Tyre choice - feedback required.

[tianorth]

After a bit of advice about tyres.

Now I know there have been posts about this before, but it is a struggle to find them.

I have been looking at tyres the have wet grip as category A, and fuel economy as category C.

Tyres size is 235/40 19 (96 load)
The short list I have is :-

1) Pirelli P7
2) Dunlop Sport Maxx
3) Continental Sport Contact 5 (or 6)
4) Michelin Pilot Super Sports 4 (or 4s)

In theory these are all category A and C and should give the same grip (ish) and economy (ish).

What is not said is anything to do with longevity, or cold weather.

These are all summer tyres, but what happens when you use them in winter, basically when temperature get constantly to below 7 degrees C?

The conti 3's I have on at the moment are 3.5 years old and have done (to this point 300 miles short of) 36,000 miles.
They are the original set with no punctures and have been swapped front to rears etc.

Now going back to the summer tyre bit, I have driven all year round with these tyres, but now I'm being told about the 7 degree C bit, don't forget I'm in a country that comes to a standstill with a 0.5mm thick coating of snow, and people with 4x4s with snow chains on roads get stuck!

As you can tell from my mileage I don't stress the tyres too much, but would like to know what others have experienced with the above selection only.

What tyre?
What mileage did you get?
What winter driving did you do?
What was grip like?
General comments about the tyres.
How would you rate them for grip, water, economy, winter, summer - 1 being no good, 10 being the best.

Many thanks for your help.

Chris

 

[ONLY AEK]

Re: Tyre choice - feedback required.

Why are you looking for performance tyres when you really don't need them?
as i understand from your post you dont push them hard when turning and you want your tyres to last for years
you want them to perform with snow and cold
all these are the opposite from the category you re looking
sorry if i did not understand right

 

[tianorth]

There are times when I do push the tyres, so want them for when I do.
Also going for an A for wet grip is a safety factor, and since I like long intervals between filling up I like the idea of economical tyres hence the best rating of C for economy.
As you can't get (I've not been able to find) an A for wet and B for economy tyre, an A and C is the best there is.

 

[DRTDVL]

If you looking pilot sport 4's also have a look at the Bridgestone re003's or better. I went from the re002's to the pilot sport 3's and regret it, but I like a firm sports tyre.

We have the Dunlop sportmaxx's on the Wife's rcz and they are fine, perfect for her but didn't have the performance I was looking for when I drive it. Good wife spec tyre.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

 

[nicpy]

Re: Tyre choice - feedback required.

Forgive me if I am a little fuzzy on this but on the side of most tyres you will find a number that comes under the `UTQG` which is, and I quote, a standard defined by the DOT of the USA for grading the performances of tyres in the areas of TREADWEAR, TRACTION and TEMPERATURE RESISTANCE. It applies only to car tyres with a rim diameter of 13" and larger, but not to winter tyres.

TREADWEAR: The tread wear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of the tyre when tested under controlled conditions on a specified government test course. For example, a tyre graded 150 would wear one and one-half times as well on the government course as a tyre graded 100. The relative performance of tyres depends upon the actual conditions of their use, however, and may depart significantly from the norm due to variations in driving habits, service practices and differences in road characteristics and climate.

What it all comes down to is that because most tyres produced for America are also sold in Europe then this spec will also be on the sidewall, example, a tyre at `100` is going to wear a lot lot faster than one at `400`, most popular brands seem to have a wear rate of around `300`, my current set are 320 some at 280 are probably a lot stickier but of course will wear more quickly. There is more information out there on this specification, I couldn`t just put my hand on it.

It is just a way of getting a comparison on longevity (or not!) there are so many variables that contribute to tyre life that a direct comparison becomes very difficult, but if anyone comes across more info on `UTQG`, perhaps they will post it.

 

[Joske]

Re: Tyre choice - feedback required.

