Tyres

[Scott]

So I know this has probably been done to death, but I need 4 new tyres.

I was hoping to wait until after Christmas, but after some interesting experiences on the way back from London tonight, I thought I'd better hurry and decide what I want.

I currently have Bridgestone RE050A's and I think they're pretty awful. They've never really inspired any kind of confidence in the wet and they're OK in the dry in my opinion. They're also almost at minimum after 11,000 miles *and* swapping the front and rear tyres, and I'd guesstimate that at least half of those miles are motorway. The car is on coilovers with stiffer ARB's so I'm not bothered by comfort really as that's already out the window. Road noise doesn't really bother me either unless it's a weird tone or something like that or it's actually unbearable, but a little louder is fine.

I was almost set on Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3's however I've seen some less than great reviews - which is a shame - so I'm re-evaluating my choice. I love the tread pattern though!

SO I'm really interested what tyres do you have & how do you find them? It would be great if you also had RE050A's too and can compare. Perhaps this thread will be of interest to a few people who are in the market for new tyres and aren't very pleased with their current choice.

Many thanks
Scott

 

[Splathead]

I'm with you on the RE050As.

I have just ordered 4 Michelin Pilot Sport 2s. When I changed from OEM Bridgestones to these on my Afa 147GTa it transformed the ride and handling and also reduced noise levels.

The Michelins are a bit more expensive than other brands (£537.50 for 4 tyres fitted for 225/40/18) but do seem to last longer.

 

[S3Alex]

Another who's had the Bridgestone RE050s.....awful tyre,and quite the worst "performance" tyre I've ever had on a car.

Poor dry grip,and awful in the wet.

I changed to the Eagle F1 Assymetrics and it is a much better tyre,especially on a wet or slippery road,and offers a decent degree of progression before beginning to let go.

The Michelin Sport2 is also a superb tyre(I had those on my A4 3.0TDi),and i would be hard pushed to say which is better.

Given our weather,I'd steer clear of tyres that optimise dry grip only,such as Toyo's R888 and similar.

Most of the reviews(some of which are a bit mature now) do rate the F1 Assymetric,and the Sport2 very well indeed....both were in the top 2.

 

[TAC]

Michelin S2 seem good ahve had michelin in the past an yes they are dearer however you pay for what you get...

I'm currently running Conti sport 3's and they are sweet....

 

[S3Alex]

If you look at the reviews where tyres such as the F1 and Sport 2 do less well than some competitors such as the SportmaxTT and P-Zero,you will find that the thing pulling the first two back is mainly wear.

The F1 and Sport2 consistently perform well on dry and wet grip.

 

[smbAudi]

unless you're really hammering your non motorway mileage that 11K miles after swapping seems a tad low to me...noticing you have coilovers have you had an alignment done?

back on topic the Pirelli zero rosso's on mine are shocking...but in previous cars have used GSD3's with great results...to be fair there isn't much different between the Assymetrics either...the upshot of these is very good performance in rain and dry so on a hatchback I will be putting the Eagle F1 Assymetrics on next...

 

[Scott]

Thanks all - I will be looking into the F1s and PS2s.

unless you're really hammering your non motorway mileage that 11K miles after swapping seems a tad low to me...noticing you have coilovers have you had an alignment done?

back on topic the Pirelli zero rosso's on mine are shocking...but in previous cars have used GSD3's with great results...to be fair there isn't much different between the Assymetrics either...the upshot of these is very good performance in rain and dry so on a hatchback I will be putting the Eagle F1 Assymetrics on next...

I know, it's terrible. I've had the alignment done twice and the tyre wear is fairly even as far as I can see. I'll say that I don't drive slow but I don't burn out at traffic lights etc. Really not impressed with them!

 

[Slimbaldy]

Done 7k on a set of Michelin PS2's not even considered swapping from back to front yet! Good grip in dry and doing very well on in the cold and wet so far. They are a bit noisey for the first 1k or so but then seem to get worn in...Hoping their going to last well over 20k.

 

[ghouseman]

conti 3s seem good in dry and wet, but not had anything else yet

 

[JeffY]

I'm going for Toyo TR1's next, they seem very good value for money.

 

[Scott]

I'm going for Toyo TR1's next, they seem very good value for money.

I had T1R's on my previous car & they were an improvement from Conti's but the wear rate was terrible.

Seriously considering Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetrics - unless anyone has bad experiences with this tyre on the 8P A3?

 

[S3RYE]

hey guys im in the same boat need some new tyres...

i been condisering yokohama s-drive? anyone tried these?

 

[JeffY]

I had T1R's on my previous car & they were an improvement from Conti's but the wear rate was terrible.

