Which Tyres are best for S3 ? (again)

[SR-71]

Hi Ppl,

This question has probably been answered a few times before (but can't find any latest answers). I need two new front tyres and have a few questions:

1) Is it best to put new tyres on rear of car and move rears forward? Or with AWD does it not really matter? Still assume that most of the drive goes to the front, therefore newer tyres in front are more important

2) I've had Conti-Sort Contact 2s on my previous car (BMW 135). They were really great and gripped fantastically. Worth getting these for the S3?

3) I've also had Toyo T1-R Proxes on a previous car. They were great and amazingly grippy but soft compound tyres so not as long life to them.

4) Everyone on here seems to be swearing by Eagle F1s, Michelin PS3 or Vredesteins?

5) Recommendation of all-year round either Conti-Sport Contact 3, Eagle F1, Bridgestone Potensa RE050 (stock tyres), or Michelin PS3 ?

I'm moving more towards PS3s or the Conti SC3s !

Thanks.
--->SR-71<---

 

[Ironborn]

Rear because you have no control over the rear, so you need the most grip there. Really You need to change all 4 at the same time.Try swapping the tyre front to rear to equalise the wear and then changing them all together. Eagle F1 FTW.

 

[GvZ]

I've had the SportContact 2 when I first had the car... Grip was awful.
Went for Potenza RE050A and I find them brilliant.

 

[warren_S5]

Goodyear Eagle F1, Mich Pilot Sport 3 are my fave premiums.

Supposedly new Hankook Ventus are good but wear fast.

I'm running Uniroyal Rain tyres at the moment as they were on offer at Camskill, and they're noisy on motorway. Brilliant in the wet (no aquaplaning), not so responsive in dry. Back to Goodyears next time.

 

[JonnyG]

Have a read of this months EVO magazine (just out). There's a big tyre test write up using an Audi A3.

As usual a different winner again ! (they really seem to change every year but the F1 's and Michelin are always usually up there)

1st - Pirelli P Zero (no doubt)
2nd - Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2
3rd - Michelin Pilot Sport 3
4th - Continental SportContact 5

 

[RedDejavu]

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 takes my vote

 

[warren_S5]

P-Zero tyres were supplied on both (new from factory), Leon Cupra R's I owned. They were awful on the front wheel drive car, but I can't comment on Haldex cars. Skittish and terrible aquaplane in the wet, atrocious in the snow, tram line in the dry with so little sense of where grip ended. Maybe they just didn't suit the car geometry, but I swapped both sets for GSD3's inside 5k once the car had run in a bit (both times tyres had plenty of meat on them).

They may have improved them as that was late 2005, but as much as I rate tyre tests in principle, tyres can behave so differently on different cars that something that works on a mid length wheelbase Mongdeo may be awful on an A1. I tend to balance off reviews by comparing with owner experiences as they get the real experience day to day even if they can't provide data metrics. Also the reports are on new tyres, part worn P-Zeros were ditchfinders on LCR!

 

[MartayMcFly]

Sport Contacts are great, but expensive compared to Falkens which do 90% of the work but for 50% of the price. Eagle F1s on my 8L were fantastic too, but little use in the cold and completely hopeless in the snow. If it weren't for the haldex, the car would have been stuck all the time.

 

[JAM11E]

Round ones

 

[audicruiser]

Tyres will always be a personal opinion but Michelin PS3 all day long...

 

[mjr901]

​Make a poll, choose say 6 tyres and we'll have a vote.

So much easier that way!!!

 

[torquemaster]

Now on PS3 from F1 Asymmetric and I really really don"t like em at all. Very strange tyres, never know what to expect. Back to Asymmetric asap.

 

[S3Alex]

Aside from summer/trackday things like R888 and R1R's,I've found the best all rounders have been either the Goodyear F1 Assy,or the Michelin PS2 and PS3.

I've used all of those on mine.

Decent review in this month's Evo which also rates the F1's.

 

[Forbzeeee]

I'm running Eagle F1's for the first time and I love them. I had Conti SportContacts before but these Eagles are so much better. They are good in both wet and dry weather so for me it will be Eagle F1's next time too. I am not sure about wear yet and don't know what they'll be lilke in the snow but so far so good.