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Model specific boards => Golf mk2 => Topic started by: Lukechamp83 on 10 April 2012, 13:24

Title: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: Lukechamp83 on 10 April 2012, 13:24
Does anyone know what the origonal tyres were for my 1990 mk2 8 valve? Are they p6's? What would you all recommend?
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: Pearce69 on 10 April 2012, 14:01
mine had P600's on when i bought it. dont know if they were tyres on it from new? Iv opted for some toyo's now
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: The Mighty Elvi on 10 April 2012, 15:27
Seeing as tyre development has come on a fair bit, you'd probably be best with modern tyres on it.

 :grin:
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: Kent on 10 April 2012, 20:46
Stay away from P6000's they are shocking in the wet.
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: Wayne on 10 April 2012, 21:55
Toyo's or Falkens are good choices :afro:
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: JC on 10 April 2012, 21:55
uniroyal rainsport IIs  :smiley:
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: Sam on 10 April 2012, 22:06
Rainsport 2s are awesome
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: JC on 10 April 2012, 22:07
 :wink:
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: mk2bal on 11 April 2012, 07:53
Toyo t1's get my vote. Awesome tires.
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: Sam on 11 April 2012, 09:15
I didnt really rate/still dont rate toyos, I have them on my mk2 now and can get a little annoying in the wet. Was gonna burn through them and put rainsports back on.
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: Pearce69 on 11 April 2012, 11:05
Iv had rainsports on my 2 previous cars. Good tyres altho when my astra was at 215bhp i struggled for grip but it did have silly torgue cuz it was a 1.9cdti lol
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: dubber36 on 11 April 2012, 12:57
My car came with BF Goodrich Profilers on it, and I have to say they are pretty good.

I have just fitted Hankooks to my Passat rather than the usual Michelins, and have to say I am very impressed. Also £74 a corner (224-45-17) compared to £120 for the Michelins is not to be sniffed at.
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: Dolly on 11 April 2012, 18:15
i got Avons on mine, wasnt too sure before but having used them both in the wet and dry they seem good for the money ie a little more than the budgets but cheaper than the continentals and bridgestones
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: stealth_gti on 13 April 2012, 12:00
toyo proxies for sure!!
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: scottishpedro on 14 April 2012, 21:46
The conti sport contact 2s on mine are excellent
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: minid0m on 15 April 2012, 10:39
Toyo t1's get my vote. Awesome tires.


I have these on mine too. Wicked tyres...
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: lemski on 15 April 2012, 10:51
Toyo ptoxies on mine but then they only cost 140 for the set si i wasnt gunna complain. Litly scetchy in the rain but no way as bad as parada spec 2s
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: clipperjay on 15 April 2012, 11:27
P zero nero enough said!
Not daily but do they half stick to the tarmac  :tongue:
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: tony_ack on 15 April 2012, 20:26
Got Pirelli P6 Cinturatos on the front, and am quite impressed with them in wet and dry so far.

Conti Premium 2s all round on the Corrado, fantastic tyres in the dry, okay in the wet.

Got Toyo Proxes T1Rs on the missus' Mk2 16v, they're okay in wet and dry but nothing earth shattering (and comparable in price to the Pirellis now)
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: twistedblack69 on 20 April 2012, 00:32
Toyo ptoxies on mine but then they only cost 140 for the set si i wasnt gunna complain. Litly scetchy in the rain but no way as bad as parada spec 2s

When I had the Parada's on mine, I did wonder if it was the way I was driving, or the new wheels. But yea, they were shocking in the wet. Got T1-Rs on mine now, only had them a week tho.
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: Norledge on 20 April 2012, 09:21
I've had both T1-Rs and Paradas and loved them both.

The T1-R's are better in  the wet (but by no means good!!)

The Paradas are without doubt the best tyre I've used in the dry (bar R888's)
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: X4MGS on 21 April 2012, 02:03
Interesting thread this - and I wished I'd asked the same question before I went out and bought 2 set of Toyo T1's...

