Octy Vrs - which new tyres?

Jonno VRs · 14-09-2007, 21:07

I've covered 13k on the original tyres and am now looking to replace all four. What do people recommend (18"s) for the VRs?

Evo magasine this month rates the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric followed by the Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta in its review of tyres.

I like the look of the previous generation Goodyear Eagle F1s with the directional tread pattern and they were really rated by Autoexpress I seem to recall in their review.

I've also noticed my rears are wearing more on the inside - anyone else noticed this?

Hedge · 14-09-2007, 21:16

I had 4 Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3's to replace the OEM Conti's and they were OK.

Since then I have replaced 2 with the Assymetrics and they seem pretty good so far. Good grip, excellent poise and lots of feedback.

Worth the extra IMHO.

bahnstormer vrs · 14-09-2007, 22:04

I've got my copy of Evo as well and I think their 10 page 'Tyre Test 2007' is a fairly definitive statement on tyre capabilities.

They used a Golf GTI on 225/45 17s and put it through extensive tests on track and road - so I think their conclusions will be a tad more comprehensive than any one of us briskodians giving our opinion based on just our subjective opinions.

For the record; the tyres tested and their final scores are;-

1st - 96.4 - Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric
2nd - 95.3 - Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta
3rd - 93.5 - Continental Contisport Contact 3
4th - 92.7 - Bridgestone Potenza RE050-A
5th - 92.4 - Michelin Pilot Sport PS2
6th - 92.0 - Pirelli PZero Nero
7th - 88.7 - Kumho Ecsta STP KU31
8th - 86.0 - Dunlop Sport MAXX
9th - 82.0 - Yokohama S.Drive

Of course the results do not tell the full story. Each tyre has its strengths and weaknesses and different tyres may well suit different cars and driver's requirements. Best to buy Evo and read the full report.

One interesting point given is (I quote);-

"Is bigger better? The (Golf) GTI has always felt pretty good on 18in wheels and slightly lower profile tyres (225/40 R 18s, so day one of the test provided a big surprise. For familiarisation laps of the wet circuit, Bovingdon used the GTI Anniversary on its standard 18in rims to which Bridgestone had fitted RE050-As. On the fractionally higher profiled 17in tyres, Bovingdon noted significantly more turn-in bite and the Golf was around 2.5 sec a lap faster ....."

Perhaps a case of the more flexible sidewall being able to provide more grip as it was in the wet - maybe a different story in the dry.

SkodaMart · 14-09-2007, 22:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by bahnstormer vrs

Perhaps a case of the more flexible sidewall being able to provide more grip as it was in the wet - maybe a different story in the dry.

Higher profile tyres give more warning before they break away on the limit too.

bahnstormer vrs · 14-09-2007, 22:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonno VRs

I've also noticed my rears are wearing more on the inside - anyone else noticed this?

A know problem on, mostly early, vRS Octys; worth getting you Rear Camber checked. Details here;- Octavia-vRS.com - Octavia A5 Common or Known Problems and Issues first item in the list.

Jonno VRs · 14-09-2007, 22:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by bahnstormer vrs

A know problem on, mostly early, vRS Octys; worth getting you Rear Camber checked. Details here;- Octavia-vRS.com - Octavia A5 Common or Known Problems and Issues first item in the list.

I'll get full wheel laser alignment when or after I get the new tyres I think...

The Goodyears are looking favourite and as Bahnstormer VRs aludes to, the Evo review is far more comprehensive than anyone's experience on here is likely to ever be. Always interesting to get peoples views though....

Mater · 14-09-2007, 22:30

the best new tyres are........

black ones

Jonno VRs · 14-09-2007, 22:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mater

the best new tyres are........

black ones

Thanks for that valuable contribution.

Although you really shouldn't have bothered. Too much Al-ke-hol on a friday night for you me thinks...

Mater · 14-09-2007, 22:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonno VRs

Thanks for that valuable contribution.
Although you really shouldn't have bothered. Too much Al-ke-hol on a friday night for you me thinks...

