VRS TSI tyres

[TheBinarySheep]

I have a 2014 TSI VRS, my rears tyres need replacing, but I'm also experiencing a lack of front end grip in UK cold and winter weather. The fronts have around 2.5mm remaining on them and all round are Michelin Pilotsport 3's.

 

Has anyone else had a similar experience with the PS3's? Or is it simply down to low tread depth?

[nidza]

Thread depth is in direct proportion with performance on wet road, so you're right.

 

I would change all 4, 2,5mm is actually a tire in a clinic death. 

[Madmax889]

35 minutes ago, TheBinarySheep said:

I have a 2014 TSI VRS, my rears tyres need replacing, but I'm also experiencing a lack of front end grip in UK cold and winter weather. The fronts have around 2.5mm remaining on them and all round are Michelin Pilotsport 3's.

 

Has anyone else had a similar experience with the PS3's? Or is it simply down to low tread depth?

I had the Pirelli P Zero's when i got the car with 7mm tread depth. The traction was shocking rubbish! Eventually i got a bulge in the tyre from a pothole and changed to the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. These  are brilliant. Not sure how good they will be on lasting long term but will see what mileage i can get out of them. Like @nidza said the tyres at 2.5mm tread depth are clinically dead get them changed around 3mm tread depth (at 3mm the stopping distance triples compared to a bigger depth) get them changed asap.

[TheBinarySheep]

Thanks

 

would anyone recommend Goodyear as3's or Avon ZV7's, the Avon's are cheaper but have the same ratings at the AS3's

 

 

[Stoofa]

I used AS2's and then AS3's on my Mk2.5 Octy vRS and found them to be really nice tyres. Really grippy when you needed them to be and also not too loud.

I've got the P Zero's on my new car, it's a year old and there is plenty of meat left on them, but I'll look at the AS3's again when they need replacing.

[ahenners]

As mentioned above I'd replace all 4 if the fronts are nearly done at 2.5mm. I replaced all 4 with Goodyear F1 AS3 earlier in the year and have been happy with them. They are also wearing well, still over 6mm left after nearly 7k covered.

[nidza]

30 minutes ago, Madmax889 said:

I had the Pirelli P Zero's when i got the car with 7mm tread depth. The traction was shocking rubbish! Eventually i got a bulge in the tyre from a pothole and changed to the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. These  are brilliant. Not sure how good they will be on lasting long term but will see what mileage i can get out of them. Like @nidza said the tyres at 2.5mm tread depth are clinically dead get them changed around 3mm tread depth (at 3mm the stopping distance triples compared to a bigger depth) get them changed asap.

 

P-Zero is a good tire, but I suppose it is a wrong choice for a bit colder weather. They actually work quite well when warmed up. I suppose the reason behind such a compound, actually fit on the quite faster cars then a vRS, is that it can work for a few laps on a track day. Average tire will be overheated after a two laps, and probably start falling apart. Harder and more temperament tire comes with a price in average driving.

 

It is also very loud. Above 30 degrees on a hot sunshine it is getting sticky and silent. 

 

Not a bad tire, but a wrong choice for most of the people I suppose.

 

26 minutes ago, TheBinarySheep said:

Thanks

 

would anyone recommend Goodyear as3's or Avon ZV7's, the Avon's are cheaper but have the same ratings at the AS3's

 

 

 

Warmly recommend GY. Maybe the best allrounder in the market, in every generation. Same with their winter UHP counterpart, Gen-1. Soft, silent, good on rain, lasts and not that bad when you try to drive temperamentally. Actually for normal road, it is better you have a bit soft tire which warms up quickly, unlike P-Zero, which needs to be pressed heavily to start working.

[juan27]

39 minutes ago, TheBinarySheep said:

Thanks

 

would anyone recommend Goodyear as3's or Avon ZV7's, the Avon's are cheaper but have the same ratings at the AS3's

 

 

 

I put Avons on my Mk2 just before selling to replace worn PS3s and was pleasantly surprised how good they were for the price.  Certainly didn't have any issues with roadholding or braking. 

[Madmax889]

1 hour ago, nidza said:

 

P-Zero is a good tire, but I suppose it is a wrong choice for a bit colder weather. They actually work quite well when warmed up. I suppose the reason behind such a compound, actually fit on the quite faster cars then a vRS, is that it can work for a few laps on a track day. Average tire will be overheated after a two laps, and probably start falling apart. Harder and more temperament tire comes with a price in average driving.

 

It is also very loud. Above 30 degrees on a hot sunshine it is getting sticky and silent. 

 

Not a bad tire, but a wrong choice for most of the people I suppose.

 

 

Warmly recommend GY. Maybe the best allrounder in the market, in every generation. Same with their winter UHP counterpart, Gen-1. Soft, silent, good on rain, lasts and not that bad when you try to drive temperamentally. Actually for normal road, it is better you have a bit soft tire which warms up quickly, unlike P-Zero, which needs to be pressed heavily to start working.

They are a good tyre i have had P6's on pretty musch most of me previous cars and really liked them. But just take too long to warm up. Hopefully the Micheling PS4s last a decent amount mileage wise. 

