What does everybody recommend for tyres?
- Thread starter CJollands
- Start date
Depends what drivetrain you have. I normally swear by Michelin Pilot Sport brand but the factory Goodyears (Eagle F1 SS) have actually been pretty impressive on my 245. Also had PS4’s on a diesel mk3 and they were always excellent. My partners 1.4 150 has Michelin Primacy at my request and they are really good.
@CJollands - Where you live in the UK and whether using your car during the colder months is essential or not might influence your decision over whether to go for winter tyres. Also, having the space to store the winter tyres (and a second set of wheels?) when you swap back to ‘summer’ tyres during the warmer months is something you might want to consider.
I live in East Anglia where the winter weather is generally quite mild with only occasional snow. I’m retired so I’m fortunate that I don’t need to use my car if I don’t want to - I generally don’t take my car out these days if it’s icy or there’s snow on the ground - so I’ve never invested in winter tyres. I currently have a set of Michelin PS4 on my car and I‘ve been very pleased with them. If I did need to use my car all year round in all weather conditions and I lived in a part of the UK that experiences more severe winter weather, I’d consider winter tyres, or maybe as a compromise get a set of all season tyres that I could keep on the car all year round.
I live in East Anglia where the winter weather is generally quite mild with only occasional snow. I’m retired so I’m fortunate that I don’t need to use my car if I don’t want to - I generally don’t take my car out these days if it’s icy or there’s snow on the ground - so I’ve never invested in winter tyres. I currently have a set of Michelin PS4 on my car and I‘ve been very pleased with them. If I did need to use my car all year round in all weather conditions and I lived in a part of the UK that experiences more severe winter weather, I’d consider winter tyres, or maybe as a compromise get a set of all season tyres that I could keep on the car all year round.
Most of the premium tyres should suit your needs. Eg...Goodyear Efficientgrip 2 or Eagle Assy 5/6, Michelin Primacy 4, Pirelli P7C2, Continental Premium 7 and so on. I just cannot recommend Bridgestone, had those, and no grip whatsoever in colder/wetter weather. Currently have Pirelli P7C2 on 225/45 R17s, they are good! Else if you live somewhere where it's a possibility you will get snow, or temp routinely goes below 3 degrees or so, maybe a full set of all-season (Michelin Crossclimate, Goodyear Vector4Seasons or even Hankook's Kinegy 4S). If you are based in London, then probably just summers should be ok.
On my previous Seat (Leon Mk3 FR Estate) I had Michelin Cross Climates for some years, then Continental All Seasons. I had one go in the snow in 8 years and they were very good. Main problem I had with them was a tendency to develop "sawtooth" tread wear. This would cause a "wah-wah" noise from the front tyres and a vibration through the footwell under acceleration or braking. Dealership first thought it was bearings, but googling brought up a few other similar cases all on cars with VW's MQB platform. Think I'm going to stick with "summer" tyres in future (ie what we used to call simply "tyres" 
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As an aside was mildly surprised to find my new Mk4 FR Estate had Nexens fitted. They don't seem to be that common amongst the UK fitters (at least not in the Leon 17" size)
)As an aside was mildly surprised to find my new Mk4 FR Estate had Nexens fitted. They don't seem to be that common amongst the UK fitters (at least not in the Leon 17" size)
Best tyres I've used are Michelin PS4 and Goodyear F1 Asymmetric 5. Summer tyres but great summer tyres.
My wife and daughter have dedicated winter tyres on spare wheels. Works out very cost effective as the summer tyres last twice as long. The difference in performance is huge.
My wife and daughter have dedicated winter tyres on spare wheels. Works out very cost effective as the summer tyres last twice as long. The difference in performance is huge.
I’m on my fifth VW and all of them have come from the factory with Bridgestones. I tolerated them on the first two cars but changed them before they were due to be changed on the other three cars. Current car has Michelin PS4 and they are better in pretty much all respects than the Bridgestones they replaced.
Top two tyres at present are Yoko's Advan V107 & Bridgestones Potenza Sport, but, Goodyears for 40 profile or less Bridgestone for 45 profile or greater as Bridgestone offer a stiffer sidewall similar to Yoko which seems to not suit many, Bridgestone's latest's tyres been much better than previous tyres as reviews show, but depends how you drive & what you prefer but most premiums aren't to far be behind..
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