Writing about the
Jinyu YW51 given
50% (195-50-15-H)
Driving on
a combination of roads for 1000
average miles
I purchased these tires for my Smart Car a couple of years ago, just before Christmas (ie Christmas Eve).
I was told there might be snow, and knowing how impossible it was to drive the car at all, even on dead flat, tarmac surfaces roads, I decided to get these from my local tire merchant - meant to be good value, certaily in comparison to other makes - I've had winter tires on a previous Smart car for a number of years and they had worked very well - indeed as the car is so light, I had had no need to change the tires after the winter, and had kept them on for the next 30K miles.
These were a different car, different tires and a ballgame!
The first journey was on a motorway - going away for 2 weeks holiday. There was a strongish cross-wind (not a gale) and I almost immediately noticed the back end moved about a bit, but I thought this was due to the weather. I travelled gingerly (no faster than 50mph) for the 250 miles, believing the weather was at fault.
Over the next week or so, the weather got warmer rather than colder but I had no need to drive as I was on holiday - so the tires were not really required or tested further.
When I travelled home, I had exactly the same experience, even though there was no noticeable breeze.
I returned to the store and having had them check the wheel alignment and balance, I took the car out again for a 20-mile test drive, to find exactly the same problem. I returned to be told the tires were fine and it was road conditions or my driving so I could not replace the tires as they had been used for several hundred miles and not informing the store within 7 days (remember this was over Christmas week), there was nothing that could be done.
I took the car to Mercedes to check possible other problems, to be told the car was fine. They put 4 of Goodyear winter tires on instead, these worked brilliantly - AND were actually cheaper!. I was told that above 7°C the Jingus might not have the tire wall rigidity of other tires.
I kept the Jingus to try again in cold/snowy weather. This winter, after 3 years/35000 miles full use, the Goodyears needed replacing. I swaped them for the Jingus.
Results:
Handling = rubbish (back of car extremely twitchy),
Actual road-holding (ie straightline stopping/starting) in snow - fine/good.
Clearly a problem with the tires NOT the car.
Am changing them to summer tires later today.
Will bin the Jingus.
Sadly not using MTS Banbury again.