Two or four, and what suits the car better?

[fat controller]

That time has come when I need to get a pair of front tyres - - and I mean NEED to get a pair of front tyres. I currently have Goodyear EfficientGrip all round, although they appear to be two different generations as the tread patterns on the fronts are different to the rears........ anyway, I digress.

Now, I have a few options; as with everyone else, money it tight etc etc etc - BUT, I don't have any time for 'love-you-long-time' el cheapo tyres; I could just shift the two rear tyres to the front and then put a couple of new tyres (EfficientGrips again?) on the rear - however, I have some concerns with the current tyres as they seem to be prone to tramlining and can be a bit skittish at times; that, and they aren't the quietest tyre, although admittedly the worn fronts are not helping matters.

I was considering either Avon ZV5's (thanks to Zollaf for the recommendation) or Dunlop Sport Maxx RT's (given their low noise rating and their A-rated wet grip) - however it appears that both wear out really quite quickly (or at least, that is what web reviews infer), so I was looking at other brands/models:

- Michelin Primacy 3 (well rated for comfort, noise, braking, wet grip and wear)
- Pirelli P7 Cinturato (well rated for braking and wear)
- Continental Sport Contact 5 (good all rounder, but expensive and a bit noisy apparently)
- Uniroyal Rainsport 3 (highly praised for wet and dry grip but wear fast)


So, what are the opinions ladies and gents? Do I go for four of something and put the two current rears in the shed as my own part-worn spares, or do I go for two; if going for two, should they be EfficientGrips to keep the front and back the same?

[AGW82]

I brought 4 of these a few months ago for my Quattro and I've been very impressed with them so far. Their wet weather handling and noise compared to the Conti Sport Contact 3's on from the factory is far superior..

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 | the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 reviewed and rated - TyreReviews (http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Goodyear/Eagle-F1-Asymmetric-2.htm)

Also got them for a really good price from here http://www.tyreleader.co.uk/

I did consider the Avon ZZ5's as well for the price but decided after reading the review I'd probably end up buying 2 lots of Avons for the 1 set of the Goodyear due to the higher wear rate on the Avons..

[SattyA4]

Tyre Leader : cheap tyre online, buy car tyres, discount tyres (http://www.tyreleader.co.uk)

Great prices, great service. You'll have to find a local garage to fit them though

[aussiejock]

I have contisport 5's and get 36k out of them. They are alot quieter than pirelli p zero.

Pricey i know but i get the miles to justify them.

"buy cheap - buy twice!"

[Guest 2]

I can only recommend Michelin!

I have Primacy 3 on the A3 225/45/17 and after 10k miles there is no noticable wear. Good grip (well I had Pilot Sport on before which were grippier but still) for what they are and are relatively quiet.

[fat controller]

I brought 4 of these a few months ago for my Quattro and I've been very impressed with them so far. Their wet weather handling and noise compared to the Conti Sport Contact 3's on from the factory is far superior..

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 | the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 reviewed and rated - TyreReviews (http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Goodyear/Eagle-F1-Asymmetric-2.htm)

Also got them for a really good price from here Tyre Leader : cheap tyre online, buy car tyres, discount tyres (http://www.tyreleader.co.uk/)

I did consider the Avon ZZ5's as well for the price but decided after reading the review I'd probably end up buying 2 lots of Avons for the 1 set of the Goodyear due to the higher wear rate on the Avons..

Just ordered 4 from Blackcircles - fitting on Thursday. £557.96 fitted

[_tones]

Just ordered 4 from Blackcircles - fitting on Thursday. £557.96 fitted

I has the Eagle F1's on my old car and they were decent tyres but didn't really handle well in the winter months. Overall, I would recommend them.

[AGW82]

I has the Eagle F1's on my old car and they were decent tyres but didn't really handle well in the winter months. Overall, I would recommend them.
We're they the asymmetric 2's?

[_tones]

We're they the asymmetric 2's?

Just asymmetric, not '2'.

[fat controller]

Sorry, I couldn't type much earlier - on the phone at the time, and multi-tasking ain't my strong point :biglaugh:

Yesterday, I started off thinking the Avon's or the Dunlop's, but they were out early on due to the high wear rate; just after I posted here last night, I was pretty sure I wanted Michelin's but when it came down to it, the price for the Goodyear's was working out around £100 less for the set. Given that my annual mileage is around 7000 miles nowadays, these should see me for a couple of years at least, and they are bound to be quieter than the EfficientGrips that are on there at the moment which are hellishly noisy (particularly the fronts, as they are so worn).

