Good evening all,

I'm about to change the tyres on my 57' Octavia 1.9tdi. I am after  something that will last and save fuel as the cheap budget tyres (front) I changed to 17k ago are just getting to around 2mm depth. Any thoughts or opinions would be appreciated.

Jay

ive just put Kumho escta(?) sport for £100 a piece, i had them before on my Audi and they seemed good for a mid range tyre. They've also had some good reviews online, have a look.

look at the goodyear efficent grip range.

 

I personaly wouldnt buy a tyre on fuel saving capability as its not going to make much difference at all

What tyre size do you need?

The ones fitted are 205/55 R16

Goodyear efficient grip performance.

I'll second the Goodyear efficent grip range, very good and suit the octavia much better in every way over the oem Bridgestones. As for wear rate on the Goodyears I cant comment fairly on this.

Goodyear efficient grip performance.

 

Im running these on my vrs atm. They are coping with 300ft/lb torque quite well. They are a very quiet tyre too, the difference between these and the falkens on the back is huge in terms of noise

I've switched my 2.0 litre diesel from Dunlop Sports to Goodyear Efficient Grip.

Can't say I'm seeing much difference in economy, although there was for the first coue of thousand miles, but they do seem to be wearing better, are possibly quieter (but not much).

The big thing for me is that they seem to be resisting sawtoothing so far (unlike the Dumlops). And yes I have had the car properly aligned (when fitting both sets of Dunlops and when fitting the Goodyears).

What's your budget per tyre?

Around £75 to £85. I have just been reading reviews on the Goodyear Efficient Grip and some of them are less pleased they bought them. Maybe they all drive to the red line !!

What size tyre you looking for?

Mine were 205/60 R15 and they cost towards the upper end of your price bracket. But I went to the local place I trust (with full grometry tools) not the place with the best prices.

Have a look here:

http://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?s_p=Goodyear-Efficient-Grip-205_55-R16-91V-with-rim-protection-_MFS_&details=Ordern&typ=D-118905&cart_id=60607201.110.9615&ranzahl=4&Breite=205&Herst=Goodyear&Quer=55&Felge=16&weiter=0&kategorie=6&Ang_pro_Seite=20&Transport=P&dsco=110&sowigan=So&rsmFahrzeugart=PKW
 

Edited 17 January, 201412 yr by Stuarted

I've these goodyears on the front of my car and will soon be getting another set for the rears when my winters come off. Can't comment on wear as of yet, but road noise has dramatically reduced and fuel consumption improved a little. If you drive normally then these will suit you well as when pushed they do feel a bit spongy on the twisty stuff..I paid £70 a corner for v rated 205/55/16s

My last car, a Honda Civic 2-litre 160hp also used 205/55-16 tyres.  I covered over 75K miles in that car and 2 sets of 4 x Michelins each lasted 28K miles. 

 

Michelin Primacy HP 205/55 R16 91H   -  £68 from http://www.tyreleader.co.uk/car-tyres

 

Free delivery but you will have to arrange fitting yourself.

There are a number of different efficent grip models which might be why you've seen poor reviews for quick driving.

The performance ones are good on the twisty stuff, im seeibg less and less of the tra tion control light compared to my falkens

My last car, a Honda Civic 2-litre 160hp also used 205/55-16 tyres. I covered over 75K miles in that car and 2 sets of 4 x Michelins each lasted 28K miles.

Michelin Primacy HP 205/55 R16 91H - £68 from http://www.tyreleader.co.uk/car-tyres

Free delivery but you will have to arrange fitting yourself.

Their replacement the primacy 3 are a similar price.

Iirc kwikfit had a deal recently. Unless you know someone with a Costco card?

I assume you are looking for summer tyres? If so this is a good recent comparison test for the right tyre size:

 

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2013-Test-World-Summer-Tyre-Test.htm

 

This supports the above recommendation for Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance. Don't confuse these with regular Goodyear EfficientGrip tyres (as linked to at MyTyres above), these have poorer ratings for fuel economy, grip and noise. This looks a decent (fully fitted) price looking quickly online:

 

http://www.blackcircles.com/catalogue/goodyear/efficientgrip-performance/205/55/R16/V/91/f?returnurl=%2forder%2ftyres%3f%26width%3d205%26profile%3d55%26rim%3d16%26speed%3dV%26wintertyre%3d0&tyre=32048670

 

The only minor caveat is that you might want to check the maximum permissible pressure for the Goodyears. I say this as the recommended rear tyre pressure on the Octavia is higher than most when fully loaded - it is 3.1 bar or 45 PSI. Not all tyres of the correct size and speed rating do this. I have some Bridgestone Turanza tyres that have a maximum pressure of 40 PSI, something I only spotted the last time I came to replace tyres. Of course you may have no plans to ever run your car at fully laden pressures, and for the record my car passed a couple of MOTs with the Bridgestones on the rear.

 

Oh, and for safety it is now recommended that new tyres should be fitted to the rear (although this always proves controversial on car forums and probably will here). See e.g. the video here:

 

http://www.etyres.co.uk/flashmovies/new-tyres-rear-etyres.htm

 

Edit: Note that some of the prices provided in links above may seem cheaper but they exclude fitting.

Edited 18 January, 201412 yr by Ultrasonic

Forgot to check here earlier, but actually you can get Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance tyres for £69 each fully fitted from http://www.f1autocentres.co.uk'>http://www.f1autocentres.co.uk. That's what I'd be going for.

 

... Oh, and for safety it is now recommended that new tyres should be fitted to the rear

Agree.  This also means that (if you are replacing just two tyres) you can put them on the back, move the back tyres to the front and scrap the front tyres (which will normally be the worn-out ones).  This avoids ever ending up with out-of-date tyres on the back.

its not a new thing, tyre suppliers have been recommending this for at least 10 years

Agree.  This also means that (if you are replacing just two tyres) you can put them on the back, move the back tyres to the front and scrap the front tyres (which will normally be the worn-out ones).  This avoids ever ending up with out-of-date tyres on the back.

 

Yes, exactly what I do, and good point re. avoiding ending up with really old tyres on the rear.

 

I know it isn't new advice, but I find that most consumers still don't know this, which is why I mentioned it.

It's mainly because the average person doesn't know what to do should the back let go.

Less chance with good tyres, and also lessens any potential issues as the tyre fitter should be checking all 4 wheels for damage etc when swapping.

Having bad tyres on the front you'll know. On the rear you might only find out in an emergency when it's too late.

Agree with all the above.  Some enthusiasts have a fantasy about the rear end sliding out gracefully, and them deftly applying opposite lock and engaging in an impressive power slide.

Unfortunately real life is not like that, except perhaps at low speed on a skid pan or on snow,  At real-world speeds on roads with anything near normal grip, when or if the back end does let go, it will let go so suddenly that even if you have lightning-fast reflexes you will almost instantly find yourself facng the opposite way and possibly off the road before you have realised what has happened.  Trust me on this - been there, done that, and so have far more skilled and experienced drivers than me.

On this issue, this is the one single point where I disagree with my owners' handbook, which for some odd reason unwisely says "Always fit the tyres with the deeper tread depth to the front wheels."  NO!  Don't do it!

I have decided not to comment on my tyre choice    :think: