Tyre recommendations for Impreza
Discussion
I am on my third set of Falken FK452's and for value for money i havnt found another tyre that can beat them. Sure there are others with a little more grip but the life of the tyre suffers in payment for this. They are great in all weathers, apart from snow, and last well. I get in the region of 10-12k out of a set which is far better than the bridgestones the car came with and in all honesty the grip is far better than the bridgestones too. You can get them for less than £65 each plus about £10 a corner fitting at your local fitters. The car has been out on runs with a number of other scoobs and PH runs too so the tyre are well tested in that respect, very happy with them!!
http://www.camskill.co.uk/products.php?plid=m61b0s...
http://www.camskill.co.uk/products.php?plid=m61b0s...
I have an 02 Wagon.
Toyo T1R's are very good in the wet and wear well. Now it's getting colder and wetter T1R's are recommended. They're a good price right now at Camskill.
Bridgestones are OK, RE050 are fine for this weather and colder, although i prefer the T1R's over the RE050's. I've got these on right now and i honestly can't wait for them to wear down.
For very wet weather Michelin Pilot Sport have got to be the grippiest wet weather tyre i've ever used. I put these on the front and i can honestly say that under full power in the wettest of corners they grip like poo to a baby's blanket. Not a hint of understeer. Lousy in the dry though, very squidgy feel through the steering and not confidence inspiring. I'd rather use T1R's in the dry and i don't think they are that brilliant in the dry however, Pilot Sport are simply amazing in the wet. If you drive a lot in wet weather i imagine Pilot Sports all round will keep you on the black stuff although i've not used on the rears.
I'd quite like to try out Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta but they are very pricey although i hear they are an excellent all round tyre and give very good wear.
Next year i'll be trying Toyo R1R's. Aimed between T1R's and R888's. Very stiff sidewalls so you can run slightly lower pressures. Apparently awesome in the dry, same in the wet, and great wear for such a high performance tyre although can be noisy. I hear great things about these tyres for trackdays and i can't wait to try a set. Not cheap but well worth it so i keep getting told.
Toyo T1R's are very good in the wet and wear well. Now it's getting colder and wetter T1R's are recommended. They're a good price right now at Camskill.
Bridgestones are OK, RE050 are fine for this weather and colder, although i prefer the T1R's over the RE050's. I've got these on right now and i honestly can't wait for them to wear down.
For very wet weather Michelin Pilot Sport have got to be the grippiest wet weather tyre i've ever used. I put these on the front and i can honestly say that under full power in the wettest of corners they grip like poo to a baby's blanket. Not a hint of understeer. Lousy in the dry though, very squidgy feel through the steering and not confidence inspiring. I'd rather use T1R's in the dry and i don't think they are that brilliant in the dry however, Pilot Sport are simply amazing in the wet. If you drive a lot in wet weather i imagine Pilot Sports all round will keep you on the black stuff although i've not used on the rears.
I'd quite like to try out Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta but they are very pricey although i hear they are an excellent all round tyre and give very good wear.
Next year i'll be trying Toyo R1R's. Aimed between T1R's and R888's. Very stiff sidewalls so you can run slightly lower pressures. Apparently awesome in the dry, same in the wet, and great wear for such a high performance tyre although can be noisy. I hear great things about these tyres for trackdays and i can't wait to try a set. Not cheap but well worth it so i keep getting told.
I can't say whether I recommend them yet as I haven't had them fitted yet but I've just got a set of Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta's for my impreza. I picked them up for £87 each so slightly over your budget but the reviews seem to be very favourable for them.
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Vredestein/Ultra...
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Vredestein/Ultra...
No expense spared on my beloved P1 and i found the Toyos under steered quite a bit on the road but the Eagle F1s are absolutely brilliant. Been on 2 hard track days with the same set of fronts and they are no way near dead yet - obviously not trying hard enough despite a lot of squeal all the time from the front right!
What diameter?
If you can find them, GERMAN made Goodyear Eagle-F1 GSD3 are the best tyres I've ever had on a (classic PPP) Impreza, but as I couldn't source any last time I'm currently on Uniroyal Rainsport2s. Very good wet, and good enough in the dry. Only issue is the large rim-protector actually touches the rims slightly when pressing on
but that might be just me. The wheels are WRC-1 17" as fitted to the P1.