With having it lowered by 30mm and very much stiffened with Eibach front and rear ARB's I have to say that the Toyo's are Fantastic in the DRY.... But ONLY in the dry... In The Slightly wet/wet they are only OK in the peeing Rain with standing Water they are the WORST tyres I've ever had....

Bear in Mind I've owned cars like RS6, S4, S2, Focus RS, Renault 18 Turbo.. etc etc over nearly 30 years and done 100's of thousands of miles of motoring (if not Millions as I used to be a rep and did 60K a year)... So have some idea of what a performance tyre should be like!!

I will run the Toyo's till they are shot but I hate them in the wet...

My Mate has just bought some Pirelli P600's for his MK2 Syncro for £40.00 a corner and I have to say I do like the retro looking Square Tread and that's what I'll be fitting next as they can't be any worse than the Toyo's...

Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: clipperjay on 21 April 2012, 08:34
There was a uproar about T1's old ones that used to wear out quick time so they changed the compounds to harder rubber which meant the rubber needed more heat to stick to the road in the wet and cold they hardly got temps up hence they are dangerous if you arent hooning it all the time.
Pzero neros are very soft and was alright in the wet aswell but the down side was they did wear out quick time!
I'll have to look into the P600's. 
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: lemski on 21 April 2012, 15:34
Use to have  p600s and thinj the tr1s are better. Imo
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: DOA on 22 April 2012, 17:07
Another vote for Toyo's in the dry. In the wet/even slightly thinking about being wet they really are terrible though  :grin:. They are kind of worth it for the money and dry weather performance but you soon get tired of not having a clue what they are doing when its not 100% dry lol.
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: Diamond Hell on 22 April 2012, 17:15
H'mmmmm, I've slung a two year old pair of T1-Rs on the G3 TDI I'm clattering about in at the moment and I have no worries about them.  They seem to grip well in the dry and are OK in the damp as well.

For the money I don't see much to rival them.  Sure you'll get higher grip from tyres costing 2-3 times the price, but that would kinda be indicated in the price.

I would never put them on my main car, but for a hack they'll do just fine.
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: Pearce69 on 26 April 2012, 16:45
I can confirm after 1000 miles that the toyo's are pretty good. Struggle to spin them, cant spin them in 2nd. Grip well and seem good so far in the wet. Iv got conti and P600's on the back and they are not good! always seem to lock the back up easy 2? not sure if that cuz there pants tyres tho?
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: X4MGS on 26 April 2012, 17:37
I can confirm after 1000 miles that the toyo's are pretty good. Struggle to spin them, cant spin them in 2nd. Grip well and seem good so far in the wet. Iv got conti and P600's on the back and they are not good! always seem to lock the back up easy 2? not sure if that cuz there pants tyres tho?

Take the hand brake off then... :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Never locked up rear's on a MK2... Yet!!
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: mk2bal on 26 April 2012, 17:44
A mate's 20vt with g60 fronts and 8v rears (did have drums) with no pressure reg can lock the rears when stamping on brakes. Yeah I must say the t1r's can take some g and provide good grip when cornering in the wet, its just you can't make snap actions or chuck it into corners, but you can drive smoothly and hard and still stay tight. When it rained on my 1st track day on them I thought sod it theres loads of run off if needs be, and no kerbs, and although running wider than in the dry, it hardly slid, and I never span the car all day. So far the best tyres I've used...
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: Diamond Hell on 27 April 2012, 11:31
A mate's 20vt with g60 fronts and 8v rears (did have drums) with no pressure reg can lock the rears when stamping on brakes.

That's downright dangerous and it absolutely should have a load regulator put on it.  If you convert to discs on the back it really MUST have a regulator fitted to it.

When it rained on my 1st track day on them I thought sod it theres loads of run off if needs be, and no kerbs, and although running wider than in the dry, it hardly slid, and I never span the car all day. So far the best tyres I've used...

They'll be fine on a wet track, but you'll tear the rubber off them in the dry, if you're putting in proper effort.  Been there, done that.
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: logeyboy on 27 April 2012, 13:07
My Mate has just bought some Pirelli P600's for his MK2 Syncro for £40.00 a corner and I have to say I do like the retro looking Square Tread and that's what I'll be fitting next as they can't be any worse than the Toyo's...


