quiet tyres

[JohnF]

Hi, just discovered this forum after 20yrs of VW/Audi ownership [only 3 cars - 83 Passat GL5 Est, 15,000 - 195,000 90 2.0GL Est, 4,000 - 242,000 and now [after 400K from 2 second-hand Passats]a '98 A6 2.8E 77,000 - currently 92,000 - just nicely run in, should last me out......

It's due for a tyre change and I'd like the quietist tyres possible so would be grateful for any suggestions, please.

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Hi JohnF

If you tell us what boots you are running ATM (make, size, load/speed rating), the driveline of your car, and more importantly, your driving style, we might be able to offer some advice.:confused: :1zhelp: :aargh4:

Rdgs, TTFN

[SCBowden]

Hello JohnF,

Enjoy the Website.

A Local Tyre Dealer in Newton Abbot, who has always been very reliable and honest has always stated that the Pirelli P6000 range was one of the quietest tyres on the market.

I see from the post from Teutonic_Tamer there are other considerations to take into account.

Regards,

Steve

[skyeman]

Had Michelins on my 2.0 Bora, very noisey and terrible understeer!!!
Got Dunlops now much quieter and 100% better turn in.

[Sam]

I'm using Pirelli P6000 on a 2001 lowered Passat and couldn't be happier (with the tyres at least!)

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Hello JohnF,

A Local Tyre Dealer in Newton Abbot, who has always been very reliable and honest has always stated that the Pirelli P6000 range was one of the quietest tyres on the market.

I see from the post from Teutonic_Tamer there are other considerations to take into account.

Regards,

Steve


How do you know that your local tyre dealer is reliable and honest????

Is he a "tied" dealer, ie, one that is owned or franchised from a specific tyre manufacturer/company/importer? If he has closer dealings with Pirelli than with other manufacturers (and gets a better discount on Pirelli), then of course they will tell you that they are quieter/gripper/longer lasting/give better mpg/etc*** (*delete as appropriate to the question you ask for specific reccomendation). I know one dealer local to me who will push push push like hell to sell you Avons, because he is tied to Cooper/Avon (he could probably sell sand to Arabs!). To quote an other example, ATS (UK) and ATS/EuroMaster (mainland europe) is owned by Michelin, and are therefore going to be more competitive with Michelin, although (a) some indepentents can beat them on price sometimes, and (b) they are often open with their advice on all brands.

I personally would never use, nor recommend Pirelli tyres to anybody. I have two very good reasons to support that statement. I used to be a wholly independent tyre fitter in one of the largest Government employers in the country, which ran very large fleets of identical spec vehicles, from motorcycles, through passenger cars, 4x4s, light commercials, heavy commercials, PSVs, agricultural, plant, and specific duty vehicles. I, as well as my own personal experience, also had access to "top level" information on all aspects of fleet operation, including things such as: warranty issues, maintenance, factory modifications, accident damage data, fuel economy, etc, etc, etc.

Firstly, the tyre carcass on Pirellis is so weak that the UK re-treadders/re-moulders refuse to take Pirellis. You might very quickly reply to that by saying something like "I'd never, ever put remoulds on my car" (which would be a perfectly reasonable comment to make). I would advise you that the tyre carcass is basically the first and most important aspect of a tyres' construction, and therefore relates directly to performance, safety, longevity, etc. Quite simply, would the best, most stylish Armani suit look better on a perfectly formed supermodel, or on a bent, mis-shaped wire coat hanger which deforms even further when you try to hang the suit. This relates to the fact that you could have the best tyre tread design, and the best tread rubber compound - you see where I am going. This is critical, in the event of a slow puncture for example.

Secondly, I (and all of my working collegues at the time) experimented on different makes of new tyres on identical spec cars, and found a huge difference in perfomance, handling, and comfort. I would qualify that we never used budget tyres, only premium, first line brands, such as Michelin, Dunlop, Goodyear, Continental, Uniroyal, Pirelli, Firestone & Avon. In all of our opinions, based on "blind" testing, Pirellis came out bottom in all areas, with handling and comfort being particularly poor. Michelin and Continental repeatedly came out tops, with Uniroyal also performing particulary well in very wet conditions. I must emphasise that this wasn't a scientific or statistical test, and costs were never included, but merely a "seat of your pants" real world feel for the tyres. They were also based on /70 and /60 series profile tyres, and not ultra high perfomance ultra low profile tyres as used on modern high performance cars, such as today's S4, RS6, R32 etc.

