The Tyre Discussion Thread - please read 1st post

[dukest 0]

This thread has been split at this point (late 2008) to stay current and the posts since then pruned somewhat to make for less intimidating reading to new viewers. The thread focusses on brands of tyre applicable to and available for Corrados and the performance of those tyres. It shouldn't be a place to discuss stretch or other tyre size advice beyond the OE specs that I've added below in this first post. We will create a new thread for tyre size/wheel fitment advice this as it is subjective for everyone and how each person wants their car to look. There is also a separate "Winter Tyre" thread now too.

 

This post will be updated from time to time and the thread will also be pruned occasionally to keep things relevant. If anyone feels they're missing anything from previous years we can add that back in too so just ask. We may also add a "Top 5" or some other kind of record of commonly recommended tyres but are giving this a bit more thought.

 

Please try to take some time to do some research yourself before asking for opinions. There will be a fair amount of information now condensed in here and you have the internet too! People asking for recommendations who havent even come up with a shortlist may not get very constructive answers.. Otherwise, please go ahead and keep submitting your impressions of the tyres you're running :)

 

Standard wheel/tyre sizing information

In general, standard Corrado wheel and tyre sizes were as follows:

 

8v, 16v, G60 (4-stud)

6.5"x15" wheel (ET33) running 195/50 R15 82V tyres

 

VR6 (5-stud)

6.5"x15" wheel (ET43) running 205/50 R15 86V tyres

 

Larger wheel/tyre sizing information (maintaining OE specifications & speedo reading)

If you want to run larger wheels but making sure everything fits and functions as it would have done as standard then choose as below:

 

8v, 16v, G60 (4-stud)

7"x16" wheel (~ET28) running 205/45 R16 86V tyres

7.5"x17 wheel (~ET25) running 205/40 R17 86V tyres

 

VR6 (5-stud)

7"x16" wheel (~ET38) running 205/45 R16 86V tyres

7.5"x17" wheel (~ET35) running 205/40 R17 86V tyres

 

Points to bear in mind when considering tyre choice

- Local depots will often try to sell you what they have in stock first and claim they cannot get what you're after

- However, fitting internet bought tyres will normally cost £15/corner and hardly ever less than £10 - some wont do it at all.

- Most of the sporty Bridgestone, Michelin, Continental & Pirelli tyres are no longer available in smaller sizes

- For VR owners, 195/50/15 are used on lots more cars so they are up to 50% cheaper than 205s but check if your ins. co. minds

- Keep matching tyres on the same axle – different front to back is ok. Safest to put your best set on the rear but not reqd.

- Tyres don’t last forever, if not used for several years or left in temperature extremes they may fail

- If your car is up in the 280-400+bhp bracket bear in mind transmission stresses with your choice - track tyres may break stuff!

 

Online Tyre suppliers

When looking for brands or comparing prices these are the websites that forum users often mention:

 

3 most common

Mytyres – http://www.mytyres.co.uk

Blackcircles –http://www.blackcircles.com

Camskill – http://www.camskill.co.uk

 

Others

TyreTraders – http://www.tyretraders.com

Rotation Tyres – http://www.rotationuk.com

CTyres – http://www.ctyres.co.uk

ETyres – http://www.etyres.co.uk

Event Tyres - http://www.event-tyres.co.uk/

Best Buy Tyres - http://www.bestbuytyres.co.uk/home.aspx

Tyresite – http://www.tyresite.com

Tyre Express - http://www.tyrexpress.com

 

TyrePriceBuster (comparison site) - http://www.tyrepricebuster.co.uk

 

Tyre Tests & Review sites

These sites and reviews have been mentioned on the forum in the past as a guide, but bear in mind that they will not always have been tests of the sizes we use, or on cars of a similar weight or performance, so they are just that, guides.

 

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/20 ... e-Test.htm

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/t ... guide.html

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyres ... sp?type=MP

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/

 

Standard Tyre Pressures

2L 8v half load - 2.4 bar (35psi) front 2.1 bar (30.5psi) rear

2L 8v full load - 2.6 bar (38psi) front 2.3 bar (33.5psi) rear

2L 16v and G60 half load - 2.6 bar (38psi) front 2.3 bar (33.5psi) rear

2L 16v and G60 full load - 2.8 bar (40.5psi) front 2.5 bar (36psi) rear

VR6 half load - 2.5 bar (36psi) front 2.2 bar (32psi) rear

VR6 full load - 2.7 bar (39psi) front 2.4 bar (35psi) rear

[Dr Forinor 0]

I recently had a set of 4 Uniroyal Rainsports 1 all around, then went for Rainsports 2 which were an improvement.

