winrya Posted February 2, 2006 Report Share Posted February 2, 2006 I've finally given in. My continentals are almost finished now and although i was going to wear them to the wear limiters ive given up becuase the car is not fun in this weather with these tyres. Anyone else finding 1st, 2nd and 3rd almost unusable for fast breaks of acceleration. From what ive read the F1' will make a massive difference so i will keep you guys posted on how they perform! Regards Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted February 2, 2006 Report Share Posted February 2, 2006 Contis not unusable - I tend to only feed the throttle gradually in such conditions and I don't stamp on it. It's surprising how well she still covers the ground (DSG). Also, my modded suspension seems to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark_90 Posted February 3, 2006 Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 If you think that the GSD-3's are going to give you 4WD grip off the line you are mistaken! They are excellent tyres IMO but they are better at road holding than traffic-light GP and they need to be warm before they're any use. If I were you I'd concentrate a little more on learning to drive the car in relation to the conditions, and save yourself a tyre bill every few months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBuer Posted February 3, 2006 Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 Ummmm in this weather the Eagle F1's aren't going to give you much grip at all. I've got them on my car at the moment and am having to be fairly careful when out...especially in the mornings or late night when temperatures are low. They are really a summer tyre, so I'd hold out until the frost clears. In the dry the grip is fastastic and they are also very good in the wet, but give them some frost / ice or temperatures below 2c and you'll find it pretty slipply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winrya Posted February 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 My thinking with the F1s is that they are the best wet tyres you can buy which is a big contrast to the continentals which are on it, them being considered quite poor in the wet. My experience with previous cars is that F1s transform the drive so expect there will be some difference. I'm sure having full tread as opposed to almost bald will also make a huge difference, but as i said i will keep you posted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemod Posted February 3, 2006 Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 My Conti's are nearly down to the wear indicators as well, was hoping to swap the back to the fronts so I could wear them down and change all four, as I don't like having different fronts to backs, but I left it too late so will just put another set of Conti's on the front. Grip levels are bad at the moment can't go much over half throttle on some roads. My Mum's 1.4 Golf is not much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBuer Posted February 3, 2006 Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 [ QUOTE ] My thinking with the F1s is that they are the best wet tyres you can buy which is a big contrast to the continentals which are on it, them being considered quite poor in the wet. My experience with previous cars is that F1s transform the drive so expect there will be some difference. I'm sure having full tread as opposed to almost bald will also make a huge difference, but as i said i will keep you posted [/ QUOTE ] Wet weather yes, they're fantastic. But cold icy winter weather where temperatures are really low, they are very bad..and I speak from first hand experience Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted February 3, 2006 Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 I'm inclined to stick with Contis. I take the attitude that VW will have spent time and money seriously looking at tyre options for Mk5 GTI production, especially with 200 neddies through the front wheels. It seems stupid to me to ignore their very informed choice and think that we know better. I think it's best to have an allround performing tyre such as the Conti and tyres shouldn't be blamed for someone's questionable driving style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mu71rd Posted February 3, 2006 Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 yes but you could argue the same for Milltek exhausts and new suspension though. It's the same as any mod - the manufacturer part is not always the best. Their decision to use a part is embroiled in a much bigger picture of large scale production, and it wouldn't surprise me that the tyre choice is one area they try and save some money. Especially as between us we have various different factory-fitted tyres on our wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBuer Posted February 3, 2006 Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 I remember speaking to a friend of mine who sells Renaults and he said that the Exalto tyres that are fitted to the Clio account for one of the biggest changes between the current Clio 182 Cup and the old 172 Cup. Imagine how happy I felt when I realised that the MKV R32 now comes with Exalto's I'd tend to agree with mu71rd regarding his comments above. Tyres, like any car part, can improve (or ruin) a cars feel and performance. Most tyres to be fair are much the same and do not provide any real world "road" driving benefits. The Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres are fantastically good in the dry and deeply impressive in the wet (due to their asymmetric design). However, show them a cold day or icy conditions and they are really quite bad. I'm not saying any tyres are good for grip in the ice, but measurably, the F1's don't cope too well with these types of conditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scillyisles Posted February 3, 2006 Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Imagine how happy I felt when I realised that the MKV R32 now comes with Exalto's [/ QUOTE ] Yes - I'm very impressed with the Michelin Pilot Exaltos - they seem to give excellent grip even in the weather we have at the moment and give a quiet comfortable ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted February 3, 2006 Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 You make a very good point, mu. I wrote what I did because I recall reading a long time ago that VW had very consciously chosen tyres for the GTI. What I'm saying is that the Conti appears to be probably the best all year round performance tyre for the Mk5 GTI - Of course, I could be wrong. I haven't had any serious problems yet with my Contis but I don't drive so hard in the wet and certainly not when it's icey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winrya Posted February 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 Well annoyingly ive just been told that my tyres are now out of stock and on back order so i've got to wait a while now Back to the tyres, Red i dont race around in the wet or the ice, far from it, I just feel there is room for improvement as far as the tyres go. Manufacturers have to comprimise when it comes to the tyres they put on their cars, the conti's are generally considered a good all rounder. They give a good balance between grip, ride comfort, noise and wear. F1's wear more quickly as they are a softer compount but the trade off is superior grip. As a general rule car companies vary the tyres which they put on their cars, dependant on the best deals they can get at the time. Now im not 100% sure that rule goes for the GTI but im sure ive seen GTI's with bridgestones on also. As i said i will keep you updated on my findings Regards Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calmac Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 I have just been out and had some Hankook Ventus tyres fitted and the difference in grip is remarkable! Wasn't impresses with standard contis, from either a grip or wear point of view tbh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemod Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 I was looking at those Hankooks and they get very good write ups. Did you notice any reduction in road noise. Are they the Ventus Sport K104's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 Cheers, Ryan . That's what's so good about TSN - We can all learn from each other and I think I'm learning something about tyres from you guys which will give me food for thought when it's time to change my tyres. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calmac Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 They are indeed Mike. I have only driven a few miles since they went on but the road noise does indeed seem to be reduced. The car feels more solid too if this doesn't make me sound like an idiot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemod Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 Have you left the Conti's on the rear. My fronts need replaced in the next month so don't know whether to put another set of conti's on the front or just go with the different grip levels and put Hankooks on the front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calmac Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 Contis still on the rear. The guy at the garage said they shouldn't be worn after 12500 miles so he recommended the Hankooks. Will be putting those on the back as soon as they need replacing also. As you said, the write ups seem to be very good so I am happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemod Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 Oops, I've only got 10000 on mine , mostly A and B roads though very rarely on the Motorway. I think I might do the same and go with the Hankooks, cheers calmac. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBuer Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 Have a look also guys at the Exalto's! They are meant to be spot on and I'm surprised VW didn't put them on the GTI as they did with the R32. I've driven a Clio Cup 172 on the old tyres it came with and then the Exalto's which are fitted to the 182 now. The difference was very noticible and the grip immense! Leading up to the summer months (hopefully soon ), the Goodyear Eagle F1's are very good! Also check out www.blackcircles.com for some decent competitive prices! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie_d Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 I personally love Pirelli tyres and the P-Zero Rosso's on mine are awesome imho. When I swap back to my oem alloys/tyres I have to take corners much slower. My tyre guy has a love affair with Toyo tyres, really rates them too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhs Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 When it's less than 6 degrees C high silica tyres are supposed to be good. I wondered about some Vredestein Wintrac xtremes - anyone had any experience of these? http://www.mytyres.co.uk/ (Another value for tyres site) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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