To comment on "quiet" tyres in the /60 series profile ranges, in my opinion, the Michelin Energy tyre range is the quietest tyre in all round performance, whereas, Continental EcoContact is quieter than Mich Energy at straight line high speed cruise (such as motorways), but is noiser than Michelin Energy under hard braking and hard cornering.

For wide, high performance tyres, such as /45 or /40 profile tyres, I find that the new Dunlop SP SportMaxx (their very latest high performance tyre) is very lacking in aquaplaning resistance, has poor feel and stability when cornering hard (wet or dry), and is only mediocre <sp?> under straight line heavy requirements (hard acceleration/braking, again both wet and dry). The aquaplaning becomes particularly horrendous when the tread wears down to 5mm (yes - 5mm, there is still another 3mm to use!), from the original new 7mm! The Continental SportContact 2 is a very dependable tyre, performing quite satisfatorily in most areas, with very competent high levels of grip and stability when cornering in the dry (still acceptable in wet), satisfactory (but not excellent) resistance to aquaplaning, satisfactory straight line acceleration and braking (although an un-nerving tendancy to loose all grip under extremely harsh braking). The ride comfort could be described as quite harsh at slow speeds, or arrond town, but is better at (probably more suited to) high speed cruising - German Autobahns come to mind.

As you can see, there are many, many variables to consider when selecting tyres, and I dispare when I see people in the tyre dealers who say "I have the cheapest".

Ultimately, tyres are, without question, the most important component of your car, in a whole range of areas, including: safety, general handling, acceleration, braking, cornering, comfort, fuel economy.

One final point to remember with new tyres - under most circumstances, a brand new tyre, irrespective of the make, will usually "feel" better than your old, worn out tyres. (The "placebo" effect is a major factor in this issue).

Whoops - a second "final" point - the Pirelli P6000 is quite an old design, and is certainly NOT a fuel-saving (low rolling resistance, and therefore quiet) "energy" type of tyre.

Rgds

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Had Michelins on my 2.0 Bora, very noisey and terrible understeer!!!
Got Dunlops now much quieter and 100% better turn in.


What type of Michelin, and what type of Dunlop?

Any other differences to the vehicle between tyre changes, such as tracking/wheel alignment, brakes, suspension, different wheels etc.?

You probably don't get much motorway or high speed corners up there on the the lovely Isle of Skye :D

[skyeman]

Dunlop SP1, quite cheap too got them from internet nearly half the price that Kwik fit wanted. done 10k on them and still going strong.
Can't remember what the Michelin were but would never never buy them again!
I'll look out the name of the internet supplier, and re-post.

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Dunlop SP1, quite cheap too got them from internet nearly half the price that Kwik fit wanted. done 10k on them and still going strong.

Isn't Dunlop SP1 quite an old tyre design? They certainly arn't listed on the Dunlop www - unless you meant SP Sport 01. I've only used these on Vx Corsas, and they seemed pretty good, if a little hard, but that means you'll get long life out of them.

I've never had any faith in KwikFit, they repeatedly damaged my alloys, and could never balance them dynamically. Even now, they are meant to offer a price match, but want a written quote :aargh4: - they never get my business!


Can't remember what the Michelin were but would never never buy them again!

You do surprise me - not liking Michelin. I know a lot of people steer clear of Michelin on price grounds, because you can always find another brand cheaper.

Do you know how "old" the Michelins were, because they may have simply age hardened and the rubber lost its elasticity. Tyres are really meant to be scrapped after six years of age, no matter how much tread is left, because of the natural degredation from the environment in general.

