Vote for best 40 series on17 inch wheels

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Poppy1

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Lets see what people are running on and their experience againt three criteria: Economy (wear and price); Wet Weather handling; Dry weather handling.Will it be the Michelin Pilot Sport, Dunlop 9000, Goodyear GSD3 Continental Sport Contact or the new Uniroyal Rainsport. Underdogs are the Toyo Proxes.

2003 FSi SE in Ebony Black Pearlescent; Climate; DIS; Winter Pack; Sports Steering Wheel; Copilot Light and Upgraded bulbs
 
Sorry, stupid question perhaps but is 17" the standard size (6spoke) alloys on an SE? Or are you tlaking about the 9 spokes or something else entirely?

Thanks for clearing it up.

I will be hunting down OEM Michelin Pilot Primacy when I replace the tyres. Incredible wear over more than 30k.
 
James, you're right, 17" are 9 spokes, standard on the Sport.
SE 6 spokes are 16"

Shaf

Nov 2002 TDi Sport, Silver,Black/grey interior,climate. Replaced previous Mar 2001 TDi SE
 
[10]
Pirelli P-Zero Rosso asymmetrico.
MUCH quieter than the Michelin.

The 16" Primacys (SE)were excellent, well over 30k wear but a little noisy.

NEVER attempt a battle of wits with an unarmed man.
A2 1.4 SE TDI replaced with A3 2.0TDI DSG, the transmission of the future - today.
 
My Sport came with factory fitted Dunlop SP Sport 9090's. On delivery they had 9mm of tread. After 14,000 miles the fronts have 5mm tread and the rears 7mm. I can't fault the grip in either wet or dry conditions. The only gripe I've got with them is that they look as if they are really stretched over the wheel and don't offer any wheel rim protection against kerbing.
I run them on 33 psi front and 31 psi rear.
Incidentally, on delivery tyre pressures were:
n/s front - 31 psi
o/s front - 31 psi
n/s rear - 27 psi
o/s rear - 30 psi

So much for the PDI!!

Nov 2002 TDi Sport, Silver,Black/grey interior,climate. Replaced previous Mar 2001 TDi SE
 
Startard SE 16" alloys with Michelin Pilot Primacy (185/50/16). Pretty quiet, the VW 1.4 petrol unit generates more noise than the tyres anyway. Its low profile so not the most comfortable.

Good grip in the dry, confident driving, predictable. It doesn't snap at limit, loosing its grip progressively as you approach the limit.

Fine in the wet, but the grip is gone a lot faster than in dry, it kind of snaps out of it but not as bad.

Its very very expensive, 130 quid each installed from my Audi dealer and at least 93 from anywhere else+fitting. Entire UK is on back order, an ATS guy has checked all his michellin contact and it doens't look good. As most people are aware of, the chubby white fat man from france may have stopped producing for the very odd 185/50/16

I was trying to get new Toyos but mytyres seems to have difficulty and I had to go for the SP9000.

humps
1.4SE Cobalt Blue, Bose and leather
 
Got 18500m from the Michelin Pilot Sports on the front. Rears still going strong.

Just had them replaced with Pirelli PZeros - cant say that I am impressed so far.
The PZeros seem to be more flexible which translates to less feel - The Pilots made the car feel like a go kart, very flat. The PZeros seem to tuck under at the front. I'll give them another week and then swap the rears to the front.



Cheers
Rod
 
Nope... not even gonna wait a week.
Corners that I normally take on the way to work, just peel in and comfortably take the turn are now a peel in... woaaah tighten... more more... as the car just floats ands bobbles it way around the corner.

Thought it might have been pressure... nope went from 32 to 36 and still not as good.

PZero are not as good handling or have as good dry grip as the Michelin Pilot Sports.

Now I have to convince the lease company to change them again. >:|

Cheers
Rod

Cheers
Rod
 
Next update...
Audi swapped the tyres around so that I have the 19k mile Michelins at the front and the brand new Pirellis on the back...
Results...
Car now turns nicely again, tracks properly (doesnt wander), and the front sticks like (make your own up) :)
But...
When starting to push it a little more the ESP start kicking in going around corners (Nice long sweeping corners are the worst) because the back end decides it cant cope grip wise.
Heavy braking on anything other than perfectly flat road results in lots of squirming as the back end tries to beat the front to the finish line.

