Leaon Cupra ST / Bridgestone Potenza RA050A with rain

[Matt280]

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

The temperature is a good point too though. Had a 'spirited' drive on Saturday and there was bags of grip.

Please don't think i'm a fan of the Potenza's though. I generally find them to be very hard compounds. My 350z was transformed the day i changed them and i'm hoping the Cupra will be too!! Great things ahead!!!

 

[P0LKR]

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.




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.

I only replaced the fronts. While I would like to have replaced the backs as well the benefits wouldn't be great enough to spend the ££.

 

[kmanmx]

I only replaced the fronts. While I would like to have replaced the backs as well the benefits wouldn't be great enough to spend the ££.

Certainly cheaper to just replace the fronts yeah. Though it's highly advised you don't have rear tyres with less grip than the front, as it can cause you to spin out if the rear wheels lose grip before the front.

 

[P0LKR]

Update on Michelin PSS's.

The roads were dry today so I gave it some beans. Overall the car is very stable and confident. I did a standing start with launch control and also one without launch control.

The one with launch control launched smoke into the air and then screamed forwards.

The second one without launch control had a little hopping in first gear but then dug in and off it went at rocket speed. No hop or spin after 10-20mph, just whah this is effing quick lol.

I am also getting some good signals regarding fuel consumption. I think the PSS's are giving me more mpg's but I will monitor this.

 

[kazand]

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...

Whilst I agree in part with your comments, I disagree with others. On the original Bridgestones In damp/wet conditions, the Cupra is not as good putting power down as previous LCR. Wheel hop is far easier to induce, and will even happen in the dry. Yes, its easily controllable, but there all the same. ( ours is manual, maybe different for DSG) fronts were worn out after 10k, which is lower than I was expecting, given previous LCR did more on both Pirelli's and Good years.
Since changing to Goodyears on the front, ( I normally do front to rear swap but wanted to see how the Goodyears performed ) wheel hop is virtually eliminated. Yes, if you are too vicious with the throttle in the damp/wet, it will reappear, but nowhere near as bad as before. In the dry, gone completely. All that happens is the TC light flashes. No drama, no fuss. A big improvement.

 

[kmanmx]

Update on Michelin PSS's.

The roads were dry today so I gave it some beans. Overall the car is very stable and confident. I did a standing start with launch control and also one without launch control.

The one with launch control launched smoke into the air and then screamed forwards.

The second one without launch control had a little hopping in first gear but then dug in and off it went at rocket speed. No hop or spin after 10-20mph, just whah this is effing quick lol.

I am also getting some good signals regarding fuel consumption. I think the PSS's are giving me more mpg's but I will monitor this.

Sounds good, mine are going to be fitted on Friday now so can't wait to test them.

I floored it from 2nd at 30mph today on a dry road, sure enough the revs climbed and then at about 4k rpm the TC light started flashing at me as they started to spin. Sounds like the PSS should be a decent improvement.

 

[Matt280]

Whilst I agree in part with your comments, I disagree with others. On the original Bridgestones In damp/wet conditions, the Cupra is not as good putting power down as previous LCR. Wheel hop is far easier to induce, and will even happen in the dry. Yes, its easily controllable, but there all the same. ( ours is manual, maybe different for DSG) fronts were worn out after 10k, which is lower than I was expecting, given previous LCR did more on both Pirelli's and Good years.
Since changing to Goodyears on the front, ( I normally do front to rear swap but wanted to see how the Goodyears performed ) wheel hop is virtually eliminated. Yes, if you are too vicious with the throttle in the damp/wet, it will reappear, but nowhere near as bad as before. In the dry, gone completely. All that happens is the TC light flashes. No drama, no fuss. A big improvement.

Good to hear that better tyres make a difference.

I agree with your other comments around the Cupra and wheel hop. Never really experienced it this violent before. My point was more around all cars, drivers, conditions, tyres being different and I seem to see so many messages saying 'well i could do this in this car and i can't in that car, so this car must perform/handle/drive better'.

Doesn't matter really. I'm loving my Cupra as it is......if new tyres are going to make it even better then brilliant!

 

[Kurtje]

Went for a drive and in this temperature the standard tyres drive very good.
No wheel hop or losing traction!

But when I need new ones, I'm going for the Michelin SS

 

[kmanmx]

Good to hear that better tyres make a difference.

I agree with your other comments around the Cupra and wheel hop. Never really experienced it this violent before. My point was more around all cars, drivers, conditions, tyres being different and I seem to see so many messages saying 'well i could do this in this car and i can't in that car, so this car must perform/handle/drive better'.

Doesn't matter really. I'm loving my Cupra as it is......if new tyres are going to make it even better then brilliant!

Wheel hop sure is violent. I thought my car was being attacked with a sledghammer from underneath when it first happened. Really shocked me. It just sounds to damaging, even though it's apparently not.

