Only 4 months ago I was praising Continental Premiumcontact tyres - Which report recommended etc and on our 206GTi for 20K miles and only half worn ...........

but on a Combi Octavia 4*4 .......... after 5 months and 8K a bubble in the OSF wall ( may be a refund ) and the rears are worn out on the outer edges - tyres are identical smooth , no feathering ......... ( previous P6000s lasted 24K ) - now admittedly were have been up and down ot N Wales with heavy loads and trailers - dinghy and canoes not wanting to hang around .......but interestingly the next guy on the ramp was a V5 Passat with a split wall on a ....guess wot .... Continental Premiumcontact ! He had a similar story ....he felt they were a soft rubber and maybe they do not suit heavier cars .

Going to try Michelins - I still like the wet/dry combination of tread ........ you have to remember that in the hills here , Toyos are thought to be fitted and made by Toyota !

Ouch !

I still rate p6000's for 'nomal all-round driving', despite other brands picking up better press reports, and when I bought the 4x4 that's what I put on. They're quiet, comfortable, predictable and a good all-rounder. The wear rate (like yours) is also very good provided that you keep the inflation pressure up.

Downside - not the world's grippiest / tyre for the track but with 4x4 I don't care about the extra 5%

On the Michelins - I used to buy them for long life and safety, but I've gone off them as they seem to slide easier (hard compound) in the wet. Cost also an issue.

In the last tyre test by Autocar (you may still be able to get a backcopy) they actually tested a Mondeo on 205/55-16's (like the 4x4) and the Pirelli P7000's came out top - above the Michelins, Contis etc.

Toyos ? They were grippy on my A4 quattro, but I found them a bit harsh.

I just put some Michelin Pilot Sports on the RS to replace the continental sport tyres. Time will tell how they wear, although they seem to come with loads of tread to start with and are very expenise.

Have heard similar baaaad stories on the PremiumContacts. SportContacts are somewhat better, though.

Am on Michelin Pilots myself too - came with the bigger optional factory alloys, so no choice there - and for me they are sticky enough in the wet. Still, it hasn't been really, really wet for weeks now, uncharacteristically so for Holland, I might add!

Dutch,

if you want some rain come over here; been p*ssing down on and off for the last 2 days.

Cheers.

Adrian.

p*ssing down in Devon - Only because the County Show is on - its always traditional to have rain during the county show. I used to have Conti "eco-contacts" on the Fabia, and I never minded them - I got 20,000 miles out of the fronts. I've still got them wrapped around my old steels in the garage.

Devon...officially known as the "Wet Country" in our house.

Anyway , I had Conti Ecoconti,s on my previous Octy and found them sure footed, good in the wet and good ride, and longish lasting. Superb has Bridgestone,s Turanza,s ER30 which seem grippy, very good in the wet but a bit noisey and unsettled in the dry.

Personally though its how they perform in the wet thats of more importance to me than anything else. Michelins I have always found to be a bit too hard wearing for really good wet ability, Dunlops just poor all over, Avon,s good in the wet likewise Contis, Kleber good in the wet and dry and very stable,Firestones ok initially but too soft, Pirelli,s too soft,Semperit so so.

However I am interested in the new Dunlops regarding how quiet they are supposed to be, I will keep an eye on any reports.

Cheers

Kentish

I agree with most of your views above (especially the Michelins).

The two I'll differ with you on are the Avons - the ZZ3 directionals are rated as very poor to dangerous in the wet by most of the Scooby fraternity.

The other are the Pirellis which I used to feel the same about as you, but I now rate as really good all-rounders for the money. I've had experience of P6000's and P Zeros on 4 cars in recent years and the P7000 swept the board (no pun intended) in the last Autocar Tyre test, fitted with 205-55/16's.

I've found that they are better if the pressures are kept up, especially on heavier cars like the Octavia or Superb. This applied to the girlfriends Mondeo as well. The new Dunlops were so-so in the Autocar test.

Fair enough. Probably need to update my opinions as times change.

The worst thing you can do though is to buy exact same tyres as came supplied. OEM tyres fitted when new in the factory are different from the replacement market, usually being harder and longer wearing.

Cheers

Have had no probs with the Conti sport contacts fitted by the factory on my vRS (205-50-17), although I'm not certain what brand im going to use when replacement time comes.