Now the lease company is telling me I am stuck with the Pirellis!
What are the odds of getting 2 non repairable punctures to the back tyres in any given day? >:|



Cheers
Rod
 
For safety's sake you need to put the Pireeli's at the front and Michelins at the back - this will ensure you have a failsafe understeer rather than lethal oversteer. You aren't driving a BMW remember.

poppy1

quote:Originally posted by rod_bunny

Next update...
Audi swapped the tyres around so that I have the 19k mile Michelins at the front and the brand new Pirellis on the back...
Results...
Car now turns nicely again, tracks properly (doesnt wander), and the front sticks like (make your own up) :)
But...
When starting to push it a little more the ESP start kicking in going around corners (Nice long sweeping corners are the worst) because the back end decides it cant cope grip wise.
Heavy braking on anything other than perfectly flat road results in lots of squirming as the back end tries to beat the front to the finish line.

Now the lease company is telling me I am stuck with the Pirellis!
What are the odds of getting 2 non repairable punctures to the back tyres in any given day? >:|



Cheers
Rod
Click to expand...

2003 FSi SE in Ebony Black Pearlescent; Climate; DIS; Winter Pack; Sports Steering Wheel; Copilot Light and Upgraded bulbs
 
I hear ya Poppy...
Still trying to get the lease company to change them... at least I now have a safety issue (which is what I wanted to prove by swapping them around). ;)

Cheers
Rod
 
Rod

Don't hold your breath. Inchcape changed their supplier a couple of times so my (now replaced) Passat at two consecutive tyre changes went from 4 Dunlop std (same spare) to 2 standard (F) and 2 Avon Unidirectional (R)(std Dunlop spare) to 2 Avon Unidirectional (R) and two dunlop Asymetric (F) (still std spare) making the spare illegal - did they care? you guessed it.

Luckily I never needed to put the spare on but it would have been interesting.

I bet they don't let me have michelins to replace those on the Accord I have now.

Ian

2002 1.4 Petrol SE, silver with climate control for SWMBO, Honda Accord Tourer 2.2 iCDTi for me.
 
I'm around the 18k mile mark and need to replace my front michelin's. So far they've been great and from other people I speak to they're probably the best tyres out?? Shame they're so expensive compared to other manufacturers [29]
 
Pirelli pressures are too high I suggest. Go the other way...especially for such a light car. 30 or even 28 would bwe better. Wear pattern on the Pirelli on any vehicle usually shows on the centre of the tyre. They do 'like' to be lower.
My Pirellis are much better than the harder Michelins. Admittedly 2001 vintage.
 
Just had my fronts replaced today at 19400, backs still have around 5 to 6mm on them.
The originals where Dunlop SP 9090's which have been good apart from once in the snow.
I've got an Audi maintenance contract so had them replaced at National ( My dealer neglected to mention that they wouldn't replace them as part of servicing, and I'd have to take my pristine A2 to a 3rd party as audi are too expensive for themselves, oh well..), the replacements are ContiSportContact 2's (205/40 ZR17) as apparently Dunlop don't make the 9090 V rated tyres as fitted anymore.
I'm also slightly worried about the rears now after seeing that both the fronts had numerous cracks in the inside walls !
Has anyone else had problems with the Dunlops ?

Rich.[21]

Silver A2 1.6FSI sport.
Black interior, front fogs, REW, ECC, winter pack, mats & iPod.
 
The front Avons on my Puma also had cracks on inside walls. 195/50/15.
Car failed Mot, thats how I found out. I never touch the kerb. Tyre people recon all Avons have weak walls, but I think it`s the bumps and humps that do it!







1.4 Sport/CC/CD/Islandgreen
 
I've obviously annoyed someone last week.... I ran over something that fell off a truck right in front of me going around a roundabout and punctured the front Michelin...

First ever puncture in a car on the road ever! (Hundreds off road but thats a different story)

Long story short the lease car allowed me get the only available michelin fitted to the front - yeah!

But while I was in ATS I read one of their posters stating that on FWD cars if changing the fronts only, the rears should be moved forward and the new tyres put on the back - that way the front will slide almost the same as before and the back will grip properly. Forcing understeer rather than oversteer (From Poppys post ;) )

So if thats the case, how can a brand new set of supposedly top of the line Pirellis have LESS grip than part worn, year old, 19kmiles Michelins???


I tried different pressures on the Pirellis and they get worse with lower pressures.

Nothing against Pirellis in general - On my fireblade, Pirelli Dragon Corsa transformed the bike into a dream from the never felt quite right Michelin Hi-Sports.


Havnt tried anything else other than 2 tyres but the Pilot sports are by far and away better wet & dry grip, wet & dry handling, (Economy, I want a car/bike to stick to the road, cost isnt an issue.) than the Pirelli P-Zero Neros.


So... my vote for the best 40 series on17 inch wheels is...... Michelin Pilot Sports** [25]




Cheers
Rod
 
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