GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: jsybrian on 03 January 2014, 07:41
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Hi fellow owners quick question any GTI drivers that came with Bridgestones find them rubbish in the wet or is it just me ? Reason for asking in wet traction light still flashing in 3rd gear under hard acceleration.
Thanks
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Hi fellow owners quick question any GTI drivers that came with Bridgestones find them rubbish in the wet or is it just me ? Reason for asking in wet traction light still flashing in 3rd gear under hard acceleration.
Thanks
They are abysmal in the wet, and average in the dry. They also have really bad rating for rolling tyre resistance. Some MK6ers have reported that they saw a 10% gain in fuel economy when they finally wore out and were swapped for something decent. My GTD tramps hard in 1st or 2nd gear if you give it more than 40% throttle in the wet or 50% in the dry. My last car, a 170TDI Scirocco never tramped more than a handful of times in the 30 months I owned it, on Pirelli P7s.
I'm loathed to stump up another £480 for a set of 4 Michelin Pilot Sport 3s on a new car, but those are the tyres I will be going for when these wear out or I get a puncture that cannot be repaired.
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They are the worst tyre I have ever used. As Monkey said, I have to drive slowly until I get to third otherwise I just tramp and judder. I feel I can't get the best out of the car yet.
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Fraid so.
Just look at the wet grip ratings, deffo not the best.
Had mine a week, and I'm getting the same. Traction control working overtime in 3rd in the wet.
I'll deffo be getting rid of mine as soon as possible.
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Yep, I've got them on my GTD and they're rubbish in the wet in lower gears. I'll be replacing them with Michelins as soon as they're worn down enough.
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They are awful, aren't they? They just seem not to be able to cope with the GTD's torque. I wonder how that are on the GTI?
Are Michelin's the way to go? I had Goodyear Eagle F1's on my previous car, and had no complaints...
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why are people going for the expensive michelins as replacements?
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why are people going for the expensive michelins as replacements?
£120 a corner fully fitted for Michelin Pilot Sport 3 at Costco is pretty good going, These were £161 each in 235 width on my Scirocco. The Michelins are excellent - grippy, decent wear/life, low rolling resistance, low noise - they are nigh on perfect. Even better when bought during a Michelin fuel card promotion for £25/2 tyres or £60/4 tyres.
I wouldn't buy anything else at that price point.
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Do you need a costco card to buy them there cuz £120 fitted is cheap.
They're £107 + delivery from Camskill, and that's without fitting. Weirdly, the Bridgestones are more expensive - £115+delivery!
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why are people going for the expensive michelins as replacements?
Because they are the best by a country mile. I have just put them on my new gti and got rid of those conti2 as with the tuning box they were actually dangerous in the rain with half throttle. With the michelin pilot 3 I can hammer it in the rain and they don't spin all over the place. A superb tyre for the gti. :smiley: :smiley:
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they never seem to come out on top on any tyre tests though. I've never had any but everyone keeps raving about them over other tyres. reminds me I need to join Costco again.
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Glad this thread has started as I've been considering some different alloys and not sure about what tyres to go for. The issue I have is that Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2's that I've had in the past were good but not amazingly good.
How do they stack up against Michelin's?
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why are people going for the expensive michelins as replacements?
Because they are the best by a country mile. I have just put them on my new gti and got rid of those conti2 as with the tuning box they were actually dangerous in the rain with half throttle. With the michelin pilot 3 I can hammer it in the rain and they don't spin all over the place. A superb tyre for the gti. :smiley: :smiley:
I think the conti 2s are a decent tyre. don't get any traction control lights at all and that's planting my foot mid roundabout trying to get it to come on. they were on my old Leon years ago and they were excellent then too. thought they'd stopped doing them to be honest but I might go down Michelin route when needed.
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Do you need a costco card to buy them there cuz £120 fitted is cheap.
They're £107 + delivery from Camskill, and that's without fitting. Weirdly, the Bridgestones are more expensive - £115+delivery!
Yep, need a card to use them. Nearest one for us both is the one opposite the Metrocentre bus station, on the river bank. Membership is £30 a year, but well worth it for some of the stuff they sell at canny discount. Only thing I don't like about Costco is that they will unwaveringly fit new tyres to the back only, even if you have a very good reason for wanting them on the front. When I had my uneven tyre wear on my Scirocco's P7's, I understandably wanted the Michelins on the front so my rear P7s wouldn't suffer the same fate. They refused, I swapped the wheels over when I got home so Michelins were on the front. They consider the car to be a death trap with new tyres on the front. Presumably they think all new cars are death traps as they have 4 new wheels. There is a tiny risk until the new tyres scrub in over 200 miles, but it is marginal. Just American company attitude arse covering I suppose.
