily...
so, by judging cost over performance
for people who dont drive crazily, dont do crazy maneuver, the tires is good... I'd recommend this over GoodYears and Sime but of course I won't recommend this over UHP tires... For its class, it's the best... I did plenty of emergency brakes for near miss already, and few emergency maneuvers @ 160km/h with the NS500... even my friend's riding with me was impressed at the time... maybe the wet performance is questionable though... but as long as we dont drive stupidly (follow people closely, cilok here and there, not aware of surroundings, not expecting the unexpected; but yeah, sometimes shit happens) the possibilities to get involve in something unwanted is pretty slim...
of course those Silverstone Kruizers isn't any better compare to those Michelins, Falkens... but know your limits, you should be fine... always leave a margin of error, that's my tip... driving on street without leaving margin of error for yourself to correct things, that's a recipe for disaster...
though I'm pretty sure now, Conti tires do have problem... I might change my rear for another pair but i'm not going for Conti... maybe Falken or Hankook... and for the price of almost similar to Hankook V8, I am pretty dissappointed...

I do agree that as long as we know our car/tyres limit and drive accordingly, it should be safe. But the problem is, the other driver on the road which we cannot predict. Just like the accident I had last month, he/she just completely stop in the right lane just for making illegal u-turn. Although I managed to stop in time, the car behind me didn't
I also understand the budget constrain. I just spent rm1.3k for 4 ps3 tyre which is considered a lot by my friends, but when I think all the money spent on performance modding to make my car go faster, it just about 1/3 of it. And with credit card, I can do 0% installment for 6 month.
p/s: I do noticed that I tend to drive more aggressively especially in corners after changing to ps3....