I'd get some more opinions from people before you swap to these. But, the day some guy cut me up in the wet, hit brakes, wheels stopped spinning, car still slid across the tarmac, was the day I swapped to Uniroyal Rainsports....

The Pirelli's were seriously awful even going through a puddle.

Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: X4MGS on 27 April 2012, 13:11
My Mate has just bought some Pirelli P600's for his MK2 Syncro for £40.00 a corner and I have to say I do like the retro looking Square Tread and that's what I'll be fitting next as they can't be any worse than the Toyo's...


I'd get some more opinions from people before you swap to these. But, the day some guy cut me up in the wet, hit brakes, wheels stopped spinning, car still slid across the tarmac, was the day I swapped to Uniroyal Rainsports....

The Pirelli's were seriously awful even going through a puddle.

TBH They can't be any worse than the Toyo's....

Was driving home on the M1 the other day and hit a puddle of standing water whilst hitting the brakes due to an Idiot in front and the car nearly ended up aquaplaning across the road!!
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: Diamond Hell on 27 April 2012, 14:59
TBH They can't be any worse than the Toyo's....

No, from what I've heard they certainly can be.  :grin:

Was driving home on the M1 the other day and hit a puddle of standing water whilst hitting the brakes due to an Idiot in front and the car nearly ended up aquaplaning across the road!!

I recommend leaving a safe distance to avoid this sort of driver-incurred problem.  :wink:
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: mk2bal on 27 April 2012, 17:19
The rear brake power is fine. It only does it when stamping on the pedal, which you'd only ever do in a straight line, which when done on purpose is a giggle! It stops seriously well anyway, only need to touch the pedal.. I know it sounds dangerous, but if you stamped on your brakes when cornering you'll probably crash anyway! I had the toyos on for 5 days before they hit the track, and they still looked brand new on the day. Within 1 hour they were scrubbed to bits and prob worn halfway!! First go on track though, loadsa squeeling and cornering too fast etc so maybe last longer if I'd have driven better.. I still really rate them for on road though.
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: Diamond Hell on 27 April 2012, 17:27
No, really - if the rears lock before the fronts under pretty much any conditions you need to re-think the braking system because it's bloody dangerous.
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: clipperjay on 27 April 2012, 18:16
You can stick in a bias valve if you are that worried about locking up?
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: X4MGS on 27 April 2012, 18:26
No, really - if the rears lock before the fronts under pretty much any conditions you need to re-think the braking system because it's bloody dangerous.

DH - Explain Please for us idiots...
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: walchy01 on 27 April 2012, 19:14
P6000 on mine new all round, no issues, but to be fair, I dont drive like a nutter in the car anyway, well not often anyway;)
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: DOA on 28 April 2012, 17:31
The rear brake power is fine. It only does it when stamping on the pedal, which you'd only ever do in a straight line, which when done on purpose is a giggle! It stops seriously well anyway, only need to touch the pedal.. I know it sounds dangerous, but if you stamped on your brakes when cornering you'll probably crash anyway! I had the toyos on for 5 days before they hit the track, and they still looked brand new on the day. Within 1 hour they were scrubbed to bits and prob worn halfway!! First go on track though, loadsa squeeling and cornering too fast etc so maybe last longer if I'd have driven better.. I still really rate them for on road though.

Sorry, is this car on discs or drums? I used to get locked rears on my first Gti due to being far too low and the bias valve not being adjusted to suit. Personally I quite liked it as it removed a good percentage of the inherent golf understeer when you needed rid the most  :smiley:.
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: mk2bal on 29 April 2012, 13:34
Its got gti rear disks and g60 fronts. The old shell it was all in had g60 front and drums rear. I know it sounds dodgey, but he's had it a couple of years now with no issues. He does it on purpose for fun, it should never catch him out as I said because you'd have to stamp on them to do it
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: clipperjay on 29 April 2012, 14:02
Its got gti rear disks and g60 fronts. The old shell it was all in had g60 front and drums rear. I know it sounds dodgey, but he's had it a couple of years now with no issues. He does it on purpose for fun, it should never catch him out as I said because you'd have to stamp on them to do it

