Can anyone recommend an alternative to the Uniroyal Rainsport 2 (above) with a similar V style tread pattern?
Used to love the RS2 for its wet/dry grip but its party trick was its ability to 'bite in' and grip in mud & snow. Work takes me off the tarmac now & again and it's nice being able to drive onto a boggy site and know I can get off again without help. I've towed a floundering Audi Allroad out of a muddy field before on RS2s! *smug*  Same with snow - never been a winter where I couldn't keep moving.

 

Made the mistake of switching to Kumho Ecstas with a radial pattern last year and got stuck instantly on damp grass. Had to switch back to RS2s but can't get hold of them anymore as the RS3 has replaced them. The RS3s are mostly radial pattern too so I'm guessing I'll have to start parking off site again.

 

Any recommendations for V-tread tyres with similar road manners to the RS2s?

From what I've read the RS3s are said to be superior to the RS2s so what puts you off them? I don't think v-treads are better than others in terms of bad weather grip, if they were then most winter tyres would sport them...

my rs3's come today

Find a patch of mud and report back! 

I find the more expensive tyres designed with being goodon tarmac are crap on wet grass. But budbudget tyres have more cross cut designs and are better on grass.

I'd be interested as well - been using Vredestein Spotrac 3's with a V tread pattern for years and found the same - fantastic in ll weather including deep snow - but they are now replaced by a Sportrac 5 with a radial pattern which from experience is useless...

 

 

As for winter tyres MattbvRS - most do have a V tead pattern but much blockier than the RS 2 and Sportrac 3's.

Avon zz3's

Goodyear eagle f1's

Toyo proxes t1r's

Edited 30 December, 201411 yr by BigJase88

Have you considered Winter tyres?  Virtually all are directional and they will give good grip in Snow, mud and cold.

I have winter tyres on from late nov to early march. Its hassle keep changing but grip and braking is far better than any summertyre imo

The point for me is I want a decent summer tyre and, with a decent v tread design have historically found I don't NEED winter tyres.

Unfortunately the good ones now seem to be few and far between as they are being replaced by different non v tread designs

I agree with Goodyear eagle F1, I rate these very highly in all weathers!

I was just disappointed when I replaced them again they had also lost the V style treads, may have changed again though.

Goodyear still list the Eagle F1 GS-DS3 in 205/45 R16 83W, its a V pattern tread:

 

The Y rated tyre in that size is the newer assymetric 2 design though.

 

 

Edit, I see it has already been mentioned above

Avon zz3's

Goodyear eagle f1's

Toyo proxes t1r's

Just looked at those

The Avon's don't come in my size

The Goodyear's are now an asymetric non directional non v tread according to the Goodyear website

The Toyos might fit the bill though...

Otherwise its Goodyear vector 4 seasons...

These are the Sportrac 3 that I have been using - good open v tread for water dispersion and grip on soft stuff but supplemented by blocks at the edges. If I could find something similar...

Wow I have learnt a lot from this thread. Cheers guys

Sent from my Galaxy S5

The point for me is I want a decent summer tyre and, with a decent v tread design have historically found I don't NEED winter tyres.

Unfortunately the good ones now seem to be few and far between as they are being replaced by different non v tread designs

The vector 4seasons are a good tyre but maybe you will find because its an all weather tyre.it will be softer than your past uniroyals which might mean in summer they wear fairly quicker

Imo

Toyo t1-r's are a very good tyre, or nexen n2000's

Having had 4 or 5 sets of RS2s I have moved to the RS3s. I think they are better than the RS2s - certainly quieter.

 

Prior to these I had Contis and Toyos, both of which were rubbish.

 

I do 60k+ miles a year (everything from 500 mile motorway sprints to driving up barely surfaced forest and farm tracks) so I get through some tyres! 

 

I pay about £70 fitted for 205/45/16.

 

On the Leon we have Goodyear F1s at the moment. Very good tyre but too expensive for the number I get through on the Fabia. Previously had Nankangs on the Leon - didn't like them.

 

(Spelling edit!)

Edited 31 December, 201411 yr by KLM

Goodyear still list the Eagle F1 GS-DS3 in 205/45 R16 83W, its a V pattern tread:

The Y rated tyre in that size is the newer assymetric 2 design though.

 

 

I've had them and my experience of them are in spring/summer they were great in the wet and dry, they sliced through standing water. However, when temperatures went down, they became rock hard and didn't cope very well. You could easily spin them in frost, and in snow, you might as well had slicks! I can't remember if I drove them on wet grassy fields. I replaced them with Toyo T1-Rs, they being softer, were far better in the cold.

I'm currently having the Uniroyal RS 3 (previously had the RS 2). 3 are quieter and better I can say in terms of rain/water repellent. Also the raw is not said to be easily worn in summer and higher temperatures. Price is logical.

Nice tricky asymmetrical surface which I found good enough in dry also.

Take a look at the Vredestein all season tyres: Quatrac 2, 3 and 5.

I'd be interested as well - been using Vredestein Spotrac 3's with a V tread pattern for years and found the same - fantastic in ll weather including deep snow - but they are now replaced by a Sportrac 5 with a radial pattern which from experience is useless...

 

Glad I'm not the only fan of performance V tyres offroad. Does seem like they're being phased out accross the board though, with Uniroyal, Vredestien & Goodyear all deciding to drop them for replacements that aren't being reviewed as that much of an improvement.

The Toyo Proxes are the only vaguely V pattern tyres I can find now and reviews aren't great. There are a few Goodyear GSD3 floating about still, but there are big questions about build quality from the Thai factories that have taken over production. Seems like I'm going to have to choose RS3s and stop impersonating a sporty little JCB on site