Tyre Replacement Options

[ThreeSixty]

My 2019 Kodiaq RS came with Continental Sport Contact 5 on 20 inch wheels. While the performance of these tyres is good, the wear is quite high. At 20,000 kms, they are almost down to 3mm . That's a lot of wear in my opinion. On reading around, the Sport Contacts are meant to be high performance tyres but universally have a poorer wear score compared to a Premium/Eco contact tyres. My use is abt 60% town and 40% motorway with the rare track day in between. 

 

What has been your experience with OEM tyres and what did you change to?

 

Cheers.

[Yogi-Bear]

4 hours ago, ThreeSixty said:

What has been your experience with OEM tyres and what did you change to?

 

Didn't change the tyres on my last bear in 3.5 years, and only changed the front tyres on the Octavia vRS I had before that once in 3.5 years because of a puncture. Pretty sure they were Conti Sports on both, maybe... my memory isn't what it used to be! I'd suggest driving style and "the rare track day" might be at least partly the cause - they certainly shouldn't be showing that much wear after only 20,000km.

 

Edit: My current vRS Kodiaq (new petrol version) has Conti Sport Contact, and I've done nearly 6,500 miles (roughly 10,000km) so far in just under a year... and they still look like they're new.

Edited 13 September, 2022 by Yogi-Bear

[vRSNZ]

I got 38,000km out of the front pair of SportContact 5's on my Sportline & have only just changed the rears (& another set of fronts) at 72,000km.  Could have gotten more out of the rear if I really wanted to push it.

 

[ZacDaMan72]

The Pirelli Scorpion Verde fitted from factory I have found to be very good, no issues. Not sure what the difference in grip is but they for sure last longer than the Contis in my experience.

[ThreeSixty]

Very impressive mileage from everyone reporting here.

Checked the alignment recently and it was reported as normal not needing any correction. So can't pin down any reason other than driving style I guess..

[ThreeSixty]

9 hours ago, vRSNZ said:

I got 38,000km out of the front pair of SportContact 5's on my Sportline & have only just changed the rears (& another set of fronts) at 72,000km.  Could have gotten more out of the rear if I really wanted to push it.

 

Which tyres did you go in for the replacement?

[Ootohere]

@ThreeSixty

We know why Premium / ECO tyres have a longer life.

That is the compound, treads, & the lack of Traction / Friction / Grip.   

Tyres to get better fuel consumption with the poorer braking and steering and traction and more so in the wet, cold or snow. 

 

Not that Performance Sports Tyres are that good in the same circumstances if they are 'Summer' tyres. 

[simonharper]

12 hours ago, ZacDaMan72 said:

The Pirelli Scorpion Verde fitted from factory I have found to be very good, no issues. Not sure what the difference in grip is but they for sure last longer than the Contis in my experience.

Same here - had Scorpion Verde All Seasons on my Land Rovers and they were great. Have the non All Seasons out of factory on the Kodiaq. At 17K miles they look great still. Expect them to last well. Grip very well and are great in the wet too. Seems the All Seasons are not available for the 20" Sportline wheels though which is a shame as they are very good in the UK brand of snow we get.

[vRSNZ]

14 hours ago, ThreeSixty said:

Which tyres did you go in for the replacement?

 

Same same.  We 'suffer' down here with high tyre prices & limited choices.  Was happy with the Conti's so stuck with them.

[Cozzie Bhoy]

On 14/09/2022 at 00:09, ZacDaMan72 said:

The Pirelli Scorpion Verde fitted from factory I have found to be very good, no issues. Not sure what the difference in grip is but they for sure last longer than the Contis in my experience.

Have them aswell, 77k klms on car and on second set with plenty rubber left. Was in a very wet mucky field few weeks ago and they got me up a slight incline with 6 people on board. Very impressed. I would like to get a wider tyre for the rear to beef up the look from the back. I think the original are a bit too much tucked in under the arches.

[SurreyJohn]

@ThreeSixty Continental have just launched sport contact 7, which would be natural replacement for sport contact 5

Might not be available yet, but should be by by time winter tyres come off (March-April)

 

Remember anything with sport in its name will generally provide more grip but wear faster. Anything with Eco tends to be hard, wears well, but doesn’t grip as well

 

 

[Ootohere]

Winter & ECO maybe not,  but Winter & Sport,   

as many now want for EV's Speed Rating & Load rating and still be good if you want to be getting about in not wintry weather in winter.

