Which tyres (again)

[Scuzi]

The fronts on my Toledo are beginning to get a bit low. They have about another 1k left in them but I don't want to leave it until the last minute. I was going to get a swap with the rears but to be honest there isn't much point.

The current tyres are Bridgestone Turanza's. They're quite good in the dry but could be much better in the wet. I've been having a look on www.mytyres.co.uk and the tyres that I've been looking at are as follows:

Bridgestone Potenza RE720 (205/55 R16 91W) £67.00
In reviews they rate very high for grip in the dry and have an excellent result for wet grip. They rate lower in noise and wear though.

EAGLE F1 GS-D3 (205/55 R16 91W BSW) £67.00
Don't rate quite as high in wet and dry grip, (or anything for that matter) as the Potenzas but they have a nice tread pattern and I've heard good reports on them. I've also heard people mention 'Cheese sidewalls'. What's that about?


And....that's about it. No other tyres seem to come close in the reviews. Are there any other tyres I should look at? What about the 'outsider' big brands like Hankook, Firestone, BF Goodrich etc.. I don't mean the Nokia, Matador, Superdeeduper tyre manufactureres

The tyres are to go on a Toledo 20VT Sport, a car which is probably on the limits of the chassis power handling capabilities. It tends to understeer in the wet until the ESP kicks in, so tyres which would combat this would be welcome. I'd also want something with a stiffer sidewall.

Thanks

 

[Scuzi]

Righty o. I've had quotes on the following. I know that they all have plenty of grip but with regards to ride comfort, road noise and longevity, which would be the best choice from this lot?

BRIDGESTONE - TURANZA ER30
205/55R16W
£83.90 inc VAT each

CONTINENTAL - SPORT CONTACT 2
205/55R16W
£81.90 inc VAT each

DUNLOP - SP9000
205/55R16W
£76.90 inc VAT each

GOODYEAR - EAGLE F1 GSD3
205/55R16W
£83.90 inc VAT each

TOYO - PROXES T1-R TOYO - PROXES T1-R
205/55R16W
£70.90 inc VAT each


I'm leaning toward the Toyo's but I've heard that the -R wears down very quickly compared to the -S. I'm tempted by the Eagle's as well but again I've heard that they don't last a crack and there's the rumours of 'cheese sidewalls'. I currently have the Bridgestones on my car but fancy something that grips a bit better in the wet. That leaves the Conti's and the Dunlops.

Which do I go for? Those prices are per tyre including fitting and balancing.

 

[Scuzi]

It is my opinion that if you are ever going to have a situation whereby you come close to the limits of your tyres grip in an emergency situation, such as hard braking, it's likely to be in the wet...

I agree with you there. I don't drive my car on the limits often and when I do it's usually for a bit of fun round the roundabouts, nothing too serious. I'd rather have a set of tyres that shaved a metre or two off my stopping distance in an emergency on a wet road. In the dry, the Turanza's I have at the minute are more than enough for my driving but in the wet they perform OK, just not as well as I'd like.

10k out of the Eagles isn't bad but with 180bhp going through my front wheels are they likely to be shredded in no time? I know my car isn't exactly what you'd call a sports car, but are these cheese sidewalls a problem?

It's looking like I'll be going for the Eagles then. I'd love to get the Potenza S-03's but they're over £100 a tyre which is a bit too much I'm afraid.

Thanks Fox