Replacements for GoodyearF1 Assy 2s

[Spanglepants]

Front tyres are almost ready for replacing and Im stumped with what to try next. My car is a Saab Aero 9 5 Aero. The Goodyears have been great except for one thing,which I suppose is more personal choice than a fault with the tyre. I find the sidewalls too soft , they're 94 XL rated but even with 39 PSI in they feel soft and look like they're low on air.
In the past i've had these tyres on the Aero-

BF Goodrich Profiler 2s (actually quite good)
Hankook V12 Evos (stiffish sidewalls but went horrible with wear)
Falken ZX912 (didnt like them -too soft and wore out in no time)

Looking at reviews I keep coming back to Bridgestone RE050A, Nokian Z Line or Vredestein Sessanta. Also Goodyear 4 Seasons were considered but the Aero uses a W/Y speed rating with an XL load rating.

Any suggestions for tyres with a stiffer sidewall than the F1s?
Thanks

[jagnet]

The Pirelli PZero Nero has a very firm sidewall and works well on the 9-5, giving it a much crisper initial response to steering input versus many. Works well in the wet and dry but seems to like a little heat in the tyre so can initially scrabble for traction a bit on cold mornings.

With 225 tyres on a 7" wheel, Saab sized the combo for comfort over outright steering response, so whatever tyre you choose you're always going to feel that the sidewalls are softer versus running the same size tyre on a wider rim.

Edit: Having said that, the F1s are probably still the better tyre in terms of outright performance.

Edited by jagnet on Sunday 23 February 14:59

[Orangecurry]

I can't help directly (as I haven't tried that Goodyear) but the Sessanta is being replaced by the Vorti.

I've been very happy with the Sessanta, so I would expect the Vorti to have moved things on a bit, but we've said it before on here, sidewall rigidity is a bit of a lottery, there being no way of telling before you try.

[CO2000]

Sessanta's have a nice stiff sidewall, old tyre now but I really like them and will buy them again soon (Vorti's not in my size yet)

[rsv gone!]

Get the F1s with the 97y sidewall

[jon-]

Spanglepants said:

Front tyres are almost ready for replacing and Im stumped with what to try next. My car is a Saab Aero 9 5 Aero. The Goodyears have been great except for one thing,which I suppose is more personal choice than a fault with the tyre. I find the sidewalls too soft , they're 94 XL rated but even with 39 PSI in they feel soft and look like they're low on air.
In the past i've had these tyres on the Aero-

BF Goodrich Profiler 2s (actually quite good)
Hankook V12 Evos (stiffish sidewalls but went horrible with wear)
Falken ZX912 (didnt like them -too soft and wore out in no time)

Looking at reviews I keep coming back to Bridgestone RE050A, Nokian Z Line or Vredestein Sessanta. Also Goodyear 4 Seasons were considered but the Aero uses a W/Y speed rating with an XL load rating.

Any suggestions for tyres with a stiffer sidewall than the F1s?
Thanks

The Sessantas and Bridgestone 100% have a harder sidewall. I run the Potenza S001 on my M3 and I actually prefer them to the Michelin Pilot Super Sport because of this, even if the raw grip is a little lower.

If you can get them, I'd get the Nokian Z Lines though. I'm saying that because I really want someone to try them compared to the F1 A2 and give me some feedback

Edit: The Vector 4seasons have some of the softest sidewalls I've felt.

[Spanglepants]

Thanks, looking again at the Bridgestone RE050 they dont seem to come in the load and speed rating I need so it seems they're out.
I never seem to get more than 5-6,000 miles out of any fronts either.

[rsv gone!]

Spanglepants said:

Thanks, looking again at the Bridgestone RE050 they dont seem to come in the load and speed rating I need so it seems they're out.
I never seem to get more than 5-6,000 miles out of any fronts either.

I would never pick RE050s over F1s.

Where are the fronts wearing? Uniformly or just inside or outside?

[Spanglepants]

All the way across evenly, actually the first tyres i had to do so. Usually its the outer edges due to the roundabouts in Milton Keynes and Im not always the gentlest of drivers .

[kambites]

Yokohama AD08s have fairly stiff sidewalls. I think they're steel reinforced.

[IroningMan]

F1s on my 9-5 wear out in the middle at 32psi. At 39 they must be like bowling balls?

[Spanglepants]

I prefer higher PSI to even out the wear and traffic speed in MK is usually quite high anyway. I got fed up in the past replacing tyres that only had the outside edge worn out and the rest of the tread was fine.

[kambites]

There's something very odd up if you get even wear at 39 PSI. The 9-5 isn't that heavy!

[Spanglepants]

Im guessing 39 PSI makes up for the soft sidewalls?

kambites said:

There's something very odd up if you get even wear at 39 PSI. The 9-5 isn't that heavy!

[Spanglepants]

Im guessing 39 PSI makes up for the soft sidewalls?

kambites said:

There's something very odd up if you get even wear at 39 PSI. The 9-5 isn't that heavy!

[kambites]

Why would that be the case? If anything I'd have expected the opposite - that softer side-walls would require lower pressures to give even wear.

[Spanglepants]

If anyones interested I had a pair of Dunlop Sportmaxx RT fitted yesterday. They feel very similar to the F1s so far, too early to tell properly, and the sidewalls are just a bit stiffer as well.

[slash79]

Spanglepants said:

If anyones interested I had a pair of Dunlop Sportmaxx RT fitted yesterday. They feel very similar to the F1s so far, too early to tell properly, and the sidewalls are just a bit stiffer as well.

I'm interested. Im Running an '03 9-5 Aero wagon. Funnily enough, its got Assy 2's on the front and Sportmax RT's on the back!! The fronts need replacing soon, so I might put Sportmax's on the front also, as my rears are nearly new.

[jon-]

slash79 said:

Spanglepants said:

If anyones interested I had a pair of Dunlop Sportmaxx RT fitted yesterday. They feel very similar to the F1s so far, too early to tell properly, and the sidewalls are just a bit stiffer as well.

I'm interested. Im Running an '03 9-5 Aero wagon. Funnily enough, its got Assy 2's on the front and Sportmax RT's on the back!! The fronts need replacing soon, so I might put Sportmax's on the front also, as my rears are nearly new.

You could rotate front to rear, which will give you a better idea of what the RTs will feel like on the front axle compared to the F1 A2s