I’ve been thinking about this lately after helping a friend replace tires on his car. He went with very cheap budget tires to save money, but after about 8–10 months, the road noise increased and grip in the rain became pretty bad. It made me wonder if budget tires are really cheaper in the long run.



From what I’ve seen, budget tires can be okay if you mostly drive in the city and don’t drive aggressively. But if you do highway driving, long distances, or live in a rainy area, premium tires seem safer and last longer. So maybe the real question is cost vs safety vs lifespan.



I work around cars a lot, especially vehicles we <a href="https://nobukojapan.com/united-kingdom">import cars from japan</a>, and many of those cars come with high quality Japanese tires that last surprisingly long. That actually changed my opinion about spending a bit more on tires.



I also read a guide about tire quality and maintenance on a site called Nobuko Japan when I was researching imports, and it had some useful points about tire lifespan and safety.



What do you guys think? Have budget tires worked well for you, or do you always go mid-range or premium?