Just a heads up -this months EVO dropped on to the mat yesterday. Its got the latest tyre review - this time on a fwd chassis (renault sport thingie..) so should be more relevant that the last test on an mx5.

Not read it in detail yet, but looks like another win for Continental, Goodyear Assymetric second.

Unfortunately IIRC the Conti 5P does not yet come in the right size for the vrs (on 18s)

Just a heads up -this months EVO dropped on to the mat yesterday. Its got the latest tyre review - this time on a fwd chassis (renault sport thingie..) so should be more relevant that the last test on an mx5.

Not read it in detail yet, but looks like another win for Continental, Goodyear Assymetric second.

Unfortunately IIRC the Conti 5P does not yet come in the right size for the vrs (on 18s)

What other tyres were tested mate out of interest?

Bridgestone potenza S001.

ContiSportContact 5P.

Dunlop sportmaxx gt.

Goodyear asymmetric F1.

Hankook ventus S1 evo.

Kumho ecsta SPT ku31.

Michelin pilot sport ps2.

Pirelli p zero k1.

Toyo proxes sport t1.

Dunlop Sport Maxx GT.

I have these and theyve worn out nearly in only 6500 miles!!

Dunlop Sport Maxx GT.

I have these and theyve worn out nearly in only 6500 miles!!

That's odd Chris, mine is just coming up to 6k and the front's (Dunlops) are showing only minimal wear ?...but there again even the missus is saying I now drive like a snail !!

That's odd Chris, mine is just coming up to 6k and the front's (Dunlops) are showing only minimal wear ?...but there again even the missus is saying I now drive like a snail !!

My front tyres (Dunlop Sport Maxx GT)) were replaced at 8500 miles, hateful tyres that I couldn't wait to get rid of and I was actually glad they wore out so fast...

The replacement tyres (Vredsteins) have so far done over 12000 miles and still have 4 or 5mm tread left... Oh, and they cost less than those horrible hateful worthless Dunlops...

Edited 13 October, 201015 yr by Raglits

My front tyres (Dunlop Sport Maxx GT)) were replaced at 8500 miles, hateful tyres that I couldn't wait to get rid of and I was actually glad they wore out so fast...

The replacement tyres (Vredsteins) have so far done over 12000 miles and still have 4 or 5mm tread left... Oh, and they cost less than those horrible hateful worthless Dunlops...

.....not a fan then....?

.....not a fan then....?

I thought I was quite restrained in my last post, but only because I knew the profanity filter would have blanked out half my post

You're right though, I'm not a fan of them and the 3 1/2 months they were on the front of my car reinforced the pact I made about 15 years ago to not buy Dunlop tyres again...

Not unwrapped my copy yet - will take a look later

I can only hope the Contis are quieter than the SportContact3 I had originally. Terrible wet grip too.

Anyone care to give give a brief synopsis of the results.......? Pretty please.........

I can only hope the Contis are quieter than the SportContact3 I had originally. Terrible wet grip too.

Well 200bhp and front wheel drive isn't this to be expected?

No Vredesteins - interesting!

I can only hope the Contis are quieter than the SportContact3 I had originally. Terrible wet grip too.

ive just fitted the sport 3s and i think the wet grip is very good, i did loads of research and they are very high regarded in the tyre tests and wet grip was a strong point. what did you find so bad about them they are a bit noisier than the previous yokohamas but i expected that due to more grip.

ive just fitted the sport 3s and i think the wet grip is very good, i did loads of research and they are very high regarded in the tyre tests and wet grip was a strong point. what did you find so bad about them they are a bit noisier than the previous yokohamas but i expected that due to more grip.

I've found the SC3s very good too, except on snow .

Well 200bhp and front wheel drive isn't this to be expected?

Eh? What has power got to do with the noise? And as for terrible wet grip, no, I have other tyres on now that are much quieter and offer significantly better grip in the wet.

Comfortable win for the Contis, but results section states that their only weak point was that they give "a harsh, noisy ride compared with the best here."

The trouble with personal experience is that it is very anecdotal. Unless one has done head to head tests on a track then the chances are that the personal experience is based on taking off a set of old worn tyres of one make and replacing them with brand new tyres of another. There are probably many reasons including technical ones why such a comparison will not be a valid test.

ive just fitted the sport 3s and i think the wet grip is very good, i did loads of research and they are very high regarded in the tyre tests and wet grip was a strong point. what did you find so bad about them they are a bit noisier than the previous yokohamas but i expected that due to more grip.

I've got to agree with that, they always come out top or near the top for wet grip in all the independant tests I've seen (eg tyre test), plus they are good for longevity so they get my vote simply because for me the most important thing on any tyre is breaking distance (particularly in the wet)...

The problem with a lot of these tyre tests is that the results are very variable and the variability is often compounded by the 'weighting' (i.e. importance) that the testers give to each parameter. Often the difference between the best and worst on test is a few percent. For example I think in this EVO test the difference between best and worst is about 7% and in the recent Autoexpress test it was 5%. That's not much on the face of it and you might actually be better buying the cheaper tyre and changing it early (i.e. well before it reaches 2mm), rather than forking out for a pricier premium tyre and keeping it till the legal limit (when grip really starts to deteriorate).

I used to sell tyres and IME one of the biggest factors in grip was tyre age - after a year or two of exposure to weather and UV light the rubber starts to harden and grip tails off quite sharply, even with plenty of tread, and the tyre becomes a lot noisier. The driver puts a new tyre on and thinks its wonderful!

I think it is safe to say that none of the big brands actually makes a 'bad' tyre - I've never been disappointed by a Conti or a Michelin, for example. Most of the second-tier tyres, such as Vredestein, Falken, Kumho, Hankook are perfectly acceptable and often perform within a gnats whisker of the premium brands for a lot less money.

I think the test was done at Continental's own test facility so its perhaps no surprise the Contis won?

Beyond that I was disappointed that the test really seemed to show that top brands are better than cheap Korean tyres, but they could have thrown in some Barums or some other "sub premium" Euro brands to see how they compare.

There was nothing about wear rate either, which is perhaps difficult to test but each tyre does have a rating for this. I think like most motorists I will accept a slightly sub optimal handling/grip combination for significantly increased tyre life. (please note the "slightly" and "significantly" in that last sentence).

On a more positive note I really enjoyed the article about the Yeti that they've put on sticky Dunlops and taken to track days.

On a more positive note I really enjoyed the article about the Yeti that they've put on sticky Dunlops and taken to track days.

There was a thread on Pistonheads (i think) a few months back - someone had been at the 'ring and seen a yeti absolutely flying round - overtaking just about everying..

turns out it was the evo boys with their long termer - sticky tyres is cheating a little, but must have been hilarious to see the faces of the guys they were overtaking..

Haven't done the Michelin PS3 either which is a surprise given it's been out a few months now.

Its an interesting tyre test to read, but I wouldn't base my next purchase on it.

Don't think it'll alter my purchasing either, but it was interesting to read nonetheless.

I won't buying Contis again anyway, after having a set and witnessing them 'go off' dramatically below 3mm. Upon further investigation I found that to be the legal minimum in Germany, and as Contis are made in Germany....

I change at no lower than 2mm, so to me this was a significant point.

Steve