Barum Bravuris

[alexnescalante]

I had the unfortunate luck to run over two nails and stick both tires on the right side of my speed6. With most of my money going to moving expenses from LA to Phoenix, I couldn't afford to get Pirellis or such (most of the tires I got quoted were over $1200 for a set of 4). I had to take the cheap option and go for the Barums. At first, I never thought I would put anything less than the stock Potenzas or Pirelli P-Zeros, much less a tire company I've never heard of. But at $600 for the complete set, I couldn't complain.

Now after 5000 miles, I'm glad I made that decision. They're certainly not the quality of the stock Potenzas. It's like comparing Rachel Ray to Jessica Alba - but they do the job and pretty nicely. The wear on the tires are pretty good. People on other forums say that Barums tend to wear more rapidly once they get through 15k miles, but I have a ways until I get there. The tire is a hard compound than stock, so you'll have to deal with less grip and more noise. On harder surfaces, the tires can howl as loud as "20" on the Bose sound system. However, on softer surfaces, you can barely hear a thing. I'm also seeing better MPG with these, as well (of course, that's the benefit you get when surrendering soft sticky tires). The one thing to be aware of is grip. These tires are perfect for those living in dry locations, such as Phoenix. They grip pretty well, but nothing to get excited over. The problem is, I tend to hear some screeching when I ease the clutch a little to quickly - at 2000 rpm. Imagine how this tire would be in rain, or on a freeway with standing water.

All in all, they're good tires to go with if you have a strict budget. For me, I can see myself going about 15000 more. If they do degrade more rapidly, I'll probably switch to Pirellis or Falkens. If you can get these tires at about the same price, you won't regret it, but you won't get excited either.

[pcs]

what size tire for $150/corner? the kumho ecsta spt's are <$100/corner on tirerack.com for a 225/45/18... they give pretty decent grip, and apparently do pretty decent in water as well...

[alexnescalante]

They are 225/40R-18s - Practically, I took what they had on stock. If I had known about the Kumhos, I'd probably would have waited.

[DennisW]

It's like comparing Rachel Ray to Jessica Alba[/b]

If we're talking about doing an in-depth comparison I'd be glad to volunteer.

[pcs]

pre-weight gained rachel ray? ok...