We're getting our new old skoda in shape - it needs 4 new tyres. The wear is uneven on all of them, shame as some have plenty of tread in places but on others are very low. So we're going to replace them all at once, and they'll be properly aligned. I've read the one thread on here from a while back but there doesn't appear to have been a recent discussion.

 

My expeirence with tyres over the years is that recommendations are important. I had some reputable brand tyres that have been awful before and at other times some budget tyres that were great and later became known as better brands. I need to keep the cost down to under £100 a tyre but I'd prefer to spend less than that if I can get a decent tyre at a better price.

 

Question is which tyres? Would be great to hear what has worked for you.

 

 

 

 

Had 2 sets of fronts on these on my Leon and one set on the rear.  Best tyres I've used and much better than the eco naming would suggest.  Mileage was very good with 19-20k on the Fronts.  Reduced road noise over the Conti Sport Contact 5's and handling/braking in both wet and dry was very good and predictable.  

 

Also under your budget from Black Circles: 

 

https://www.blackcircles.com/catalogue/goodyear/efficientgrip-performance/225/40/R18/W/92/f?tyre=32248041

 

My Leon was remapped to 230bhp/500Nm and it never seemed to overwhelm the tyres.  TBH I was expecting that I'd need to find some new tyres after the remap but the GY's were more than up to it.  

 

EDIT:  Oh and if you're wondering, MPG was also increased by 1-2 MPG based on tank-to-tank calculations. 

Edited 12 January, 20188 yr by penguin17

If you can stretch your budget a bit, Michelin Cross-Climates are the darling of the tyre recommendations right now. I have no personal experience using them but a lot of people here have spoken highly of them.

 

I've used Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance in the 205/55/R16 size on a previous car and found them excellent for noise and grip. Economy was good too.

 

My Superb is sitting on a set of Firestone Firehawk SZ90u courtesy of the previous owner and while they're very grippy, fuel economy is only so-so and they are a bit noisy.

2 hours ago, penguin17 said:

Had 2 sets of fronts on these on my Leon and one set on the rear.  Best tyres I've used and much better than the eco naming would suggest.  Mileage was very good with 19-20k on the Fronts.  Reduced road noise over the Conti Sport Contact 5's and handling/braking in both wet and dry was very good and predictable.  

 

Also under your budget from Black Circles: 

 

https://www.blackcircles.com/catalogue/goodyear/efficientgrip-performance/225/40/R18/W/92/f?tyre=32248041

 

My Leon was remapped to 230bhp/500Nm and it never seemed to overwhelm the tyres.  TBH I was expecting that I'd need to find some new tyres after the remap but the GY's were more than up to it.  

 

EDIT:  Oh and if you're wondering, MPG was also increased by 1-2 MPG based on tank-to-tank calculations. 

 

These look pretty good value. Although they are a little more than some alternatives they are rated for better fuel efficiency, and it's helpful to have that confirmed by your experience with them.

 

@chimera the Michelin Cross-Climates sound good, but I can't justify the extra cost. It looks like it'd cost about £30 more a tyre compared to the Goodyears.

Been on the car for about 10k Avon ZV7 18" look nice and believe they come in under your budget. They handle good for a big car. 

2 were paid for by the previous owner and I paid for the 3rd. He got them cheap in the trade so my price point won't help you.

One thing I noticed when taking lane change manoeuvres on motorway from standstill or low speeds the DSG 170 put the power down well, the current Nokian WRG2s 205/55/16 will spin where the Avons don't on damp roads. 

 

Uniroyal Rain Sport 3 - 225/40 R18 92Y XL FR TL - £62/tyre.

Cross Climates if you can stretch to them 

I have Uniroyal Rainsport 3 very good in the wet but don't last that long 
I have Continental 850s  winters on at the moment but when the time comes to replace the Unis I will be getting Cross climates as it will save me swapping over to winter tyres..