[KevC_Derby]

Avon’s ruined my Qashqai fuel economy by 8-10mpg.

Cost me money very quickly.

[WesternDuke]

I have used AS2s on my Mk2FL and AS3s on my Mk3 and been very happy with them - a serious improvement over the OE Bridgestones in all respects!

[TheWanderer]

Anyone who thinks P-Zeros are a good tyre needs to get therapy, they're undoubtedly the worst tyre I've ever had on any car and I've had them on Peugeots, Renault, Golfs and now a RS and they're terrible for developing faults such as bulges and tears. 

 

They're also terrible for grip in the damp or wet and do not inspire any confidence, they also have poor rim protection, if the new car comes with them, then they'll be coming straight off and replaced by either Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3's or Michelin PS4s. 

[PetrolDave]

7 minutes ago, TheWanderer said:

Anyone who thinks P-Zeros are a good tyre needs to get therapy, they're undoubtedly the worst tyre I've ever had on any car and I've had them on Peugeots, Renault, Golfs and now a RS and they're terrible for developing faults such as bulges and tears. 

 

They're also terrible for grip in the damp or wet and do not inspire any confidence, they also have poor rim protection, if the new car comes with them, then they'll be coming straight off and replaced by either Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3's or Michelin PS4s. 

I have exactly the same experience with P-Zeros - they were factory fitted on my previous car (an Audi RS4 Avant) and as well as the poor grip in wet & dry they also had very short life. Fitting Michelin PS2s, PS4s, PSSs or Goodyear AS3s made a huge improvement in grip and lifetime (at least double the mileage) - even Vredestein Sessantas were better on all counts.

 

I vowed that P-Zeros would never be on any car I ever own again - even if it means taking off brand new tyres.

Edited 22 November, 2018 by PetrolDave

[SurreyJohn]

On ‎21‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 14:29, TheBinarySheep said:

I have a 2014 TSI VRS, my rears tyres need replacing, but I'm also experiencing a lack of front end grip in UK cold and winter weather. The fronts have around 2.5mm remaining on them and all round are Michelin Pilotsport 3's.

 

Has anyone else had a similar experience with the PS3's? Or is it simply down to low tread depth?

 

If you live in Durham, and are finding summer tyres not grippy enough in cold weather why are you considering more summer tyres ?

 

Change all 4 worn tyres, and don't get anything cheap (more precisely, poor quality, rather than less expensive), the VRS is a performance car

 

You will find that some makes are not available in some sizes, so your shortlist may be shorter than you wish, from memory the Vredstein Quatrac 5 has one of the widest selection of sizes.   Check out the Tyres section rather than Octavia section for more comments

[TheWanderer]

If you're living in Mid Wales, Scotland or the northern half of the UK, which statistically is more prone to snow & ice, then at this time of year you should be considering the purchase of winter tyres, although buying them now will cost you a proverbial "arm & a leg" compared to buying winter tyres in the summer.

 

I have a set they Continentals ContiWinterContact 850s, they're brilliant in snow & ice, a real revelation and they're good in the wet too. Currently they're in store and I'm taking a gamble on us not having really bad weather down here in Surrey, because I'm changing my car in the not too distant future and I don't want to have to pay four times to have them fitted to the current car, then removed, and then refitted to the new car and later removed in the spring it's a £40 a pop to have done.

 

But do consider getting some winter tyres and some rims, they're worth it! 

[teescom09]

My experience on my VRS 230 estate (original) is:

 

P Zero's were fine and offered very good grip wet and dry as long as the outside temperature was above about 8 deg or the tyres warmed up, nothing at all wrong with them in that respect. They also were very long lasting, fronts about 28K rears just didn't wear out, still 5mm after 30k (been on front for 8-9K) and thats with the boot full of gear. Only draw back is they were a little noisy.  EDIT: I did get a puncture at about 8-9K in front and swapped front to rear at same time as repair.

 

My tyre of choice is the GoodYear Assy 3, brilliant all rounder with top class comfort/quietness. My fronts have now done 10k and two days ago at service were reported with 6mm, rears 7mm. The wet grip is maybe just on par with the P zero's although I have had a couple of surprising scary over steers with them, boot is full and heavy, but felt the back starting to swing out on a bit of zelous roundabout maneuvering , never had that with the P zeros but hope it was just **** on the road. 

 

Just go by the ratings on the tyre, they don't lie! And often so called cheap tyres are better than the premiums tyres, due to soft compound probably wont last as long, but will grip as well if not better in some cases.  I set the benchmark at C for economy, A for wet Grip and no higher than 70db for noise. That rules out about 90% !!! Even PS4's! Mostly GoodYear/Dunlop or their spin offs are the best. PS4's are right there, just too noisy for me on a car that isn't the most refined to start out with. 

Edited 22 November, 2018 by teescom09

[teescom09]

I have also tried the Michelin Cross climates on a Leon, they were excellent all year round, if a bit expensive. I plan to get Kleber (Michelin) Quadraxer 2's for my spare Focus ST 18" wheels for winter and maybe beyond. It has 19" Michelin PS3's standard which are very good, just a bit noisy, more than P zeros's. 

