Which tyres?

[CliveH]

Michelin Sport and Continental's seem to be the favourites, but is there really any difference between the "quality brands"? and what's wrong with Nankang's at nearly half the price?

[eatthis]

cheap tyres = <beep> the only decent tyres iv ever had were on my current car (golf vr6) toyo proxi t1r 1 word AWESOME

[CliveH]

I always work on the principle of "you get what you pay for" but are the Nankangs reallyy that bad?
Has anyone tried the Toyos on the S4?

[maxxximus]

Goodyear F1s are excellent- reasonable wear and good wet grip.
Nankangs-very cheap for a reason -theyrs sh**e-and in the wet theyre lethal

[jeffw]

I have always been very keen on Toyo and have had them fitted to a number of cars including the S4. It was only when I had to change tyres unexpectantly before a track day and the only tyres the fitting place had in where Michelin Pilot Sports did I realise what a difference there is. Michelin Pilot Sports are significantly better than Toyo T1, especially in the wet, and have lasted about 40% longer so far.......recommended

[smurfbus]

I have always been very keen on Toyo and have had them fitted to a number of cars including the S4. It was only when I had to change tyres unexpectantly before a track day and the only tyres the fitting place had in where Michelin Pilot Sports did I realise what a difference there is. Michelin Pilot Sports are significantly better than Toyo T1, especially in the wet, and have lasted about 40% longer so far.......recommended

I take it you mean michelin ps2 witch are told to be superior to the older pilot sports? The bad thing about those ps2's is that they are expencive.

Has anyone tried michelin CUP tires on a B5 S4? I've heard they are very fast at the track.

[smurfbus]

I have always been very keen on Toyo and have had them fitted to a number of cars including the S4. It was only when I had to change tyres unexpectantly before a track day and the only tyres the fitting place had in where Michelin Pilot Sports did I realise what a difference there is. Michelin Pilot Sports are significantly better than Toyo T1, especially in the wet, and have lasted about 40% longer so far.......recommended

I take it you mean michelin ps2 witch are told to be superior to the older pilot sports? The bad thing about those ps2's is that they are expencive.

Has anyone tried michelin CUP tires on a B5 S4? I've heard they are very fast at the track.

Toyos are known to be loud when they wear.

[KayGee]

The only <beep> on here, is the <beep> talked regarding tyre brands. My Kumhos are easily as good as the Continentals I had fitted before and much better than the Falkens it was wearing when I bought it.

I like both the Toyo and Michelins tryes, had them fitted to previous cars, however they aren't worth paying twice the price for. They may be marginally better but are only that, marginally better.

Nankangs are apparently Yokohamas. Hardly <beep>. Just put 4 x 225/40/18 tyres on for £244.00 inc delivery. Unbeateable value for money.

www.camskill.co.uk

They also do dunlop road/track tyres which are supposed to be very good at £115.

[smurfbus]

The only <beep> on here, is the <beep> talked regarding tyre brands. My Kumhos are easily as good as the Continentals I had fitted before and much better than the Falkens it was wearing when I bought it.

I like both the Toyo and Michelins tryes, had them fitted to previous cars, however they aren't worth paying twice the price for. They may be marginally better but are only that, marginally better.

Nankangs are apparently Yokohamas. Hardly <beep>. Just put 4 x 225/40/18 tyres on for £244.00 inc delivery. Unbeateable value for money.

www.camskill.co.uk

They also do dunlop road/track tyres which are supposed to be very good at £115.

You need to take into account that tires get better all the time. older model michelins are probalbly no better than newer kumhos?

Please report us how your Nankangs are in wet and how they wear. Yokohamas are said to wear fast and be loud but thats just hearsay.

usually the quality goes very fast down with the price but there is always a good balance witch differs from person to person. I have no problem trying some kumhos or some other inexpencive tire on my S4, but I would like to hear or read some review over them before I make the decision.

[DavidT]

Great thread for this early on a week day. Fair play to you's

I had Pirelli P6000's - 2 sets including the ones that came new on the car. They were <beep>, especially scary in the wet. I use them on a second set of wheels for trackdays now, they have gone rock hard at about 2mm tread depth and provide much fun.

Then got Bridgestone S02 pole positions, 2 sets, fantastic all round compared to the Pirelli's.

Just swapped to Toyo's which were reasonably priced (£100 fitted for 235/40/17). Only done 6 miles so far but will report back with progress.

[a.d.grant]

I am up for 4 new tyres shortly and was thinking of Yokohama AVS Sports - anyone had experience of these? I would be fitting standard 225/45x17.

[Dippy]

Wise words from KayGee. Lets' face it, few if any people are in the position to really compare different tyres on the same car in the same conditions. Even when you have just changed tyres, it is unreasonably to make a comparision with the old tyres because they were worn.

I think there is value in getting subjective opinions from several people and seeing if there is any commonality. If so, then maybe that can add some (but only some) weight to your personal choice. It is certainly fair to say that if a particular person does not drive near the tyre's limits, then it's probably a waste of money buying the top performance tyres.

For me, the issue is "what if I go for a cheaper tyre and then regret it?". I don't want to take the risk, so even paying up to £50 more per tyre to KNOW I will have good performance is OK for me.

I have limited experience of tyres on my S4. It was delivered with P6000s which would squeal round corners in the dry and quickly lose traction in the wet. So next I got Michelin PS and found them much improved, although they too could squeal in the dry. Next I tried Toyo Proxes which were again better than the Michelins - good in both wet and dry conditions. Trouble was they wore a bit quicker than the Michelins.

Now I'm using the Michelin PS2s and they are so much better than the Proxes. Traction is superb and wear is reasonable. But yes they are expensive. I've just had two fitted for just shy of £300! But supposedly the PS2s were developed using lessons learned from Michelin's F1 experience, so that's why they cost.

But I'm not going to suggest that PS2s are any better than any other brand I have no experience of because how would I know?

I too am keen to learn how the Nankangs perform. Years ago I had Yoko AVSs on my 2.8 Capri and thought the traction was excellent, especially in the wet. However the reason for this was primarily the soft compound, so they did not last long.

So maybe a tyre such as the PS2 only gives marginally better performance than one half its cost. However if it lasts twice as long then the actual running costs are the same!

[tartan_rob]

I've done AVS sports on my old S2 Estate. They were good when cold but in Spain when hot they were very slippery. I was a yoko nut before that but would not go back to them until they dispose of the silica compound. RE wear on Yoko's, I have found them to be great approx 20k miles, 25k on my devilish Uno Turbo a long time ago....

[ShaneyB]

Steer clear of Dunlop SP Sport FM901's, absolutley shocking in all conditions on my Avant and loud cabin noise. I didn't like the Toyo's on my S3 but heard good things about them on the S4's. I think I'll go with either Michelin's or try Goodyears.

Good luck

[eatthis]

The only <beep> on here, is the <beep> talked regarding tyre brands. My Kumhos are easily as good as the Continentals I had fitted before and much better than the Falkens it was wearing when I bought it.

I like both the Toyo and Michelins tryes, had them fitted to previous cars, however they aren't worth paying twice the price for. They may be marginally better but are only that, marginally better.

Nankangs are apparently Yokohamas. Hardly <beep>. Just put 4 x 225/40/18 tyres on for £244.00 inc delivery. Unbeateable value for money.

www.camskill.co.uk

They also do dunlop road/track tyres which are supposed to be very good at £115.

i currently have yokohama on my vr6 and theyr crap compared to the toyos probably horses for courses