I'm pretty keen on the Goodyear. It's rated B for energy efficiency so although it's a little more expensive it ought to pay for itself and even  give a return. With that in mind I'm tempted by the Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue which has an A rating. Again, a little more expensive but should pay for itself. Gets very good reviews. Anyone tried them on their Superb? 

 

Edited 13 January, 20188 yr by snowathlete
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My experience of Pirelli is that they don't last. About 10000-15000 km is all they've been good for.

25 minutes ago, chimaera said:

My experience of Pirelli is that they don't last. About 10000-15000 km is all they've been good for.

 

That was my expeirence some years ago as well although it all depends on the individual tyre rather than the brand I think. It scored well for tread wear in this test:

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2017-Auto-Bild-Summer-Tyre-Test.htm

4 hours ago, snowathlete said:

I'm pretty keen on the Goodyear. It's rated B for energy efficiency so although it's a little more expensive it ought to pay for itself and even  give a return. With that in mind I'm tempted by the Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue which has an A rating. Again, a little more expensive but should pay for itself. Gets very good reviews. Anyone tried them on their Superb? 

 

Not sure about the 'blue' version but my S3 came fitted with the 'regular' P7's from the factory and they are hands down the worse tyres I've owned.  They brake traction far too easily under any type of power and not just in 1st gear pulling out of junctions!  

There's a whole thread about it on the S3 forum:

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, penguin17 said:

Not sure about the 'blue' version but my S3 came fitted with the 'regular' P7's from the factory and they are hands down the worse tyres I've owned.  They brake traction far too easily under any type of power and not just in 1st gear pulling out of junctions!  

There's a whole thread about it on the S3 forum:

 

 

 

 

Thanks for posting, really helpful to know. I do think they are different tyres. Not sure how related they are, whether just the tread pattern or other design features, but the Blue tyre gets better reviews and is the newer tyre. The other question is whether those commenting in the other thread realize which version they have fitted - P7, P7 Cinturato or P7 Cinturato Blue (and there is also a P7 Eco version). I'll post on that thread and ask if people can check.

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Pirelli/P-7.htm 70%

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Pirelli/CINTURATO-P7.htm 76%

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Pirelli/Cinturato-P7-Blue.htm 83%

 

I have 4x4 so should get less of an issue with wheel spin but it's still a concern I guess if anyone has had those issues with the Blue version.

Edited 13 January, 20188 yr by snowathlete
additional info

Running Goodyear F1s on my estate in the same size, second full set I’ve had on it, good wear rate, lasted over 30k, got 4 delivered for £330 and fitted them myself

Barum Bravuris 3HM since last summer. They do no feel or drive any worse than the Conti sport contact we had before. Good deal last summer.

Thanks everyone for their suggestions. It's hard to get a good all-rounder.

 

We've spent some time looking at reviews, tests and prices, and come to the conclusions that the Michelin Cross-Climate is an excellent tyre as suggested. But it's too expensive for us at around £125 fitted.

The Continental Premium Contact 6 is a good all-rounder but a little expensive at a little over £100.

We've narrowed it down to the Pirelli P7 Blue (~£95) which rates very highly, it's only weakness being poor testing in lateral aquaplaning. The other tyre being the one recommended by many on here, the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance (~£93) which doesn't have the weakness of the Pirelli but is behind in other areas. Because it's safer, and recommended on here, we're trying to get the Goodyears fitted, but the local place may not be able to source them quickly. Car's due an MOT so want to get it sorted asap. If they can't get hold of them quickly we'll have the Pirellis fitted which they've got already.

 

The Uniroyal Rain Sport 3 (~85) looks a decent cheaper alternative. It scores poorly for dry handling and tyre wear but in all other areas is very good. The poor wear means that if you can spend a little more on a better tyre then it pays for itself in the long run. 

 

Use one of the online retailers and get a local fitter to put them on for you.

