Best tyres for wear

RobbieWebs · Feb 18, 2014

Sorry I know it's been covered a lot but iv currently got Dunlop Sportmaxx RT's on the front of my 2.0tdi 140.
Current tyre pressure is 36psi.
Great tyre but wearing extremely fast for my liking ( 3mm left after 6000 miles)
Yes I know the more grip the softer the tyre but I really want a tyre to last longer than a year if possible.
I don't mind the cost of forking out for decent hard wearing tyre.
I know harder tyres = more road noise but most of the miles in the car are done around town and family days out.

Any suggestions please gents?

Cheers

S3Alex · Feb 18, 2014

Best for wear= Bridgestone RE050.

Those things just won't go away.

Unfortunately grip is a bit lacking.

My own best compromise for grip Vs lifespan is probably the Michelin PS3.
Quiet,good grip,and decent lifespan,even on my car.

RobbieWebs · Feb 18, 2014

Cheers for that Alex.
Hard to find a compromise I've found with reviews conflicting with each other on tyres.
How long did ur PS 3's last?

mjr901 · Feb 18, 2014

S3Alex said:
Best for wear= Bridgestone RE050.

Those things just won't go away.

Unfortunately grip is a bit lacking.

My own best compromise for grip Vs lifespan is probably the Michelin PS3.
Quiet,good grip,and decent lifespan,even on my car.

lol so true about those damn bridgestones. They're noisy, useless in the wet and for me didn't last that long.

So far my longest tyre span has been with my current tyres, the conti 5's. 15k with about 3mm max to go.

Ironically I was looking at the tyre ratings today at work, the Dunlops are not only the quietest in the range, but are A rated in the wet.

I'll probably test out the eagle F1's or slap some Kumhos on whilst my wallet revives itself after a heavy start to the year.

JohnE · Feb 18, 2014

mjr901 said:
....

Ironically I was looking at the tyre ratings today at work, the Dunlops are not only the quietest in the range, but are A rated in the wet.

I'll probably test out the eagle F1's or slap some Kumhos on whilst my wallet revives itself after a heavy start to the year.

I could be wrong (I usually am), but IIRC, those ratings are just manufacturer claims, not independent test results.

MrLapou · Feb 18, 2014

Goodyear Efficient grip. 16k miles 1.5mm used.

desertstorm · Feb 19, 2014

Due to the sheer vast number of tyre models, it was decided that a centralised EU tyre testing facility would be unmanageable and unproductive. Therefore, tyre label testing is self-certified using specific EU standardised methods that every test must adhere to.

Testing Rolling Resistance

A tyre is mounted to a specially designed two-metre drum. It is then rotated with a defined load and pressure.

The test engineers have the torque required to rotate the drum before the tyre is fitted, so they are able to calculate the torque of the tyre by subtracting the new level required when the tyre is mounted against the level when it is not.

It is through calculating the difference of the drum's torque with or without the tyre that they can record what is known as the 'Rolling Resistance Coefficient'. This is what is used to work out the correct grading for the new tyre label.

Testing Wet Grip

There are two tests that engineers are required to carry out to come up with the wet grip rating.

First of all they need to carry out a wet braking test. This measures the performance of a tyre when a vehicle is braking on a wet surface. The distance that the car travels when slowing from 50mph to 12mph is recorded.

They also carry out what is known as a skid trailer test. This calculates the friction between the tyre and the road surface. For the tests to be valid, it must take place when the vehicle is travelling at 40mph.

Once they have both results, they combine them to create the Wet Grip Index (WGI) - this shows the percentage of improved ability compared with an independent reference tyre.

Testing Noise Emission

This test is done to find out the external noise of a tyre in decibels (dB).

The actual test consists of a microphone being set up on the edge of a track to measure the sound level of a test vehicle - the mircophone is required to be 7.5m from the centre of the track at sit at 1.2m above the ground. When passing, the vehicle must be travelling at 50 mph with the engine turned off for the test to be valid.

Sidhu88 · Feb 19, 2014

14k out of my last set of conti sport contact 5's, that was with some fairly dodgy tracking and a hell of a lot of abuse. On my second set now, although my second set don't seem to be as good in the wet as the first. I had MO fitment before, now have AO.

S3Alex · Feb 19, 2014

RobbieWebs said:
Cheers for that Alex.
Hard to find a compromise I've found with reviews conflicting with each other on tyres.
How long did ur PS 3's last?

Around 10 000 miles if I remember.

Pretty good considering what they had to deal with.

S3Alex · Feb 19, 2014

mjr901 said:
lol so true about those damn bridgestones. They're noisy, useless in the wet and for me didn't last that long.