You can find the age of the tyre by looking for either a 3 or 4 digit number on the sidewall (sometimes on both sidewalls, somtimes on only one, so it may be on the innner sidewall). Usually, pre year 2000 will have a 3 digit, and 2000 onwards will be 4 digit. Two examples: 409 - means the tyre was made in week 40 of 1999, and 0303 means the tyre was made in week 3 of 2003. If the first two numbers are anything higher than 52**, then you are looking at the wrong number (as there are only 52 weeks in any year!). Ideally, no one should be using tyres with a 3 digit code (well, i'll forgive you until after Santa washes down his mince pie with some sherry):D (Ping Stuart: what about some xmas smilies???)


I'll look out the name of the internet supplier, and re-post.

Was it either BlackCircles, or MyTyres? Not used either of them, but both seem quite competative.

TTFN

[VWTDIMAN]

Hello to everyone on what appears to be an excellent site.

Having owned VW Golfs now for over 10 years, I can safely say that the best tyres for me at any rate, not necessarily the cheapest, are MICHELIN. I had a MKIII GOLF GL TDi and this ran beautifully on E3A (195/60) Michelins. I would not knock Kwik-Fit. They provide a superb service and make every effort to look after your car. They also give excellent deals on Michelins and can match ATS Tyres easily for price. Main VW dealers tend to be expensive on tyre fitting and often recommend Continental or Pirelli (not sure why?....is it because these tyres are cheaper).

I recently bought a superb 04 reg MK V GOLF GT Tdi (140 BHP) and was amazed to see that the main dealer sold the vehicle to me with Euronic (or is it Eurotour??) 556 tyres on the front! I know it's not their responsibility to have good tyres on the car, but after spending close to £15,000, it surprised me. Clearly these were not on the car when sold new but, once I had the new Michelin PHP (Primacy High Performance) V rated (designed to run up to 149 mph) tyres 205/55/16V fitted, the car's performance thankfully transformed beyond belief. Road grip is truly superb even in the three inch downpour we had this weekend down here in Cornwall (early December 2006). Cornering is also amazing; the car holds the road like being on a rail.

Initially I had complained to our VW garage about a low frequency rumbling sound (1600 revs about 38 mph) in 4th Gear. After they introduced me to their version of the STIG (VW Chief Engineer who was brilliant....yes, he was) it transpired that this was not the car, it was the tyres!!! The two rear tyres were Continentals one with 3mm of tread and the other 7mm.

The Michelins set me back £332 all in (I opted for £24.95 additional payment to Kwik-Fit to carry out tracking.....and I watched them do it).

I suspect alloy wheels are prone to damage as when carrying out work Kwik-Fit use metal bars, presumably to stabilise the vehicle? Someone will tell me what these do. Kwik-Fit did not damage my 16" alloys but a small white mark (thin white line???) appeared on one; it may have been there before they took it for 2 hours.

So 4 x Michelin 205/55/16V tyres for £356.95 all in and that INCLUDED tracking. That 'feel good factor' has now come back after the rumble sound disappeared.

Michelin tyres are simply, in my opinion, the best on the market. Other opinions very welcome as I am new to what looks like an excellent VW/AUDI forum.

Martin (aged 48)

[VWTDIMAN]

Had Michelins on my 2.0 Bora, very noisey and terrible understeer!!!
Got Dunlops now much quieter and 100% better turn in.
Hi

Wondered which type of Michelins you used?

Be interested to know.

Martin

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Hi

Wondered which type of Michelins you used?

Be interested to know.

Martin

I think skyeman has already stated (in post #8) he don't know which Michelins they were. ;)

Rgds

[VWTDIMAN]

Sean

Oh I see.

Regards

Martin (Slightly perplexed?)

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Hello to everyone on what appears to be an excellent site.

You're most welcome. Enjoy, and share all experiences, good or bad.


Having owned VW Golfs now for over 10 years, I can safely say that the best tyres for me at any rate, not necessarily the cheapest, are MICHELIN. I had a MKIII GOLF GL TDi and this ran beautifully on E3A (195/60) Michelins.

E3A - they are the later spec Energy tyres arn't they??? I too have found the earlier spec Energys to be excellent. Can't personally comment on the later ones, but I'm sure they'll be pretty darn good.


