Rear tyre wear on FL VRS

[jbconno]

Had a ride in my colleagues 59 plate VRS TDI this afternoon and noticed the rear tyre rumble I had in my 07 plate VRS. On inspecting the inside of the rear tyres we found that the tread blocks had feathered and were wearing unevenly and causing the rumble. I had EXACTLY the same problem on my 07 plate one and it turned out to be a common problem that was caused by the rear suspension being out of alignment from the factory. My car started doing on Dunlops after 18K approx, yet his has only covered 7k and it droning away like a good un. He has also got Dunlops. Has anyone else noticed this on a FL VRS ? I thought that the rear suspension issues were all sorted now ?

[GriffoVRS]

Just swapped my rear tyres to the front after 5,500 miles and noticed that the outside edges of the tyres are feathered, not too badly but noticeable if you run your hand over them. I am disappointed with this as I never noticed this problem with my '07 vRS.

The car does seem quieter now as well (they are new Michelin PS3s at the rear, and the part worn Dunlops on the front). I got a puncture from a pothole, hence the new tyres - I hadn't worn them out in 5,500 miles!

I was going to have a word with the dealer to see what they recommend.

[bandit1]

There are quite a few postings on this topic, try a search, but have a look Here & Here & Here

[Nick P]

I'm going to order a 4 Pilot Sport 3s next time Costco have got the 20% off offer on (should be due to start again within the next month or so?). Tread pattern doesn't look as nice as the Vredesteins but the mpg should be slightly better. They're £139 inc vat and fitting at Costco ususally, so £111 when they're on offer - within a few quid of a fitted price on a Vredestein.

Edited 11 May, 2010 by wega3k

[jbconno]

He called the garage this afternoon to book it in and was told by service that they have had loads of cars back in for that so it seems its a common problem.

[GriffoVRS]

I'm going to order a 4 Pilot Sport 3s next time Costco have got the 20% off offer on (should be due to start again within the next month or so?). Tread pattern doesn't look as nice as the Vredesteins but the mpg should be slightly better. They're £139 inc vat and fitting at Costco ususally, so £111 when they're on offer - within a few quid of a fitted price on a Vredestein.

Good price with the discount. I paid £135 each for the PS3s.

[GriffoVRS]

There are quite a few postings on this topic, try a search, but have a look Here & Here & Here

Thanks for that. I had seen some of the postings, but had missed some.

Would be useful if a few other FL vRS owners checked their rear tyres. Running your hand around the tyre is one direction the edges feel sharp, in the other it feels fine.

[vRS Bob]

Hi all,

I have Dunlops on my vRS and as well as the feathering, two of them seem to have gone a bit 50p shaped towards the inside edge, which is producing a very unpleasant rhythmic drumming sound when driving along at 20 - 40 mph. I took the car back to the dealership last week and complained bitterly about it, the result being they are taking it in this Friday to replace them with another brand, free of charge of course. Not a bad result since they have 11,000 miles on them now.

Bob.

[Alex1980]

Hi all,

I have Dunlops on my vRS and as well as the feathering, two of them seem to have gone a bit 50p shaped towards the inside edge, which is producing a very unpleasant rhythmic drumming sound when driving along at 20 - 40 mph. I took the car back to the dealership last week and complained bitterly about it, the result being they are taking it in this Friday to replace them with another brand, free of charge of course. Not a bad result since they have 11,000 miles on them now.

Bob.

Youve done well getting them replaced! I noticed some strange wear patterns on mine after 2,700 miles and got told its the normal wear pattern! So basically tough, buy your own replacements, because skoda are supplying cars with crap tyres!

[GriffoVRS]

Would be useful if a few other FL vRS owners checked their rear tyres. Running your hand around the tyre is one direction the edges feel sharp, in the other it feels fine.

Just bumping this up to the top. Any more comments?

