Tyre threads come and go but we have not had one for a little while and as I'm going to need a pair of new tyres very soon I'm interested in the opinions of what you've been using over the past months and your experiences of different types.

I have a pair of Falkens which whilst have been pretty good have worn at a remarkable rate, so much so that they had to be placed on the rear as on the front they'd have been shot away in a couple of months! I've also had Michelin PS2's which frankly are difficult to match as an overall tyre but they are bloomin' expensive and ain't the prettiest looking.

I'm leaning toward trying the Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta's which I know Bahnstormer has been using so I'm particularly interested in those and any others you'd care to throw into the mix for evaluation.

Popped into a local tyre fitters today to get a price, was quoted £300 for a pair of PS2's all in fitted, which I didn't think was too bad.

I think you've got it sussed already Steve.

452s are great at £140 ish a pair fitted, but wear REALLY quick.

PS2s are an excellent all round tyre, double the price (but will they last twice as long?)

Vredsteins get good reviews - not sure on the costs, but worth a look for sure!

I've heard good things about the Vredestein's, but haven't tried them myself....

What are the Pirelli P Zero's like?

I loved the P Zero Neros I had on my Fabia, but they didn't last long either, and aren't cheap. Don't look great either :(

In that case I'd say look at the F1's. You saw the review Chris had at the one Newbury meet didn't you?

Whatever you opt for take a look at Tyres from Event Mobile Tyres - Mobile Tyre Fitting for Car, 4x4 & Run Flat Tyres I recently had 4 new tyres fitted by them - fantastic service. You state place and time, they turn up and get the job done. My original choice of tyre wasn't available so they did the next model up for the same price.

BTW: I've no connection with the company other than a very satisfied customer...

Evo did a tyre group test a few months ago.

My mate is a supervisor at Kwik fit, so mine are normally cost price fitted

I'd recommend etyres. They were spot on when they fitted a pair of fronts on my present car, no doubt I'll be using them alot more once I get my hands on a VRS.

Makefish/Tom

How many miles out of Falken 452's would you expect to get?

Khumo ecstas will wear as quick as the falkens you already have steve.Toyo's are a no no as they only lasted 6 months if that.My next tyres will deffo be the Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta's when i phoned for a price they where £105 each,ask hedge for the number they are somewhere in Fleet if i remeber.

Got a set of the new Eagle F1 asymmetrics fitted for £400. Replaced Conti 2's and far better in every department. Top in Evo's recent tyre test too.

F1`s are very good, especially the new assims;...On the beast i now have Yokohama Parada spec 2`s, they more than handle the 300+ bhp

Phil

If you are after the Vredestein Sessantas then the place in Fleet has a branch in Portsmouth.

They were called Roadwheel IIRC.

To be honest as an all-rounder I rate the Goodyear F1 Assymetrics and would fit them again.

I loved the P Zero Neros I had on my Fabia, but they didn't last long either, and aren't cheap. Don't look great either :(

Does it matter what they look like? You aint going to go to bed with them are you?

Or......... are you?

Steve

No, but looks is just something else to consider.

I reckon about 10k out of the 452s if you do mixed driving. Think I'll be getting about 8k out of mine. :(

I have a set of FK452s waiting to go on but am a bit concerned if they are only good for 10K miles!

I'm affraid longevity of the Falkens are not one of it's strong points and 10k on the front is probably being optimistic imo.

wierd.

I got a pair of falken FK452s on my fronts last year when my Potenza S-03s couldnt handle the remap, especially in the wet. About 7k miles later and they are hardly worn but giving phenomenomemenenol grip.

When I recently rotated them to the back so I could try and wear the S-03s out on the front again over the summer (so I can get new 452s to replace them and have FKs all round :-) ) I noticed that with about the same amount of miles done on the fronts the S-03s are about twice as worn as the falkens, even though they seem to be a harder compound...

I'm usually lucky to get 10k out of a set on the front (s-03s certainly heading that way) but reckon the FK452s should be good for 15k+ which will be a new record for me

My previous worst record was when I had a civic type-r a few years ago and managed 14k in total out of the four oem potenza re040s which I rotated

I haven't used that particular Vredstein but have used the first Ultrac in the past, 225/45/17 and was very impressed with wear and grip. I am using Firestone (bridgestone product) at the moment on my remapped PD140 and am very impressed. I have used stickier tyres but not by much and the wear rate seems very impressive, only had to rotate at 20k kms.

I have been using the said Ultra Sessantas over the last 5,000 miles as a 'winter tyre' in 225/45 17 and have just reverted to my set of 'summer tyres' being Michelin Pilot Exaltos PE2s in 225/40 18 that have 13,000 miles under their belt so far.

The Ultrac Sessantas give better grip in the wet/cold conditions and, more of a factor of being 17s not 18s, a softer and more forgiving handling balance better suited to the winter. The Exaltos 2s are much tighter in the dry, perhaps also a result of being on 8J rims as opposed to 7.5J (Zeniths).

I spoke with Michelin Technical some months ago who advised that the Pilot Sport PS2s are gripper than the Exaltos but will not last as long.

From my usage, brisk motoring mostly, I reckon on getting 18,000 miles from the Exaltos (probably 15,000 miles if they were Sports) and 12,000 miles from the Ultrac Sessantas. Considering the Ultracs were c.£100 each and the Exaltos were c.£150 each; they are therefore equal on a £ per mile basis! Pilot Sports would be a degree more expensive.

The one problem I had with the Vredesteins was that I could not find a local stockist, so bought them mail order from Mocom Racing - Performance car and trackday products best to call them for a price. They can also be bought from Elite Direct.Com - Tyres, Alloy Wheels, Exhausts, Brakes, Suspension, MOT, Wheel Alignment, Wheel Balancing

Finally; a summary of the EVO 2007 Tyre Test can be found here;- Article 2007 evo tyre test reviews - hundreds of tyre reviews and ratings for car and track tyres

but for valuable reading its worth getting a copy of the test itself as a back issue; I have kept my copy of the EVO test as a bible to read from time to time.

Steve, I haven't changed the tyres on my Mk2 yet, but on the Mk1 I have got Eagle F1 GSD3's and have to say that I am VERY happy with them. Nice and grippy and wear really well. They must have at least 8-10k on them and look as good as new still! LOADS of tread left on them.

I would also recommend Roadwheel (or Protyre as they are now called) on the Coach and Horses Roundabout in Hilsea! They quoted me less than £110 fitted per tire for the F1's. I have always found them to be cheapest and have a great service.

My vRS came with Michelin PS2's fitted, done just short of 10k and the fronts have worn quite a bit.

Would I be able to put FK452's on the front with PS2's on the back? Or is it best I stump up the extra cash and put some new PS2's on?

Note: - The PS'2 cant handle the estimated 240ish bhp im running atm

The Ultrac Sessantas must be MUCH better than the previous generation Ultracs - I had very serious problems with them on my Zafira GSi Turbo. The car was all over the place on them - terrible torque steer and horribly inconsistent steering (in particular overlight turn-in). I thought there must be something wrong with the suspension they were so bad, but the car returned to its previous good form the instant I went back to Goodyear Eagle F1s (not the assymetric ones). Mileage will be slightly worse (15k on the front instead of 18k) but the car is now nice to drive again.