I would not knock Kwik-Fit. They provide a superb service and make every effort to look after your car. They also give excellent deals on Michelins and can match ATS Tyres easily for price.

How do they balance your wheels though? I had huge probs with Crap-Fit... whoops, Kwik-Fit being utter incompetents when balancing. They could only do static balancing, with one set of stick-on weights along the centre line, even though their wheel balance machines were capable of dual-line dynamic balancing :aargh4: . Single line static balancing may be fine for skinny wheels, like on Citroen 2CVs, but on any rims 5" or wider, you really do need (and should expect without having to ask for) dual-line dynamic balancing. As I mentioned previously, they repeatedly damaged my alloys (I changed five nearly brand new {6mm front, 7&#189;mm rear}, but ******** lethal Yokohamas {which were categorically specced by the manufacturer} to Michelin Pilot Sports), gouging both inner and outer lips of the rims.

Also, don't forget that ATS (UK) and ATS Euromaster (mainland Europe) are actually owned by Michelin, so they will usually be able to better anyone else on Michelin prices. Also, any ATS UK warranty will be valid in Europe - handy if you nip over "la manche" etc.


Main VW dealers tend to be expensive on tyre fitting and often recommend Continental or Pirelli (not sure why?....is it because these tyres are cheaper).

Never heard VW dealers recommend Pirelli myself, but they do push Continental. The Contis are often OEM, and are also German made. The reason VW dealers are more expensive, is because they need to cover their overheads (nice shiny showrooms, nice shiny courtesy cars, nice shiny blondes/brunettes sitting behind desks answering phones etc), and because they know people won't haggle. (It's not just VW dealers, all main dealers for all makes are the same).


I recently bought a superb 04 reg MK V GOLF GT Tdi (140 BHP) and was amazed to see that the main dealer sold the vehicle to me with Euronic (or is it Eurotour??) 556 tyres on the front! I know it's not their responsibility to have good tyres on the car, but after spending close to &#163;15,000, it surprised me. Clearly these were not on the car when sold new

You are quite right about tyre fitment, but very wrong regarding the responsibility of the Main Dealer. VW would have difinately NOT supplied a new car with anything but premium brand (usually Michelin, Continental or Dunlop) tyres. I would have done two things; firstly, ask the dealer to remove them and fit OEM branded tyres at their cost before purchase, OR demand a discount for your cost of replacing them BEFORE purchase. Secondly, write a formal letter of complaint to both the Dealer Principal, AND to Volkswagen UK, explaining that the VW Franchised dealer were knowingly supplying a modified car, with tyres which were clearly below the standard supplied when the car was new. This is quite important, as the car is still under the manufacturers warranty. If you were to fit non-standard/non-genuine parts, the garage would throw out any warranty claim. :aargh4: . If you had purchased the car out of VW warranty, or from an independent rather than main dealer, then it is a different matter, you (and the seller) are fair game - caveat emptor, as they say.


but, once I had the new Michelin PHP (Primacy High Performance) V rated (designed to run up to 149 mph) tyres 205/55/16V fitted, the car's performance thankfully transformed beyond belief. Road grip is truly superb even in the three inch downpour we had this weekend down here in Cornwall (early December 2006). Cornering is also amazing; the car holds the road like being on a rail.

Primacys are really designed for big luxury saloons, pounding up and down motorways/dual-carriageways, with "sir" in the back. For twisty Cornish roads, the Exalto would be better suited, although you seem to be v.happy with your present lot. :-)


Initially I had complained to our VW garage about a low frequency rumbling sound (1600 revs about 38 mph) in 4th Gear. After they introduced me to their version of the STIG (VW Chief Engineer who was brilliant....yes, he was) it transpired that this was not the car, it was the tyres!!! The two rear tyres were Continentals one with 3mm of tread and the other 7mm.

Well there you go, the dealer admitted the tyres were not fit for purpose :zx11: . Get those letters posted today. For a main dealer to supply any car with such differences in tread depths is completely irresponsible.


The Michelins set me back &#163;332 all in (I opted for &#163;24.95 additional payment to Kwik-Fit to carry out tracking.....and I watched them do it).

