Leaon Cupra ST / Bridgestone Potenza RA050A with rain

[twitchynik]

I only noticed some excessive noise in the 184 on 18's when on some very rough surfaces - like some stretches of the A505 near Baldock and Royston. I'm sure of that is the tyres but also the surface. Time will tell in the Cupra!

If given a choice between sometimes being noisey versus poor grip, I know what I'd choose.

 

[pvm1234567890]

The Bridgestone Potenzas (AKA Pretenders) were awful. Very happy to have them on the back doing little, but for a driven / steered wheel they had to go. I ended up going for Avon ZZ5's, after getting on very well with ZV3's on my old VRs, very happy with them. And £97 / corner fitted!

I find the Potenzas very loud in dry weather. Haven't had any issues with grip at any point, wet or dry, but on noise alone, they will be replaced with something else.

I like Eagle F1's, and have run them on several past monsters, but I had a set of Avon's in the past and liked the grip, although they wore out very fast. Only got 10k miles out of them, if I remember. I'll be interested to see how long your ZZ5s last.

 

[Seastormer]

I find the Potenzas very loud in dry weather. Haven't had any issues with grip at any point, wet or dry, but on noise alone, they will be replaced with something else.

Thats is what I find too, still not decided what to replace with yet, 6000m in and 2mm gone off the front 1mm at the rear. so a wee while to go yet.

 

[pvm1234567890]

6000m in and 2mm gone off the front 1mm at the rear. so a wee while to go yet.

Ha! That's true, they definitely wear very well.

 

[Benjiman]

I'll be interested to see how long your ZZ5s last.

I'm not the best person to judge a tyre's longevity from..

Had f1 GSD3's multiple times - a great tyre. The ZV3's on the Vrs lasted well, on par with the F1's I'd say.

 

[Aardvark]

I got 19,500 out of the Potenza's on my front and changed like for like.

On my second pair I have noticed very vague centre feeling at motorways and a tendency for steering play before anything happens.

YES I have paid for the full 4 wheel digital alignment from SEAT

When my car is due two more fronts, I will change all 4. I want better ahead feel and better cornering than the Potenza's

I have not had a problem with grip in the wet or road noise.

 

[Scarabeo]

GY F1 assy being fitted tomorrow

 

[kazand]

GY F1 assy being fitted tomorrow

Had these fitted last week , so far wheel hop has been virtually eliminated even in damp/wet conditions

 

[Scarabeo]

Had these fitted last week , so far wheel hop has been virtually eliminated even in damp/wet conditions

That's good news, they were recommended by an independent tuning centre, after I went in for tracking checks and found a nail in one which prompted me to change !

 

[P0LKR]

Just fitted Michelin pss tyres on the front. Even though they are not scrubbed in they are miles better in the wet

 

[Kurtje]

Could you post some more experiences when you have some more miles with them?

 

[Scarabeo]

Had my GY F1Assy2 since 11 this morning, completely different car ! Hop mire or less gone, less noise so appreciate the recommendation by bathe lads at Hi Performance Wheatsheaf

 

[P0LKR]

Could you post some more experiences when you have some more miles with them?

Have been out again in some quite wet weather and they have really transformed the car. In comfort mode its impossible to get the traction light to come on. In cupra mode it only comes on in 1st and a touch in 2nd. I bet when they are scrubbed in they will be even better. I wish I had changed them the day I picked up the car. Well worth the £309 for the two.

Cant wait to try on a warm sunny day.

 

[kmanmx]

I have the potenzas on my Cupra 280 and frankly I am struggling to enjoy the car with them on. They only have about 5000 miles on them, but I am seriously considering swapping to Michelin Pilot Super Sports.

With the Potenzas I really have to try hard to not get the traction control light to come on. Even on a warm 23c day, if I pull away at about half throttle (so admittedly fairly quick), the tyres will spin. Gain grip for a second, the car goes into second, and then they spin again. I feel like an idiot on the road because unless I drive it like a 70hp Vauxhall Corsa the tyres just spin. Even at 40mph, if I push the gas pedal down past the push down point (I have the DSG) so it drops a gear or two, the tyres still spin.. even at 40mph in the dry, in the summer. That seems monumentally bad to me, or is that to be expected ?

I am seriously considering getting these PSS, but only if they help a lot to reduce wheel spin. To be fair to the potenzas, I havn't had any issues with cornering grip. Maybe I am not pushing it that hard (i've never heard the tyres squeel), but they seem to grip nicely if I chuck it at corners.

Seems like a few on here are very happy with the PSS tyres. I'd love any feedback on them especially in regards to wheel hop and straight line traction.

 

[P0LKR]

I have the potenzas on my Cupra 280 and frankly I am struggling to enjoy the car with them on. They only have about 5000 miles on them, but I am seriously considering swapping to Michelin Pilot Super Sports.

With the Potenzas I really have to try hard to not get the traction control light to come on. Even on a warm 23c day, if I pull away at about half throttle (so admittedly fairly quick), the tyres will spin. Gain grip for a second, the car goes into second, and then they spin again. I feel like an idiot on the road because unless I drive it like a 70hp Vauxhall Corsa the tyres just spin. Even at 40mph, if I push the gas pedal down past the push down point (I have the DSG) so it drops a gear or two, the tyres still spin.. even at 40mph in the dry, in the summer. That seems monumentally bad to me, or is that to be expected ?

I am seriously considering getting these PSS, but only if they help a lot to reduce wheel spin. To be fair to the potenzas, I havn't had any issues with cornering grip. Maybe I am not pushing it that hard (i've never heard the tyres squeel), but they seem to grip nicely if I chuck it at corners.

Seems like a few on here are very happy with the PSS tyres. I'd love any feedback on them especially in regards to wheel hop and straight line traction.

