Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has had any experience with the tyre brand RADAR and/or with the specific tyre in the thread subject?

Looking to get some new 20 inch rims with RADAR Dimax R8 245/35/20 tyres installed. Apparently they are made in the same factory as Achilles brand tyres if that means anything.

They are budget tyres in terms of pricing.

Cheers!

Never heard of them which means they are probably shit. Spend money where it counts or end up buried in a tree

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Radar/Dimax-R8.htm

I'd look at Achilles AT LEAST..

Achilles ATR Sport II (Make sure they're the TWOs)

SuFz :ninja:

Yep I was offered Achilles but they didn't have the 245/35/20 I was after, only 225. Achilles ATR Sport seem very good for the price based on reviews. Unfortunately there isn't much reliable information on the RADAR tyres.
I can't see them being any worse than Achilles though.

... I can.. Without a doubt!

Achilles do make a 245/35/20 with a 97W load/speed rating..

You could also look at Austyre..

SuFz :ninja:

... I can.. Without a doubt!

Achilles do make a 245/35/20 with a 97W load/speed rating..

You could also look at Austyre..

SuFz :ninja:

I see. Would you have information on how / why they would be worse than Achilles?

Cheers

Looking at their tread pattern first of all.. Wet grip would be atrocious!

VPR (Variable Pitch Ratio) supposedly to increase tractive effort and decrease noise - It does the opposite, I remember the old Nankangs used to have this and ditched it when they brought out the NS2s..

Achilles have a proven track record here in QLD..

megatron - Achilles 123S Road Legal Semi Slicks (Evo X)
QMD///801 - Achilles ATR Sport IIs (SC Ralliart on 20s)
muzza_oz - Achilles ATR Sport IIs (Low Verada on Orange 20s)
..GONE.. - Achilles ATR Sport (Low Verada on 20s)

I've had Altenzo, Austyre, Achilles in the 20s and I must say.. Achilles ruled when it came to wet/dry grip and over all noise.

SuFz :ninja:

Looking at their tread pattern first of all.. Wet grip would be atrocious!

VPR (Variable Pitch Ratio) supposedly to increase tractive effort and decrease noise - It does the opposite, I remember the old Nankangs used to have this and ditched it when they brought out the NS2s..

Achilles have a proven track record here in QLD..

megatron - Achilles 123S Road Legal Semi Slicks (Evo X)
QMD///801 - Achilles ATR Sport IIs (SC Ralliart on 20s)
muzza_oz - Achilles ATR Sport IIs (Low Verada on Orange 20s)
..GONE.. - Achilles ATR Sport (Low Verada on 20s)

I've had Altenzo, Austyre, Achilles in the 20s and I must say.. Achilles ruled when it came to wet/dry grip and over all noise.

SuFz :ninja:

Great. Thanks for the info, that is exactly what I was after :)

For the Achilles 225/35r20, would the ride comfort be much worse than 245? I'll be driving mainly suburban/highway.

225 = Width of Tyre (In millimeters)
35 = This is a percentage of the Width of your tyre and that is the size of your sidewall
20 = Size of Wheel (Inches)

I'm on 245/30/20 on my KJ where as muzza is on 245/35/20s on his KJ and its chalk and cheese - that extra 5% makes all the difference.

SuFz :ninja:

225 = Width of Tyre (In millimeters)
35 = This is a percentage of the Width of your tyre and that is the size of your sidewall
20 = Size of Wheel (Inches)

I'm on 245/30/20 on my KJ where as muzza is on 245/35/20s on his KJ and its chalk and cheese - that extra 5% makes all the difference.

SuFz :ninja:

Going the RADAR 245/35/20. Looks like I will be the guinea pig for these :)

Cheers

Good luck mate..

Just be careful..

SuFz :ninja:

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Radar/Dimax-R8.htm

I lold hard that wet performance shouldn't even be legal.

Radar a absolute crap. The feedback from customers was so horrible we stopped selling them and went to the sailun brand instead.

I see. Would you have information on how / why they would be worse than Achilles?