Why the tracking? Did they explain why? Did they show you the abnormal wear on your existing tyres. If not, then they have fleeced you by carrying out unnecessary work. Another letter off to Trading Standards. And you can be sure you will need the tracking doing again when you go back to Kwik-Fit in 12 months time.


I suspect alloy wheels are prone to damage as when carrying out work Kwik-Fit use metal bars, presumably to stabilise the vehicle? Someone will tell me what these do. Kwik-Fit did not damage my 16" alloys but a small white mark (thin white line???) appeared on one; it may have been there before they took it for 2 hours.

I think you have your words mixed up. Alloy (as well as steel) wheels are prone to damage, by kerbing etc, and lazy tyre fitters. Kwik-Fit usually damage alloys. Describe the "metal bars" which they used: where were they used? The white mark you state might be chalk or crayon - sometimes used to indicate the location of the wheel weights, or sometimes to highlight an area of damage to the rim, such as a buckle, maybe on the inner edge of the rim. See if it cleans off.


So 4 x Michelin 205/55/16V tyres for &#163;356.95 all in and that INCLUDED tracking. That 'feel good factor' has now come back after the rumble sound disappeared.

:confused: Oh, way up there /&#166;\ (oohh... that's pretty, in'it), you said &#163;332 all in, now your saying &#163;356 all in. You've been had. For a set of 4 of those Michelins, a good price after phoning around would be the &#163;300 mark.


Michelin tyres are simply, in my opinion, the best on the market. Other opinions very welcome as I am new to what looks like an excellent VW/AUDI forum.

Yup, I fully agree with you on that statement. There may be tyres out there that are cheaper, but when you prang your motor because of ***** rubber, the &#163;250 + excess on your insurance, plus the hassle of getting the dents smoothed out, somehow, the price difference is a no brainer.


Martin (aged 48)

LOL, I like it. Rgds.

[skyeman]

Michelins are still not for me but I did notice that Costco do them in every size type you could imagine and they looked cheap to me.
It must be Christmas the world over flowing with good will, that's the only explanation for somebody waxing so lyrical about Kwik Twits!
Or has Tom Farmer joined the forum?:biglaugh:

[Teutonic_Tamer]

It must be Christmas the world over flowing with good will, that's the only explanation for somebody waxing so lyrical about Kwik Twits!

Well - it was you whom initially threw Crap-Stiff into the melting pot first, wasn't it :p ;) . VWTDIMAN - Martin aged 48, then jumped in head-first after you :D .


Or has Tom Farmer joined the forum?:biglaugh:

I thought he had sold them a couple of years back - I could be wrong though :Blush:

[VWTDIMAN]

Hi TT and many thanks for all your excellent comments which I will take on board. It does seem that poor Kwik Fit do get a raw deal. I am wondering where one would do better to get tyres fitted - or is this obvious to eveyone but me? Presumably a VW specialist i.e. not a main dealer.

By the way TT - Do you know of any oil issues with the latest TDi engines as I have checked levels and they are low. Oil prices are sky high for these cars i.e. 13.99-a-litre. Give me some feedback on this.

Best regards

VWTDIMAN (still 48). Incidentally, you don't mention your age?

[skyeman]

Think Mr Farmer bought them back, he sold it to Fors for a very substantial fortune, they managed it into the ground then he bought it back for pennies!

[passat1.8T]

My 2 peneth worth so here goes...

I’m having continental sport fitted on the front of my 1.8T sport estate in the morning this was based on price and the fact that they seem a good all rounder, so will have to see how it goes.
As for Michelin tyres, ive had them on cars before and cant wait to get rid of them, I find that the tend to pull your car about EG when there’s a crack in the road or your on the white line or overtaking crossing the white line, I think they call this "tram lining" either way I would never choose to have any Michelin tyres.
I’ve had loads of Firestones and find there a good tyre for the way I drive which is quite harsh and I do expect a lot from tyres! lol
Yokohama tyres, great grip when warm and in the dry but don’t last 5 mins!
:D

[skyeman]

I'd almost forgotten how much the Michelins tram-lined, terrible for following the camber:mad:
Yeah Yokies are great tyres if you can afford to change them every week.