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they never seem to come out on top on any tyre tests though. I've never had any but everyone keeps raving about them over other tyres. reminds me I need to join Costco again.
I don't listen to tyre reviews they are a lot of sh!te. The reason I know how good they are is when I got my ed30 they came brand new with the car. I got it remapped to over 300bhp and the tyres and grip were awesome and always felt extra safe. So when I bought a new ed35 then got it remapped I had cont 2 on them as well. And it was a completely different story, they were shocking in the rain and unsafe with remap. Same story with mk7 but worse as the extra torque compared to mk6 they just can't handle the wet.
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I think the golf's are arriving with Continintals are coming with Conti Sport 2's, which are old tyres.
I wonder if the newer Conti Sport 5's are as good as the Michelin's.
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why are people going for the expensive michelins as replacements?
Because they are the best by a country mile. I have just put them on my new gti and got rid of those conti2 as with the tuning box they were actually dangerous in the rain with half throttle. With the michelin pilot 3 I can hammer it in the rain and they don't spin all over the place. A superb tyre for the gti. :smiley: :smiley:
I think the conti 2s are a decent tyre. don't get any traction control lights at all and that's planting my foot mid roundabout trying to get it to come on. they were on my old Leon years ago and they were excellent then too. thought they'd stopped doing them to be honest but I might go down Michelin route when needed.
Sorry I think they are completely sh!te in the rain and would never recommend them to anyone with gti. They are also 2 below michelin in grip rating, cont c and michelin A speaks for itself
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I sometimes don't feel safe with the Bridgestones - used to take roundabouts and bends quite a bit faster in the Scirocco. With the tuning box I trialled, the car felt downright dangerous. Might have kept it if I had Michelins on.
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I have Bridgestones on my mk6 GTD and I too dislike them.
As well as the handling and grip issues many are experiencing, they also tend to get noisy with wear as the miles rack up. When mine need replacing, they won't be replaced with Bridgestones!
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They are awful, aren't they? They just seem not to be able to cope with the GTD's torque. I wonder how that are on the GTI?
Are Michelin's the way to go? I had Goodyear Eagle F1's on my previous car, and had no complaints...
They are plain ridiculously bad in the GTI. I have to feather the pedal and change very early from 1st to 2nd, then the traction control goes mental at around 4k RPM in second and eventually gets grip when moving into 3rd though still not fantastic and then seems to find it's feet again.
I turned traction control off the other day thinking it might help but it made the car seem dangerous. Throttling it on the roundabout is a big no no as the car's back end starts to kick out with these tyres on (which Tiff Needle was complaining couldn't happen on the GTI, he obviously never had the Bridgestone's fitted)
To be honest it seems a waste to just throw these tyres out and replace them when they have shed loads of tread so I think I'll wait until atleast summer before throwing on some Goodyear Eagle F1's Assymetric 2. Had them on the car before and they are superb. Not sure why everyone's raving about the Michellin's. Might give them a try.
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Bridgestones bad. Contis wallowy. Michelins good traction (dry-wet), good steering feel too. Dunlop sportmaxx RT very good, in the same league with the Michelins and the lightest tyre in their segment too (by a kilo!). My money would go on the latter two. Thankfully I got my Golf with Dunlops :smiley: 225/45/17 the standard fitment here in Brooklyns in the GTI. I would trust the Goodyear Assymetric 2 as it's the same company with Dunlop and they have good reviews if not a little better than Dunlop.
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If my GTI comes with Bridgestones when I collect it is there a case for replacing them with Michelins immediately and selling the 'stones to the tyre shop on the corner "as new"? How much you reckon they'd fetch? (18s)
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I found with the bridgestones that were on my jetta that they took ages to warm up. during the summer they were fine and a good tyre but once the temperature dropped they didn't like it and just refused to work properly.
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Whilst I agree with all the comments on the Bridgestones, which VW really should stop supplying, but to be honest I'm terrified with the GTD wheels having a diamond cut face on its outer edge, that this will be damaged when the tyres are replaced.
