Difference in Tyre Prices

Hello.

Today I am going to write on tyres, in the same line as our issue #20. Because of high oil prices, the cost of tyres is approximately 20% higher than last year. Most of us tend to choose cheaper ones when we need to change them but what makes them different in price even when they seem the same in size?

Firstly, I will tell you the tyre types. There are three types of them:

1. Standard type; made on a value-for-money basis
2. High quality type; made for premium cars for quietness and ride quality
3. port type; made for operability and high performance

Naturally, there are some differences in the three types of tyres’ performance and with the manufacturers’ price strategies, they have different price ranges. I am sure we all understand this bit but why are they different in price even in the same type? The reasons should be as follows:


A - Difference in price is because of the name of the tyre manufacturer:
Of course tyres of a popular manufacturer are more expensive and tyres of a not-so-popular manufacturer are cheaper. This is from brand power. Most popular brand of Japanese manufacturers is Bridgestone, then Dunlop and Yokohama, and of overseas is Michelin (France), then Goodyear (USA) and Pirelli (Italy). Bridgestone, Michelin & Goodyear account for 60% of the total tyre sales in the world. So with their brand power, tyres from these three manufacturers are more expensive than other brand tyres of the same size.

B - Difference in price is because of the tyre models:
Tyre manufacturers are constantly improving the quality of their tyres from everyday research. The quality of the rubber and structure of tyres are getting better all the time and they change the models every 1 or 2 years. Like just before the model change, dealers sometimes have a clearance sale even if they make a loss.

C - Difference in price is because of the difference in the structure:
On the surface of tyres, it will be the grooves and the quality of the material and inside it will be the main structure, that can cause the price difference. Among the main structure, it will be on the side of a tyre where its size is embossed. Depending of the strength, it makes a great difference in the ride quality and stability when you use the brakes suddenly. Especially with larger tyres in inches, which have a smaller portion of rubber, you can feel a big difference if you try different types. Also, manufacturers change the design of the grooves and their depths to improve the drainage and the quietness. For example, REGNO from Bridgestone are very expensive but by scientifically getting rid of the noise which humans find unpleasant and by improving gas mileage, they are after the best performance and you will know it if you try them on your car. They are the standard tyres for company cars CEOs ride in.

What are tyre prices like in your country? We, at JPC, are getting many enquiries on used tyres from overseas. Although we do not deal with them at the moment, we are thinking about exporting them if there is enough demand and we can build a system in the future. So if you are interested in buying used tyres, please give us a buzz.


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(Editor)
JPC TRADE CO.,LTD.
Kato building 4F, 1-1-2 Furuishiba, Koto-ku, Tokyo
Japan Used Motor Vehicle Exporters Association (JUMVEA)
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