The Wife's Fabia MKII Vrs is fitted with 205/40/17 Dunlop Sport Sh!te Maxx which I think are utter rubbish, compound too hard and take an age to warm up.

So when the winter wheels come off (205/45/16) the 17" wheels will go back on but with new rubber. I have been in a Mates Fabia MKII Vrs fitted with Continental tyres which have a Ribbed tread pattern as apposed to the Dunlops which have Blocks and ribs.

I am a true fan of the Uniroyal Rain Sports but these have a Block type tread pattern. I also belive that the hard ride of the Vrs is better suited to a ribbed type tyre and this will also cut down the road noise, thinking Michelin PS3 Kumho KU39 or Conties . I'm even thinking of buying some really nice Black 16" wheels and keeping it on that size for good. the ride quality is far better with a 45 profile

The Dunlop Sport Maxx 205/40/17 tyres could be up for sale quite soon, they have covered about 3.5K and have no scrapes or punctures and have worn evenly

Your thoughts please

Thanks

I've got the Dunlops - couldn't agree more - they are utter .

I would not replace them with the same tyre even if Dunlop were paying me.

I'm a great Rainsport fan and was planning on replacing all four with Rainsports soon - I'll watch this thread with interest.

I did the same when my summers were off and went down the Michelin route as I've found michelins good on previous cars and they to my mind represented the best compromise between daily driver tyres and performance.

Whatever you do I'd suggest going for a good tyre as the VRS appears to be very subjective to what tyres have been fitted.

Avoid pirelli nero zeros there shocking when cold or wet

My Dunlops are off at the moment, with 205/45/16 winters on alloys. I am going to put some summer 16s on these rims when the time is right. The Dunlops and Gigaros will be resting until trade-in time.

In the morning with cold tyres I have to turn right into a fast main road which requires commitment and GRIP. The Dunlops could not offer this even in high summer, but on cold mornings they were like glass. The Hankook winters are wonderful and a revelation. But even better are the bonuses of ride and quietness. I am really, really enjoying being able to hear the engine and blowers which was completely masked by the Dunlop roar.

I am thinking maybe Michelin Pilot Exaltos but ultimately tyre choice will be informed by grip and decibels.

Uniroyals for 4k now and I can tell almost no difference between them and the Dunlops. Slightly better grip in the wet (it could be a placebo effect). I'd try Michelin's or Conti's if you can afford them.

for a start auric, dont waste money on new 16 inch alloys, if you want the higher profile, use 205/45/17 on the OE alloys this is the size of winter tyre I have on mine (on my original alloys) and they work fine, they were offered and approved by my local skoda garage, on GPS tests its makes the speedo read spot on accurate (instead of a few mph fast) and they fill the arches better than the 40 profile tyres

I , however, will be going back to my summer 205/40/17's when the temps go back up, as the conti on the back, maxxis victras on the front combi was absolutley cracking in the summer!

for a start auric, dont waste money on new 16 inch alloys, if you want the higher profile, use 205/45/17 on the OE alloys this is the size of winter tyre I have on mine (on my original alloys) and they work fine, they were offered and approved by my local skoda garage, on GPS tests its makes the speedo read spot on accurate (instead of a few mph fast) and they fill the arches better than the 40 profile tyres

I , however, will be going back to my summer 205/40/17's when the temps go back up, as the conti on the back, maxxis victras on the front combi was absolutley cracking in the summer!

Thats an easier solution but Skoda seem to be giving mixed messages here. I am no tyre expert so asked my insurance about winter tyres. They said you need to make sure they are in manufacturers tolerance for size and inform us when they go on. There will be a revised certificate issued with no charge.

So I asked Skoda who told me that their spec was + or - 2.5% on rolling diameter and 205/45/17 are outside of this spec. To use 205/45's I have had to change to 16" wheels. I don't know who is right here, perhaps both, but it appears they are telling different customers different things.

Hi, i have Pirelli Zotto Zero 205/45/16 winter tyres on my Monte Carlo and i find them allmost as good as it gets for the spesific car.

Good grip, low tyre noice and budget price.

Edited 6 January, 201214 yr by joten

Latte: I agree with your calculations, and would normally advise the same, but my insurance company said as long as they are skoda approved you don't need to inform us, there is no charge, and no change to the policy ( so no need to issue new certificate ect) they made no changes, and reiterated I don't need to inform them ( I know some insurers insist on being informed ect)

I was dubius , as I have always gone with the maths you suggest, but the skoda tech assured me it was acceptable, so I'm happy it's skoda approved so I'm also happy my insurance companies requirements are met... But of course other insurance companies may have other rules.

When the summers go back on the Passat I'll need new tyres. Standard fit are 235/45X17 Conti Sport 3 Conti Seals.

I've been impressed with these in wet and dry as long as the temperature is above 7 degrees, below that the grip drops away and below freezing or in snow they are bordering on dangerous. At 80mph they are quite noisy and have only managed 17k miles out of them and at £600ish a set they are not cheap.

So I've been looking at alternatives too.

Uniroyal Rain Sports are in the running as I had Rain Experts on our last diesel Fabia and they were good tyres. A little put off by the reviews of tyre noise as I spend a fair few miles on the motorway? Any Rain Sport users care to comment. They are cheaper than the Conti's.

The Michelin Pilot Sport 3 and Michelin Primacy HP are the other two I've been looking at and are around the same price as the Conti's.

The Sport 3's have awesome reviews for grip and seem really good for noise but don't score very well for wear. So more grip than the Conti Sport 3's with less noise and about the same wear rate.

The Primacy HP's are still fairly good for grip, a little noisier but they score good for wear.

The Wild Card are the new Continental Sport Contact 5's. The reviews suggest they have similar grip to the Michelin Sport 3 and similar wear rates to the Michelin Sport 3's and Conti Sport 3's. Continental also claim the Sport 5 has low rolling resistance so economy should be improved compared to the 3.

At this stage I'm toying between the Conti Sport 5 for grip, low noise and economy or the Primacy HP and compromise a little noise and ultimate grip for some more mileage.

Cheers

Lee

Shouldn't this thread be in the tyres section?

Rain Sport users care to comment. They are cheaper than the Conti's.

You'll struggle to find anything better for the price and there made by Continental

I swear by them

Toyo Proxies are well worth it too. Not in the top 5 companies but cracking rubber.

You'll struggle to find anything better for the price and there made by Continental

I swear by them

How do you find tyre noise? That's the one issue putting me off.

Cheers

Lee

How do you find tyre noise? That's the one issue putting me off.

Cheers

Lee

Noise is fine (turn radio up one notch )

Noise or a ditch, noise wins

Noise is fine (turn radio up one notch )

Noise or a ditch, noise wins

Yep but I'd rather pay another £30 a corner and get grip + low noise.

The Conti Sport 3 finished above the Rainsport 2 in the wet and in the dry in last years Evo tyre test. The new Conti Sport 5 is suppoded to have better wet grip than the 3 as well as a quieter ride.

I'm still thinking pay the extra at this moment.

Cheers

Lee

Yep but I'd rather pay another £30 a corner and get grip + low noise.

The Conti Sport 3 finished above the Rainsport 2 in the wet and in the dry in last years Evo tyre test. The new Conti Sport 5 is suppoded to have better wet grip than the 3 as well as a quieter ride.

I'm still thinking pay the extra at this moment.

Cheers

Lee

To be honest Lee the rain Sports arn't all that noisey. I like 'em and will fit them again. perhaps some tyres suit some cars and others don't . at the end of the day it's your choice and you'll have to choose.