Seeing as im Tea-Total i doubt it. But thanks for your effort to be sherlock holmes now if you'd like to leave the door is that way ------------>

Crasher · 14-09-2007, 22:43

Uniroyal Rain Sport 1 225/40 18. That rear camber issue is for A5 (1K) platform, the Octavia 1 is A4 (1J) platform and there is naff all adjustment possibility. If the rears are scrubbing, check the rear axle bushes. I checked my front camber last week and it is just over 1 degree neg each side with the BJ’s pushed right in so what do you do? I have set the tracking parallel and it shouldn’t scrub the fronts even with the camber set neg. Which idiot at VW thought it was a good idea to not give the 1J (and 1K) platform any decent camber adjustment just because they THOUGHT they could build it accurately? I find it a bit short sighted and possibly arrogant.

Jonno VRs · 15-09-2007, 07:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mater

Seeing as im Tea-Total i doubt it. But thanks for your effort to be sherlock holmes now if you'd like to leave the door is that way ------------>

And there was me just trying to make excuses for you....

TigerSteve · 13-02-2008, 23:01

Any experience of Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres on vrs?

Just got my car this week it will be 2 in April and I'll need new tyres in a short while. Kwik fit have price of £106 each (225 40 R18)when buying 4 so i'm tempted to go with that but would appreciate any comments.

vrswhite · 13-02-2008, 23:02

The chepest (within reason) you can get this named tyre stuff is a load of bollox (IMHO)

marketing aint it gr8

bahnstormer vrs · 14-02-2008, 08:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by TigerSteve

Any experience of Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres on vrs?

They came 8th (out of 9) in the 2007 Evo test - see post #3 above. Plenty of better choices IMHO.

Quote:

Just got my car this week it will be 2 in April and I'll need new tyres in a short while. Kwik fit have price of £106 each (225 40 R18)when buying 4 so i'm tempted to go with that but would appreciate any comments.

£106 each but for which brand/type? although a fair price for 225/40 18s.

Michelins are around £135 - £140 for this size but Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas can be bought for around £90 - £95.

Check out this list for a price guide;- Bridgetones Tyres, Pirelli Tyres, Michelin Tyres, Dunlop Tyres, Goodyear Tyres, Toyo Tyres, Yokohama Tyres and more...

Makefish · 14-02-2008, 09:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by TigerSteve

Just got my car this week it will be 2 in April and I'll need new tyres in a short while. Kwik fit have price of £106 each (225 40 R18)when buying 4 so i'm tempted to go with that but would appreciate any comments.

Waaaay too much imho (unless they are for Michelin PS2's)

Bought a pair of the much praised Falken 452's for £61 each delivered, paid a tenner each for fitting makes that £35 per tyre cheaper than Kwik Fit, or in other words £140 towards the modifying budget

Camskill Tyres - Falken 452

or if you want to spend a little more on the Vredstein Ultrac Sessanta at £90 each...

Camskill Tyres - Vredestein

Scottiepaul · 14-02-2008, 14:56

Ignore me - I'll be leaving soon! Still have not learned to read all thread before posting complete irrelevances!

Silverware · 15-02-2008, 07:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Makefish

Waaaay too much imho (unless they are for Michelin PS2's)

Bought a pair of the much praised Falken 452's for £61 each delivered, paid a tenner each for fitting makes that £35 per tyre cheaper than Kwik Fit, or in other words £140 towards the modifying budget

Camskill Tyres - Falken 452

or if you want to spend a little more on the Vredstein Ultrac Sessanta at £90 each...

Camskill Tyres - Vredestein

Will anywhere fit tyres supplied by you, or do some places get a bit funny about it?

**VRStu** · 15-02-2008, 08:03

Some places can be a bit funny. Normally some folding paper waved at one of the fitters should be enough.

**VRStu** · 15-02-2008, 08:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by TigerSteve

Any experience of Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres on vrs?

Sadly yes.

bahnstormer vrs · 15-02-2008, 08:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silverware

Will anywhere fit tyres supplied by you, or do some places get a bit funny about it?

Usually the big guys, KwikFit, ATS etc are funny; they start quoting 'Liability' and 'how do I know the tyres are OK?' etc.etc.

Most other tyre dealers will be fine; they want your business!

Silverware · 15-02-2008, 11:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by bahnstormer vrs

Usually the big guys, KwikFit, ATS etc are funny; they start quoting 'Liability' and 'how do I know the tyres are OK?' etc.etc.

Most other tyre dealers will be fine; they want your business!