If you can find them, GERMAN made Goodyear Eagle-F1 GSD3 are the best tyres I've ever had on a (classic PPP) Impreza, but as I couldn't source any last time I'm currently on Uniroyal Rainsport2s. Very good wet, and good enough in the dry. Only issue is the large rim-protector actually touches the rims slightly when pressing on
but that might be just me. The wheels are WRC-1 17" as fitted to the P1. I've got an '04 STI and did the same research. My conclusions were that Vredestein Sessanta and Hankook S1 or even V12 seemed to be the best mid-price tyres. Some people slate Toyos for having far too soft tyre wall although some people swear by them - personally I think they're a bit old-hat now. Bridgestone RE050 and 070 are up there with the 'best' but have very hard sidewall so pretty uncomfortable ride.
All of the above is just summarising other people's comments , I haven't tried all these myself.
Personally I've had extremely bad experiences (don't ask) with the grip levels on Falken 912 and 542 (can't remember exactly the number) so my own view is they perhaps used to be good for the money but (a) doesn't make them a good tyre overall and (b) I suspect things have moved on now.
All of the above is just summarising other people's comments , I haven't tried all these myself.
Personally I've had extremely bad experiences (don't ask) with the grip levels on Falken 912 and 542 (can't remember exactly the number) so my own view is they perhaps used to be good for the money but (a) doesn't make them a good tyre overall and (b) I suspect things have moved on now.
bls1 said:
Some people slate Toyos for having far too soft tyre wall
That was the main reason I don't like them, found the same thing with Eagle F1 GSD3 (though I don't think mine were German ones) - grip was fine but they had soft, weak sidewalls which are very susceptible to cuts and punctures. In fact mine all got 'retired' by premature shoulder wear and punctures (mostly sidewall cuts from gravel roads) before the tread wore out.
In contrast I haven't had any of those problems with the Bridgestone RE001 I'm using now, which also grip better (when warm, very slightly worse stone cold), tramline less and make less noise.
Thats on a Legacy rather than Impreza but close enough for comparison - 280bhp/1500kg with 215/45R17" tyres.
GravelBen said:
bls1 said:
Some people slate Toyos for having far too soft tyre wall
That was the main reason I don't like them, found the same thing with Eagle F1 GSD3 (though I don't think mine were German ones) - grip was fine but they had soft, weak sidewalls.....
bls1 said:
Personally I've had extremely bad experiences (don't ask) with the grip levels on Falken 912 and 542 (can't remember exactly the number) so my own view is they perhaps used to be good for the money but (a) doesn't make them a good tyre overall and (b) I suspect things have moved on now.
Agreed I had Falken's (think they were 512's) on mine when I bought the car, they were shockingly bad !!Removed them after a little scare, and went for the OE Bridgestones, these seem pretty good wet or dry, and last reasonably well.
Edited by Scooby72 on Monday 20th September 12:45
Depends what wheels you have on the car.. 17inch or 18Inch.
If you have 18s then try a set of Yokohma Parada Spec 2, they are good all round tyres, but only last 10k miles.
I had a set of Toyo T1Rs on my impreza and i absolutley hated them. No grip in the wet or dry. Car was everywhere, the tyres folded onto there sidewalls when cornering hard. Changed the tyres after 2000 miles, as they just did not give me the confidence to push on the B-Roads. (The T1R Sidewalls are not stiff enough on 17" wheels 45 profile)
I switched back to Bridgestone RE050 the AZ variant for winter driving. In the Summer i was using the Bridgestone RE070 on a spare set of wheels.
If you have 18s then try a set of Yokohma Parada Spec 2, they are good all round tyres, but only last 10k miles.
I had a set of Toyo T1Rs on my impreza and i absolutley hated them. No grip in the wet or dry. Car was everywhere, the tyres folded onto there sidewalls when cornering hard. Changed the tyres after 2000 miles, as they just did not give me the confidence to push on the B-Roads. (The T1R Sidewalls are not stiff enough on 17" wheels 45 profile)
I switched back to Bridgestone RE050 the AZ variant for winter driving. In the Summer i was using the Bridgestone RE070 on a spare set of wheels.
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