New tyres for my monte

[marky]

Well the front tyres are getting low on tread and with colder and wetter weather approaching it's time to replace them.

 

This used to be a simple task but alas my Monte is a bit fussy with tyres and likes to go left with certain makes.

Originally I had the OEM Dunlops on which I liked as the grip in dry and wet was pretty good but the car didn't them and the left hand pull was very noticeable.

 

Skoda replaced them for Pirelli P-Zero Nero and the car doesn't pull as badly but wet grip is a bit pants.

 

My dilemma is do I put on another pair of Pirelli P-Zero Neros and live with the crappy wet grip or try something else that may have better wet grip but cause the pull to be amplified.

 

I have seen some Avon ZZ5's that are slightly cheaper than the Pirellis and the fuel consumption and wet grip ratings are better.

 

Any thoughts on tyres from any other Monte drivers?

[tempra007]

I have never really noticed my Monte pulling to the left, I had the Continentals on and when I got my winters never noticed any issues! The OZ Hydras I have on her at the minute have Vredestein Ultrac Cento's on but am changing to Toyo Proxes T1-R when she goes in to have the winters on (and the alloy touched up after a nasty altercation with a pothole and a white van man over my side of the road) I'm usually lead by my tyre fitter as I have a good relationship with him and he is the one I take my alloys to.

 

[dan4291]

I've just had 2 new Kumho KU39s fitted to the back, with the old rear Dunlop Sportmaxxes now on the front, so probably not much help! Still pulls to the left slightly, but not that badly.

[Skynetz]

I have 2011 monte, bought used the previous week, it has dunlops on and I didn't notice any pulling, strange.

[MarkE95]

Had the standard Dunlop SportMaxx tyres fitted to mine when I bought it and I have to say I wasnt really impressed with the grip or the 'feel' on the road, along with the usual pulling to the left.

Changed the wheels and fitted Continental SportContact5s, which I was much more impressed with, better grip, more 'feel' and no more pulling.

Recently changed back to the original wheels and tyres while the new wheels were being refurbished, couldnt believe the difference between the Dunlops and the Continentals, especially the lack of grip having had a remap since the Dunlops were last fitted.

So, I would definitely recommend Continental SportContact5s on the Monte Carlo

[sharkrider]

the dunlops are pants.

[sharkrider]

to OP... I havent used p zero neros on a vRS, but we have them on our Abarth (recommended tyres by Abarth, and OE ONLY!) and I find them really good

in the wet, but a bit poor in the dry!

 

maybe the different cars!

[marky]

Thanks for the feedback so far.

 

Sharkrider: Yeah different cars can behave differently with the same tyre but I think most of it is to do with the tyre size. The Monte uses a very low profile tyre 205/40 r17, which doesn't help things. When I first got the Monte I thought that it had really hard suspension but the harshness is all in the thin tyre.

 

MarkE95: There are a lot of reviews and people saying the Conti SportContacts are good. I had initially dismissed these as I believe there was a time that they were standard fit on the Monte Carlo and a few people had complained of the pulling with them on. Maybe I'll have another look at them.

 

Skoda did replace all four tyres with Pirelli P-Zero Nero so if I found the pulling to be worse with the new front tyres I could swap the fronts to the back. 

[Rooted]

The UK Fabia MK2 Fabia Monte Carlo.  (Australian ones have 16" Rims)

Comes on 205/40 R 17 the same as Skoda Fabia Mk2 vRS. (which has a heavier front end even than a Diesel Monte.)

 

Both can come from the factory with Dunlop Sport Maxx (Directional) 205/40 R 17,

or Continental or other tyres brands in 205/40 R 17

 

Some vRS and Monte Carlo have had 'Pulling to the left', and had the ridiculous correction of having 'Pirelli Zero Nero' 

fitted, rather than the underlying mechanical cause corrected.

 

(I used Pirelli Zero Nero, but they are a skittery tyre in 205/40 R 17 on a Mk2 Fabia in my Experience, (still on the rear now.)

and on the front of a vRS i reduced the steering assistance when i used them, 

then went to 215/40 R 17 Pirelli Zero Nero because i did like how they stood up to poor roads, where as the Dunlop Sport Maxx could 

be damaged very easily, usually the inside Tyre Wall.)

