Anyway It Was Time To Change The Tires On Our Golf GTI
A few months ago the prices of tires in Malaysia went up between 10 to 20 percent depending on country of origin and brand.
Recently our regular tire ‘sifu’ mentioned to us when we were doing our quarterly tire rotation that tire price will be moving up again before Christmas. Our VW MK5 GTI tires needed to be retired and so we decided to fit new tires before the next price hike.
Meanwhile, we are not tire experts and this is a fact. We do not have access to track facilities and testing equipment to evaluate the dozens of tire brands on sale and even if we did, it makes little sense as most hardcore drivers know what they want and the rest look at price and value only when buying a replacement tire.
Interestingly we have a regular tire shop that we have been using for decades and the boss knows his product very well and we take his lead in all tire choices for our cars.
About 4 years ago, we took his suggestion for our Mk5 GTI and fitted 225/45/17 Goodyear F1’s and had no issues with them. This time he suggested a tire that he himself has been using for a few months on his BMW E39. The Giti Sport S2 was the suggestion.
Giti Tyre is a Singapore-Based, Global Tyre Company, offering a complete range of quality tyres and services. The company provides tyres to more than 130 countries and is ranked among the world’s largest tyre companies with revenue of USD3.4 billion in 2017.
Started with the manufacturing of the bicycle tires and inner tubes in Indonesia in 1951, Giti Tire who happens to be the sister company of Gajah Tunggal (GT) has grown up to be one of the largest tire making companies across the world.
Today, headquartered in Singapore, Giti Tire is a truly global company delivering a complete range of quality tires and services to more than 130 countries across the world. It has been ranked 10th globally in the terms of yearly revenue (Tyre Press).
In 2014, Giti Tire announced its plan to build a production plant in South Carolina (USA), to be the first outside of Asia.
Not only does Giti manufacture tires, but it has also been associated with several Motorsports competitions including as the primary tire sponsor for Volkswagen Motorsports events.
In addition, Giti Tire is also engaged in manufacturing tyres for the global markets in passenger cars, bus/trucks and also off-road vehicle segments.
With 7 world-class manufacturing facilities in China and Indonesia and 5 Research & Development centers in the UK, USA, Germany, China, and Indonesia.
Additionally, the company’s dedication towards the performance of its tires can be assessed by the fact that Giti has 4 proving grounds in the UK, China, Finland, and Taiwan.
So, with a decent price of RM1,800 including fitment, balancing and also alignment, we are already one week into ownership and driving in the rain and dry has so far been very good.
Let’s see after 1,000 kilometers of use.