I always seem to have very bad luck with alloy damage during a tyre change over the years, and wonder if there's anything I as the owner could do to protect the rims during the tyre change process (I.e. Masking the edges of the wheels with detailing tape etc) ?
Or am I just being paranoid ? :grin:
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Whilst I agree with all the comments on the Bridgestones, which VW really should stop supplying, but to be honest I'm terrified with the GTD wheels having a diamond cut face on its outer edge, that this will be damaged when the tyres are replaced.
I always seem to have very bad luck with alloy damage during a tyre change over the years, and wonder if there's anything I as the owner could do to protect the rims during the tyre change process (I.e. Masking the edges of the wheels with detailing tape etc) ?
Or am I just being paranoid ? :grin:
I don't think you're being paranoid. I'll be in the position of needing to get some new tyres some time this year, and I'm also concerned about my un-marked wheels getting damaged.
There are a few places that have touchless tyre changing machines, which minimises the risk of damage, but I think they are few and far between.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j0Hx_rpdxJY
Some owners also take photos of their wheels, and get the manager of the place they're getting their new tyres fitted to agree the condition of the wheels before the new tyres are fitted, so if wheel is damaged while fitting a new tyre, the fitting company can't say 'it was already damaged sir before we fitted the tyre'.
It might be worth investigating whether there are any aftermarket alloy wheel / tyre suppliers, who would hopefully have some decent equipment, and staff who understand the susceptibility of diamond cut alloys to damage, so would treat them with care, unlike some of the national tyre fitting chains, who I certainly wouldn't use.
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Go some place with decent changing equipment. Costco have the new/good changing equipment and write-up the wheel condition prior to fitting. If they agree with you that your wheels are immaculate prior to fitting and then they aren't afterwards then they'll have to make good. Don't go to a divey place that use crowbars etc to lever the tyre off.
Surprised to hear that Dunlop Sportmaxx are a full kilo cheaper than the competition - unsurprising then that the sidewall is so fragile - I went through 3 of these during the first winter of ownership for my first Scirocco, sidewall bulges from some very minor pothole impacts. Never had a sidewall bulge on any other tyre in my ownership of a car.
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For any tyre hunters
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/68905459/costcotyres.png)
Costco - two gives you 40 - 4 gives you 80 quid of fuel :)
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@Rikwebb: Just had my coupon book from Costco - Michelin Pilot Sport 3s suitable for the GTI/GTD end up being effectively £100 each with £20 worth of fuel on each corner!
13th Jan to 02 Feb isn't long to make your mind up though. I'm sure just a set of fronts would work wonders for GTD initial traction (although you'd have to get them put on the back at Costco's insistence and then swap them over later yourself).
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You can also purchase them at Costco, but not have them fitted there and then if you wish. Then take them back for fitting when you require them. How long Costco will allow you to hold on to them, will pretty much depend on the manager in the tyre centre.
The fitting of new tyres only to a rear axle can be a right pain with Costco...... Had it last time with them and a rather detailed discussion as to why they do it. Seems Costco in the USA were sued by a driver after they fitted tyres to the front of a car. They subsequently span out in the next shower of rain and crashed. This was on a Rear Wheel Drive car !! How that equates to the same theory on a FWD car is beyond me. But, those are their rules now..
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Not just their rules, it's what the tyre manufacturers (at least a good majority of them) recommend.
The reason being that if the put new tyres on the front of a car with part worn tyres on the rear, this can radically change the balance of grip towards the front, meaning more chance of the car oversteering (whereas prior to the tyre change this balance could have been towards understeer). If the tyres are changed to being the new ones on the rear, this keeps the balance the same whilst still giving an improvement in grip all round (on the front, worn tyres are replaced with part worn tyres and on the rear, part worn tyres are replaced with new)
That said, I bet they're still slippy as hell until the waxy type coating is worn off lol!
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The Dunlops I've had in the past were hands down the worst tyre ever. Utter sh!te, please don't put them on your GTI's!!
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Very tempted to fit 2 Michelins to the fronts. I know I will be with these sh!tty Bridgestones a very long time (save for punctures) as they were extremely hard wearing on my MK5 GT Sport TDI170.
Not really worried that Bridgestones on the back would slide much, but change in pace for the driven wheels sees a lot of spin in 1st, 2nd and even on occasion in 3rd.
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Very tempted to fit 2 Michelins to the fronts. I know I will be with these sh!tty Bridgestones a very long time (save for punctures) as they were extremely hard wearing on my MK5 GT Sport TDI170.
