Auto express tyre test 2018

[Watts]

Australia should be perfectly fine with your climate for the Bridgestones but if you want to waste money that's entirely up to you. I think most of the problem with Bridgestones is forums like this. One person says they are rubbish then everyone jumps on the wandwagon. A bit like a pedal box, one person says they have a dull throttle response and all of a sudden everyone else does. If the Bridgestone wasn't a safe tyre then it wouldn't be allowed on a car and on actual fact they are an ok tyre.

I haven't had Bridgestones as on 19s, standard fit were Pirellis which were pretty good and lasted me 20k miles (for all 4). But I would get tramping with them fairly regularly which was very irritating even though I am a generally sedate driver (very little opportunity round here for spirited driving with the traffic and cameras). Swapping to Michelins has made a huge improvement. In the 7 months I've had them there has been no tramping and just a couple of occasions of wheelspin but then it was pretty cold and wet last winter. I wouldn't have swapped them before the Pirellis wore out because being 19s the cost was far from insignificant however I could fully understand why some would. So it is not a waste of money, it is just personal choice. Likewise the pedalbox. Fair enough and good for you, you are happy with the stock setup. Again, personal choice. But the difference is like night and day, that cannot be denied, but that is not for everyone. I like it As for one person makes a comment then others jump on the bandwagon, in some ways I think that's true but as with many things in life, things are accepted as the way they are until you discover there is something better, surely that's a good thing? I've bought all sorts of bits and pieces for my car based on recommendations on here, I didn't have to, but these cars are more of a hobby than most as a humdrum model would do 90% of what the performance versions do for 90% of the time plus they are cheaper to buy and run. But we didn't buy one of those because to us these are better so why not look to improving them too? Isn't that why we all frequent this forum?

[Jim_mk7.5]

Ask the same question about other things on your car... is there a better windscreen manufacturer, wiper blade manufacturer, infotainment manufacturer, brake manufacturer, suspension strut manufacturer.... etc etc VW actually manufacture very little of the parts list that make up 90% of your car... they buy them from people who make sub-components for cars.

Why pick one over the other? If it was Formula 1 it would be because one was better than the others in performance terms. In mass produced road going cars, its good enough and cheaper than the alternatives.

Once you wear those everlasting Bridgestones out, 6 months before your next car is on the way (if you change every 3 years), and you get some decent rubber, you'll realise how much better your car would've been the whole time.

I wore my fronts out in 10k...... 

[O2Doc]

Bridgestone's switched 150 miles into driving the car. Cost me £120 to swap them to PS4s, best thing I ever did 

Dunlop 

[kalimon]

I've had one puncture in over 2 years of ownership. That one puncture cost me a damaged alloy and 3 months of hassle getting it sorted out.
The thought of willingly taking all 4 tyres off and fitting new, for no other reason than than a tad less noise and a tad more grip, fills me with dread 

[mcmaddy]

Australia should be perfectly fine with your climate for the Bridgestones but if you want to waste money that's entirely up to you. I think most of the problem with Bridgestones is forums like this. One person says they are rubbish then everyone jumps on the wandwagon. A bit like a pedal box, one person says they have a dull throttle response and all of a sudden everyone else does. If the Bridgestone wasn't a safe tyre then it wouldn't be allowed on a car and on actual fact they are an ok tyre.

I'm in Hobart, Australia's coldest capital city - similar climate to the UK.  We have lots of cold and wet roads.

I don't consider spending money on better tyres a waste of money.  I had tyres which even on a new car (ie. driven modestly) were breaking traction on take-off in the wet. So I chose better, safer tyres.  I now enjoy my car more.  Plus have peace of mind knowing my braking distances are shorter, I have better aquaplaning resistance, better grip for emergency manoeuvres and I'm safer.  Not to mention the steering is sharper and the car generally more enjoyable to drive.  Hardly a waste of money. But if you're perfectly happy on S001s, good for you.

Suggest you read some reviews on the S001s.  Here's just one to start you off.  Note the date.  They were way off the pace even back then. http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2014-EVO-Max-Performance-Summer-Tyre-Test.htm   Bridgestone even stopped submitting the S001 for high performance tyre reviews these past few years - instead providing the Turanza - a touring tyre.  Which says it all, really.

But I get the feeling we're never going to agree on this, so enjoy your S001s    I'll continue to enjoy my PS4.

Might need to wind your neck in a bit. I said in a previous post the Bridgestones were old and newer tyres would be better from Michelin or Continental. For general driving though they are fine. Will I put them back on, no so calm down and carry on enjoying your PS4s which I'll probably put on come change time.

[monkeyhanger]

Australia should be perfectly fine with your climate for the Bridgestones but if you want to waste money that's entirely up to you. I think most of the problem with Bridgestones is forums like this. One person says they are rubbish then everyone jumps on the wandwagon. A bit like a pedal box, one person says they have a dull throttle response and all of a sudden everyone else does. If the Bridgestone wasn't a safe tyre then it wouldn't be allowed on a car and on actual fact they are an ok tyre.

Is it a waste of money to buy tyres befitting of the performance potential of the car because VW chose so poorly, or is it more of a waste to buy a GTI/GTD and then have to drive it like it's a 1.0TSI 85ps Golf S to avoid breaking traction frequently in every day situations, rather than just buying the S?

Your GTD came on better rubber than mine, and your PP's LSD reins in the tramping, but even then, having the R, I still felt poor turn in grip in the mildest of winter weather (slight slippage on a large roundabout at 11C, following behind a RWD BMW118d that skipped around at twice the speed I was doing).

It's not being a sheep to say Bridgestones are a very poor "premium" tyre, my opinions on them are based on frequently suffering poor traction on 3 VWs bought from new with them (including the MK7 GTD), and not suffering it on any of the other VWs I have had which came on different rubber. I don't know anyone else on here putting down Bridgestones that haven't also had them and experienced their shortcomings.

You admit yourself that at replacement time you won't be buying Bridgestones again. It's one thing to compare the Bridgestones to the best of the best and denigrate them, but when they are poor performers next to all of their peers, you're "making do" with something that is impeding the car's potential in performance and safety terms.

Look around on the German forums and you'll realise that VW don't put Bridgestones on German market GTIs or GTDs, I wonder why that is? They wouldn't put up with it.

[mcmaddy]

I'm way too tight to just replace them and I've no doubt a fresh set of PS4 or Continentals will be much better. I honestly haven't had any issues with them at all since picking the car up even in torrential rain so the only thing helping must be LSD. They don't work in the snow but then again neither do any other summer tyres  I'll be the first to post up on the forum once new tyres are on and let everyone know the massive difference (could be sooner rather than later as the rears are starting to crack slightly in between the tread blocks).

[fredgroves]

Look around on the German forums and you'll realise that VW don't put Bridgestones on German market GTIs or GTDs, I wonder why that is? They wouldn't put up with it.

Probably because that was a different territory in their great tyre supplier carve up.... either that or they perceive that because of German road laws about summer and winter tyres, you don't need to spec an average all rounder and can get away with supplying something else?

Out of interest, if you buy a car in Germany during the winter.... is it supplied with winter tyres?

[Mike J]

All the 2nd hand car Ive looked at in Germany have had both sets of tyres and rims included in the price.

Its why all our VWs have a boot that is 4 tyres wide with strap fixings at either side.

[fredgroves]

What about new cars? Do VW offer to sell you both sets of tyres/wheels and if you don't choose both do you get the current season fitted?