Tyre recommendations (NOT winter!)

[Chris71]

I need a set of tyres ASAP and I've decided to just go with decent all-season tyres rather than a winter set. What do people think of the following:

Conti Premium Contact 2 (£260 per set - sounds like good value for a premium tyre?)
Pirelli P6000 (£240 per set)
Falken CX ZE912 (£229 per set)
Hankook Ventus Prime (£201 per set)

It's for a mk1 1.6 Focus. The car is used quite a lot, but it's an all-weather load lugger and passenger carrier basically, so I'm looking for braking ability and cold/wet weather performance first and foremost. Anything that makes it tolerable to drive in the dry is purely a bonus.

[HellDiver]

I've used all of those tyres in the past, and the best of the lot is the Hankook. I run them on my Mondeo, and my folks have them on their Mazda. Cheapest of the lot too.

[idge]

Out of those my money would be on the Conti's but personally i'd probably go for Toyo T1Rs - Cheapish + Good.

[redstu]

doogz said:

Read the thread on Pirelli P6000's.

Then don't buy them.

Some people seem to think they are ok, but with so many people adamant they're rubbish, is it worth spending your own hard-earned to find out?

Are p6000 all season ? I didnt think so , whatever the performance is like.

[Chris71]

redstu said:

doogz said:

Read the thread on Pirelli P6000's.

Then don't buy them.

Some people seem to think they are ok, but with so many people adamant they're rubbish, is it worth spending your own hard-earned to find out?

Are p6000 all season ? I didnt think so , whatever the performance is like.

I forget which one exactly, but I have I had P6000s on a previous car and I was less than impressed with them in the wet. I put them in largely for comparison!

What do people think of the Contis? It struck me as quite a small premium (if you'll pardon the pun) for a significant step up in, well, 'name'. I guess it's a question of whether there are tangible benefits or if you're just paying for the brand.

[Malcster]

I was a fan of the Toyo T1-S, not so keen on the T1-R really.

Falken FK452's?

Good alternative to Toyo's I think.
Had them on the SW20 Turbo for a year nearly now, nice and progressive.

[BeeRoad]

Chris71 said:

I need a set of tyres ASAP and I've decided to just go with decent all-season tyres rather than a winter set.

None of the tyres you list are all-season, they are what are commonly called summer tyres. If you want some all-season tyres, I suggest you try a Vredestein Quatrac 3.

[Chris71]

BeeRoad said:

Chris71 said:

I need a set of tyres ASAP and I've decided to just go with decent all-season tyres rather than a winter set.

None of the tyres you list are all-season, they are what are commonly called summer tyres. If you want some all-season tyres, I suggest you try a Vredestein Quatrac 3.

Ah. The guy at Black Circles said that summer tyres weren't homologated for all in the UK and they were all all-season tyres. Still not quite sure what defines them (technically)!

Will take a look at the Vredesteins.

[Matt UK]

On my 5 series I had a set of Falken 452's. Not a bad tyre but I've now goone back to Conti Sport Contact (3 I think). Great tyres and not horrendously priced either.

[JM]

Chris71 said:

It's for a mk1 1.6 Focus. The car is used quite a lot, but it's an all-weather load lugger and passenger carrier basically, so I'm looking for braking ability and cold/wet weather performance first and foremost. Anything that makes it tolerable to drive in the dry is purely a bonus.

Try a set of Uniroyal Rainsport 2's.

I have a set on a van and they are great, worked not too bad in the snow as well.

But very good in the wet.

[Chris71]

Malcster said:

I was a fan of the Toyo T1-S, not so keen on the T1-R really.

Falken FK452's?

Good alternative to Toyo's I think.
Had them on the SW20 Turbo for a year nearly now, nice and progressive.

Does anyone know how the ZE912s compare to the 452s?

Aren't the Toyos more performance orientated? Obviously the better I can make it handle the better, but I'm not looking to pay a premium for dry weather peformance or limit handling on the shed particularly, just something that'll get me up the hills in the winter and provide decent braking.

[RizzoTheRat]

I've got the Hankooks as the local tyre bod reckoned they're as good as much more expensive competition, the last few thousand miles seem to be backing him up.

[jon-]

I'm going to answer your questions, but there's really no need to.

Yes the Toyo t1r is more performance bias, so not the type of tyre you're looking for. The ZE912 gets great reviews, those who have tried it back to back with the fk452 comment on similar grip but more comfort.

Back to your original post, there's no competition here. Check out how well the Premium contact 2 has placed in tests

As they're not much more expensive than the mid range tyres I'd not be put off by the wear concerns and place my money with them.

[Chris71]

jon- said:

Back to your original post, there's no competition here. Check out how well the Premium contact 2 has placed in tests

As they're not much more expensive than the mid range tyres I'd not be put off by the wear concerns and place my money with them.

I'm very glad to hear you say that. I ordered a set of Premium Contact 2s yesterday (they're being fitted as we speak) and I just had images of the next post being someone popping up and saying how naff and overpriced they were!

My logic was much the same as above. They appear to be a premium tyre for a mid-range price. The wear rate seems to be the main criticism, but as a car that's often driven in bad weather and piled high with luggage or passengers my main concern is that it stops when I need it to!