Not really worried that Bridgestones on the back would slide much, but change in pace for the driven wheels sees a lot of spin in 1st, 2nd and even on occasion in 3rd.
I don't like running different makes of tyre front to rear... I know its not illegal, but...
If were changing them I would change all four...
I've found the Bridgestones aren reasonable from a grip perspective if you can get some heat into them (this is experience from the girlfriend's 120d M-Sport) which in the wet is an issue but in the dry, when it is cold it just takes some time. They lack grip when stone cold and until they're properly warm the fronts are numb - giving no steering feel which I hate. They're not the best in the wet, although they are consistent.
We did nearly 1000 miles in the 1er between Christmas and New Year on the way up to and then in and around Northumberland - it was like going back to my childhood when we lived in Jesmond and then Cullercoats and used to head out to various parts of the county at weekends - so I developed a good understanding of the Bridgestones...
I don't like them but they are not so bad I that would spend my own money replacing them before I'd seen plenty of value out of them...I'm glad my GTD came with Continentals
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For those considering conti I found on my audi s3 that conti 2 was the worst grip premium tyre I ever experienced truly shockingly bad but the conti 3 and conti 5 I ran one of the very best. Really couldn't believe they are related. I also tried Goodyear assy2 but found it soft in the dry and pretty good in the wet. A friend tried conti 5 on his Vectra vxr and agrees its the best wet grip road tyre he has ever experienced. I would but either Michelin or conti 5 as replacements.
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Currently waiting delivery of my Mk VII GTi on 18s, so I presume it'll come on either the Bridgestones or Conti SC2s (I wonder why they're not coming on the more up to date Conti SC3s or even SC5s?). To clarify, I presume the Bridgestones mentioned so far are the Potenza S001s (rather than RE050As)?
I currently have Goodyear Eagle Assm2s on my Mk VI and have found them to be a brilliant tyre, great wet and dry grip but with a reasonable ride comfort and wear (nearly 15000 on fronts with 3mm tread left, rears like new).
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Currently waiting delivery of my Mk VII GTi on 18s, so I presume it'll come on either the Bridgestones or Conti SC2s (I wonder why they're not coming on the more up to date Conti SC3s or even SC5s?). To clarify, I presume the Bridgestones mentioned so far are the Potenza S001s (rather than RE050As)?
Money is all it comes down to - old pattern tyres end up coming a lot cheaper than the newer ones for VW buying them in bulk and my Bridgestones are Potenza S001s. Presumably the "S" stands for "sh!te" or "slippy" rather than "sport". :grin:
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Just got my beautiful new GTD home and an happy to say it has contis, not Bridgestone. Will confirm exactly what after lunch :)
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Some interesting ratings of tyres for fuel economy, wet rating and noise on the AA’s own website for buying tyres. On paper it would seem as though Bridgestones are better than average for wet rating and average for fuel economy for this size of tyre. I do have to wonder what testing criteria is used e.g. could 2 tyres rated “B” for wet performance vary greatly between summer wet performance and winter wet performance, or 2 x B rated tyres be quite different like one just missed out on an A rating and the other was almost a C?
Also I saw on 2 slightly different variants of Conti Sport Contact 5 (they seemed the same except for £3 difference in price – both Y speed and 92 load 225/45 R18s) – Both were rated B for wet and 72Db for noise, but 1 was “C” for fuel economy (best economy rating I could find for GTI/GTD sized tyres) and the other was rated “E”. Listed below with Energy rating, then wet rating, then noise rating:-
Conti Sport Contact 5 = C B 72 £125 fitted (Benfield)
Michelin Pilot Sport 3 = E A 71 £120 fitted (Costco + £40 fuel card per pair)
Bridgestone Potenza S001 = E B 73 £118 fitted (Benfield)
Dunlop Sport Maxx = E B 68 £112 fitted (AA)
Pirelli P Zero = F B 72 £118 fitted (AA)
Goodyear Eagle F1 ASY2 = C A 70 £122 fitted (AA)
Uniroyal Rainsport 3 = C A 72 £146 fitted (AA)
Seems that C is best economy you can expect in this class of tyre, there are a good few with A for wet rating, but only 2 with C economy rating and A wet grip, the Goodyears and the Uniroyals (being a good £24 more per corner than the Goodyears).