PSS tyres are a HUGE improvement. Ive only done 1700 miles and I've just changed the fronts. I have of course kept the potenzas in the garage for future use (maybe). Don't hesitate, they are worth changing for.

 

[kmanmx]

PSS tyres are a HUGE improvement. Ive only done 1700 miles and I've just changed the fronts. I have of course kept the potenzas in the garage for future use (maybe). Don't hesitate, they are worth changing for.

Thanks for feedback, great to hear. What experience did you have with the Potenzas personally ? how much have PSS reduced straight line traction issues ?

 

[Matt280]

I agree that the Potenza's are doing nothing to help the ride or the grip levels of the Cupra and i can't wait to try mine on some different rubber. But I'm still getting slightly frustrated by people who complain that they can't floor it at any speed or in any gear, in any road conditions.

The throttle is not an on-off switch and these cars have 276hp and a heap of low down torque. You have to drive to the road conditions, the car, the tyres and your own ability. This relates to any powerful two wheel drive car (and some 4wd cars). I am very, very lucky to get regular use of an Aston V8 Vantage and trust me that will spin it's wheels at 60mph, in the summer, but that's nothing to do with the car or the tyres, just the drivers ability to regulate the throttle.

I've owned a couple of powerful 4wd cars and simply put, found them no where near as fun to drive as the Cupra. Never losing traction whilst accelerating simply requires fewer driving skills in my book. Winter driving - 4wd rules however.

My two cents...

 

[P0LKR]

Thanks for feedback, great to hear. What experience did you have with the Potenzas personally ? how much have PSS reduced straight line traction issues ?

The potenzas were ok ish on dry roads. I would get a quite a bit of hop under full acceleration in 1st gear and a little sometimes in second. 3rd gear up was fine.

On wet roads I could only get the power down fully 4th gear and up.

Basically the car couldn't be used to its potential in damp or wet conditions. In the dry it wasn't bad.

I only put the PSS's on yesterday and it was wet all day. After I had driven 20 miles or so to scrub them in a little I could get full power down in 2nd gear (in cupra mode) and up in the WET. I could even control the spin in first under heavy throttle. They are still to be scrubbed in properly so they will improve and I haven't had a chance to try them in the dry. Going by wet performance I expect them to be awesome.

Lastly. in comfort mode in the wet I would floor it from the off. No worries. Very impressive.

 

[kmanmx]

I agree that the Potenza's are doing nothing to help the ride or the grip levels of the Cupra and i can't wait to try mine on some different rubber. But I'm still getting slightly frustrated by people who complain that they can't floor it at any speed or in any gear, in any road conditions.

The throttle is not an on-off switch and these cars have 276hp and a heap of low down torque. You have to drive to the road conditions, the car, the tyres and your own ability. This relates to any powerful two wheel drive car (and some 4wd cars). I am very, very lucky to get regular use of an Aston V8 Vantage and trust me that will spin it's wheels at 60mph, in the summer, but that's nothing to do with the car or the tyres, just the drivers ability to regulate the throttle.

I've owned a couple of powerful 4wd cars and simply put, found them no where near as fun to drive as the Cupra. Never losing traction whilst accelerating simply requires fewer driving skills in my book. Winter driving - 4wd rules however.

My two cents...

Sure, perfectly valid point. I'd never expect zero wheelspin though. I mean I could get my old 105hp 1.6TDI Ibiza to spin the tyres in certain conditions . But the current level of grip just seems really low, to the point it is seriously hampering how much I enjoy the car. Hate the fact i'm paying so much for a car that i'm not able to enjoy to it's max. So trying out some new tyres seems worth while.

The potenzas were ok ish on dry roads. I would get a quite a bit of hop under full acceleration in 1st gear and a little sometimes in second. 3rd gear up was fine.

On wet roads I could only get the power down fully 4th gear and up.

Basically the car couldn't be used to its potential in damp or wet conditions. In the dry it wasn't bad.

I only put the PSS's on yesterday and it was wet all day. After I had driven 20 miles or so to scrub them in a little I could get full power down in 2nd gear (in cupra mode) and up in the WET. I could even control the spin in first under heavy throttle. They are still to be scrubbed in properly so they will improve and I haven't had a chance to try them in the dry. Going by wet performance I expect them to be awesome.

Lastly. in comfort mode in the wet I would floor it from the off. No worries. Very impressive.

Sounds awesome. I have just ordered some to be fitted at my house this Saturday. Super excited, but I feel a bit sick spending £680 on some tyres. It's going to take me a while to recover from that one, I want to go and weep in the corner of the room

I really hope they are as good as you make them sound. I'm spending a fortune on lease payments each month for this Cupra so it's maddening that I am not able to enjoy it to it's full potential at the moment.

 

[Seastormer]

I agree that the Potenza's are doing nothing to help the ride or the grip levels of the Cupra and i can't wait to try mine on some different rubber. But I'm still getting slightly frustrated by people who complain that they can't floor it at any speed or in any gear, in any road conditions.

The throttle is not an on-off switch and these cars have 276hp and a heap of low down torque. You have to drive to the road conditions, the car, the tyres and your own ability. This relates to any powerful two wheel drive car (and some 4wd cars). I am very, very lucky to get regular use of an Aston V8 Vantage and trust me that will spin it's wheels at 60mph, in the summer, but that's nothing to do with the car or the tyres, just the drivers ability to regulate the throttle.

I've owned a couple of powerful 4wd cars and simply put, found them no where near as fun to drive as the Cupra. Never losing traction whilst accelerating simply requires fewer driving skills in my book. Winter driving - 4wd rules however.

My two cents...

Totally agree, no probs with the Potenza's once they are warmed up, it's all in the feel.