So I just picked up a set of 17x7 Enkei rpf1's and needed some fresh rubber to wrap them in. My next set of tires are going to be something a little more high-end so they really grip.

I ended up picking these Accelera Alpha's in 205/45/17 as they were inexpensive and in stock.

Here they are on a UK tire review site:
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Accelera/Alpha.htm

Does anyone have any personal experience with these?

Thanks

 

A friend of mine put them on his 06 VW GTI and he said as far as performance goes, they were absolute garbage. But he needed cheap tires to get him around on stock wheels after an accident he had on the track bent two of his track wheels.

His major complaint was the rain performance, we live in the Seattle area so we get out share of rain here, and he said they hydroplaned really bad even in shallow standing water. He also said they felt very vague when taking corners (onramps) quickly in the dry.

I haven't seen any real reviews/tests of these tires though, so that's just one man's opinion. He actually only used them for about 3000 miles before getting fed up and getting rid of them.

 

Damn, they are on the wheels already. Hope to hear a better story for the next one!

 

You might be just fine with them, but if you are looking for high performance, it's possible you made the wrong choice. I don't know your location, but if you get a significant amount of rain they might cause you problems.

For future reference, there's lots of places you can safely save some money with a car, but tires is not one I would recommend. Not saying you have to spend $200 a tire, but you really should avoid being a guinea pig for unproven tires. There are budget tires out there that are pretty decent in wet and dry, like the Federal 595. In that size they run about $73 each.

 

To the OP,

Did you read the UK owner reviews for the tire in the link you posted?
They are simply awful. Essentially cheap tires that don't do well especially in the wet.

Although some tires are overpriced the thing to remember about the MINI is that it is very capable and worth the investment in good tires.

Not all tires are available in the UK but the good brands tend to be Continental, Michelin, and Pirelli. But you have to shop wisely as each brand has some winners and losers.

Next time you have to buy tires look for-

205/45-17 or 215/45-17 to fit your wheels (which are good ones)

For good street comfort with good handling and moderate wear-
Continental ExtremeContact DW (Max Summer tire) 340 treadwear
205/45-17 $99 each
215/45-17 $108 each

For good street comfort, good performance in three seasons and cold weather with longer treadlife-
Continental ExtremeContact DWS (ultra high perf All Season) 540 treadwear
205/45-17 $121 each
215/45-17 $119 each

 

OP,

What did you decide for tires?
How did it work out for you?

 

My thoughts....
After following the link to the UK on the first day of the post, I was even amazed the tire listed was even under ANY consideration....reviews seemed to say the tire was downright dangerous.....the poor wet weather performance is pretty common with MOST Chinese import tires.....

 

selected quotes from the reviews site provided....
there are a couple folks who liked them as a "basic grocery getter type of tire"....but is is about 5-1 they are DANGEROUSLY BAD to JUST OK....

 

I guess the OP had already purchased and mounted the tires before starting this post.

If he had read the many negative reviews he would have kept shopping I suppose.

For the rest of us, just be aware that low prices can mean lesser tires so do your homework before you make the purchase.

Many years ago I used to buy generic bad tires for my economy import cars, yes they were bad, no I didn't know any better.

Then I got a MINI and the tire market has never been the same for me.

 

As a recommendation, I run Mayrun MR500's on my Cooper s and I am completely blown away in every way. These tires are so good I have recently mounted a set on the wife's SC430. They are a four channel like u would find on a continental summer, handing, wet and the quietest tire I have run since SuperSports. I bought them from Onlinetire.com, the service has always been good from them. Really great tires

 

Try and stay away from curves... and hills... and rain... and braking...

 

Listen to Melangell, he has powder coated calipers...

 

Damn skippy!!! Body color matching... One of the greatest, stupidest (because of the cost) I've had done. Actually, I have no idea about the tires the Op is speaking of... Just saw a chance for comedy!

 

Better suited for purposing a rope swing at the river or play toy for gorilla.....

 

Or putting on the rears so you don't have to put lunch-trays under them to make the rear end slide like crazy in a parking lot to do some crazy doughnuts!!! I wonder if the above tires were used on the old cop shows where the tire SQUEAL AND SMOKE at every turn!!

 

I had these on my last set of wheels as a cheap stop gap until I got my new rims.
They were absolutely atrocious....
When they were cold it was like driving on diesel. When they were warm and dry they would still feel like you were driving on a very wet slippery road. Absolutely no confidence in them at all. In the wet???!!! Well, it felt like I was on a set of 4 road bicycle slicks. It would wheelspin into 3rd and if you took a roundabout at anything above 2000rpm you'd oversteer into the outside lane.
On top of this - they are incredibly noisy and really don't wear that well at all either.

I've just put a set of Kumho Ecsta Sports on my new rims and the difference is night and day.

 

there's no such thing as a good budget tire.

tires should NEVER be the area that you get cheap on. think about it - your tires are the only thing actually touching the ground. not exactly somewhere that you want to compromise on. i will never understand why people think it's a good idea to cheap out on tires and brakes, the two things that often quite literally decide your fate and life in a serious situation.

 

I understand what you are saying, but there are different definitions of "cheaping out" if you think about it. I "cheaped out" with my Continental DW's when what I really wanted was Advan AD08's or Dunlop ZII's but they were also more than $50 extra per tire.

There are some very cheap tires that actually perform very well, but you just have to be very careful about buying them and be sure to do as much research as you possibly can. So don't buy them and then ask for opinions like the OP did.

But the OP really confuses me because he bought such a great wheel (Enkei RPF1) and then throws possibly the worst tires you can buy on them. What's the point? LOL

 

I just put some "cheap" as in price $79 kuhmo ast's on my MINI BUT I have experience with these on my 3500 pound 400HP Trans Am and know the tire is good.

 

I think one can't expect "too much" when buying budget tires but given a tire size and a budget that is not too low, one can find very decent street tires to work for most owners.

The important things are:
Define your budget (if needed make your budget include both wheels and tires since expensive wheels and cheap tires isn't the best strategy).
Define your priorities (are you using the tires for street only, driving school, some autocross or track, for three season use, etc).
Evaluate your road conditions (are your roads for daily travel full of potholes or smooth as glass).
Know your options on tire vendor sources (online like tirerack, local shops, costco or sam's club, Sears, etc). Sometimes you have to pay high shipping costs or maybe you have a relationship with a local shop that backs their tires.

I do believe that in most cases one can find a very good fit within a given budget if you do your research.

I do feel that the MINI is a car that will benefit from using the best tires you can afford, so choose wisely.

 

I totally agree (and with your reasoning which I didn't include) but then I am on record on NAM in saying that one should never cheap out on anything one puts on their Mini. If you can't afford it now, save your ducats and buy quality.

 

For those on a tire budget consider-

For Max Summer tires-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=149

For UHP All season tires-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=151

For High Performance All Season tires-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=179

 

When I was driving the audi a2 in UK, I kerbed the tyre and need some replacements and the store only got Arrowspeed tyres in stock for the size I need (205/40R17, very rare size, I think only a few brands make them). dreadful tyres, no grip in the wet or the dry, nothing happens when you wobble the wheel at 70mph dry (car still goes straight, instead of snakey trail). only upside is it doesnt seems to have any sort of wear after 6k miles. (Or its the car's upside, ~1000kg, 2200 lbs). After that, I stick to premium brands only. (call me a badge snob!!!! ) But the tyres are the last thing you want to skimp on........