Sadly my superb now needs 4 new tyres after 17,000 miles. I'm running on 18 inch wheels and currently have Continental Sport contact 2s, but I'm now considering the alternatives now I need to replace them - I've narrowed my choice down to 2 types ( I think), Continental Sport Contact 3, or Hankook Ventus Evos. Both get a fairly good write up in tyre forums - but I was wondering if anyone had experienced either of these on a new superb with 18" wheels. I have to say I'm a bit disappointed with the wear on my current continentals - but worry a little about choosing a cheaper brand.....any thoughts or experiences welcome!

Its worth also considering that the price:

225/40/18R 92Y XL Continentals @ £133 each (£532 for a full set) versus Hankooks @£108 each (£432 for a full set) - £100 difference....

Cheers

Edited 30 March, 201016 yr by oan17

For longer life you'd probably want a touring tyre, more like the premium contact or Michelin Pilot Primacy HP.

These trade off a little bit of the stickyness for longer life and improvements in other areas.

Try Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta's

Are the Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta's any good then?

Are the Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta's any good then?

i have Sport Contact 3 on the car and its handling is very precise with great stopping etc..

And I have 53000 in a year on mine and nearly need 3rd set of tyres.

SNOB

Are the Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta's any good then?

I would say that they are possibly as good as the Contis and definitly better than the Hankooks.

Several Octy VRS owners have them fitted and seem to rave about them.

Vredestein are a Dutch tyre and I still firmly believe that European tyres are better suited to our requirements than cheap far eastern products.

Vreds are by no means a budget brand these days by the way....

Are the Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta's any good then?

I had Vredenstein Ultrac Sessanta and thought them a fantastic tyre. I had no issues with them at all

Edited 20 March, 201016 yr by Drummond28

Also have a look at Falken ZE912s. I recently put a set on my BMW 535d, replacing the utterly rubbish OEM run-flat Bridgestones.

Ignoring the difference in ride quality from fitting a non-runflat tyre, the difference in grip in the cooler, wetter conditions we've had is remarkable. They are also a very quiet tyre. Seriously, don't be put off by the price - they are a very good tyre.

The FK452 comes highly recommended on a lot of BMW forums for cars with ultra-low profiles, but the ZE912s are actually a newer tyre which trade a little of the ultimate performance for a lot better wear and noise.

Thanks for the advice guys - I eventually stuck with my original choice of the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo K110's.

I have to confess that I've not been very impressed with the current Continental Premium Sport 2's - they make the car fidget over white lines, and almost cause a judder though the car when changing lanes, and they have not worn very well either - so, based on feedback from various tyre forums, opted for the Hankooks.

I'll keep everyone posted on what I think of them once I've got some miles on them....

Cheers

Andrew

Oan17,

Im glad to see your comment on the white lines.

I thought I was going mad.

driving over the white line was like driving on ice.

Whats that about.

If they cant manage a white line its not going to be good on ice.

How did you find the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo K110's.

Keep us updated as to how you find them.

I will be changing mine in a few months.

Id like something that is a bit better in the winter conditions in compromise for summer driving as I dont drive hard anyway. The continentals were awful in slippy winter conditions ( i understand about the big alloys and all that)

One last thing - Where do Irish owners find best value in tryes for the 18" alloys (225/40 R18). I'm dreading trying local tyre shops, a big new shiney car with big alloys they will see a sucker coming.

I tried looking at various sites to find tyre reviews, but between www.tyretest.com & www.tyrereviews.co.uk I seemed to get fairly comprehensive set of reviews. I also looked on blackcircles.com, which gave me a guide about costs, along with more reviews.

While I had continentals on my previous fabia vRS, and thought they were great I might add, on the superb they don't inspire any confidence - in fact I've had to stop a couple of times to check everything was ok. To start with I though it was the tyre pressures being too high, but even with reduced pressures the floating, giggling and fidgety ride over white lines and uneven surfaces doesn't inspire any confidence at all - just like driving on a patch of ice as you say, making the whole car wobble! I suspect it's the tyres though rather than anything wrong with the actual car.

I'm looking forward to seeing if the hankooks improve things - certainly their write-up in the various reviews I've read seem to give them a better rating than the continentals - and most of the premium brands!.

I'll keep you posted on how they turn out - certainly I'm happy to be saving £100 over the cost of the conti's!

What I can tell immediately with the new tyres is that they are much quieter than the continentals - in fact hardly any tyre noise at all - in fact I'm hearing things in the car I hadn't noticed before. They are also a lot more comfortable - no crashing over potholes and they seem to absorb bumps with less fuss or thumping.

Watch this space!

Edited 22 March, 201016 yr by oan17

Sadly my superb now needs 4 new tyres after 17,000 miles. I'm running on 18 inch wheels and currently have Continental Sport contact 2s, but I'm now considering the alternatives now I need to replace them - I've narrowed my choice down to 2 types ( I think), Continental Sport Contact 3, or Hankook Ventus Evos. Both get a fairly good write up in tyre forums - but I was wondering if anyone had experienced either of these on a new superb with 18" wheels. I have to say I'm a bit disappointed with the wear on my current continentals - but worry a little about choosing a cheaper brand.....any thoughts or experiences welcome!