[vRS Carl]

I'm going to order a 4 Pilot Sport 3s next time Costco have got the 20% off offer on (should be due to start again within the next month or so?). Tread pattern doesn't look as nice as the Vredesteins but the mpg should be slightly better. They're £139 inc vat and fitting at Costco ususally, so £111 when they're on offer - within a few quid of a fitted price on a Vredestein.

I got 4 PS3's put on recently and can safely say they are leagues ahead of the Vredesteins i had on before.

Grip in the dry is just as good if not better but in the wet the PS3's come into their own.

Plus the tyre noise is a damn sight less (i'd say half the noise of the Vred's) and not had it on any long drives yet but round town MPG seems to have gone up from 24 average to 25.5 average over the last 117 miles so it's looking good so far

Carl

[IndianaBlues]

I've done 8.5k in mine since the end of December - rears both seem fine, however the front Dunlops are both worn almost down to the stopper on the outer groove of each tyre, but the inner grooves are almost still full tread-depth...if I get a couple of PS3s would it be worthwhile getting the tracking/geometry looked at or could it just be a characteristic of the dunlops?

Cheers

Edited 14 May, 2010 by IndianaBlues

[jbconno]

I have Dunlops on my Mazda 6, trying to wear them out and get them replaced after the experience of them on my colleagues new FL and on my old VRS.

[GriffoVRS]

I've done 8.5k in mine since the end of December - rears both seem fine, however the front Dunlops are both worn almost down to the stopper on the outer groove of each tyre, but the inner grooves are almost still full tread-depth...if I get a couple of PS3s would it be worthwhile getting the tracking/geometry looked at or could it just be a characteristic of the dunlops?

Cheers

The Dunlops on the front of mine were wearing evenly, so I would say that you should have the tracking checked.

[vRS Carl]

Depending on the Age of the car it is a known problem for the rear Tyres to wear incorrectly.

It is known as Saw Toothing where the Rear tyre insides become stepped like a 50p (probably what you are feeling when running your hands over the tyres)

It was corrected with updated Camber Values for the rear so i would get it checked and ask them to confirm your car has the correct geometry setting at the rear.

If they don't help Wheels-In-Motion are very good at doing a full 4 wheel alignment. I had it done on mine and it transformed the cars handling. It costs about £100 though

[Nick P]

Sweet, cheers for the feedback on the PS3s Carl. Will definitely be investing in a set based on that.

[jbconno]

Seemingly its not only Octys that suffer from rear suspension geometry problems, any VAG car using the A5 platform is prone to tyre wear.

[GriffoVRS]

Would be useful if a few other FL vRS owners checked their rear tyres. Running your hand around the tyre is one direction the edges feel sharp, in the other it feels fine.

Took car to dealers yesterday, and they checked the alignment of the rear wheels. They said that it was incorrect, and have adjusted it.

It is my impression that the car now feels more stable/'tied' down, but this may be as a result of the comparison to the Octavia 1.4 TSI Elegance DSG that they loaned me.

[muckipup]

Took car to dealers yesterday, and they checked the alignment of the rear wheels. They said that it was incorrect, and have adjusted it.

It is my impression that the car now feels more stable/'tied' down, but this may be as a result of the comparison to the Octavia 1.4 TSI Elegance DSG that they loaned me.

My 57 VRS is going in next week for new tyres and a geo to fix exactly this problem. Thanks for the link to the new data Bandit1 - I'll take a copy of that with me!

Edited 26 May, 2010 by muckipup

[peanut18]

Last couple of times I have had tyres replaced i've had the tracking adjusted as a matter of course - money well spent in my book. My Falken FK-452's wore extremely evenly right down to the wear markers (ableit a little too quickly for my liking).

I always take a copy of the revised rear geo settings with me, the John Bean system that my local garage uses still has the wrong rear camber values loaded. £50 to £75 spent on getting the geo spot-on will potentially save you hundreds in unevenly or prematurely worn rubber !