In the end tyre choise is personal.
In 2015 I ordered Dunlop Sportmaxx RT. everybody was lyric about this tyre.
After 1 summer and just over 20000km it was gone. Completely worn to the limit.
+ I hatted the way they operate at the limit. It's all or nothing, I like a tire that warns first before losing grip.

In 2016 I placed Vredestein Ultrac Vorti tires. Lot's an lot's better in terms of wear. nu just over 20000km and still 5-6mm thread left.
And they give a warning on the limit. First some squealing and then a more graduate loss of grip.
OK, they have an 'E' for economy, but what does that mean?

Every time I need to stop for fuel it's between 850 and 950km.
Correct tire pressure is more important than the 'label'.

 

[tianorth]

This is sort of the info I'm after, although I don't push my car that often, but still enjoy driving them, knowing how quickly they last from people who do should give me an indication of how long they would last for me and I understand that the information is relative to that person.

The conti 3's are an E rating for economy and B for wet grip (I think).

As for its a personal choice, you are right it is but I also want to be informed, information on websites is not all that informative as there is a lot of info missing, even from the manufactures websites.

 

[Joske]

Re: Tyre choice - feedback required.

Toptip: Don't go for Toyo C1S. They are cheap, last long, but grip?! In 2nd gear on a dry perfect road with 21°C temperatures => wheelspin. Really nuts.
Going around a roundabout like a granny because...

Like I said, Vredestein really surprised me in a positive way. Not the high prices like Michelin or Dunlop, but performance pretty good.
(best laptime on Circuit Zolder with Vredestein 2:15.something, Dunlop 2:17.something and the original Conti3 2:15.something)

 

[RCZ-R]

Re: Tyre choice - feedback required.

I have not used any of those listed here tyres on my RCZ. Michelin PS4 will not be available in 235 40 19. So it'd be Michelin PSS instead. But I do not recommend them for your driving profile. They do last very long but you will not like them on your RCZ with your driving profile. They need temperature to start working. And for that you need to push the car.

Also forget about older tyres (like the Conti 3). Go for newest versions/treads as the tyre technology is leaping forward in giant steps year after year. But also keep in mind, Conti is a tyre which fits more the heavy weight class of german engineering. Your RCZ is not a fatty :greetings-wavingblue:
Pirelli has a very high wear off, if that concerns you.

How about the superb GoodYear Assy 2 or the newer version 3? Those tyres work so well on the RCZ I'm even tempted to strip my almost new Michelin PSS from the rims and put the GY on them instead.
The Assy 2 was also behaving excellent in chilling and wet temperatures, around +5 C. This is something that made me think back thant. Never driven it in snow cause I use winter tyres during the cold season.

 

[tianorth]

Went to the Goodyear website put my tyre size in with 96 load, the website came back with Dunlop Sport Maxx RT.
The Goodyear tyres are only 92 load rated.

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Tyre choice - feedback required.

I've recently been through the same process and came to the conclusion I would give Uniroyal a try. Only for the tyres to be out of stock and so was offered a free upgrade to Conti Sport 5. And I'm glad I did, the grip is exceptional on cornering and noticeably so in the wet. I obviously cant comment on the longevity of the tyres seeing as I've only done 400 miles on them. A good guide would be to compare them to your Conti sport 3s.

My previous tyres were conti sport 3s and they lasted me ~15k miles (that may give you an indication of my driving style). I found them good in the wet whilst the tread was above 4.5mm, less than that and you begin to notice and down shift in performance.

Economy wise, Conti 3 got me 32mpg over 1.5years in my 2014 GT 156 THP auto. So probably not the best, but as mentioned this will be my driving style. I highly expect this to remain at 32mpg with Conti sport 5s.

The general rule of thumb is that the softer the compound, the better the grip but with reduced longevity.

Based on your mileage out of your Conti Sport 3s, if i were you I'd stick with Conti because it suits your needs.

 

[RCZ-R]

Re: Tyre choice - feedback required.

