Tyre choice fir R32 golf (short listed)

[Tom H]

Dear all,

that expensive time of year again and need the collectives advice on tyres. I've done some research and thinking out of the following: (in no perticular order)


Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2
Continental Sport Contact 5
Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3 (got these currently) or
Falken FK452

My commute is now reduced from 80 miles a day to approx 25 ... The fuel saving is good news. Its a combination of both motorway, town and traffic. Oh and enjoy the spirited drive down a lane or two.

Any experiences or pitfalls or missing choices

Thanks in advance.

[Crafty_]

Vredestein Sessanta

sorry not helping am I ?



Seriously, I've found them better than the Falken but don't cost as much as the well known brands.

Last time I bought some Elite in Rainham were cheapest.

[Dave Hedgehog]

i ran a couple of sets of dunlop sport max on mine, seamed fine hooning about in the wet or dry

under £600 for a set

[rob.e]

Either of the top 3 in you list - they are all excellent tyres in my experience.

Not tried Falkens.

BTW my next set will be Assymetric 2s.

[AMST09]

Crafty_ said:

Vredestein Sessanta

sorry not helping am I ?



Seriously, I've found them better than the Falken but don't cost as much as the well known brands.

Last time I bought some Elite in Rainham were cheapest.

Vredestein now seem to be horrendously expensive and not worth the money now

[Tom H]

AMST09 said:

Crafty_ said:

Vredestein Sessanta

sorry not helping am I ?



Seriously, I've found them better than the Falken but don't cost as much as the well known brands.

Last time I bought some Elite in Rainham were cheapest.

Vredestein now seem to be horrendously expensive and not worth the money now

Weren't on the radar but looking into now... More choices urrgh it's good though thanks

[cuprabob]

Goodyear F1s, used them on my R32 and they were great

[Tom H]

Just read a few mixed reviews on the Continental tyres any experiences ??

[Chris Stott]

I've had the Goodyear's, Michelin's and the SC 3 version of the Conti's on the front of my '08 Mondeo (235/40/18's) and the PS3's were the best for grip and steering feel, followed by the Conti's. I've got the Goodyears on at the mo and they are fine. Conti's lasted for ages, Michelin's not so long, but that's because my wife ripped the sidewall out of one on a pot hole.

[LuS1fer]

The tyre test they did using the Mk V GTI had the F1s top and the Ultrac Sessantos 2nd at the time with the Vredesteins being noted for being quieter than the F1s. Doubtless time has moved on now and tyres like Pilot Sports are supposed to be good. I have Dunlop Sport Maxx on my Mustang and have never found them wanting but not cheap.

Many tyres react differently to the type of car and drive setup.

Edited by LuS1fer on Tuesday 6th March 08:35

[superman84]

For the money Falkens are very good. I have them on my evo and find them thoroughly competent.

[Tom H]

So here goes...
Price includes, tracking etc

What would you choose???


Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2........£540
Continental Sport Contact 5...........£530
Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3 ..........£559
Falken FK452..........................£380
Kumho Ecsta KU39......................£380


Thanks again.

Edited by Tom H on Thursday 8th March 18:32

[LuS1fer]

Well even though I have just bought a set of Kumhos for the Mondeo, i know for a fact they are useless in snow so if you want to keep the 4WD advantage, I'd say no. I still think you get what you pay for. Check some tyre yest sites and look for shortest stopping distance - always the most necessary I think.

[NelsonR32]

[quote]Continental Sport Contact 5
[/quote]

These are literally the best invention since the wheel (pun intended)

I had Dunlop SP Sports, Eagle F1 Assymetric 1's and Continental Contact Sport 3's on my R32. The Conti's were leagues ahead of the other two.

I then put the 5's on my Honda Accord Type R and they were brilliant.

I wouldn't bother with Falkens unless you are a real penny pincher. Because of the cheaper construction they weigh about 3kg's per tyre more than the equivalent Continental or Goodyear. Might not sound allot but it all has an effect on fuel consumption and handling.

[Sulli]

Had the same choice for my S4 a few weeks ago - the result of plenty of research led me to hancooks. There was a thread on here today about how they beat most premium tyes on the 2012 autobild test.
they also saved me £200 for 4 on the Contis, and a few weeks in their performance is better than Contis!!

[k-ink]

Good thread. Looks like I'll be going back to an R32 so may keep the 5s in mind.

[ge0rge]

Continental Sport Contact 5
Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3

[Crafty_]

I'd go falkens on the basis that the difference in cost wont make much difference for every day driving.

If you are putting it on the track it might be a different answer...

[Tom H]

Thanks for all the input guys and girls. Part of me is heading towards the Michelin's as the I know what I'm getting, better the devil you know.

I'll let you know what happens, half of me is looking forward to Saturday morning and the other part not so much due to the dent in the wallet.

[wackojacko]

Will be going for FK452's on the S3 next.