So far my longest tyre span has been with my current tyres, the conti 5's. 15k with about 3mm max to go.

Ironically I was looking at the tyre ratings today at work, the Dunlops are not only the quietest in the range, but are A rated in the wet.

I'll probably test out the eagle F1's or slap some Kumhos on whilst my wallet revives itself after a heavy start to the year.

For overall grip the F1's are hard to beat,but they do wear quickly.

When I had a set they were done in around 7 000 miles......the current Michelin Supersports are doing better in every way...grip,wear,etc etc.,but more costly.

nluk100 · Feb 19, 2014

Normally, the softer the compound the more noise they make. Grip = friction = noise usually.

I had a set of Michelin PS2's which lasted 24k miles on my S3, but as mentioned, Michelin offer a guaranteed mileage on some of their efficiency tyres. Might be worth reading the small print if you've got a heavy right foot though!

SteveMcB · Feb 19, 2014

Another vote for michelin PS3s, Camskill doing 235/40 18s for £93.50 which is very cheap.
Had the REO50s on a Subaru and hated them, swapped for Eagle f1s which were much better, on that car anyway. Had contis on a couple of cars too but have gone off them after having to bin 2 with decent tread due to high spots, something I'd never had before.
Will stick with PS3s from now, bit dearer (usually) but worth it imo.

RobbieWebs · Feb 19, 2014

Thanks for ur replies gents.
Was thinking of going for the Goodyear efficient grip but decided to go for the verde stein vorti.
Not too bad at 87 quid a tyre.
Hopefully they last a tad longer...

davesimmo · Feb 19, 2014

S3Alex said:
Best for wear= Bridgestone RE050.

Those things just won't go away.

Unfortunately grip is a bit lacking.

My own best compromise for grip Vs lifespan is probably the Michelin PS3.
Quiet,good grip,and decent lifespan,even on my car.

I did 22k on the last bridgestones on the front, was really hammering the car before the service to try and finish the tyres off, they were still only at 2.5mm when the were changed for bridgestones again.
New tread pattern so perhaps they won't last as long. Time will tell.
Oh, they are on a tdi170 and no..... I don't drive like miss daisy

Gazwould · Feb 20, 2014

MrLapou said:
Goodyear Efficient grip. 16k miles 1.5mm used.

When we replaced all 4 on a RenNo it was a toss up between the above Goodyear and Dunlop Sport BluResponse, nothing much in it as Goodyear own Dunlop and the Summer Touring tyre tests were coming out similar.

We opted for the Dunlop, both don't have a rim protector and before fitting I noticed how flimsy the sidewall was. Fitted these thin sidewalls bulge out which in turn do protect the alloy.

Performance wise I can't comment, not my car thank God.

I can only presume the Goodyear is similar ?

But remember these tyres are in a different category as a Summer Touring and not our usual Summer Performance, MPSS etc.

Gazwould · Feb 20, 2014

I'm referring to Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance which don't have a rim protector,
Goodyear Efficient Grip do.

_GRP_ · Feb 20, 2014

How really surprised by the recomendation on the Conti Sport 5's, mine have done around 7000miles on the front and just had to have them replaced. Will a tdi really go through tyres faster then an S3? Guess it's a bit heavier....Tracking/Alignment all OK.

S3Alex · Feb 20, 2014

davesimmo said:
I did 22k on the last bridgestones on the front, was really hammering the car before the service to try and finish the tyres off, they were still only at 2.5mm when the were changed for bridgestones again.
New tread pattern so perhaps they won't last as long. Time will tell.
Oh, they are on a tdi170 and no..... I don't drive like miss daisy

Damn things on mine lasted easily 15k and had lots left before I binned them.

Felt like driving on ice much of the time.

davesimmo · Feb 20, 2014

S3Alex said:
Damn things on mine lasted easily 15k and had lots left before I binned them.

Felt like driving on ice much of the time.

Yeah I must admit mine were getting on my tits when they got to 15k ish. Just kept running them to see what mileage they would give. Wheel spin when you put the power down even on a dry road. Think I will see what these are like after 15k if they are the same I will try something else. The tread pattern has changed so might wear different. Must say the grip is good so far and no wheel spin unless the roads are really wet. But they are still new.

RonS3 · Feb 20, 2014

Michelin PS3, still on the original rear tyres after 4 years and 49k from new on an S3 (albeit on the wear limit now)

RobbieWebs · Feb 20, 2014

49k on any tyres is impressive but on an S3 is immense!
How much do u get out the fronts?

RonS3 · Feb 20, 2014

Fronts made it to 40k, not sure how I've managed this as I live in the country and don't drive like an old woman. The replacements seem to be wearing quicker so it left me wondering if the factory fitted tyres are better quality

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