Minerva tires?

Syndicate · #1 10-18-2010, 06:00 PM

The local shop will install some Minerva winter tires (275/40/20) on Thursday. Has anyone heard of these before? Google is yielding precious little on the topic.

Cheers,

motordavid · #2 10-18-2010, 06:58 PM

My slog through many GOOG sites leads me to believe:
-they may be a private label, made by Continental for Euro mkt.
-they are also sold in Indonesia/Malaysia
-a cheapazz set of certain sizes, are sold in motorcyle sizes
in the, ah... developing nations.
-the "brand" has been around since '92?

They are often very inexpensive, and only offer a couple/three tread
designs. No data found on their quality, performance, wear, etc.

If you are having them installed, I wonder why, with all the good,
and some reasonably priced brands out there in Tire World, you picked
that "brand".
GL, mD

Syndicate · #3 10-19-2010, 12:32 AM

Thanks. I asked for the Pirelli Ice & Snow, but they would not arrive for another 6-8 weeks. By that time Switzerland will be under 4 feet of snow... They said that a lot of these Minervas were installed last season and that customers were pleased. The price for all four and mounting comes out to $1,200. I wouldn't necessarily call that cheap, but it does beat the dealership's quote of over $3,000.

I'll call again today and see if the Bridgestones or Michelins also have a long wait time.

motordavid · #4 10-19-2010, 07:23 AM

Syndicate,
I get it now...I thought you were putting those tires, in a summer performance style, on; that didn't make sense to me as you are nearing winter,
and with the plethora of good summer tires on mkt, why go to that brand.

I didn't see Minerva in dedicated winter tread on the net, but if they have a dedicated winter tire, I agree: why not give them a 4-5 month usage
esp. for the price. Now I see what you are after. Worth a shot, imo.
GL, mD

Syndicate · #5 10-26-2010, 04:53 PM

So they've been on for a week and so far so good. No heavy snow just yet, but doing well in freezing temps and drizzle. One thing really stands out and that is how much nicer the car feels without the runflat tires

I will seriously consider selling the current runflats and going with a normal performance summer tire. The ride feels better and there is less road noise. Anyhow, I'll report back on these Minervas once we got some serious snow on the ground.