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Here in New Zealand I feel we are spoiled for choice when it comes to tyres. For me I do a ton of research before making a decision, and even so I wont really know whether I've made the right decision unless I've lived with a set of tyres for some time. If that is the case it is normally too late if you discover your decision is a poor one.

How does one navigate this minefield of choice. Advice from retailers (often fine but sometimes biased), independent testing (Consumer NZ) has them recommending anything from budget 'no name' to expensive brand names. Known brands are not always best value or best choice. I'm not made of money (neither is most of the public). How can we know that yes this is the sweet spot of value vs performance in tyres? Before financially committing for possibly 20,000kms to 30,000kms or hundreds of dollars. It's not easy, even for a well researched person.

Hi there,
We use Bridgestone tyres and have found them to supply a very good tyre choice for the vehicle and at reasonable prices.
However, in a market flooded with choice, it can very much come down to finding a brand that is good for the vehicle type, terrain driven on and the performance required. This is where tyre tests can be good. Or going back to the vehicle manufacturer and seeking information on the brand of tyre chosen for that vehicle when new.

Bridgestone is a safe choice. Both Firestone and Bridgestone has been a household name for NZ since it was manufactured locally tailored to our conditions. Now that is not the case they compete on the same playing field as everyone else. So for the consumer who now has to choose a consumable item with little available unbiased information and no real process to help with a decision, it is an expensive commitment. Just two tyres at the budget end is likely on average $150 - $200+ It is a lot of money for any household.

If only we had an independent motoring organisation funded by its members who offered testing and unbiased real opinion on what is really value for money taking into consideration the performance it gives. So the members and the public could say yes this is the kind of driving I do and the car I have. I don't need a Bridgestone RE003 I can make do with a Nexen CP661 because for the price I would never get the best out of it. But now we rely on the good heart of the shop we visited. We will pick the cheapest option because this round black rubber thing looks just like the more expensive round black rubber thing.