You say that never catch him out but if he panics like most. I dont know a school crossing with kids who have no value on their heads, he naturally is gonna stamp on them, unless he is a Bunt?? :laugh:
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: Diamond Hell on 29 April 2012, 15:06
He does it on purpose for fun, it should never catch him out as I said because you'd have to stamp on them to do it

Yeah, so it's perfectly safe because it only happens when he does an emergency stop?  No.  Seriously not buying it, whether it's in front of a school, or when someone in a new Audi anchors up in front of you on the motorway.  It's dangerous and any MOT tester who knows their stuff should fail it.

DH - Explain Please for us idiots...

Right, as standard on the 1.8 driver and above (IIRC) there is a brake compensator unit through which the brake lines to the rear run.  Under normal circumstances the force to the rear axle is reduced, as you ALWAYS want the fronts to lock before the rears (even if it's funny when the rears lock).  This is because the weight in the car is more over the front axle, than the rear. 

When there are fat birds in the back of the Golf2 the weight balance changes, so the rears can be more effective than in the car's unladen state.  When the ride height goes down from the normal 'unladen' state the valve opens up, allowing more force to be delivered by the rear calipers.

So, as a side note to this explanation, when you change the ride height of your Golf you should ensure the compensator valve is closed up, so when you put fat birds in the back of your car it opens.

As outlined by DOA earlier, if you run very low then you have virtually no travel and thus the valve should be closed most of the time, or under unladen/laden the brake bias will not be right.
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: X4MGS on 29 April 2012, 15:44
DH - Explain Please for us idiots...

Right, as standard on the 1.8 driver and above (IIRC) there is a brake compensator unit through which the brake lines to the rear run.  Under normal circumstances the force to the rear axle is reduced, as you ALWAYS want the fronts to lock before the rears (even if it's funny when the rears lock).  This is because the weight in the car is more over the front axle, than the rear. 

When there are fat birds in the back of the Golf2 the weight balance changes, so the rears can be more effective than in the car's unladen state.  When the ride height goes down from the normal 'unladen' state the valve opens up, allowing more force to be delivered by the rear calipers.

So, as a side note to this explanation, when you change the ride height of your Golf you should ensure the compensator valve is closed up, so when you put fat birds in the back of your car it opens.

As outlined by DOA earlier, if you run very low then you have virtually no travel and thus the valve should be closed most of the time, or under unladen/laden the brake bias will not be right.

Cheers for the info... I now understand how it works!!   :smiley: :wink:
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: mk2bal on 29 April 2012, 15:50
No back seats in our cars, its unnecessary ballast.  It stops fat chicks even thinking they have a chance to ride too. Also he tends not to open up the 20v when school children are nearby, or in any 30 limit for that matter. also what with the noise the car makes, anything silly enough to venture out into the road deserves a whack imo. I know what you're saying, 1 day the time will arise where he has to stamp on them, but so far so good, and this is a daily driven car so has had plenty of emergency stops and hairy moments
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: Dolly on 29 April 2012, 17:46
sounds like a tool
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: JC on 29 April 2012, 18:03
 :grin:
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: mk2bal on 29 April 2012, 19:26
Give it a try before you criticise
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: Diamond Hell on 29 April 2012, 19:53
Give it a try before you criticise

Why?  It's incorrectly set up.

With NOTHING in the back it is even less balanced and even more likely to lock up on the back and bring the front round on him unexpectedly.  Your mate sounds like a complete tool for not sorting it out.
Title: Re: What are the best tyres for my mk2?
Post by: Loynes on 29 April 2012, 21:48
Same old stuff people modify there cars and most of the time they make them worst,  my mate runs a 350bhp scooby and puts £20.00 part worns on it?????? As for no back seats, its classic seen touring cars on the telly and think by removing 40kg back seat there are Jason Plato.  All this said I used to do the same with minis and it's made the balanced well rounded person I am,  now I must get on with sacrificing that goat in my cellar, the gimp needs feeding as well .