Which tyres

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AlexStanley

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Need to change the tyres on my S3 - the fronts are down to the markers and the rears are nearly down to the markers too so it makes sense to get all four done /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I was intending to get the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D2s but I've been offered a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 2s (or something) that apparently are a brand new tyre for nearly the same price.

Question is, which ones are better?

Anybody know?
 
I got a full set of Pilot Sport 2's put on my S3 during the summer. The tyres seem to suit the car, so I thought I got a good deal at £100 each fitted and balanced.
 
cant go wrong with pilot sport 2's mate. my mate has 4 on his bravo HGT and says they are fantastic in the dry and good in the wet. only concern is that they are quite a soft compound.
 
The Pilot Sport 2's sound like they are a HUGE improvment over the Pilot sports!
I have Pilot Sports (225/45ZR17) on my A3 and while they are good in the dry and okay(ish) in full wet conditions, they are totally evil when the surface is drying/damp. I can't wait to get rid of the Pilots and get a set of Goodyear F1 GSD3's, as GSD3's are great on my MkIV Golf (same 225/45ZR17).
 
Call me vain, but I really like the look of the F1s /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif The pilots just don't look as good...

Correct me if I'm wrong but if it's a soft compound then they're going to wear out quicker?
 
I currently have conti sport contact 2 tyres which were miles better than the RE040's they have very soft sidewalls unlike the RE040's which makes wet weather handling / driver better though turn in is not so sharp in the dry.

I got 26K miles out of the RE040's & am currently on 31K with the Conti's. All have worn well (down to sub 3mm now).

Hoping to get Pirelli P Zeros (they are 3rd choice - it's a company car) next as they are supposed to be better than the Eagle F1'1
 
goodyear f1 are supposed to be the best tyre available...simple as that.

i've got a set of pilot sports on my vr6 at the mo and in the dry they corner okay, but don't have as good traction or braking capability's as my previous tyres which were uniroyal rallye540's. and the uniroyals were a lot better in every way in the wet.
 
I've had Pirelli P Zero Rossos (92Y compound) on my 225 S3 for the last ten thousand miles and they have performed brilliantly. They've wore down to markers on the fronts and almost like slicks in the middle but they still work very well wet or dry.

The rossos won Autocar's second tyre test of year recently.

I'm gonna put four fresh tyres on soon, can't wait to see what they're like when new cos I bought the car with fourteen thousand miles.

Anybody tried the special Michelin Cup tyres that are on the M3 CSL?

Paul

Black 02 S3 225.
 
Alex you're are correct if it's a softer compound it will wear faster than a harder one. A good example is Uniroyal, they have a tyre which is stickier than sticky stuff but wears very quickly, and based on my driving they weren't the best choice for me.

All though we all rate F1's don't forget they are esentially designed for summer, so warm tarmac temps and dry, and I find although they are good I think the bridgestone potenzas were better. My Contisports were crap, no matter what the weather. The michelins on the rear of mine are pretty good in all conditions.

No doubt about it the Toyo's and F1's are some of the best looking tyres out there.
 
audi upgrades
interesting reading your thoughts about the uniroyals 'gambba'...i found them to be very hard wearing.

but a lot depends on your car and exact driving style. i drive VERY hard but tend to not to have much wheelspin, where as people who wheelspin loads are gonna use up their tyres quicker. i also have an EDL system on my car (locking diff) which makes a lot of difference. i actually wear the rears faster than the fronts, although this may be due to a worn out rear beam bush.

my old car (mkII fiat punto sporting) used to have almost zero rear tyre wear but used to eat it's fronts (4 sets of fronts for one set of rears!!).

at the end of the day a softer tyre will grip more, but will wear quicker...it's about finding the right balance. personally i'm either going for goodyear f1's next, but if i can't afford them i'm gonna go back to uniroyals.
 
[ QUOTE ]
acf8181 said:
interesting reading your thoughts about the uniroyals 'gambba'...i found them to be very hard wearing.



[/ QUOTE ]

My comments are not based on experience and are limited to one of their tyres so not all, basically it was offered to me by my local tyre specialist who said it had amazing grip but was because of it's softer compound (which makes sense), but therefore wears quicker than most (which again makes sense). As said before it was only one type in the uniroyal range they were offering me, so my comments in no way apply to the rest....will try to find out which they were on about. If I hadn't just gone through a front set of Conti tyres in 6 months then maybe the Uniroyals would of been an option...oh and I don't wheel spin off of the line, round corners yes, but not off of the line! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/lol.gif
 
Alex,

If you want something different to the rest and are prepared to pay a little extra for what I would consider to be the finest looking and most capable tyre on the market then look at Vredestein. Check out the pic below and I think you'll agree it's a peice of art, not only taht but it is extremely good on the road...probably the best in fact. The best thing available from The Netherlands, with blow and professional women coming a close second.
 
I had the F1's and as someone already said, they look good and are excellent on a dry road, but they do wear quicker as they are a softer compound. I'm now on Bridgestone Potenzas S03(hope I spelt that Correctly) and these tyres are really good on dry and wet roads, plus they are made from a harder compound so will hopefully last me longer!! Have done over 14,000 miles and the tread still seems to have plenty of life left. overall I’m please with them!! hope this helps, as I had this issue, and went with the Bridgestones!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
audi upgrades
Checking out an online tyre site, there appears to be two types of F1 - GD2 and GD3? Which one have you got?

Cheers,
Dan
 
That's pretty much what I've heard as well Alex that the GS-D2's apparently have better grip than the newer version.

The GSD 3's have longer grooves in them (a lot longer in fact) which probably accounts for the reduction in grip but I believe better water dispersal.
 
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