 

[Dalomas]

The wheel-hop, axle-tramp, is horrendous, that's for sure. First time it happened I was convinced I'd ran over a brick with the wheel spinning, until I checked my mirrors and saw the road clear of any debris.

EDIT: Here's a video I shot, doing a wet-line guide for the 'Ring with the stock RE050 "tyres"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ujmuin52sM

 

[Kurtje]

Nice video

 

[kiddo]

Nice video

Agreed He makes it look so easy

 

[Scarabeo]

I have had the GY F1 Assy 2 fitted now for 5 days or so now. The difference is quite amazing, and even my Mrs has noticed a marked improvement in them.

Cant say anymore really

 

[kmanmx]

Just drove home from work after getting my Michelin PSS fitted.

So, it's about the worst weather you can get for the peak of summer. 12.5c on the in car temp gauge, bucketting it down with rain like it has all day. Everything is absolutely soaked, and it's cold for a summer tyre.

With that in mind, it was easy to induce wheel hop or spin when pulling out. Half throttle or more = wheel hop. To be expected I guess, no tyre is *that* good, unfortunately.
However, I got up to 30mph and floored it up to 70mph in comfort mode (though I didn't push past kick down point). No problem. No TC light, no wheel hop, nothing. It just gripped and off I went. This is a HUGE improvement, I tried this a couple of days ago when it was 7 degrees warmer and only slightly damp, and the TC light flashed for a good 2 or 3 seconds with the Potenzas.

Thing that has surprised me most is the difference in braking and turning. I didn't do any particularly hard braking or turning, but it seemed to have much more grip when braking which surprised me at first because it bit much harder than I thought it would. The car also now feels so much sharper when doing turning, at any speed. I never had a problem with turning on the potenzas, it felt fine. Only now with the PSS fitted is it obvious how much more 'dull' and less precise they were (squishy?) when turning.

Can't wait for a dry day and temps to be up to normal levels again. Will be sure to do a proper test then and report back. Though somewhat typically, the forecast is for more cold to mild days and rain for the next week. Hrmph.

But so far, i'm quite impressed

 

[P0LKR]

Just drove home from work after getting my Michelin PSS fitted.

So, it's about the worst weather you can get for the peak of summer. 12.5c on the in car temp gauge, bucketting it down with rain like it has all day. Everything is absolutely soaked, and it's cold for a summer tyre.

With that in mind, it was easy to induce wheel hop or spin when pulling out. Half throttle or more = wheel hop. To be expected I guess, no tyre is *that* good, unfortunately.
However, I got up to 30mph and floored it up to 70mph in comfort mode (though I didn't push past kick down point). No problem. No TC light, no wheel hop, nothing. It just gripped and off I went. This is a HUGE improvement, I tried this a couple of days ago when it was 7 degrees warmer and only slightly damp, and the TC light flashed for a good 2 or 3 seconds with the Potenzas.

Thing that has surprised me most is the difference in braking and turning. I didn't do any particularly hard braking or turning, but it seemed to have much more grip when braking which surprised me at first because it bit much harder than I thought it would. The car also now feels so much sharper when doing turning, at any speed. I never had a problem with turning on the potenzas, it felt fine. Only now with the PSS fitted is it obvious how much more 'dull' and less precise they were (squishy?) when turning.

Can't wait for a dry day and temps to be up to normal levels again. Will be sure to do a proper test then and report back.

But so far, i'm quite impressed

Please also bear in mind the tyres are not scrubbed in yet.

 

[irf]

Got pss on my car and I think for a road tyre on a "sporty" car they're about the best tyre you can get. All tyres are a compromise in some way or another and I'm sure there are other tyres that are better in the rain but wet grip is still very good. On top of that they took punishment at the 'ring (as much punishment as I could give at least) but also a track day at castle Combe where, although I'm used to grippier tyres they performed very very well.

 

[kmanmx]

Just took them out a few more times after rush hour to get a better idea.

I'm blown away by how good they are. They seem to be markedly better than my old Potenzas in every aspect. Straight line grip is much better, cornering grip is better, braking is better, stability is better. I can't wait to try them in better weather. They are truly confidence inspiring tyres.

The weirdest thing about them that I can't really describe very well is how they feel when turning. I'm not talking stupid fast tyre screeching turns here, but just making your way down a country road at a decent pace. When you go around a bend or corner, it just feels like you're continuing in a straight line in the respect that the tyres seem to feel just a grippy, happy and planted as when going straight. It's like bends just place zero additional strain on the tyres. The Potenzas never felt like they were going to slide out from under me at all, but the Michelins ? they just feel like I am not even asking anything of them, when driving semi fast atleast. I am sure they have their limits when going all out just like every other tyre

 

[bretth1974]

How much are people paying for the Michelin Prp Sports?

 

[P0LKR]

How much are people paying for the Michelin Prp Sports?

I paid £154 each at Blackcircles. Price change regularly though

 

[bretth1974]

I am getting multi spokes on my ST so I am hopeful they come with any other tyre than Bridgestones.