Thanks - so go to a small local firm rather than a nationwide outfit then

Makefish · 15-02-2008, 11:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silverware

Thanks - so go to a small local firm rather than a nationwide outfit then

That seems to be the general idea, yes

Nobafett · 19-02-2008, 16:11

Just had a set of the new Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric fitted on my VRS tdi estate. Swapped from Conti 2's, but even after 5 miles appear to be quieter and offer more feedback. Grip is decent but i expect that to increase after several hundred miles. Had all four fitted for £400, which i think is very reasonable, especially considering some internet sites are asking around £110 per tyre, delivery only.

bahnstormer vrs · 19-02-2008, 16:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nobafett

Just had a set of the new Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric fitted on my VRS tdi estate. Swapped from Conti 2's, but even after 5 miles appear to be quieter and offer more feedback. Grip is decent but i expect that to increase after several hundred miles. Had all four fitted for £400, which i think is very reasonable, especially considering some internet sites are asking around £110 per tyre, delivery only.

Good choice and nice price; they were No 1 in the Evo tyre test. Are you on 17s or 18s?

They might be quieter as they will have more (noise absorbing) rubber that the Conti's you took of and, yes, they will reach their full grip potential in 250 - 500 miles. Would be interested in you comments in a thousand miles or so.

Bye the way; WELCOME TO BRISKODA.

Jonno VRs · 19-02-2008, 17:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nobafett

Just had a set of the new Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric fitted on my VRS tdi estate. Swapped from Conti 2's, but even after 5 miles appear to be quieter and offer more feedback. Grip is decent but i expect that to increase after several hundred miles. Had all four fitted for £400, which i think is very reasonable, especially considering some internet sites are asking around £110 per tyre, delivery only.

That's a good price, similar to what I paid for my Vredesteins.

14-09-2007, 21:07	#1
Jonno VRs Briskodian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Newcastle upon Tyne Posts: 1,218 Thanks: 9 Thanked 47 Times in 46 Posts	Octy Vrs - which new tyres? I've covered 13k on the original tyres and am now looking to replace all four. What do people recommend (18"s) for the VRs? Evo magasine this month rates the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric followed by the Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta in its review of tyres. I like the look of the previous generation Goodyear Eagle F1s with the directional tread pattern and they were really rated by Autoexpress I seem to recall in their review. I've also noticed my rears are wearing more on the inside - anyone else noticed this? __________________ 06 Skoda Octavia VRs 200 bhp (Black) Previous Cars: 04 Audi TT 3.2 V6 250 bhp (Black) 02 VW Golf V5 170 bhp (Black)

14-09-2007, 21:16	#2
Hedge Violated Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: North East Hants Posts: 2,044 Thanks: 45 Thanked 73 Times in 70 Posts	Re: Octy Vrs - which new tyres? I had 4 Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3's to replace the OEM Conti's and they were OK. Since then I have replaced 2 with the Assymetrics and they seem pretty good so far. Good grip, excellent poise and lots of feedback. Worth the extra IMHO.

14-09-2007, 22:30	#7
Mater The Stig Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Folkestone Posts: 1,178 Thanks: 47 Thanked 56 Times in 42 Posts	Re: Octy Vrs - which new tyres? the best new tyres are........ black ones __________________ "And when he gets to heaven to Saint Peter he will tell... One more Soldier reporting Sir... I've served my time in Hell" Mods done so far : Revo Stge 2, Forge Adjustable Spacer, Forge Diverter Valve, Miltek CBE, Evoms, Stu's Cruise , Autotech Fuel Pump, Xenons Upgrade, Koni FSD, Eibach Springs, Forge Short Shifter, VF Torque Arm Insert, NGK Iridium Plugs, Sachs Clutch & Flywheel, MFD3 Mods to come: KO4 Conv, LSD, Big Brakes

14-09-2007, 22:43	#10
Crasher Briskodian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Nottingham Posts: 60 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: Octy Vrs - which new tyres? Uniroyal Rain Sport 1 225/40 18. That rear camber issue is for A5 (1K) platform, the Octavia 1 is A4 (1J) platform and there is naff all adjustment possibility. If the rears are scrubbing, check the rear axle bushes. I checked my front camber last week and it is just over 1 degree neg each side with the BJ’s pushed right in so what do you do? I have set the tracking parallel and it shouldn’t scrub the fronts even with the camber set neg. Which idiot at VW thought it was a good idea to not give the 1J (and 1K) platform any decent camber adjustment just because they THOUGHT they could build it accurately? I find it a bit short sighted and possibly arrogant. Last edited by Crasher; 14-09-2007 at 22:49.

