SRSport

Curious to see what impact changing tyres have had on people's cars.

My Mercedes B200 Turbo comes with Continental Contisport 2 tyres as standard and until now, I wouldn't have thought that changing them would had any influence on what is the only downside to the drive - the overly harsh ride. The Contis come in at £160/corner so when I needed to replace them a couple of years ago, I tried the Falken 452s at £85/corner. I was impressed as the only difference I could detect was the much louder tyre roar, which, considering the price difference, wasn't too bad a compromise.

However, having recently fitted Vredestein Centos I have seen a dramatic change. Even though the side wall rating is the same, the ride is far more refined and slightly quieter, with potholes ceasing to be the 'hold on tight', wincing experience they were before. Unfortunately they have reduced fuel efficiency by around 10% and there is slightly more understeer on the limit but this is a small price to pay for a car that has been transformed.

I hold Vredestein in high regards (Centos for refinement, Sessantas for fast road) and think that Falken tyres offer very good value for money, while continentals seem over priced. Please share your opinions and experiences.

RS_Matt

I'm happy with my Suntek sports.

Steve001

iTrader: (7)

I've had 3 sets of Vredestein Sessantas, one on the bug WRX the other two on the SpecD great all round tyres on par with the Eagle F1's IMO

BoozyDave

iTrader: (8)

my blob had toyo T1R's fitted when I got it, but I was never impressed with them. I replaced them with vredestein ultrac sessantas and it was like a different car

just fitted my winter tyres (nankang's) and when it's below 5 deg the difference is surprising, I'd deffo recommend winter tyres to anyone. no matter how good anyone think's they can drive, you can't defy the law of physic's!!!!

Steve001

iTrader: (7)

+1 on winter tyres

This worth a watch

nikon-man

iTrader: (3)

I was at Spa a few years ago when they launched the McLaren mpc412c and it was on Michelins and was a handful sliding around the corners....a couple of days later the same car went out to practice and qualify for the british gt championship and had to run on avons and the car blitzed the field and was on pole and looked like a totally different car even though it was the same drivers in the car...............

make of that what you will.......just my opinion but tyres are the only thing that keeps your car in contact with the road.....

SRSport

I was under the impression from what all the tyre fitters and reviewers suggest that Michelin Super Sports are pretty much the best road tyres you can get. I was tempted to buy them just to see how good they are but they're even more expensive than the Continentals.

nikon-man

iTrader: (3)

Michelin super sports my be the best road tyres you can get just remember that race tracks are a little different than roads as in the surface is very abrasive etc and the way a race car is set up as well

bustaMOVEs

iTrader: (31)

Defiantly, different tyres give the car(s) different manners and ride quality

nikon-man

iTrader: (3)

I do a lot with a gt team and they say that testing with different tyres is so valuable to them

I could open up a can of worms about spoilers ( maybe when people are bored )

jura11

iTrader: (7)

Hi there

From personal experience:

Falken FK452 are great tyres,which doesn't cost too much and they're good as in wet or dry

Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta best tyres what we are tried and offering,superb dry and wet traction

Toyo T1R great tyres although slightly soft sidewall for heavier cars,not so good in wet for me

Michelin Pilot Sport 2 great tyres again,great traction in dry,in wet they're just OK,but that's maybe subjective

Continental ContiSport 3 I just don't like how they feel in dry and too noisy for my liking,great in wet

Matador tyres in general,tried them on FWD and 4WD tyres and always I've find them great

Kumho Ecsta great tyres in dry, al hough I think they have same soft sidewall as Toyo

Toyo R888 great and sticky tyres in dry and in wet they're OK,if you tyre depth is still good although they don't like puddles of water.They wear too quickly maybe for my liking

Yokohama AD08 great tyres in dry and I would say they're on par as R888,in wet they're no so bad,we are drove them in wet and they're been awesome

Jura

LUCKO

iTrader: (3)

Jura do you know anyone who has tried Nokian A3 tyres on an Impreza?

jura11

iTrader: (7)

You mean WR A3?

Nokian and Matador both using same silica in their winter tyres

WR A3 seems are good tyres and seems they have good reviews

I think friend over in Czech Republic running on his Impreza

Jura

thenewgalaxy

I switched to Toyo Proxes T1 sports on my newage. They were great.

gregwill

iTrader: (1)

I had the falkens on my bug sti and it may just be me but I really did not like them, I now use the vredestein ultrac sessanta had a few sets of these now and think they are a brilliant tire!!! vredestein ultrac sessanta get my vote all the way

SirFozzalot

I recently changed from Goodyear F1's to Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta's and there was a huge improvement in handling and responsiveness in the steering.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

Just like to mention that the way any tyre performs really does depend on size and pressure, just because a particular make and model of tyre performs well on one car does not mean it will be good on another, Toyo T1R is a perfect example of this in that they are great on a classic but not so on a newage, they also need to run about 34/36psi as opposed to 30/32.