RCZ R - Recommended Replacement Tyres?

[Lewligan]

Mornin' all.

Just for future reference, I'm wondering what tyres fellow RCZ R owners would recommend?
At the moment, I'm all good, but just wanted to get some ideas for when they do inevitably need changing down the line.

If you could share any good / bad experiences, recommendations, links to good suppliers etc, that would be much appreciated!

Cheers,
Lew

 

[RCZ-R]

Hi,

Before I list my personal favs, let me ask you your preferences? Are you a more "sporty" driver with the R? Do you run it a lot in rain, means is the R your daily commuter, your only car you drive? Or do you use it only for sunny Sunday drives?

I have been through 100.000 miles with my R and I have had those tyres on it:
Summer tyres:
Goodyear Assy 2 (factory fit)
Pirelli P Zero
Michelin Pilot Super Sport
Michelin PS4s

Winter tyres:
Pirelli Winter Sottozero Series II 270
Michelin Pilot Alpin 4

I assume your question is more about summer tyres than winter.
Short answer to your question is: take the newest Michelin PS4s. If the "s" version is a bit too pricey, then take the version 4 without the "s". Although I haven't spotted huge price differences between those two versions. And the "s" version is more suitable for the R.
Why the Michelin? Because it trumps the GoodYear and the Pirelli at almost all areas. The GoodYear is a tiny bit more comfortable (when rolling over bumps). But it wears off twice as fast as the Michelin and is twice as bad in wet. Not mentioning the disadvantage it has to the Michelin on the limit. The GoodYear is an excellent all-rounder.

Pirelli offers sick grip when dry. But then again, in my opinion the grip is way too high for the factory setup of our R. The car looses it lightness and dancing capabilities on winding roads when rolling on those Pirellis. They glue to the road but suppress sufficient feedback to the driver. And they wear off faster than a pencil eraser. And their rolling resistance feels like having glue on the rubber.

The Michelin feels like a perfect match to the RCZ R. Just terrific, no matter if in wet or dry. In wet actually they are way better then the Pirelli winter tyres. And winter tyres tend to shine in wet due to their deeper treads and overall construction with a softer compound. Still, the Michelin just wipes the floor with the Pirelli.

 

[666]

For utimate expirence I would go with some semi slick racing tyre, but if you want really good tyre with normal price I would recommend Sava intensa uhp 2, its improved Fulda sportcontrol 2 both owned by Goodyear, same for motorbike Sava makes great tyres at normal prices, based on high mpg most owners of z have even Sava is more then enough :twisted:
I had new Michelins on P 306 that got old because I only did 5k miles a year and when temperatures in winter fall around freezing, they were so hard that I could slide with whole car around corners, what a fun.... will say again its more in driver then car, and you can get excellent things for normal price, well known company will be always more expensive

 

[RCZ-R]

...
I had new Michelins on P 306 that got old because I only did 5k miles a year and when temperatures in winter fall around freezing, they were so hard that I could slide with whole car around corners, what a fun...

Agree for older types of Michelin. The new PS4s don't do that anymore. I have been using them at as low as 0°C in wet conditions. And they have been absolutely OK with no understeer. Or oversteer only on your majesty's wish :greetings-wavingblue:

 

[Spart]

Just wondering are all these tyres available with a load rating of 92 as per oem for the R or do you have to go up to 96? And if so has anyone noticed any difference in ride quality when going form a 92 to a 96?

 

[RCZ-R]

Just wondering are all these tyres available with a load rating of 92 as per oem for the R or do you have to go up to 96? And if so has anyone noticed any difference in ride quality when going form a 92 to a 96?

I had the factory-fitted GoodYears with load index of 92. Afterwards only tyres with load index of 96. No difference in comfort between the GoodYear and the Michelin PS4s.
Only the Michelin PSS was way too harsh on comfort for the RCZ. The PSS is just the wrong tyre for the RCZ as it is the wrong tyre for the 308 GTi (the GTi get those PSS factory-fitted and pumped up to 40PSI, ridiculous).

 

[stagger321]

@lewligan
FWIW I created a poll on the RCZ Facebook group on this very subject
https://www.facebook.com/groups/rczownersgroup/permalink/1682655721796381/

Results were thus:

Continental Conti Sport 5 +23

Michelin Pilot Sport 4s +12

Continental Conti Sport Contact 3 +11

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 +7

Uniroyal RainSport 3 +5

Pirelli Cinturato P7 +4

MICHELIN Pilot Sport 4 +3

bear in mind that some of the voters were not R owners, nevertheless the results are largely representative of opinions for R owners.
Obviously this is based mainly on subjective/personal opinions, and not on any real science.

 

[stagger321]

.................BTW, the other thing that needs to be considered is cost.

While IMHO the Michelin PS4s are likely the "best" tyre for the job, they are that at a premium. So some 25% more than the Eagle F1's that the R was originally homologated against.

So taking price/performance into account, I would still go for the original Eagle F1's

YMMV

 

[RCZ-R]

.................BTW, the other thing that needs to be considered is cost.

While IMHO the Michelin PS4s are likely the "best" tyre for the job, they are that at a premium. So some 25% more than the Eagle F1's that the R was originally homologated against.

So taking price/performance into account, I would still go for the original Eagle F1's

YMMV

The Eagles are a very good choice for the RCZ. And the RCZ R. But time is passing by and now we have already Assymetric 3 instead of Assymetric 2 GoodYear Eagle as it was equipped from the factory. I wonder how those newer Assy perform.

The reason why so many choose the outdated Conti 3 or even 5 is because they have been using them for years. And going with the low annual mileage most RCZ owners put on, it takes time to wear them off. Some of them will never change for another tyre as long as they own the car.

 

[DKZ5745]

Still got my original Contis 3’s on the rears, 36k on the clock. The front Contis were replaced with the uniroyals, and now PS4s. These are by far the best I’ve had on.

 

[jr4070]

Late into this thread... but I have now had 3 tyre types on my R..
The original Good Years, which I will say are good.. Much better that the Continentals that were on my 156 GT.. So good I fitted that car with those tyres all round.
I digress.. The R had seen off the front Goodyears so i looked around for a good driver's tyre.. Opted for the Uniroyal Rain Sport 3.. Good tyre but... I found it had 1 major problem. It performed in the corners with a good wet weather feel, but it was a stretch fit on the R rim.. No side wall protection to the alloy at all. My next change was the rears.. The goodyears were good for tread but full of age related cracks. Changed for Michelin 4S.. Now changed the front to 4S aswell, what a difference. I have paid for premium tyres and got what now feels like 4x4 handling in the twisty bits... The R was Very Good before, now its insane..I know " Cars are fast in straight lines,but driver's are faster in corners" is a standard quote but these tyres are a vital part in my cornering adventures...

I do not work for Michelin by the way...