Best tyres for Fabia 2 Estate HTP

[ChrisJD]

I am very happy with my 2010 Fabia 2 Estate 1.2 HTP 70bhp except for 1 thing - the tyres! These are Bridgestone Turanza and are the hardest, noisiest, most uncomfortable & with the least amount of wet grip of any tyre I have used. it is getting to the stage that I am seriously considering selling the car because of the tyres. My annual mileage is only around 8000 per year so long life is not that important & I am not a boy racer any more! I want a tyre that is above all quiet & comfortable & at least will stop the car in the wet. Cost is not that an important consideration as long as it does what I want. Suggestions, please.

[sharkrider]

going on your specs, I'd suggest Uniroyal Ransports, one of the best wet weather tyres available, and cheaper than the bridgestones

[delta925]

If you can't find Uniroyals at a good price locally how about these Barum that get good reviews. Barum are are part of the Continental group.

http://www.tyre-shopper.co.uk/ts/search/tyredetails.aspx?code=1955515BA2H

Fitting is at National Tyres depots but drive in rather than order online and the price will be significantly higher.

I have 1.6TDi Elegance estate with these Bridgestones but 205/45/16 so less sidewall height / suspension than you. I hoped I'd get Continentals fitted like on my spare wheel.

Normally just me in the car and no weight so tyre pressures at lower recommended setting.

If given chance the first thing I would change about the car is the ride. I was expecting a softer ride than my Audi A4. I would happily trade a little more body roll for not getting such a jolt where a trench has been dug across a road etc and a harsh ride on patched-up cross-country B roads.

I'm happy with the grip but of course the weather been so dry. I might change my mind in the wet not to mention the winter.

There was a thread on here during the winter about these tyres

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/184801-chocolate-fireguard-tyres/page__hl__fireguard

[xman]

These are Bridgestone Turanza and are the hardest, noisiest, most uncomfortable & with the least amount of wet grip of any tyre I have used.

You are not alone - I agree 100% with your comments. Last winter found me shooting 20 - 30 metres past red traffic lights (braking from a speed of less than 30mph) with the abs going like the clappers but not stopping on at least 3 occasions. Only luck prevented anyone being in front of me.

And they are hard and NOISY.

I will be changing them to Michelin Energy Saver as the rolling resistance of the Bridgestones is also very poor and probably contributes greatly to the crap fuel consumption of this Fabia (compared to my previous Fabia)

If you want a super safe and grippy tyre in all weather conditions I can recommend Continental Premium Contact 2.

Edited 10 June, 2011 by xman

[Rahab]

I've had a similar experience to yours with Turanza ER300 - noisy and hard ride, with grip in wet deteriorating greatly as the tyres wore. Replaced them with the same Barums that delta925 suggested above , and it made a world of difference: no road noise, the ride became much softer. The only downside I've noticed so far is that the car's steering became less responsive, lazier, so to say. But this is a decent price to pay, for a family car anyway.

Edited 10 June, 2011 by Rahab

[Jim H]

Hello and Welcome to the Forum.

What size are the tyres you want?

If they are 205/45 16, then it's the same as the mk1 Fabia vRS and there are lots of threads in the Fabia I section.

[raisbeck]

I found uniroyal rain expert tyres to be very quiet with excellent grip in the wet. Only down side was the steering wasnt as sharp. I then had goodyear duragrip, very good all round tyre.

Next time I will get either the Michelin energy or the brand new continental ecocontact 5's.

[Mike Wrightson]

I have the bridgestones on my Elegance (205/45/16). They are not very good to say the least, very noisy and grip is not that great. I have had my TSI nearly spinning them up in 2nd gear in the DRY. In the wet it is pretty easy to spin them up in the lower gears.

If they wear out before it's time to change the car, I'll be looking at Toyo T1-R's again, they have proved very good for me, quiet and good grip wet or dry.

[FinFerNan]

Another vote for Barum tyres here. Ideal for what you are saying, also consider Khumo tyres, excellent value and quality.

[ChrisJD]

Thanks Gents for all your replies - certainly a choice to go at. I am leaning towards the Uniroyal Rainsport 2 as they have a very good write up in Tyre Review, as does the Barum Bravuris 2. National Tyres quote £232 for 4 Uniroyal fitted & £247 for the Barum so again the Rainsports win . One problem I have - the tyres as fitted to my Fabia alloys are 195/55 X 15 and Uniroyal only make 195/50 X 15. Will these be OK? Barum do make 195/55. Any thoughts & thanks again for your assistance.