Its worth also considering that the price:

225/40/18R 92Y XL Continentals @ £133 each (£532 for a full set) versus Hankooks @£108 each (£432 for a full set) - £100 difference....

Cheers

i have mich energysavers 205 55 16 s i have done 16000mls and its a taxi tyres on front stiil good

Sadly my superb now needs 4 new tyres after 17,000 miles. I'm running on 18 inch wheels and currently have Continental Sport contact 2s, but I'm now considering the alternatives now I need to replace them - I've narrowed my choice down to 2 types ( I think), Continental Sport Contact 3, or Hankook Ventus Evos. Both get a fairly good write up in tyre forums - but I was wondering if anyone had experienced either of these on a new superb with 18" wheels. I have to say I'm a bit disappointed with the wear on my current continentals - but worry a little about choosing a cheaper brand.....any thoughts or experiences welcome!

Its worth also considering that the price:

225/40/18R 92Y XL Continentals @ £133 each (£532 for a full set) versus Hankooks @£108 each (£432 for a full set) - £100 difference....

Cheers

i have mich energysavers 205 55 16 s i have done 16000mls and its a taxi tyres on front stiil good

What I can tell immediately with the new tyres is that they are much quieter than the continentals - in fact hardly any tyre noise at all - in fact I'm hearing things in the car I hadn't noticed before. They are also a lot more comfortable - no crashing over potholes and they seem to absorb bumps with less fuss or thumping.

From what I've read on various BMW forums, the Contis have very firm sidewalls which can make them prone to following cambers and white lines as well as being noisier and harsher riding. They are a very good choice on BMWs which have been progressively compromised for rock-hard runflat tyres and can then feel too soft on some 'normal' rubber.

Oan17,

Im glad to see your comment on the white lines.

I thought I was going mad.

driving over the white line was like driving on ice.

Whats that about.

If they cant manage a white line its not going to be good on ice.

How did you find the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo K110's.

Keep us updated as to how you find them.

I will be changing mine in a few months.

Id like something that is a bit better in the winter conditions in compromise for summer driving as I dont drive hard anyway. The continentals were awful in slippy winter conditions ( i understand about the big alloys and all that)

One last thing - Where do Irish owners find best value in tryes for the 18" alloys (225/40 R18). I'm dreading trying local tyre shops, a big new shiney car with big alloys they will see a sucker coming.

I use Camskill.co.uk The saving is not marginal, it is MASSIVE !! If you have access to an Irish VAT number it makes it even better, all you have to do is find a nearby tyre shop that is willing to fit tyres you havn't bought from them. 15 - 20 euros a corner should cover it, I use Portarlington Tyres.

Well, I thought it was worth posting an update on the first impressions of the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo K110's (225/40/R18/92Y Extra Load).

I've now driven in several different conditions and have to say I'm extremely impressed with the performance of the tyres so far. The car now feels stable over white lines, and stick to the road like glue in both dry and very wet conditions. They are also noticeably quieter than the Conti's, and don't appear to have affected the economy at all either - if anything I think I'm getting a couple more mpg than before. They have also improved the ride considerably - which was always on the hard side with the conti's - the Hankooks seem to glide over the rough pot-holed roads with ease, and without any 'thumping'.

So far, I'm 100% content with my choice and could recommend them to anyone. I'll keep you updated on how they wear.

Andrew

Car came with Pirelli P zero rossos fiited which I have replaced at 15k with P zero Neros as they were excellent

Well, I've just a 30,000 service (the car, not me personally), and can report that the Hankook's are holding up very well. I still have 5.5mm of tread left after 15,000 miles - looks like they're going to out live the old conti's, and I'm 100% happy with how they perform - even in the snow and ice!

Good to hear

I might get a set of the V12s next

I had FK452's on my Mondeo and they wer really good tyres, so I will certainly be fitting them to my Supurb when the need arises, "well" unless these Contis last 30k+

Should be getting my Superb Combi Next week. Have any one had problems with the Tyre size of 215/40-R18 on the Superb Combi? Seems little low profile for an estate. With the lower profile, how is the comfort and my worry of the tyre coming out during sharp cornering.

Mine's got 225/40-18's on it and they are fine, in fact they are same as I had on my Mondeo estate. They are not rock hard like you might think, unlike run-flats they put on BMW's.

my worry of the tyre coming out during sharp cornering.

Don't worry the tyre won't come off, under these conditions, what normally happens is the rim digs into the tarmac and you flip the vehicle ;)

Mine's got 225/40-18's on it and they are fine, in fact they are same as I had on my Mondeo estate. They are not rock hard like you might think, unlike run-flats they put on BMW's.

Coming from a Range Rover with 255/55 18's on, the low speed ride is hard ,but yes compared to most other cars with low profile it's the same.

Don't care what car you've got

Uniroyal Masters (Rain sports) will not be beaten in the dry and certainly not in the wet

Awesome tyre, soon to have all round on my Octacia Vrs

Bring on the Rain

All in your own opinion of course, Mr Goldfinger

But no, seriously, Rainsport2 - very good tyre. Especially at less than £90 from Camskill in 225/40/18.