 

Now I have Continental SportContacts 2 on the fronts (thanks to a nail :bad-words:) so I had to replace both front tyres. They do feel comfier but havent had the chance to really test em yet.

 

The Rainsports were absolutely terrific in the wet tho, the SportContacts 2's so far feel a little more precise.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I like the SportContacts.... they're a great all rounder. The S'Contact3s are even better :D

 

What size wheels are you using?

[Leonard 0]

Nanking(?) NS-2's??? Opinions please... Hedgefinders?

 

Hae a set in the Garage came with my Winters... do I use them or sell them and get PX-4's as planned?

 

Personally I think I would sell them.

 

PX-4's arent too bad. Not as grippy as some Toyo's I have had but they do seem better all round

 

Matt

[Dr Forinor 0]

All I can say is definitely do not go for the Avon ZV3's, they are absolute rubbish, seriously.

 

I cant' comment on the Dunlops or the Toyos which you have mentioned though.

[Dan_Storm 0]

I got a set of Vredestein Sportrac 3's in 205/50/15 a few months ago. There isn't much choice of performance tyres in 15" sizes these days!

 

I changed from Toyo Proxes T1-R's and prefer the Vredestein's. They feel a little more grippy in the dry with a bit more feel and seem much better in the wet. I haven't pushed them too much, but they seem progressive on the limit. I can't really comment on the wear yet as I haven't done enough mileage on them.

[twofourten 0]

I recently had to replace my front tyres and went for Toyo Proxes 4 VR 195/50-15, they seem pretty good - spin a little in the wet, but thats normal. The two fitted + balancing & tracking cost me £139.77

[Philmo 0]

Hey Kev

I recall you had some Potenza 050A's on - what do you think of them?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Hey Kev

I recall you had some Potenza 050A's on - what do you think of them?

 

Very good indeed sir. Great wet and dry grip, excellent feel. Comparable to Continental Sport contact, but cheaper! They weren't too bad in the snow either :)

[KipVR 1]

Does anyone have experience of either Falken 452s or Nankang NS2s?

 

Falken 452, very good for the money. Nice compfy ride and quiet, softer sidewall than the Toyo's etc so a bit more bite in the corners helping turn in a bit but you pay the tradeoff with less progression on the limit. Ultimately not as good as premium tyres but not far off and stunning for the cash. Not one for stretching.

[Philmo 0]

I need some new tyres on mine in the next month or so, going to give Toyo Proxes T1-R's a try I think

Adz

Had some Proxes temporarily recently on my Bora - had very strong tram-line tendency.

[vwdeviant 0]

Toyo PX 4's are pretty good TBH, think mine lasted about 8K even with an alignment/tracking issue...

[Neil VR6 0]

I’ve had the Continental Premium Contact 2s on the car for about 6 months now and they are leagues ahead of the old P6000s I had previously. Road noise is identical although wet grip has improved immeasurably. I had a particularly filthy drive down from the Lakes in November and went through some alarmingly deep areas of standing water and although the car visibly slowed the tyres never aquaplaned.

[mr.ots 10]

can anyone give me their opinions on the Toyos - what are they like on wear?

 

I've had toyos T1R's on the front of mine now for nearly 10k miles and the sholders have worn much quicker than the centres, probably going to need to change them quite soon. The grip is good but the wear is not.

 

When I first bought the car it had new conti premium contact 2's all round and the fronts also needed changing at 10k but they had been given a hard time (new car driving style :D ) but the wear was very even across the tyre. The rears are still going strong (4-5mm) 20k later.

 

Will probably go for Continentals or try the Michelins next time.

[vwdeviant 0]

I have Yokohama Parada on me vr and I love them to be honest. More grip than I need in wet and dry (although wet can be interesting) and they seem to be wearing well.

 

Still fairly new (only ca 3k) but no serious wear at all... Will monitor wear etc going fowards.

 

"interesting" is an understatement... found you had to be psychic to guess what they were going to do, sometimes just ploughed on and some times didn't, varied even on same stretch of road at the same speed!

 

Have a pair of Nankang NS-2 on the front of the current set of wheels and they're pretty damn good, surprised me!

 

Conti-sports next up for me...

[steve_16v 0]

I found this, thought it may be useful?

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyres ... sp?type=MP

 

Have been considering new tires myself and am torn between:

 

Continental ContiSport Contact3

Michelin Pilot Exalto

Goodyear Eagle F1 all season

Dunlop SP Sport 9000

Pirelli P Zero Nero

Bridgestone Potenza RE 040

 

There is so much info and so many tiny details to consider, my head is hurting...