Went to the Goodyear website put my tyre size in with 96 load, the website came back with Dunlop Sport Maxx RT.
The Goodyear tyres are only 92 load rated.

Is there a certain reason why you insist on such high load index (insurance-wise?)? My COC papers for the R says, a load index of 89 is enough for the car. Means, going for 92 is way enough. And there is already the overhead for topspeed of 155 included.

 

[tianorth]

The RCZ-R has 92 load index tyres on it, which is fine, but my RCZ HDi has 96 load index tyres and these are the ones that require replacing in the very near future.

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Tyre choice - feedback required.

Anyone tried the Michelin CrossClimate 235/45Y18 (98) particularly on a 2.0HDi? Any feedback would be appreciated

 

[tianorth]

This post is about 19" tyres, unfortunately I can't help.

All I know is the original tyres have been on my RCZ HDi since new and in all conditions, even though they are summer tyres. So long as
1) you go careful in non summer conditions (so that's 364 days of the year)
2) you respect the weather conditions
the tyres can cope.

 

[ONLY AEK]

Re: Tyre choice - feedback required.

Last night i pushed the tyres to the limit

Honestly i havent driven the New pss4 but i can not See how a tyre can perform better than the New p-zero

I have them about 7 months now and i couldnt be happier with my choice

Ps. Every time i Go Hard with this car i fell in Love with it again

Such a great car!

 

[RCZIain]

Re: Tyre choice - feedback required.

I've never bought really expensive tyres, and I've never had any issues. I like to drive "sportily" I think is the phrase.
My 508 GT (the proper 2.2 one, not the newer tree hugger one ) had Nexen n8000 and they were good, and my last 407 I put Uniroyal Rainsport 3 on. They were really good, not entirely sure how they wore as I traded it in for the 508, but up until that point I chickened out before they ever lost grip.


I've just realised something, 407 GT - 508 GT - RCZ GT. I think I must have a GT fetish

 

[DKZ5745]

Re: Tyre choice - feedback required.

I had the Uniroyal & I was very happy with the performance, but they didn’t last long at all. I have had Hankook & the performance was OK, not as good as the Uniroyal for grip, and they didn’t even last as long as the Uniroyal.
I now have the new Michelin PIlot Super Sport 4 on the front, and I have to say they seem to be the best grip I’ve had with the Z since I bought it. Time will tell as to how long they last, but I am planning to put them on the rear when the original Contis finally go slick.

 

[RCZ-R]

Re: Tyre choice - feedback required.

I had the Uniroyal & I was very happy with the performance, but they didn’t last long at all. I have had Hankook & the performance was OK, not as good as the Uniroyal for grip, and they didn’t even last as long as the Uniroyal.
I now have the new Michelin PIlot Super Sport 4 on the front, and I have to say they seem to be the best grip I’ve had with the Z since I bought it. Time will tell as to how long they last, but I am planning to put them on the rear when the original Contis finally go slick.

I'm rolling on the new Michelin PS4s too and I second your opinion.
Perfect tyre for the RCZ and way better than the Michelin PSS. More comfort at higher tyre pressures, better MPGs, less rolling resistance (at least what my bum is telling me), sick grip in dry and wet also, very predictable when sliding (e.g. on a damp road) and important: absolutely no vibrations in the steering wheel. With some tyre brands the RCZ produces vibrations in the steering wheel at about 80MPH which can be very tiresome on longer trips. The PS4s don't.

 

[RCZ-R]

Re: Tyre choice - feedback required.

Meanwhile I have done over 6000 miles on the Michelin PS4s.
I can recommend this tyre to every RCZ owner, without limitations. No matter if you only commute with your RCZ or use it as weekend toy only. The Michelin is a perfect match for the RCZ. Comfort, noise levels, wear off, driving in wet, braking stability, all this works beautifully with the PS4s on the RCZ. It is a big step up from the Michelin PSS which was honestly not the perfect fit for the RCZ.