Cheers

Mate read the link i posted above. Some first hand experience about how awful they are in the wet. Avoid at all costs

Going the RADAR 245/35/20. Looks like I will be the guinea pig for these :)

Cheers
Given the reviews that Dave linked to, I'm not sure if I'd want to be a willing guinea pig for them....

Love how peeps lash out on new wheels & then cheap out on the most important bits! :censored:

I know right?! Absolutely beyond belief that someone wants to willingly be a guinea pig for what are basically absolute shite tyres. Is that called suicide? Knowingly risking one's life?

Amen zero!! I've always wondered the same! If can't afford tyres then you shouldn't spend on big wheels.

I'd rather get smaller wheels and better tyres. I've had both crappy and good tyres and the difference is amazing. I don't care about what fancy electronics car's have these days, the last point of contact between you and the road is that piece of rubber wrapped around the wheels. The difference between serious injury and no injury can be milli-seconds. I would do everything possible to reduce the potential of the car sliding uncontrollably and unexpectedly as possible. There's also something to be said about braking distance with bad tyres.

No one will care how amazing your car looks when it's wrapped around a tree or in a ditch because you lost control thanks to bad tyres.

Don't cheap out - you've got a powerful fwd car as it is. That's a bad enough beginning as it is - don't make it worse by fitting crappy tyres.

Chinese tyres should be avoided. They will be good one day, but currently they are 20 years or more behind in tread compound technology. Like most Asian production, making lots of a product cheaply and getting them into world markets quickly rates well above product quality. It's part of the Asian business ethos unfortunately. Not that easy to make a tyre with good wear characteristics, as well as good dry/wet performance. Pay more and don't scare yourself on a wet road. OK?

Thanks for the input guys, greatly appreciated.

Based on thorough research (trawled through quite a few forums worldwide), I've extracted a lot of positive feedback and of course balanced it with the negative feedback in the link Dave provided to reach my decision.
I also spoke to sales person and asked about customer feedback, so far no issues from customers who have purchased the tyres in dry or wet conditions. For the price I am paying, I am not expecting amazing performance, especially for the type of driving I do.
I see it as basic tyres for basic driving.

I view myself as a very safe driver and never push the car beyond what I know is unsafe in dry or wet weather. Basically, I'm not an adrenaline junkie by any means.
I also don't think its fair to justify tyres in the sense of: pay double get double the performance (i.e. $150 tyres vs $300). Thats simply not true and there are plenty of reviews for Achilles tyres vs other expensive brands to prove that.

I view myself as a very safe driver and never push the car beyond what I know is unsafe in dry or wet weather. Basically, I'm not an adrenaline junkie by any means.
What if a dog or roo jumps out at you and you have to hit the skids? Or what if a kid runs out in front of you and you've got to swerve in a hurry? While you may not be a fast driver, you cannot predict what obstacles driving will throw at you.

Fair enough you don't want to spend an over-the-top amount on tyres, but I would consider something like the aforementioned Achilles to be the very base level of tyre you should be considering. And like zero said, if you can't/don't want to spend huge amounts of money on tyres, stick to a smaller rim size.

I also spoke to sales person and asked about customer feedback, so far no issues from customers who have purchased the tyres in dry or wet conditions.


Thats because they are either dead, or dieing in hospital. Seriously though, hes a salesman trying to rid his quota of crap tyres.



I see it as basic tyres for basic driving.


I see it as as basic tyres for dangerous driving



I also don't think its fair to justify tyres in the sense of: pay double get double the performance (i.e. $150 tyres vs $300). Thats simply not true and there are plenty of reviews for Achilles tyres vs other expensive brands to prove that.



A car fitted with Achilles tyres versus a car fitted with Michelin Pilot Sports wont know which way it went. With tyres its very much a case of you get what you pay for. The materials and technology used in construction decide this.

Thats not to say the Achilles tyre is shit though, as clearly people on here use them with success.

Look, we offered advice that you asked for and you have ignored it.

Good luck

OMG

37% wet weather performance

my Kuhmo KU31's have 78% wet weather and I would still like a grippier tyre in the wet!

Thanks for the input guys, greatly appreciated.

