Hi guys,

Im currently using Hankook ventues 215/45/17 tyres.

On Thursday, somehow, the inner sidewall of my front left tyre got snagged/cut due to road hazard. I have no idea how it happened. Just realized the tyre was totally flat n no nail or screw in sight. Took it out and replaced with spare tyre. After inspecting it, then only i noticed the cut.

went to the nearest tyre shop as to get it changed as i had an important meeting to attend to, the only brand the shop has for that size is Conti MC5 for RM400 inclusive of labour. However, i am really tight on cash this month, and asked for a cheaper option.

The only other option they have is a china brand called ZETA which they are selling for RM260 inclusive of labour. Which i had decided to take.


The question is, how long should i wait before replacing the ZETA tyre? As we all must have heard by now, china tyres are not that good. (ie: bad performance, cracked sidewall after a while, etc) But i am tight for now. Was thinking of replacing it in 2-3 months time.

Is it ok to wait that long?

What are your suggestions?

Thank you

Drive first

oh, Im driving it, for sure.
Am gonna stick with it as long as possible.

China branded tires are getting common in the market nowadays. And IMHO, they are not all that bad as what many have said before. And yes, they are just as lasting as the bigger boys especially when well taken care of.

You see, those cuts you have on ur Hankooks are actually due to cracks that usually occurs with low profile tires (certain brands even big boys also have such issues with cracks) and some standard profile tires too have such issues.

So, it is difficult to say what and who is better nowadays.

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Added on November 13, 2012, 1:44 pmI hate CHINA and I hate China stuffs. But constrained by financial budget and thanks to the market pricing, i am left with no choice many times.

Anyway, i am currently using 205 45 R17 Minerva which is a direct copy cat of Yokohama Advan Sport. Grips pretty good and serves me pretty well. I used Kenda Kaiser before too for a number of years. Also no issues.

This post has been edited by jasondotcom: Nov 13 2012, 01:44 PM

Been using GOODRIDE from china for 3 months. No problem. Good grip. Just that I smell rubber after a long journey

my friend used kenda for emergency replacement... tyre exploded within a week... he swear never use china tyre again

okok, here r some enlightment...

not all china brand is bad, but they are bad in mileage...
the reason is that they do not need such intense R&D to make their tyre. Just get the basic tyre formula and there u are ~~~ SOME jus copy the pattern lo.

Just bear in mind that china brand does not come in performance and durability... that's all.. Safety-wise, is about ur luck already.

I sell china brand b4, i know it. . Anything can just drop by my thread in this Forum.

yeah, my friend fitted 2 kenda (goodness knows what name) to his Nissan Sentra.

goodness me! the roaring sound was so terrible. he is cursing everytime he is driving.

you want cheap? be like me friend who dreads every drive?

nah, not me. if i have choice, i will never buy anything made in china. their tyres suck, their milk is made of melamine, so it is up to the consumer.

Ipad, iphone, etc , made in china !!

Not all made in China is bad, but 'china-brand' itself is bad.

Foreign company invest in china n built manufacturing facilities, they bring in their own tech, not china tech.

So buy, branded n trustable brand..

bro, i think people said about china brand la... not made in china product... like garmin vs china gps, goodyear vs kenda

well, if you drive leisurely and not pushing to the limit, your next replacement for the zeta should be same with the rest.
i've had used new zeta and kenda(single round), nangkang, hero and gt radial for drift and they last the distance.
other brand like indonesian made forceum and pace is quite disappointing though.
again, its all down to driving style.

this guy wrote 'anything made in china' ma

so tat's why i reply back like tat lo......

bro malmsteem... you are right... maybe my friend got lemon kenda... tyre explode while driving 160kmh also....kuantan kemaman route...

from my experience, those relatively unknown china made tires a quite risky when driving constantly at higher speed. even more when pushed during the corners.
the reason why i only used it for a single round of drift was that is start to flex like no tomorrow at the end of the round. thorough check shows there are visible fine lines on both sidewall ; a sign of it could explode anytime upon further abuse.

also, the roaring issue as mentioned by some are simply caused by 2 main factor ;
either you bought a deep directional tires with harder compound or your bushes are all worn out. it has nothing to do with branding.

been using chine tyre now Forceum Hexa 205/45/R16, so far so good and not noisy

grip pretty good during rain, and it's cheap

suitable for emergency tyre i think while waiting for good one

haha ya, used it for exactly a week d. So far so good. A little bit extra road noise. Either crack or I snagged the inner sidewall.. Damn stress.

Expensive lesson but oh well. Will drive slowly for a while