wallyr25

Ok, it's a bit early to start thinking about Summer Tires, but I need a new set (17") and was just wondering what tires other TT owners are using. Please post your tire type and how you feel about them, and we'll see if there is any consensus or pattern.
Thanks

wallyr25

So, no one want to talk tires eh? That's OK, I'm not offended, I'm not going to make fuss about it, not me, no way guys & gals, that's your business, I'm not going to make big deal out of it or anything. I'll just go and buy some pieces of crap and if I get a blow out or spin off the Sea to Sky Highway and drop into the ocean then you'll be sorry, you'll see!

cheeba

Well, I don't have any Summers yet since I just picked up my TT - it came with studded Winters - but, I'm going to go with Falken Azenis or Dunlop Direzza Star Spec come Spring.

Tires are the most overlooked mod. to any car - even by enthusiasts! If you like to drive aggressively, buy the best tires you can afford. The two I mentioned above are actually very reasonably priced, and perform near/at the top of the non-R-compound category.

Alan_G_03_TT

Easy Guy, LOL!! My TT came with new rubber, it's got Hankook Ventus HRII's which are a performance all season. They run nice and quiet, rain grip is good, dry grip is not bad. Overall a decent tire, but it's not a R grip tire by any means.

I had Goodyear Eagle F1's on my previous car, a 1.8T chipped Jetta. These tires performed very well, wet and dry grip was insane, higher then my bravery level for the most part. They did get noisy with wear, even though I rotated them often so that was a bit of a negative. Overall though I got decent miles out of them and would recommend them. They sure had mega grip though.

cheeba

My opinion: the F1's are decent, but far from the best; and, are grossly overpriced (at least in Canada). There are tires out there that outperform them at around 1/2-3/4 the price. The sidewalls were much too soft, there was noticeable tread squirm, and the dry grip was a little lacking. My Bridgestone S-03's definitely outperformed my Goodyear F1's. The kicker: I paid $125/tire all in for the S-03's and my local Goodyear dealer wanted $400/tire! The Goodyears can obviously be had for less by ordering from the US, but I was still flabbergasted. That said, unless you're the type to push your car to the limit, this level of tire is probably unnecessary - you'll get the performance you need in something that will wear slower, generate less noise, tramline less, and is less expensive.

Really, in order to make recommendations, we need to know what your requirements are. Toss some thoughts in and I'll recommend whatever I know about . . .

TT01

I have Pirelli's for summer and really like them.

wallyr25

Over the three Audi's I have had, I have never bought a summer tire. I bought winter tires for all of them. And since the majority of my driving is going skiing to Whistler, I obviously used the winter tire most of the time, thus making my summers last for many years. My TT came with worn out Pirelli P6 all season that I didn't especially like. So now I have to buy summer tires. Living here on the Wet Coast they have to be good in the rain, as well as dry, with good braking and handling and I'd like them to be quiet. Long wear is no so important for me.

Anyhow I was wondering what other TT's are running, that's all. I have always thought that Michelin Pilots were the top of the heap, also well rated are the Bridgestone RE, and the Yoko Advan 07. When one compares the ratings of those tires with the Falken 452, it compares very favourably for a much lower cost.

So, is it worth the extra money to get the Michelins?

Alan_G_03_TT

I saw huge variation of price for them when I bought my F1's, I managed to get them for about $225 a tire, so it was not that bad. I've only ever had the F1's as an all out performance tire to judge things, and I was amazed at the grip they could generate. I thought the feel of them was good also, but I did read of people saying the sidewalls were too soft. Like you said though, your tire choice depends how hard you plan to push your car. I used to get my Jetta starting to show the traction control light on in 4 and 5 gear sweepers, and I didn't wish to find more grip at that point! I'll have to try the Bridgestones when I need new rubber for the TT, how is the tire noise with them?

phawx

Haha... funny man you are.

Well here's my input, mind you none of them belong to my TT except for it's stock Bridgestone RE050A that came with the car. I have the 2008 2.0T FF version that's currently in Hong Kong .

Bridgestone RE050A (fitted on MK2 2.0T TT): it's not too too bad, not the stiffest sidewall, but relatively grippy. Can't push it completely to try out tho. 225/55/16, I believe. Please double check stock fitment.

Toyo Proxes T1R (fitted on my friend's EG Civic): quite grippy, a bit better than the RE050A, if you brake hard and throw the car in the corner, your brakes will overload and smoke as your rear inside wheel lifts up. Good in the wet, good in the dry. 215/50/16, I think.

Yokohama S.Drive (fitted on my FG2 Civic Si): less grippy than the T1R, probably about the same as the RE050A. But the sidewalls were stiffer (probably because I got the 225/45/17"). Again good for use in wet and dry.

Bridgestone RE01R: The grippiest tires that I've tried on my FG2 civic. I don't think I can go back to driving anything else on the track. For me these things have monstrous grip, at the same time can get you back and forth on the road in the rain or in the dry as long as the temp stays above 10 deg C.

Toyo Proxes RA1: R-compound tires, so very very very very grippy. Street legal in Canada. Amazing for the track, unbeatable in the dry. Once it gets old, driving it in the rain can get a bit dangerous since they have only a few straight grooves - I wouldn't recommend them for all-season driving. Tried them on my friend's EG civic again.

Hope this helps?

wallyr25

Thanks All:
Wasn't really looking for advice, just some indication of what other TT's are running. I priced out the Falken 452s at about 900, Michelin Pilots at just over a grand, and RE050 Pole Position at just over 12. All excellent highway tires I'm sure. I've ordered 225/45 17 Michelin Pilots.

But I have to say I am really impressed with my Dunlop Winter Sports I'm running now. What is so great is that they handle quite well in all conditions, dry, rain, snow.