Seriously considering Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetrics - unless anyone has bad experiences with this tyre on the 8P A3?

I've read that about the Toyo's especially the older models, but as I only do 2-3K a year I won't let that bother me.

 

[Scott]

Just ordered a set of 4 Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetrics 225/40R18 for £399 delivered and have been quoted £40 for fitting at local Kwik Fit. I have a £30 voucher for Kwik Fit for providing a poor service so all in all I'll get 4 new Asymmetrics (made in Germany!) fitted for £409.

 

[chagrin]

You guys get really spoilt by tyre prices in the UK. Here in Singapore, a Michelin PS2 costs ~ 800 pounds for a set of 4! I'm really jealous!!!:sign_unfair:

 

[alfiejts]

I haven't tried the Goodyears buy I swapped my Pirelli Rossos for Conti Sport 3s two years ago. They've just lasted 24000 miles and are very sure footed.
I'm very happy with them and have just bought four of the same to replace at £118 each fitted.....

 

[Staz]

I had Bridgestones on since new and I thought they were a good tyre. Not the best but not as bad as everyone else on this thread!

Anyway yesterday I got a set of Assymetrics fitted and it's totally transformed the car! And that was in the wet!!! Looking forward to pushing them harder today

 

[Scott]

I had Bridgestones on since new and I thought they were a good tyre. Not the best but not as bad as everyone else on this thread!

Anyway yesterday I got a set of Assymetrics fitted and it's totally transformed the car! And that was in the wet!!! Looking forward to pushing them harder today

Really, that is good news, as I had mine fitted today but literally drove 6 miles home and that's it (and they set the pressure to 40 all round with nitrogen, as I said I'd decide what I want them set to later). Although I think the balancing is out slightly at motorway speeds and greater (which of course I tested on my private runway)

Out of interest, how much did they cost you?

 

[Wai-Fan]

I had 4 brand new Michelin Pilot Sports put on at 56k miles, I am now just under 83k miles with the front tyres with a little bit of tread left and the rears still have a couple of mm left. I reckon the fronts still have at least 2k to 3k miles left.

They were around £120 each from Costco but sometimes they have a special offer where you buy 4 tyres and get 20% off, it happens every few months, but not sure if that offer is on at the moment.

 

[Staz]

I paid £475 mate.

 

[Scott]

I paid £475 mate.

that's not bad at all mate. what pressures are you running?

 

[Staz]

Whatever they stuck in them for now. Not had the chance to get to the garage. I intend to try out 38F/34R again though.

 

[Rich B]

Kuhmo Ecsta KU31 are worth considering, (not the 711's though as theyre terrible).
Before my previous car (4.0 XJR) I had a Skyline which made 500bhp on the dynopack. I tried various tyres including Bridgestones, Pirelli, Toyo e.t.c. I found the best all round tyres (dry, wet, wear rate and cost) to be the Kuhmo KU31 (£90 for 225,40,18).
Bridgestones were poor in wet or greasy roads and seemed to "go off" quicky in our cold wet UK climate.
Pirellis just werent good at anything.
Toyo's I liked until they became more popular and the prices went up about 8 yrs ago.

The Kuhmo are similar to Toyo back then, people who didnt know frowned on them, seeing them as a "budget" tyre. They both have extensive use in motorsport, and like the Toyo ive no doubt they will go up in price also once they become more mainstream.
I'll be replacing the current Pzero Rosso's that came on my A3 for KU31s next month once Xmas is out the way.

 

[Scott]

Kuhmo Ecsta KU31 are worth considering, (not the 711's though as theyre terrible).
Before my previous car (4.0 XJR) I had a Skyline which made 500bhp on the dynopack. I tried various tyres including Bridgestones, Pirelli, Toyo e.t.c. I found the best all round tyres (dry, wet, wear rate and cost) to be the Kuhmo KU31 (£90 for 225,40,18).
Bridgestones were poor in wet or greasy roads and seemed to "go off" quicky in our cold wet UK climate.
Pirellis just werent good at anything.
Toyo's I liked until they became more popular and the prices went up about 8 yrs ago.

The Kuhmo are similar to Toyo back then, people who didnt know frowned on them, seeing them as a "budget" tyre. They both have extensive use in motorsport, and like the Toyo ive no doubt they will go up in price also once they become more mainstream.
I'll be replacing the current Pzero Rosso's that came on my A3 for KU31s next month once Xmas is out the way.

worthy suggestions, thanks - do let us know when you've had them fitted and how you get on with them on the A3

 

[edition]

Scott, where you get them for that? Camskils?