Surprised at some of the results for grip – Bridgestones rated B, they are massively less grippy in the wet than the Dunlops I had on my 1st Scirocco (which were fine except their fragility with potholes).
Not sure what the wear is like on the Goodyears, but I have always found the Michelins to wear well and grip is impeccable even if the fuel rating appears to be average (I doubt there’s more than 2% between C and E energy ratings when it is claimed that a full set of 4 x A can be 7.5% more efficient than a set of 4 x G).
Some good prices available fully fitted on the AA website, but it’s nominated fitment, so you might end up with a bunch of monkeys with crowbars to remove your tyres if you pick the wrong fitting place.
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These grumbles about Bridgestones, which specific tyre is the problem?
My GTi came with 18" Austins shod with Potenza s001 s. These are fitted to the likes of Aston Martins and Ferraris. I haven't driven on them yet as I have the 17" winter wheels on using Conti WinterContacts.
It will be interesting to see the difference come spring...
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My GTi came with 18" Austins shod with Potenza s001 s. These are fitted to the likes of Aston Martins and Ferraris.
Yup, those are the ones in question.
Who cares if they're fitted to Astons or Ferraris - they're different fitments (and maybe specific construction/compounds for them) - the fact is that, as described and for fitment to the Golf GTD, they seem to have their limitations...
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I remember some Pirellis Zero-something were advertised as the tyre which were chosen from Ferraris and Lamborghini. I bet they were fine on these cars which had crazy horsepower and some weight over some specific axles which were doing a specific thing each. In ordinary cars they were wooden circles. The same applied to Bridge Stones, though not wooden but Stones from Bridges (the old tech ones). My opinion from feeling the same car with many tyres tested. Michelins and Dunlops for me, as they have the best parts of steering feel-braking performance (dry and wet in my country's anti-anti-slippery tarmac)-refinement. Tyre wear? Doesn't bother me at all if I'm safe.
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I read this thread and checked with my VW dealer, as my car (GTD) is due in Feb 2015 for March collection.
I was told I will be getting the standard Bridgestone S001 tyres, so I sent them a link to another thread on here about how bad they apparently are and this was VW's headoffice reply:-
‘The tires that Volkswagen chooses on the GTD all fulfill the high quality approach from Volkswagen – and all this in many dimensions, such as dynamics, comfort, acceleration. There are tires available that are especially designed for traction on wet - but they then perform worse in the other dimensions.
In any case the standard 18 inch Bridgestone has been tested and passed the demanding Volkswagen tests. ‘
In regards to the forum and customer complaints, we have checked all records and we have only ever had 1 customer raise this with us in all the years we have used Bridgestone’,
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I'd go back and ask them what the stats are for the same vehicles delivered across Europe...
Its quite clear that the UK market is *supposed* to get Bridgestones and that other markets get other things and sometimes UK vehicles get some of the others depending on availability.
Is the Bridgestone just the best for the UK?
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I complained to VW Germany, who told me to go and bother VW UK as I wasn't a domestic customer. So I forwarded my letter of complaint to VW UK who told me they can't take one complaint any further, but more complaints would force them to consider them. Whenever you see anyone selling new or nearly new GTI/GTD/R wheels on eBay.de, they never seem to have Bridgestone rubber on them, usually Continental. We're definitely getting given the sh!te here in the UK.
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If you google the tyres, and look through peoples comments and then the reviews you do get a very mixed bag.
In 2011 autocar slammed it in there tyre test. If you then go and read comments from real users on normal tyre buying websites they love them. The interest to me is if my gti turns up on them, is it really going to be dangerous? are they really as bad as some users say. I've got no interest in tuning it up so with standard car, no diff. am i going to suffer massively with the tyres? and is it something that i change immediately and try and sell the bridgestones?
Ultimately it does worry me a bit with people on the other thread calling them death traps etc
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My very personal humble opinion on having a GTD for 16 months with the Bridgestone S001's fitted is this. Dangerous - no of course they are not, imagine the law suits that would pertain from one of Europe's biggest car manufacturer's supplying cars with dangerous tyres.
Are they any good - this is very subjective. In the colder wetter conditions I've found them far to easy to wheel spin from pull away meaning you have to feather the throttle in these conditions to get decent traction off the line. To be honest, (with my age), I'm not the sort to go hooning it around on two wheels on a roundabout at silly speed in the wet in any car on any tyre, so I can't truly speak of their ultimate grip at the limit - but from my experience, I would expect them to understeer quite badly.
