i'm fairly new here and have been reading a whole load of stuff in this forum and i've noticed that opinion is split on the issue of tyre brands.

most seem to comment that their various tyres are crap in the wet.

my vrs started out with michelins and 2 have now been replaced with goodyear f1's both of which are fine,as are most good branded tyres.

the problem lies with the fact that when wet the vrs will suffer from the fact that heavy diesel lump at the front wants to go straight on at corners thus unbalancing the whole chassis.

i have to say that despite this the sliding is pretty predictable and a great deal of fun:thumbup:

this sort of thing really shows up on the track as ordinary road surfaces are of varying grip which makes it difficult to judge the perfomance of the tyres themselves.

Falken ST115 Azenis and Ziex ZE512s are extremely top notch in the wet apparently

Never mind the tyres, put some eibach springs on. It doesnt want to go straight on as much then. They will cost you about the same as a set of good tyres, but the improvement will be massive.

@Mil, the 512 Falkens were fantastic on my Citroen Xsara Coup, but dreadful on my Pug 306 Estate. I think on a light petrol car they are good, on a heavy nosed diesel, not so good.

i agree shifty eibachs will help a little, but as i like going sideways what the hell! lol

i had the falkens on my old bmw and found them ok but nothing special in the wet, also had contact sports on it and they were fab, shouldn't compare really as the bmw is a much better balanced car, although it didn't give me 50 mpg;)

Never mind the tyres' date=' put some eibach springs on. It doesnt want to go straight on as much then. They will cost you about the same as a set of good tyres, but the improvement will be massive.

@Mil, the 512 Falkens were fantastic on my Citroen Xsara Coup, but dreadful on my Pug 306 Estate. I think on a light petrol car they are good, on a heavy nosed diesel, not so good.[/quote']

I have just removed my Falken215/40/17 from my Furbie vRS. They have only done 2K and they are the biggest pile of cak I have ever driven on....... Ok in the dry but in the wet ****ing sh**t............Maybe they don't suit the Fabia vRSv:mad:...........They maybe for sale:)

.They maybe for sale:)

Are you expecting many takers after your little review of them

Chris

Are you expecting many takers after your little review of them

Chris

No supose not:mad: . I mean't to say how good they were.............I might pay someone to take them off my hands or I could ship them to Mil.....Don't think it rains much where he is:)

i don't think given the same road conditions you would find much difference with any other brand of tyre, it's like i said, heavy lump at front (not the driver lol) causes handling probs in the wet.

as shifty said a better suspension set up will help.

I have just removed my Falken215/40/17 from my Furbie vRS. They have only done 2K and they are the biggest pile of cak I have ever driven on....... Ok in the dry but in the wet ****ing sh**t............Maybe they don't suit the Fabia vRSv:mad:...........They maybe for sale:)

I don't know which series you've used so I couldn't really tell. I know for a fact that the older ZE326 series weren't so great, but the ST115s I had on my car before I changed my rims were absolutely outstanding in performance, they held the road like they were glued on. I've been using Falkens since I got the car.

I'll be getting 205/40/ZR16 ZE 512 range, which are apparently outstanding as well, though I'd prefer the Azenis ST115 one, unfortunately they're discontinued. I've read too many good general reviews and specific reviews, both wet & dry to agree with you dude

I would take your tyres, IF I knew which range you were running, and if I had 17" rims

I don't know which series you've used so I couldn't really tell. I know for a fact that the older ZE326 series weren't so great' date=' but the ST115s I had on my car before I changed my rims were absolutely outstanding in performance, they held the road like they were glued on. I've been using Falkens since I got the car.

I'll be getting 205/40/ZR16 ZE 512 range, which are apparently outstanding as well, though I'd prefer the Azenis ST115 one, unfortunately they're discontinued. I've read too many good general reviews and specific reviews, both wet & dry to agree with you dude

I would take your tyres, IF I knew which range you were running, and if I had 17" rims [/quote']

I was Running Falken 512's.........215/40x17.....Mil...........I think this size may perform better on 7x17" rims My rims were 7.5x17" I think the sidewalls are sort of streched to fit the width of the rim.............If you know what I mean.....Andy

Only once have I run Falcon Ziex 512 tyres...