[Lee]

Chatting to a main dealer Service Manager recently, he said the Dunlops and Pirellis were not favoured (by dealers) as they tend to prematurely "step", albeit not to dangerous or illegal levels.

 

Stick on some Michelin Pilot Sport 3s and see the difference.

[Rooted]

These 'Main Dealer Service Managers',  should maybe communicate more with Skoda UK HQ, and Skoda CZ, 

Tell them the OEM Tyres fitted at the Factory can behave badly on Right Hand Drive cars when the Factory Build and Alignment is totally crap.

 

Tell Skoda that Companies bigger than them Manufacture Tyres not suitable and not favoured by 'Service Managers'.

Because their Workshops might need to sort out poorly built cars.

 

'They all do that Sir,

it is so that if you have a heart attack your car can crash into a ditch or pavement rather 

than into the flow of traffic coming the other way'.

 

'We can not feel it pulling to the left',   'The Lady in the office has one that does the same'.

'Never heard of that before, we will phone Skoda'.

[Rooted]

For a Monte, a vRS or any other car that needs tyres for Winter, Wet Weather or All Seasons i would like to highly recommend 

the Maxxis AP2 All Season Tyres.

 

Really good on wet roads, cold roads and dry roads.

 Worth a look if you need replacement tyres.

[sharkrider]

we have these ^^^^^ on the Abarth now... awesome tyres.

[VrsGeo]

I have Goodyear eagle ultragrip and they r the mutts nuts

[AVTUR]

I'm using Continental Sport Contact 5 XL as they're rated #1 in their class for wet weather grip (essential in the UK!). http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2015-EVO-Magazine-Performance-Tyre-Test.htm

Don't expect high mileage out of them if you're an 'enthusiastic' driver as the rubber compound is very soft. Mine only last about 9k on the front, but by comparison the rears are still the original Contact 2's.

[savaphil]

I have had a nightmare with the car pulling left. A year ago I was on the phone almost daily with local Skoda dealer and Skoda head office. Was passed from pillar to post.

 

"It's a characteristic of the car", "can you have an inspection done on the tyres to ensure that there are no defects?" (I asked the lads at the place I got them fitted to check the tyres were round, they were, funnily enough, we all had a good laugh!), "can you check that the tyres have been fitted properly?" (the lads had a look, yes, the tyres were on the wheels and as I'd been driving it daily and the tyres hadn't fallen off, I can only assume they were fitted correctly), "you'll need a laser alignment, but we don't/can't offer this" (£90 im not too fussed about spending if I'm not getting the money back), "well you bought tyres away from Skoda so there's nothing we can do about it" - all just some of the excuses and rudeness I recieved from Skoda.

 

In short, I have had Continental Contact Sport 5s all round and the buggar just won't stop pulling to the left. It drives me INSANE every time I take it anywhere. I'm so annoyed that I have spent my hard earned money on a car that just doesn't drive correctly. I wouldn't mind if it had been an old van but I had bought an 8 month old car!!!!

 

In short, I'll be sacking the car off as soon as warranty is up, taking a hit on whatever it has depreciated by and what I owe on my loan and getting a different car that will most certainly NOT be a Skoda and will not recommend them to anybody. This issue aside, the car is brilliant but the rudeness of Skoda in dealing with it and any other warranty issues has made me feel physically sick that I spent good money on a new(ish) car that I thought would bring me peace of mind but has just been a constant source of annoyance. I'm going back to old Mondeo estate and Transit vans!

 

The Continental Contact Sport 5s on the rear have done 36,000 miles now and still have plenty of life left in them (4mm probably). The ones on the front have done 14,000 miles and have probably 3-4mm of tread left too. I'm trained as an advanced driver so spend most of my time taking it relatively easy in my own car but do progress when the time is right. The vast majority of miles are on the motorway at normal motorway speeds, some town driving, medium amounts of countryside driving and rarely journeys less than 5 miles.