 

I've not tried any on that list other than the SportContact3's but have tried plenty of other 'performance' tyres and the conti's were the best by far (compared to eagle f1 gs-d2, gs-d3, toyo t1s, t1r, sportcontact2, yoko a539), loads of grip and when they do start to let go it's very progressive. You were never worried that they'd suddenly let go and leave you wrapped round a tree. Also, the design vastly reduced tramlining compared to more directional tread patterns like the gs-d3.

 

The only thing letting them down is they're not fantastic in the wet, that's not to say they're bad in the wet, in fact they probably have more grip in the wet than most tyres have in the dry. But there is a noticeable drop in performance when it's been raining.

 

It's a shame they don't do eagle f1 asymmetrics in corrado sizes, I bought a set for my new car and the level of grip from them is something else!

[blue95 0]

Has anyone used a Kumho KU31 tyre ? Seem to have a fairly good right up on on blackcircles and are very decent price..........

 

I believe Karl (KADVR6) runs these on his cars and he has always spoken very highly of them - Always a good price on Camskill for 195/50-15's

 

Ian :D

 

Just had my fronts changed from pzer nero to the ku31...very impressed, was a bit concerned about price/quality but the guy who fitted advised they were a very popular and highly reccomended tyre. Also did some review checking and they seem bang on.

 

Only had them on a few weeks now, but I would defo buy some more for the price they are a bargain too....110 pound fitted, balanced etc at your home LOL size was 205/45/17 W rated. Shamless plug time now, by event mobile tyres (http://www.event-tyres.co.uk/) Try this code for 10quid off as well EMT0708

[Yandards 0]

Just done over a thousand miles on some Conti Premium Contact 2s that I had put on last Wednesday, great tyre handling is vastly improved over the part worn stuff that was on there before.

[Toad 0]

Anyone used any of the new Rainsports in 17" size? I've used the old RainSport 1 a few times in the past. Great in the wet (obviously) but found them too squidgy in the dry (soft side wall).

 

I've got rainsport 2s on the front of both cars in 15". Seem very good, took a while to scrub them in though. Was interested to see that the pattern varies as the tyre rotates. Some sizes have rim protection too. Downside is that they're noisy, but they don't seem to have worn as quickly as the rainsport 1s I have had in the past.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Cool, cheers guys.

 

Nope, F1 assymetric not available in 205/40/17 :(

 

Yeah I've been out in a Rado with R888s and the noise is pretty intense as you say. Laugh out loud Herculean grip though.... in the dry :D

 

I might give the Rainsport 2s a look then as they seem to get rave reviews and they're only £80 (205/17) compared to £111 for my old favourite, the ContiSport 2.

[Toad 0]

I've got rainsport 2s on the front, and 1s on the back of the VR. The tread is similar, but generally the tread is closer together than the 1s. I'll try to get some pictures. It's really wet tonight, and they feel pretty good. Didn't push the car too hard as that would be very silly in these conditions, but they felt nice and solid. I've got a rear ARB, which might assist with the cornering in the wet, but I've had no hint of understeer yet...

[Swompy 0]

I've just had some vredestein sportrac 3 put on my rado

 

HAd a set on when i brought it so was cheaper over all, £50 each insted of £62

 

Seam good so far :D

[aki 0]

hi kev

try some hankook ventus v12! superb tyre at a great price! search for reviews on tinternet if your unsure! thought id recommend them after you recommended the old ku15 to me! again a superb tyre sadly missed! been trying to find a suitable replacement ever since they stopped making it (along with the old favourite re720!!)

andy

[Kevin Bacon 5]

hi kev

try some hankook ventus v12! superb tyre at a great price! search for reviews on tinternet if your unsure! thought id recommend them after you recommended the old ku15 to me! again a superb tyre sadly missed! been trying to find a suitable replacement ever since they stopped making it (along with the old favourite re720!!)

andy

 

Hi mate

 

Yeah the KU15 was a comedy tyre with it's massive tread blocks, really good dry grip :D

 

I can recommend the Bridgestone RE050 as a good RE720 replacement. They feel very similar in that hard sidewalled Bridgee way. Wet or dry, they feel the same and let go very progressively.

 

I'm still undecided on what to get :? I'm leaning towards the Rainsport 2 at the moment, if I can find a mobile fitter who stocks it!

[Abdul 0]

My lm reps have 205/40 yoko parada s tyres on and they're shit beyon belief in the wet while managing to only be decent in the dry. My 195/40 dunlop sp9000's i had before were SOOO much better. Id recommend them to anyone! :)