Here are two off the top of my head, others here may have additional suggestions:

https://www.oponeo.co.uk/

https://www.mytyres.co.uk

 

I use Camskill

ASDA Tyres is another that's sometimes well priced.

 

I've found you can make a saving with delivery and local fitting but not always. Sometimes it's cheaper locally or even mobile fitted, so worth checking if you can be bothered. There seem to be less discounted deals than there used to be. Be careful of places like Kwikfit who claim 25% off a brand of tyres direct from a local fitting centre on offer, as often they are massively marked up in price compared to their online price for the same tyre, so much so that it's really nothing like 25% off. They have a deal on continentals at the moment. Online price for the Premium Contact 6 is £108.99 so you'd think 25% off would be a good deal, but in fact the local centre price for the same tyre has been marked up to something like £140 so the discount would make it only marginally cheaper than their online price. Absolute joke. Their online prices can be quite competitive though.

Edited 15 January, 20188 yr by snowathlete
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Agreed on Kwik fit.  I asked for some quotes.  The guy looked on the computer, said the first couple of prices and then, after he'd seen the look on my face, said - "yeah I know, go online mate".

If buying online check to see if you can get cashback through Quidco or Topcashback. NHS, NUS and the military all have discount schemes, I'm sure others do too.

1 hour ago, Outrunner said:

If buying online check to see if you can get cashback through Quidco or Topcashback. NHS, NUS and the military all have discount schemes, I'm sure others do too.

 

my mother in law is always talking about NHS discounts, but I never remember to check. I'll have a quick look.

Several posters have mentioned Michelin Cross-Climates: a word of caution is appropriate with regard to their performance.

Although these tyres carry the "Alps" marking of winter tyres, in my experience (I spend quite a few weeks in the Alps each winter) they do not match the performance of proper winter tyres. I would put their performance on snow and ice at about 60-70% of a proper snow tyre.

Also, last year I learnt that they were not recognised by the French police: I was obliged to put chains on to get up to a resort. I didn't argue as I doubted the tyres would make it anyhow.

Reviews I have read favoured the Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2 for an all-season tyre and the Conti Wintersport TS 860 for a full winter tyre.

Of course if you are unlikely to do much driving on snow/ice, the Cross-Climates would be fine for the usual UK wet and cold. I found they felt quite sharp in handling terms as well. My solution was to use them on the front (driven) wheels for most of the year with snow tyres on the rears and swap them round for winter.

 

 

I have cross climates and plan to go to the alps in a couple of weeks.  How exactly did that conversation go with the French police?  I have snow socks in case the roads aren't clear (chains won't fit). 

Interested to know ahead, as that level of French is delegated to the ex-Parisian, now French teacher, lovely wife.  In my experience, as soon as she opens her mouth amd rapid fire French with no accent shoots out, they lose their attitude fast but wouldn't hurt to be prepared for the worst!

I was heading for Val d'Isere. It had been snowing for a few hours and there were 3-4" on the road. The police were stopping all vehicles to check the tyres before allowing them to go any further. This was at the point where the access road becomes quite narrow and twisty, still 10 - 15 km short of the resort.

The officer took a quick look at the tread pattern and told me I had to put my chains on. I did point out that these were Cross-Climates but he was not interested. It was an easy conversation but he would not be moved. I did not bother to try and find the little marking on the tyre as I already felt I would need chains anyway.

I ran into similar checking a couple of times over this Christmas/New Year in the 3 valleys - there was a lot more snow around. Fortunately I now have proper winters on the fronts (I was in a different car last year) and was waved through. Again, they just looked at the tread pattern.

Chatting with locals, I was told that the requirement has been upgraded to snow tyres on all 4 wheels, not just the driven ones. I have not tried to confirm that and, luckily, they did not check the rears.

https://www.tyreleader.co.uk/car-tyres-225-40-18/?m[13]=on plus

Plus £30 for fitting. They send the tyres straight to your fitter.