 

Will be following this thread to see if there is any consensus on front tyres for people who have the known issue of car pulling left.

 

TL;DR - Continental Contact Sport 5s don't solve the pulling left issue but are reasonable all round tyres (grip, noise, efficiency) in my experience.

[Rooted]

Well there is a solution to cars Pulling to the Left, and Skoda UK know there is, and that was not their way of Fitting Pirelli Zero Nero so that the cars Misalignment and set up wrong for the UK and right hand drive from the factory.

 

There are lots of threads, and members that eventually had their car correctly mechanically fixed.

[savaphil]

Well there is a solution to cars Pulling to the Left, and Skoda UK know there is, and that was not their way of Fitting Pirelli Zero Nero so that the cars Misalignment and set up wrong for the UK and right hand drive from the factory.

 

There are lots of threads, and members that eventually had their car correctly mechanically fixed.

 

Really? Oh thank goodness! I have been away from the forums for nearly a year. I will have a search through. Maybe I can get it sorted now after all! It might restore some faih in the brand if I can! (though not fully seeing as it was an obvious issue that they denied all knowledge of!!!) Thanks for the input

[AVTUR]

It shouldn't make any difference what hand drive the car is, It's sounds more like they're not correctly set up in the factory, just like some cars have had their headlights set too low on dip beam. Poor QC? Mechanical tolerances too large? A combination of both?

Anyway, I must be one of the lucky ones as my 2013 registered Monte drives perfectly straight with it's Conti Sports, also with hands off the wheel, and even in Germany driving on the right side of the road.

[Rooted]

It doesnt matter if is shouldnt make any difference it does.

SKODA, VW, SEAT & AUDI DEALERSHIP EMPLOYEES & CUSTOMER SERVICES EMPLOYEES SAY THAT.

Say they all do that, say nothing is wrong, swap tyres, check tracking, 

then somehow someone with the Training and knowledge corrects the fault.

 

Look on the forums and see if you find anyone with Left Hand Drive cars from the Volkswagen group complaining of pulling Left.

You will not find many, because they leave the factory ready to drive on the right lanes and with pretty neutral handling.

 

Cars that pull left wrongly in the UK do it while overtaking on the camber at the other side of the road, 

maybe even straddling the white line, or on a flat (horizontal runway.)

 

Some were the Wrong Tyres, (Fitted Wrong, Run out Stripes, see the threads and posts and links to that.)

But the majority faulty and dangerous are Factory Build Alignment Errors.

Edited 30 January, 2016 by GoneOffskiroottoot

[AVTUR]

But the majority faulty and dangerous are Factory Build Alignment Errors.

I think that's exactly what I was alluding to in my post.

The concept that there should be a difference between right and left hand drive cars due to road camber is a bit far fetched IMHO.

I'm pretty sure that the cars pulling to the left in the UK would do exactly the same if they were to be driven on European roads. However, I do wonder if these affected cars will pull up in a straight line when engaged in an emergency stop?

[Rooted]

Well if they do pull to the left when taken to Mainland Europe they are steering into the oncoming traffic.

 

I love the Dealership Employees that try to say 'Pulling to the left' in the UK is a safety measure incase you have a heart attack, the car goes into a ditch.

So in Mainland Europe that would be Heart Attack, then wipe out those on the other carriageway.

[homesqueeze]

Maybe left hand drive ones pull to the right. Just for those inconsiderate enough to have a heart attack while driving ;-)

Edited 30 January, 2016 by homesqueeze

[AVTUR]

Here's a relevant thread on a German Škoda forum: http://www.skodacommunity.de/posts/1083406/

The author of the thread is complaining that on his Fabia 2 the left hand tyre has worn 1mm more than the other three after only 3000Km. He's also bemoaning the fact that the car is pulling to the left (into the centre of the road) when traveling on a straight road.

It seems to make no difference if the steering wheel is situated on the left or right, the affected cars always pull to the left so road camber has nothing to with the problem.

[Rooted]

What do Skoda Germany blame, Dunlop or Continentals, and do they then fit Pirelli?