[skyeman]

[quote=VWTDIMAN;10173]Hi TT and many thanks for all your excellent comments which I will take on board. It does seem that poor Kwik Fit do get a raw deal. I am wondering where one would do better to get tyres fitted - or is this obvious to eveyone but me? Presumably a VW specialist i.e. not a main dealer.

Have you tried using the world wide interweb search engines to find tyre suppliers???

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Think Mr Farmer bought them back, he sold it to Fors for a very substantial fortune, they managed it into the ground then he bought it back for pennies!

Stands corrected - permission to sit down again Sir. :o

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Hi TT and many thanks for all your excellent comments which I will take on board. It does seem that poor Kwik Fit do get a raw deal.

Your earlier comments about "Kwik-Fit" and "tracking" in the same sentance will be a-ringing alarm bells a-plenty. If I recall correctly, Kwik-Fit were prosecuted by Trading Standards some years back for carrying out un-necessary work - leopards and spots ker-ching in my head (makes a change from the voices I suppose).

I would love to see a Kwik-Fit training manual - probably goes somthing like this: step1, do they have any mechanical qualifications or experience? - No - tick. Step2, can they read the three latest issues of MaxPower? - Yes - tick.

Two above ticks and they are hired - if they can read the above, as well as FastFord/FastVauxhall/Banzai (delete as appropriate), then they can become branch manager!!!!


I am wondering where one would do better to get tyres fitted - or is this obvious to eveyone but me? Presumably a VW specialist i.e. not a main dealer.

For absolute peace of mind - humph, I suppose the main dealer would be the easy answer, but still not the best. I don't think a VW independent would be a good choice for tyres, because of the specialist kit, such as wheel balancers.

It's really quite difficult to categorically state who to use - it's much easier with who to avoid - those who repeatedly get bad press / appear on Watchdog / get slated on internet fourms. Unless you are a regular visitor to tyre places, the best advice is to ask for recommendations in your local area, then actually go along to the place and speak to someone (but say you are looking for tyres in about a months time or so). If they are pushy, or seem lazy, then walk away.

Also, don't be fooled by the back street garage look vs the spick and span shiny outfit with fifteen different herbal teas at the coffee machine. One of my local preferred tyre suppliers certainly comes into the first category!


By the way TT - Do you know of any oil issues with the latest TDi engines as I have checked levels and they are low. Oil prices are sky high for these cars i.e. 13.99-a-litre. Give me some feedback on this.

What year / spec / mileage? All VAG TDIs are known to use oil, particularly if they were "nannied" whilst being run-in. Don't forget also, if yours is a PD (Pumpe Duse, or unit injector), they are absolutely stringent about the oil they use - either 505.01 for fixed interval servicing, or 506.01 for variable interval LongLife servicing - nothing else will do. Do a search on my username, and look for a very detailed comment on oil labelling.


Best regards

VWTDIMAN (still 48). Incidentally, you don't mention your age?

Eight less than you - LOL :beerchug:

[Teutonic_Tamer]

My 2 peneth worth so here goes...

I’m having continental sport fitted on the front of my 1.8T sport estate in the morning this was based on price and the fact that they seem a good all rounder, so will have to see how it goes.

If they are the SportContact2, then I'm sure you will be happy with them.


As for Michelin tyres, ive had them on cars before and cant wait to get rid of them, I find that the tend to pull your car about EG when there’s a crack in the road or your on the white line or overtaking crossing the white line, I think they call this "tram lining" either way I would never choose to have any Michelin tyres.

You do surprise me with you Michelin comments. Can you remember what type they were?

Regarding tramlining; a number of issues can cause it, including poor tyres. A major cause of tramlineing though is caused by underinflation - even if your tyres are at the recommended pressure, they may still cause it. The key word regarding tyre pressures is "recommended" - exactly as it says on the tin - experiment with the pressures, usually by pumping up by 4-6psi (but not downwards - not a good idea), and seeing if it makes any difference.