[Jingaloonies65]

Original rubber on mine were Pirelli Scorpion Verde Seal Inside, ok but after 28k miles, went for Michelin Cross Climate and they're brilliant.

We haven't had much snow over the last couple of winters here in the UK but they're excellent in all weather.

If you have new ones already, what did you get?

Previous car was a Subaru Forester with Yokohama Geolander. Avoid at all costs, I replaced front ones with Vredestein and they were miles better than the Yokos.

 

[Carlston]

6 hours ago, Jingaloonies65 said:

Original rubber on mine were Pirelli Scorpion Verde Seal Inside, ok but after 28k miles, went for Michelin Cross Climate and they're brilliant.

We haven't had much snow over the last couple of winters here in the UK but they're excellent in all weather.

If you have new ones already, what did you get?

Previous car was a Subaru Forester with Yokohama Geolander. Avoid at all costs, I replaced front ones with Vredestein and they were miles better than the Yokos.

 

 

If you're lucky enough to have the 312mm or 314mm front brake discs on the Kodiaq, then cheap 215/70R16 tyres will fit with suitable rims. Although a non-standard size, it doesn't increase the performance compared to the standard 215/65R17 tyre size so shouldn't increase the insurance. This tyre size allows for the latest Vredestein Quatrac tyres which aren't available in sizes bigger than 16". It's also a more economical tyre size compared to the bigger 17" and 18" tyres.

 

Vredestein Quatrac 215/70R16 100H

https://www.camskill.co.uk/m139b0s12700p201645/Vredestein_Tyres_All_Season_Car_Vredestein_Quatrac_6_-_215_70_R16_100H_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_C_Wet_Grip%3A_B_NoiseClass%3A_B_Noise%3A_71dB

 

The below rims would be suitable for the non-standard 215/70R16 tyre size on the Kodiaq. Notice that the colour of the 6.5Jx16 ET33 steel rim is silver rather than the more common black.

 

6.5Jx16 ET33 steel rim (from VW Tiguan MK1)

 

 

https://www.mytyres.co.uk/rims/details?vehicleId=62269191771657328&rimCode=ALCAR9922

 

6.5Jx16 ET41 steel rim (from Superb MK3)

 

https://www.mytyres.co.uk/rims/details?vehicleId=1037328747869009008&rimCode=ALCAR8426

 

Some Jaguar XJS cars were fitted with the similar 215/70R15 tyre size from 1981 until 1991 (1" smaller than 215/70R16)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_XJS#/media/File:Jagyar_XJS_V12_5343cc_September_1990_rear_three_quarters.jpg

 

Edited 21 October, 2022 by Carlston

[Dappernut]

It's just come to my attention that Michelin seem to have started doing the Cross Climate 2 in the 235/45 20" size.

[ThreeSixty]

On 08/10/2022 at 23:46, Cozzie Bhoy said:

Have them aswell, 77k klms on car and on second set with plenty rubber left. Was in a very wet mucky field few weeks ago and they got me up a slight incline with 6 people on board. Very impressed. I would like to get a wider tyre for the rear to beef up the look from the back. I think the original are a bit too much tucked in under the arches.

Looks like the Pirellis seem to last the longest on the Diesel VRS ? @Cozzie Bhoy, is your vrs the diesel version?

 

3 mm at 22500 kms, quite poor. Have winter Pirelli set on 18 inch wheels, they are down to 5mm at 16K kms.  Could be down to the extra weight and driving style I guess ?  Well, I am moderate to aggressive and the mrs. is quite sedate. 

 

Will try my luck out with another brand other than Conti next summer. 

 

Question - does low tread impact only wet handling and wet braking? Would they be fine in the dry?

 

 

[Yogi-Bear]

8 hours ago, ThreeSixty said:

Question - does low tread impact only wet handling and wet braking? Would they be fine in the dry?