[SurreyJohn]

As the initial poster said the summer tyres were not grippy in the cold weather, has simple choice, fit winter tyres and swap in summers, or buy all seasons.

 

Lets be real, if they let tyres get down to 2.5mm tread, then buying extra set and swapping them spring/autumn won’t happen, so get the best all season you can, use this as a guide (but some won’t be available in your size)

 

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2018-Auto-Bild-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm

 

Then swap them front-back after about 12-15k Miles to even the wear

 

Obviously the further north (or altitude) you live at, you should look at those with better snow rating, I have just gone for Bridgestone A005 (but snow is rare in Surrey)

 

Edited 22 November, 2018 by SurreyJohn

[Auric Goldfinger]

I'm quite a fan of the P-Zero's, once warm they are excellent. I'm with teescom on this.  Tyres are a personal choice, just because someone rants on about a brand everyone seems to follow suit. Price must play a part in tyre choice. I'm in the market for new rubber and I'm thinking Falken FK510's. They get excellent reviews on both wet and dry grip. ( A rated )

 

I can get 4 235/23X19 fitted and balanced for just over £100 per corner, the same size in the PS4's are around £165 per corner.  Thats a big difference 

 

https://www.mytyres.co.uk

[teescom09]

Think Falken fall into premium brand. Had them on a MK1 Focus ST and were excellent. 

 

There was a rather uninspiring 2019 VRS in the Skoda showroom the other day and I noticed thry tyre choice has gone backwards, Bridgestone 001’s oh dear. They made my A6 quattro like a 70’s Skoda Estelle for road noise. Funny just thinking of somebody slagging off a Marina the other day, like s Rolls Royce compared to the equivalent Skoda of the time! Sorry drifted a bit ..... 

[teescom09]

Oh, and I have nearly always changed my tyres at the legal limit. Never had a problem at that. 

[TheBinarySheep]

55 minutes ago, SurreyJohn said:

As the initial poster said the summer tyres were not grippy in the cold weather, has simple choice, fit winter tyres and swap in summers, or buy all seasons.

 

Lets be real, if they let tyres get down to 2.5mm tread, then buying extra set and swapping them spring/autumn won’t happen, so get the best all season you can, use this as a guide (but some won’t be available in your size)

 

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2018-Auto-Bild-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm

 

Then swap them front-back after about 12-15k Miles to even the wear

 

Obviously the further north (or altitude) you live at, you should look at those with better snow rating, I have just gone for Bridgestone A005 (but snow is rare in Surrey)

 

 

The fact tyres have not yet been replaced are not down to cost, it's just up to now I have never really experienced any reduction in grip of any noticeable sort.

 

my rears are close to the legal limit now and need changing in the next week, but I've never noticed the rear lose grip, if I had, they would have been changed sooner.

 

the fronts, obviously that where the power is transferred to the road, so they're different. I don't believe I noticed such a lack of grip last year, so I guess my question is, if it's cold, and damp, will a tyre with 8mm perform better than one with 2.5mm when pulling away from a junction? 

[Kenai]

1 hour ago, teescom09 said:

Just go by the ratings on the tyre, they don't lie!

 

You need to bear several things in mind with the EU tyre ratings;

 

They're self tested, with no independent regulation and the tests have 'windows' of acceptable test parameters that can manipulated.

They are tested in a very very limited circumstance and nowhere near the level of testing that your average magazine does for a comparison test.

They're judged against an unknown 'reference' tyre.

Very often, the same tyre will have different ratings just by virtue of a different speed rating or a manufacturer approval, despite no real difference in the tyre construction, compound or tread pattern.

 

Personally, I don't pay any attention to them whatsoever and prefer looking at comparison tests.

[teescom09]

Yeh heard all this before udually from interested parties  and equally find it very difficult to take seriously. So why don’t they all just give themselves AA 60db ? I am sure they cannot manipulate it like you suggest without recompense. And a lot of the input on the comparison sites is nonsensical almost comical  if you read them. 

[teescom09]

35 minutes ago, TheBinarySheep said:

 

The fact tyres have not yet been replaced are not down to cost, it's just up to now I have never really experienced any reduction in grip of any noticeable sort.

 

my rears are close to the legal limit now and need changing in the next week, but I've never noticed the rear lose grip, if I had, they would have been changed sooner.

 

the fronts, obviously that where the power is transferred to the road, so they're different. I don't believe I noticed such a lack of grip last year, so I guess my question is, if it's cold, and damp, will a tyre with 8mm perform better than one with 2.5mm when pulling away from a junction? 

In the dry and cold and damp the tyre with less tread will probably have more grip. More thana few mm of surface water the tyre with more tread will have the most grip.

 

I found my VRS pretty poor in snow and ice irrespective of the tyres,  it was very disappointing considering the fancy diff. I expected that to lock up and haul me through the snow, it doesn’t its was actually crap. I endedup sliding back down a hill out of control luckily nothing behind!