Hi all,

Can anyone recommend a standard 205 50 16 tyre that will be happy on wet & dry roads, last for a decent amount of time, and offer some grip in snow??!

Price isn't too important, but grip, feel and durability are. I don't do track days and I'm prepared to compromise on some areas like noise, comfort - I'm just looking for a good, all-round road tyre.

At the risk of being shot down in flames , I have been thinking about options like Continental Sport Contact, Michelin Pilot Exalto, etc.

Any other thoughts/suggestions??!

Cheers,

Andy

 

hi, i've had the following....

bridgestone SO3 20k miles, pretty good grip.

toyo T1S , 2nd hand set lasted 12k miles, i though dry grip was better.

i'm no expert but have boughtnew toyos recently.

goodyear GSD3's are pretty well thought of i think.


cheers matt

 

Thanks Matt, I guess my only question is how well these tyres would fair on cold wet and snowy roads? Interesting wear info though!

 

F1 GSD3s are superb, wet or dry. Had several sets and sizes now. Predictable, quiet, heaps better than the OE Bridgestones.
I've only had a couple of experiences in snow in recent years, and I didn't have any problem getting home on them, whereas it was abandoned BMW chaos around here last time, however I'd put that down to 4WD entirely.
I'm sure winter/snow tyres are the only real answer for serious white stuff.

15k is totally realistic, I've managed more, but the tread depth at the edges is shallower so as these tend to wear before the centre they can run out of tread well before the rest, particularly if you're a bit enthusiastic.
I'm sure it's possible to trash them a lot quicker with a couple of track days thrown in though.

 

Thanks for that Jerry.

In truth, I think anything will be better than the badly worn Kumho tyres the car came with, but I'm just looking ahead - moving back to Scotland in November and keen to go snowboarding/mountaineering when the white stuff permits !

Good to hear that the car felt ok in snow with the Goodyears though, and reasonable mileage!

Cheers,

Andy

 

If your snow/ice driving technique is ok then you can go anywhere in a Scoob (albeit slowly). I drove up a sheet ice covered road in my MY99 running 17" Toyos, it was so slippery that when I stopped and put the handbrake on the car started sliding backwards. But gripped and drove off without a problem. Even went down the same hill without any drama.

Dave.