 

There's a reason racing cars use 'slicks' when it's not wet... tyres with no tread give more grip on dry tarmac. However, they're useless on any other surface or if the tarmac isn't bone-dry.

 

What's the minimum tread depth for tyres to be legal in Switzerland?

[ThreeSixty]

2 hours ago, Yogi-Bear said:

 

What's the minimum tread depth for tyres to be legal in Switzerland?

1.6mm

[ThreeSixty]

https://whattyre.com/news/michelin-why-we-need-to-test-tyres-when-theyre-worn/

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonfogelson/2018/04/28/michelin-explores-the-truth-about-worn-tires/

 

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/miscellaneous/2016-10/qa-replacing-tyres-at-3mm-tread-an-absolute-waste-says-michelin-director/

 

https://www.automotiveworld.com/news-releases/michelin-changing-tyres-3mm-unnecessary-costly-harmful-environment/

 

Interesting reads

[Ootohere]

Do people really need to read tests and articles to know that tyres with low tread left are rubbish in the wet, cold or snow?

 

 

 

 

[ThreeSixty]

15 hours ago, roottoot said:

Do people really need to read tests and articles to know that tyres with low tread left are rubbish in the wet, cold or snow?

 

 

 

 

If you consider yourself an expert on this subject, you can ofcourse ignore the articles and stick to your beliefs. I posted them for the benefit of those who might be open-minded and feel like exploring the subject more.  

[Ootohere]

I read the articles.  And use Michelin's.  Winter or all season that supposedly are still good to lower tread depths.     What a load of sales guff lots of it is.  You need not be an expert to know when tyres are performing poorly . 

[J.R.]

On 25/10/2022 at 20:19, Yogi-Bear said:

There's a reason racing cars use 'slicks' when it's not wet... tyres with no tread give more grip on dry tarmac. However, they're useless on any other surface or if the tarmac isn't bone-dry.

 

Not entirely correct, as long as the track surface is not so wet to prevent you getting heat into the tyres then slicks still grip very well, better than intermediates or wets, its a balancing act and many dont have intermediates at all.

 

The biggest danger for slicks is standing water and aquaplaning but as you would have been seeking out the drier line to keep heat in the tyres you will be aware of it and when it starts to encroach on your passage and decide to pit.

 

A driver of a car car on wets or inters side by side with one on slicks will not be able to outbrake it if they take the line through standing water even though the slick shod car is on a wet track, same deal with accelerating out from a corner.

[kodiaqsportline]

On 29/10/2022 at 19:24, roottoot said:

Do people really need to read tests and articles to know that tyres with low tread left are rubbish in the wet, cold or snow?

 

The problem with your reply is you haven't defined what is low tread.  If a tyre is 7mm when new, will it perform the same at 6mm? 5mm? 4mm? 4.3mm? 4.2mm? 4.1mm? etc 

 

No matter how gradual the process is, I suspect every trye becomes less efficient as it wears but I also suspect that for the most part, that difference is negligable. However just like brake fluid etc, I suspect wear -v- performance is not linear. I believe there will come a point where a tiny level of wear in wear will result in a larger drop in performance. I for one would love to know where that drop-off lies.

 

So yes, I think people do need to read tests and articles. The legal min tead in the UK is 1.6mm.  Not being an expert, I haven't a clue if a 1.7mm tyre will perform the same as a 7mm tyre but even if it did, I strongly suspect that's not true for every model of tyre.

 

If I asked the question to 100 people "At what tyre depth should I change my tyre to maintain it's performance" I suspect I'd get near 100 different answers. And that's because we're all armchair experts. The more indi reviews the better I'd say.

Edited 30 October, 2022 by kodiaqsportline

[Ootohere]

The forum has a tyre section and armchair experts or just members discuss stuff.  They give opinions, experiences and anecdotal accounts.

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/493035-at-what-tread-depth-do-you-change-your-tyres

 

 

Near or at the legal limit in the UK really is a low tread with a Summer /Eco tyres IMO.

Far too low for a All Season, Winter or snow tyre IMO.    But then everyone is welcome to do what ever and run what ever. 

 

You do your research, you get the tyres, then you find out if the manufacturers marketing is a load of guff. 

 

 

Edited 30 October, 2022 by roottoot