13-02-2008, 23:01	#12
TigerSteve Briskodian Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 8 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Octy Vrs - which new tyres? Any experience of Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres on vrs? Just got my car this week it will be 2 in April and I'll need new tyres in a short while. Kwik fit have price of £106 each (225 40 R18)when buying 4 so i'm tempted to go with that but would appreciate any comments.

14-09-2007, 22:04	#3
bahnstormer vrs Briskodian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Herts Posts: 2,630 Thanks: 44 Thanked 153 Times in 138 Posts	Re: Octy Vrs - which new tyres? I've got my copy of Evo as well and I think their 10 page 'Tyre Test 2007' is a fairly definitive statement on tyre capabilities. They used a Golf GTI on 225/45 17s and put it through extensive tests on track and road - so I think their conclusions will be a tad more comprehensive than any one of us briskodians giving our opinion based on just our subjective opinions. For the record; the tyres tested and their final scores are;- 1st - 96.4 - Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2nd - 95.3 - Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta 3rd - 93.5 - Continental Contisport Contact 3 4th - 92.7 - Bridgestone Potenza RE050-A 5th - 92.4 - Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 6th - 92.0 - Pirelli PZero Nero 7th - 88.7 - Kumho Ecsta STP KU31 8th - 86.0 - Dunlop Sport MAXX 9th - 82.0 - Yokohama S.Drive Of course the results do not tell the full story. Each tyre has its strengths and weaknesses and different tyres may well suit different cars and driver's requirements. Best to buy Evo and read the full report. One interesting point given is (I quote);- "Is bigger better? The (Golf) GTI has always felt pretty good on 18in wheels and slightly lower profile tyres (225/40 R 18s, so day one of the test provided a big surprise. For familiarisation laps of the wet circuit, Bovingdon used the GTI Anniversary on its standard 18in rims to which Bridgestone had fitted RE050-As. On the fractionally higher profiled 17in tyres, Bovingdon noted significantly more turn-in bite and the Golf was around 2.5 sec a lap faster ....." Perhaps a case of the more flexible sidewall being able to provide more grip as it was in the wet - maybe a different story in the dry. Last edited by bahnstormer vrs; 14-09-2007 at 22:14.

13-02-2008, 23:02	#13
vrswhite Briskodian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: doncaster - yorkshire Posts: 707 Thanks: 4 Thanked 18 Times in 18 Posts	Re: Octy Vrs - which new tyres? The chepest (within reason) you can get this named tyre stuff is a load of bollox (IMHO) marketing aint it gr8 __________________

14-02-2008, 14:56	#16
Scottiepaul Briskodian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Dundee Posts: 44 Thanks: 3 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts	Re: Octy Vrs - which new tyres? Ignore me - I'll be leaving soon! Still have not learned to read all thread before posting complete irrelevances! __________________ ScottiePaul Octy vRS PD TDi Last edited by Scottiepaul; 14-02-2008 at 15:01. Reason: Did not read full thread - DOH!

15-02-2008, 08:03	#18
VRStu Briskoda Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Hampshire Posts: 20,719 Thanks: 139 Thanked 982 Times in 879 Posts	Re: Octy Vrs - which new tyres? Some places can be a bit funny. Normally some folding paper waved at one of the fitters should be enough. __________________ Stu Stu's Websites - http://www.fabia-vrs.com & http://www.octavia-vrs.com Stu's Car - 2008 Audi S3 - Ibis White, Black Optics Pack, Privacy Glass, Auto Bi Xenon Headlights, Rain Sensing Wipers, Bose Sound System, Ipod Prep, GSM Phone Prep, Flat Bottom Multi Function Steering Wheel, Electric Folding Mirrors, Acoustic Parking, Cruise Control, Interior Light Pack, Non Smokers Pack. SWMBO's Car - 2008 Seat LEON TDi Stylance, Black Magic, Sports Pack, Rear Parking Sensors. Something for Weekend - A Patio

19-02-2008, 16:11	#23
Nobafett Briskodian Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 20 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Octy Vrs - which new tyres? Just had a set of the new Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric fitted on my VRS tdi estate. Swapped from Conti 2's, but even after 5 miles appear to be quieter and offer more feedback. Grip is decent but i expect that to increase after several hundred miles. Had all four fitted for £400, which i think is very reasonable, especially considering some internet sites are asking around £110 per tyre, delivery only.