ChrisJD

[xman]

One problem I have - the tyres as fitted to my Fabia alloys are 195/55 X 15 and Uniroyal only make 195/50 X 15. Will these be OK? Barum do make 195/55. Any thoughts & thanks again for your assistance.

ChrisJD

Check your insuranse if you fit non-original size tyres. Some companies are very fussy and charge you an arm an a leg to allow such a thing.

[lemonvrs]

You dont want a 50 profile as it will make your car rev higher and your speedo will be out too.

I have the Turanzas on mine and honestly cant see why everyone hates them. Ive done 24000 miles now and never once has the ABS operated in rain, Ive never lost traction either and I dont hang about. The only time they were bad was in the snow but they arent a winter tyre. Yes, they are a bit noisy but the Fabia has minimal soundproofing and the rides fine. I cant believe how they are lasting as well, theres easily another 5000 or more miles left in the fronts.

[sharkrider]

You dont want a 50 profile as it will make your car rev higher and your speedo will be out too.

I have the Turanzas on mine and honestly cant see why everyone hates them. Ive done 24000 miles now and never once has the ABS operated in rain, Ive never lost traction either and I dont hang about. The only time they were bad was in the snow but they arent a winter tyre. Yes, they are a bit noisy but the Fabia has minimal soundproofing and the rides fine. I cant believe how they are lasting as well, theres easily another 5000 or more miles left in the fronts.

can you get 205/50/15? up to 2.5% different rolling diamiter will be fine the difference is 1.68 % (http://www.tyresave.co.uk/tyresize.html)10 mill so not really much difference between a try with no tread and a new one... you would also get a bit more grip

[Mike Wrightson]

I have the Turanzas on mine and honestly cant see why everyone hates them. Ive done 24000 miles now and never once has the ABS operated in rain, Ive never lost traction either and I dont hang about.

Is yours a HTP engine or the TSI? Also, are you on 195/55/15 ?

HTP won't be able to break traction, but a higher profile tyre will have better traction anyway. I find them absolutely fine in normal driving (other than being noisy), it's just that when you start to press on a bit, they get slippery very quickly.

They remind me of the Michelin Primacy tyres on my Mk1 vRS. They were horrible in the wet, spun up in 2nd gear easily. I changed to the Toyo's and suddenly I couldn't spin them up any more Still got 15k out of the Toyos, which was more than I expected. Toyos were half the price of those damned Michelins.

[lemonvrs]

Yes its an HTP, but even in torrential rain when pressing on its never broken away. I once lost grip on the fronts in icy conditions when others werent but overall I rate the tyres. They are quieter than my wifes Conti Eco Contacts anyway.

[ChrisJD]

Right gents - thanks for all your replies. I have decided to go for a 2 pronged approach. The first is that I am going to get a soundproofing kit fitted as lemonvrs is quite correct in saying there is not much soundproofing in the Fabia. There is a firm not too far from me & the cost is £199 + £90 fitting. Second is that the tyre life on the Turanzas is quite good (lemonvrs again) and based on my present mileage I won't be needing to change tyres for about 2 years. My finance director (wife) is not happy about buying new tyres until they are needed! When I do, however, I will probably go for Rainsports in 205/50/15 (thanks sharkrider) & will check with my insurance (thanks xman) I do disagree with lemonvrs about breaking traction - I have done it several times in the wet - mostly when moving off a bit smartly & driving in the snow was a bit worrying sometimes. So thats the way I'm going - thanks to you all - it was a big help.

Regards, ChrisJD

[xman]

You will probably find the 50 profile a lot harsher ride than the 55 profile. In 2 years time the availabilty of brands/tyre sizes will have changed significantly - make your decision then.

Edited 20 June, 2011 by xman

[ChrisJD]

Good point xman. But could I go the other way & try something like a 60 0r 65? A quick look at the tyre size website says I could get a 185/65 which is pretty much the same diameter, and should give a better ride?

ChrisJD

[Fatbloke]

As you are are adjusting the profile to take account of the aspect ratio with narrower / wider tyres in order to maintain a similar rolling diameter on the same size rims the the sidewall height will not change. The only time you will change the actual sidewall height is if you are maintaining the same rolling diameter but increasing rim diameter.