Based on thorough research (trawled through quite a few forums worldwide), I've extracted a lot of positive feedback and of course balanced it with the negative feedback in the link Dave provided to reach my decision.
I see it as basic tyres for basic driving.
I view myself as a very safe driver and never push the car beyond what I know is unsafe in dry or wet weather. Basically, I'm not an adrenaline junkie by any means.


Cheap tyres are cheap because they have low operating costs due to low R&D and low investment into production. It's universally known that cheap chinese tyres are bad when it comes to safety. Tyres are one of those things that you may not need for 98% of your driving, but it's that 2% unexpected margin that can make the difference between no injury or even serious injury. Sure you may not have a problem in normal conditions but the real issue is regarding unexpected situations.

I've had a set of "Kenda Kaiser's" on my car that has better ratings than the Radar tyres, and I can tell you I did not feel secure in my car at all. The grip was terrible and my braking distance was also pretty poor. In the wet with a crappy 4sp auto magna - I'd would only need to launch at 40% throttle and I'd get wheelspin. Heck I remember launching my foot to the floor and the tyre was free spinning for about 2-3 seconds. If I ever had to serve I would've had very little chance to recover the car with those tyres. I remember having one scary incident where the back of my car flickered right out on a sharper corner - I was lucky that no one was in the outside lane. It was a bit of work to recover but I had previous experience with loosing control of cars as my mates were into burnouts for many years and I used to get in on the fun as well. After that incident I bought a good set of tyres and swore to never cheap out on tyres...ever.

You could make the same decision regarding buying a Great Wall ute - sure it will perform the function but when it comes to a crash you'll be in a car that is about as safe as a an excel.


I also spoke to sales person and asked about customer feedback, so far no issues from customers who have purchased the tyres in dry or wet conditions. For the price I am paying, I am not expecting amazing performance, especially for the type of driving I do.


The sales person is the last person you should trust. They will be looking for their own interests. What customers go back to the shop when they have accidents? How can someone isolate the tyre being apart of the problem in an accident conclusively?

Get real advice from people who have experience with the tyre, have had experience with different tyres in different conditions and know their stuff (I don't claim I do but I've seen and heard of plenty of bad tyres).



I also don't think its fair to justify tyres in the sense of: pay double get double the performance (i.e. $150 tyres vs $300). Thats simply not true and there are plenty of reviews for Achilles tyres vs other expensive brands to prove that..

I would highly disagree with that. There are different categories and associated price ranges when it comes to tyres. You've got the very bottom rubbish stuff like Radar, Kenda, Goodridge, Austyre, Linglong, Rotalla's and other useless tyres good for drifting and not much else. On the very opposite side of the scale you start talking the good stuff like Continental, Michelin, Pirelli, Goodyear etc and while they are amazing tyres (and I think they're worth the money) - you don't really need these (but somewhere in between are a good range of reasonably affordable tyres that are seriously better than the entry level stuff and are still quite affordable. You sort aim for the low-end performance/high-end budget tyre like Kumho KU31/KU36, Toyo Proxes or Teo+, Falken 452's, Maxxis VA-Z1's, Hancook Ventus V12's, Yoko C drives are all quite good tyres for the money. You pay a little bit extra but they are well worth the money. Your safety and/or someone else's is worth it imho.

Other interesting issue is the wheel size - 20 inch seems to be the norm - those have no sidewall height to help with bump absorption and those 20 inch wheels will surely increase Unsprung weight and affect braking and handling (negatively).
IMO anything bigger then 17 is waste of money for Magna ( OE dont go over 17 even for ralliart).
So if you want the car that handles , has decent ride and a bit of sidewall to protect your alloys stick with 17 shod in good quality tyres...

P.S. just showing my age :-) i forgot that 17's are not "cool" ..

Spot on magnaPI and dog

Magna P.I. has swayed me. He definitely sounds like he knows what he's talking about. I am able to upgrade to NEXEN N6000 tyres for an extra $220.
What do you guys think? I'm leaning towards these.

http://www.productreview.com.au/p/nexen-n6000.html
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Nexen/N6000.htm

Seems that the OP question has been well and truely answered...