For the record, I am thoroughly disgusted at myself for letting my fronts get to borderline legal - - I normally oik them off at 3mm to 4mm minimum.

I shall report back once I have the new ones on.

[_tones]

Sorry, I couldn't type much earlier - on the phone at the time, and multi-tasking ain't my strong point :biglaugh:

Yesterday, I started off thinking the Avon's or the Dunlop's, but they were out early on due to the high wear rate; just after I posted here last night, I was pretty sure I wanted Michelin's but when it came down to it, the price for the Goodyear's was working out around £100 less for the set. Given that my annual mileage is around 7000 miles nowadays, these should see me for a couple of years at least, and they are bound to be quieter than the EfficientGrips that are on there at the moment which are hellishly noisy (particularly the fronts, as they are so worn).

For the record, I am thoroughly disgusted at myself for letting my fronts get to borderline legal - - I normally oik them off at 3mm to 4mm minimum.

I shall report back once I have the new ones on.

i recently got my fronts changed for Pirelli P7's but would have considered asymmetric's if I had to change the lot. Already had Pirellis at the back so stuck to them.

[fat controller]

I had half a mind to just go for the two EfficentGrips for the front, and wait for the rears to wear out (there has to be a good 6mm left on them at least), but I like them all to match as much as possible, and the idea of a couple of decent spares for the shed appealed to me - not least should I be skint and need a couple of part-worns to get me through a month or two.... at least I know where they have come from.

[AGW82]

Sorry, I couldn't type much earlier - on the phone at the time, and multi-tasking ain't my strong point :biglaugh:

Yesterday, I started off thinking the Avon's or the Dunlop's, but they were out early on due to the high wear rate; just after I posted here last night, I was pretty sure I wanted Michelin's but when it came down to it, the price for the Goodyear's was working out around £100 less for the set. Given that my annual mileage is around 7000 miles nowadays, these should see me for a couple of years at least, and they are bound to be quieter than the EfficientGrips that are on there at the moment which are hellishly noisy (particularly the fronts, as they are so worn).

For the record, I am thoroughly disgusted at myself for letting my fronts get to borderline legal - - I normally oik them off at 3mm to 4mm minimum.

I shall report back once I have the new ones on.
I'm sure you won't be disappointed, I certainly haven't been for the 3 months I've been running them.. [emoji2] dry grip is good, as is wet grip and stability through standing water.. only time will tell about winter.. if we get one this year..

[fat controller]

Well, so far, so good :)

Tyres were fitted on Thursday, and I have done a fair bit of running about with them already; the difference to the EfficientGrips is marked - these are much grippier, seem to be almost immune to tram-lining, and they are quiet (so much so, they have brought another problem into focus - [url=http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?159629-Wheel-bearing&p=911368#post911368]see here[/url. I haven't had an awful lot of wet use with them yet, but they coped well with some local roads that were left wet after a thunderstorm yesterday - - all in all, they do inspire confidence, and at £116+VAT each corner, they aren't all that horrendously expensive either really.

I still have the two EfficientGrips that came off the rear - they are practically as good as new now I see them off the car, and would almost certainly give me 18 months (or more) use should I need to use them; beside that, it is quite comforting to know that I have a couple of good part worns that I know for a fact have not been abused.

So, yeah _ I am impressed with them so far, and happy that I haven't been shafted on the deal either. BlackCircles and the Indy they used as a fitting partner did really well in the customer service/ease of buying stakes too.

[_tones]

Well, so far, so good :)

Tyres were fitted on Thursday, and I have done a fair bit of running about with them already; the difference to the EfficientGrips is marked - these are much grippier, seem to be almost immune to tram-lining, and they are quiet (so much so, they have brought another problem into focus - [url=http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?159629-Wheel-bearing&p=911368#post911368]see here[/url. I haven't had an awful lot of wet use with them yet, but they coped well with some local roads that were left wet after a thunderstorm yesterday - - all in all, they do inspire confidence, and at £116+VAT each corner, they aren't all that horrendously expensive either really.

I still have the two EfficientGrips that came off the rear - they are practically as good as new now I see them off the car, and would almost certainly give me 18 months (or more) use should I need to use them; beside that, it is quite comforting to know that I have a couple of good part worns that I know for a fact have not been abused.

So, yeah _ I am impressed with them so far, and happy that I haven't been shafted on the deal either. BlackCircles and the Indy they used as a fitting partner did really well in the customer service/ease of buying stakes too.

Good to hear the tyres are working out for you. The P7 XL's I had fitted are fairly noisy but they have always been like that. 71db I think but the car is an sLine so has harsher suspension.