All too often I see people with premature wear on the tyres (mainly fronts), and they tell me the pressures are correct - I have to advise them that driving styles can be different from one person to another, an so can tyre pressures. Two examples; first my father, he wears both outer shoulders on both front tyres - he did this on his last two MB A classes, and also on his C-Max. Same spiel about proper pressures and being a gentle OAP driver - I then watch him twirl the steering wheel from lock to lock whilst stationary when he parks. Up the PSI in the front by 6 - much less wear on the outer edges. Second example, my B6 S4, the sticker quotes 39psi for fronts, I too was getting both outer edges worn on the fronts, along with tramlineing under heavy braking - upped the pressure to 46psi - no tramlineing & no edge wear. This happened with the original ContiSportContact2s and also with the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s which I fitted (which are way better than the Contis).


I’ve had loads of Firestones and find there a good tyre for the way I drive which is quite harsh and I do expect a lot from tyres! lol

Historically, Firestones were quite good with their performance tyres. I used to run them (very hard) on a Fiat SuperMirafiori, and they did me proud. Since they were taken over by Bridgestone a few years back, Firestones are generally seen as their budget, low performance range, whereas Bridgestone are marketed as their high performance premium brand.


Yokohama tyres, great grip when warm and in the dry but don’t last 5 mins!

I can sort of half agree with you - Yokohama are OK, but not great when it is very dry and warm. When it is wet, they are downright dangerous - I know from sphincter relaxing experiences with two different types of Yokos - never again!!!1

[con8280]

I agree... stay well clear of pirelli p6000's!!!!
Ive found the eagle f1s are great...for grip esp in wet...but they r soft and wear quickly.
We run eagle nct-5's on our work cars..and they get thrashed 24/7.
They a good all round tyre...if not a little hard..but give good grip and last longer than the f1's.
I run dunlop sp-01s now on my quattro- again great tyre...just a little on the soft side....must be my driving style huh?

[VWTDIMAN]

Hi again TT

Car is MKV 2004 2.0 Tdi Sport. The oil seems horrendously expensive at 13.99 for a litre for the spec that you mention; you know your stuff eh? Did you work at the VW factory then? Anyhow, topped up with half-a-litre and, according to the nice chaps at Halfords, most high performance Audis (2003-on) and VWs (2003-on) do like to burn the oil.

Thanks so much for your assistance. Oh, just one other thingy.....thinking og upgrading to a 170 BHP GT diesel. What are your thoughts on this car.....it appears to be around the 20k mark.

I wasn't born in Truro by the way.....born in Richmond, Surrey. Only 40 eh? Then life begins for you! LOL -:)))

[passat1.8T]

This is quite a tale so here goes...

After seeing my bald front tyres i had to get new ones, the day before i went for them the Brake Pad wear light came on too,

I went to a local tyre place in Telford "Chase Tyres" as i had ordered some continental Conti Premium sport Contact, They told me the tracking was out and this had caused the uneven tyre wear (inner shoulders) they then said that the front pads where fine but the back were shot, and there rear tyres were on the limit too!
So they ordered another set of tyres and some rear pads for the next day.
That eve i find out that theres not wear sensor on the rear pads!

So Friday i go back for Rear Tyres, Tracking and pads!
but they were messing me about and sat drinking tea etc while i was skiving off work to get the car done, and when spending over £400 quid you dont expect to sit waiting for them to mess about so after 20 mins i drove off!
Went to another tyre centre who checked the tracking FREE of charge and it was spot on so did not need tracking, also they said there wear on the rear tyres was down to the fact that i never check the tyre pressure and infact ive had the car since may and only put air in once lol
Unfortunatley they could not supply rear tyres at a decent price so i left and wwent back to work.
I then just for a laugh rang kwik Fit, i told them the story and they said they would match the tyre price and have 2 in stock, They ask if i needed tracking done but i said it was checked and fine.
So this morn i went to the local Kwik Fit and turns out they did not have the same tyres but gave me Continental Premium Sport Contact 2 And at the they still kept to the price quoted.
As for the pads there all fine all round so must be a broken wire on the front pads, happened the day i was driving on flooded roads in the corner of shropshire.
For the First time ever i had great service from Kwik Fit at the best price locally ! :D