Cockney Wideboy

iTrader: (2)

Hi Guys,

Anyone else got these tyres on their newage STI? If so what do you think to them?

I've got them on my car. Some may remember that my Goodyear Eagle F1's split (still not heard anything back fro GY yet) and I was a little dubious of getting more F1's, although I loved those tyres. So on a few recommendations I opted for the latest Conti Sport Contact 5's

Straight away I noticed a difference, on turn in they seemed to lack feel but I let them bed in a bit but I just don't rate them at all.

Under braking the wheels lock very easily, on turn in there is a lot of understeer and when getting on the power out of a corner there is lots of oversteer.

I had none of this on the F1's and I'm now worried that I've wasted £600 on destroying the driving dynamics of my car.

I've done about 500 miles now will they mature with age??

Would be really interested to hear the views of anyone else that has these tyres fitted to there car.

Cheers

Chris.

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

I could be wrong mate, but weren't the Contisport 5s intended for the SUV market. I couldn't see them in the std 225/40/18 size when I was looking for tyres.

I have the Contisport 3s and so far am impressed with them so far, but have yet to use them in anger.

Evo certainly rated them

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article...-Tyre-Test.htm

Cockney Wideboy

iTrader: (2)

Many thanks for the reply,

I wasn't aware that the Conti Sport 5's were SUV orientated tyres...I had no problem getting them in 225/40/18's
. I was led to believe that the Sport 5's were an evolution to the Sport 3's and therefore even better....

The 5's also had some good results from various tyre tests also.

The Tyre place told me that they are a softer compound compared to the F1's so said that they should be better suited to the Impreza but the wear rates won't be as good...I don't do a great deal of miles a year so wear rates don't concern me.

Is there a market for barely used second hand tyres? I really do think that I'm going to have to get these off and go back to what I know....I really can't afford to but as it stands at the minute I've got a car that I now have zero confidence in.....

Thanks for your help.

Chris

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Hi Chris,

Well, tyre choice is a very subjective thing I guess. I know people who don't like the Eagle F1..... I'm not one of them!!

A few things to check.

Did you get the Conti 5 or the 5P? The latter appears to be the higher performance tyre..... Bit confusing really.

They are the genuine item aren't they, not copies?

Have you checked the tyre pressures are ok?

Are you sure the tyres are properly "scrubbed in" ?

I think if worse comes to worse you'd have to sell em privately mate - I don't think you'd get anything from a retail place. Might be worth contacting the place who sold them to you though, they might be prepared to offer you a good will gesture to keep your custom.

Sorry to hear you don't like em though: sucks to shell out that much for tyres and be dissapointed.

Cockney Wideboy

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the reply.

They are the 5’s…I was lead to believe that the 5Ps actually have a different tread pattern for front and rear axle and are ordinated to RWD cars…I.e. I think they were developed with Merc in mind…

I honestly hope that they are the genuine tyre and I see no reason as to why they wouldn’t be as I brought them from a reputable tyre place.

I’ve played around with the pressures a bit…I used to run the F1’s at 33Psi Front and 31PSI rear…I just found that these pressure worked very well with the F1’s. when I first got the conti’s the garage had all 4 at 30PSI and the tyre wall seemed very soft on the front and there was a lot of give…currently I’m at 33PSI front and 31PSI Rear as that worked on the F1’s…I can try and reduce it slight…maybe to 31PSI Front and 29PSI rear to see what that does.

I’ve done around 500 miles on the tyres…a good, even mix of gentle motorway, low speed town driving and some spirited driving in the hills….how long should it take…to be honest on any other tyre I’ve had a couple of trips to work and back and they are then fine… the day after they were fitted is drove up and down the M1 and covered in excess of 100 miles.

I do wonder sometimes if it’s just me, but the car just doesn’t feel the same…if I really wanted to I could get the mud flaps scraping the road in a turn with the F1’s fitted and only then would they start to make the slightest bit of squeal (I didn’t do that very often but the tyres where capable of it if wanted)…with the Conti’s there is barely anybody roll before the front is starting to complain and it’s no much later that the front is then washing out…I am going to get the geometry checked just to make sure I’m not wrongly blaming the tyres and see what happens but it seems a little coincidental that on the old tyres I never had this…but at the same time I haven’t really driven the car from October to March so there could have been a geo issue before the tyres where fitted and I hadn’t noticed….I don’t do that many miles and the F1s still had 6mm of thread on them after 2 years so at that rate I can’t afford to wait for the tyres to wear out naturally as at the minute I’ve got no faith in them what so ever.
Thanks for taking the time to reply…would be interested to hear if anyone else has got these tyres and what they think to them…but currently I don’t agree with the EVO review.

Cheers

Chris

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

They should be scrubbed in by 500 miles.

Check your geometry mate and if that's ok..... it looks like you may just have got tyres you don't get on with!

Whereabouts are you located?

Cockney Wideboy

iTrader: (2)

I'll continue to play with the pressures a bit more and get the geometry checked asap. Although I'm very busy with work at the minute so finding time will be difficult.

Maybe because I've only ever had F1's and I knew exactly where their limits were and how they felt close to the limits. I just need to learn the conti's but at the minute it just seems that the limits of the 5's are lower than that of the F1's...even the EVO review said the same that F1's grip more in the dry.

Replacing them would be a last resort as I really can't afford to just throw
money away.

I'm based Sheffield way...

Cheers for your help.

Chris

matt-c

iTrader: (5)

Just a thought, check the load rating, Scoobs like tyres with very stiff sidewalls IMHO.

GeeDee

iTrader: (2)

matt-c is right, I always get XL tyres these days - makes things much more stable.