...NEVER AGAIN!!!

Long lasting tyre, yes. Quiet tyre, yes. Grippy tyre... well, "ok" in the dry, useless in the wet!!!

Would put Uniroyal Rainsport 1s on if wet grip was a priority. In fact I'm thinking of putting them on mine next.

Steve

Andy, they were 512s??? AND stretched over too???

Man....this is discouraging. The ST115s I had on my 15s truly were excellent in the dry. In any case I don't really have to worry about a wet road in this part of the world....

What do you guys think of Bridgestone then? I found a dealer here who's got 205/45/R16 tyres which I think I might go for, if I get any good reviews from in here..

Mil - what do you want your new tyres to do? Excellent grip, last a long time etc? I don't suppose you get much wet weather out there, so this thread and its discussion of wet grip is probably not that interesting for you

In my experience, you'll either end up with a tyre that has excellent grip and will need replacing sooner, or a tyre with a very good wear rate but that doesn't grip as well.

Steve

anyone used Toyo Proxes T1-R?

im about to buy them - they have good reviews, but id like to hear from someone who has them....

I do, they seem good. I think a few fabbie owners on here have them Steve has them.

They are fine in the wet but they will still slide if pushed too far in the dry my god do they grip!

Found the same as Jag, I've put it down to asymetrical v directional - directional give better turn in whereas the assyms give better "grip" through the corner, the directionals seem to wash out earlier in the wet so I take the asyms and live with the slower turn in but better holding of the line through a corner. Just my choice I guess.

Would put Uniroyal Rainsport 1s on if wet grip was a priority. In fact I'm thinking of putting them on mine next.

Steve

I'm with Steve on this one . I've used Uniroyal Rainsports there is nothing to beat them in the wet or even a damp road.....Do it:thumbup:

For me, the choices are the Toyo Proxes T1-R, Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 and the Uniroyal Rainsport1. I've attached the results for the Goodyear and Uniroyal, from www.tyretest.com. These results can be viewed directly from MyTyres as you're browsing the selections. Unfortunately there aren't any test results up for the T1-R yet, perhaps because it's too new?

To me, these reviews give you the best chance of choosing the tyre that best fits what you're looking for - be it quietness, dry grip, performance in the wet or longeivity. Or hopefully, the best combination of all the required attributes

Steve

After sliding off the road with my Bridgestone Turanzas - I decided to have a change.

I found the Bridgestones only "adequate" most of the time. They were noisy, only acceptable grip in the dry, and pretty poor in the wet tbh.

Now, I still have the Bridgestones on the back, and now have Pirelli P Zero Neros on the front. And I am truly overwhelmed by the difference. I have done about 1500 miles on them, and they have transformed the car.

The Bridgestones would understeer very predictable in all conditions, but the Pirellis just will not understeer unless on a slippery road driving at totally inappropriate speeds. The confidence they give is great! They also seem as good in the wet as they do in the dry - you will chicken out before the tyres lose grip.

When they have a bit of heat in them (like in MK after blatting around several roundabouts at silly speeds ) they are even better.

The downside for me now, is because the front end grip is so brilliant, the back end gets very light and starts to step out a little. This is fine if its provoced, but if you weren't expecting it, then :eek: - death is imminent!

Hence, I'm going to be swapping the Pirellis onto the back so I can do my best to wear out the Bridgestones as much as possible.

The only negative I can see, is that they have reduced my mpg noticeably. At 70 on the motorway, I used to get a good 56mpg average. Now, 52mpg is more realistic. Saying that, if you chose these tyres, then you really shouldn't be worrying about mpgs! Also, they really aren't cheap (ATS price was

Unfortunately there aren't any test results up for the T1-R yet' date=' perhaps because it's too new?

[/quote']

here we go....

here we go....

Which site is that from?

Steve

http://www.blackcircles.com/tyres/goodyeartest