In the warmer summer months, I've found them to be perfectly acceptable with great grip. Ideal then for Italy or Spain where the temperatures are higher all year - not so good for good old blighty weather.
Are there better tyres, I'm absolutely 100% convinced that there are. Michelin, Goodyear, Dunlop etc. all seem to get very good write ups on here and in the press.
So my conclusion is, whilst I stand by the fact that are in no way dangerous, I for one, will not choose them again when the time comes to replace them. For very similar money (and in some cases less), a better set of rubber can be had which will no doubt do more justice to the brilliant MQB chassis that the MK7 is built in. The Bridgestone's are just average at everything and not really very good at anything, and also seem to be noisier than most - which is a real shame.
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Are there better tyres, I'm absolutely 100% convinced that there are. Michelin, Goodyear, Dunlop etc. all seem to get very good write ups on here and in the press.
So my conclusion is, whilst I stand by the fact that are in no way dangerous, I for one, will not choose them again when the time comes to replace them. For very similar money (and in some cases less), a better set of rubber can be had which will no doubt do more justice to the brilliant MQB chassis that the MK7 is built in. The Bridgestone's are just average at everything and not really very good at anything, and also seem to be noisier than most - which is a real shame.
This gives me just the answer i want. what i draw from it is yes they are good enough. They are good enough not to want to change immediately, they will suffice for summer (yes being 21 I'm going to be a yob some of the time, its what we do!! :cool:) but when they come up for needing changing, go elsewhere.
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I was lucky and got Continental Sport 3's on my GTD. I had zero tramping for the first 7,000 miles or so - in summer months, and I can now get some tramping on the go if pulling away too quick in 1st.
This could be down to wear as on checking tyre pressure yesterday I was a bit alarmed to see how low the tread was getting on the fronts. 2mm tops and possibly close to legal in the middle, and I've only done 9,000 miles - so the wear is not good at all on these.
I'll check them properly tomorrow, but time to go look at tyre prices...
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How do car manufacturers choose the tyres they supply?
Is it because they want the best performance.... no.
Is it because they want the best wearing tyre for maximum consumer value.... no.
Is it because they want to reduce emissions, noise or help you brake in the wet or go round a dry roundabout at speed.... no.
Is it because some manufacturer offers them a good bulk price.... of course!
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Found an excellent price on some Vred Sessanta's (http://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?dsco=110&Cookie=tyrepricebuster&details=Ordern&typ=R-147202&ranzahl=4&nichtweiter=1&Breite=225&pk_campaign=tyrepricebuster&wt_ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Etyrereviews%2Eco%2Euk%2Foffer%2Ephp%3Fr%3D5%26i%3D46055113%26o%3Dmo&ID=tyrepricebuster&wt_t=1422466518000&wt_ga=&wt_kw=&wt_mc=tyrepricebuster), £76.70 delivered!
I've said how great I think these tyres are before on here, so will see how they fare on the GTD. Will probably get them fitted at ATS this week.
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If you google the tyres, and look through peoples comments and then the reviews you do get a very mixed bag.
In 2011 autocar slammed it in there tyre test. If you then go and read comments from real users on normal tyre buying websites they love them. The interest to me is if my gti turns up on them, is it really going to be dangerous? are they really as bad as some users say. I've got no interest in tuning it up so with standard car, no diff. am i going to suffer massively with the tyres? and is it something that i change immediately and try and sell the bridgestones?
Ultimately it does worry me a bit with people on the other thread calling them death traps etc
Dangerous is really just an expression. They are probably the safest tyre on the market because you spend all the time wheel spinning or tramping and not moving anywhere. Then once you actually start rolling forward the traction control will make sure your revs don't go over 5k anytime soon but you do get a free light show I guess...
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Are there better tyres, I'm absolutely 100% convinced that there are. Michelin, Goodyear, Dunlop etc. all seem to get very good write ups on here and in the press.
So my conclusion is, whilst I stand by the fact that are in no way dangerous, I for one, will not choose them again when the time comes to replace them. For very similar money (and in some cases less), a better set of rubber can be had which will no doubt do more justice to the brilliant MQB chassis that the MK7 is built in. The Bridgestone's are just average at everything and not really very good at anything, and also seem to be noisier than most - which is a real shame.
This gives me just the answer i want. what i draw from it is yes they are good enough. They are good enough not to want to change immediately, they will suffice for summer (yes being 21 I'm going to be a yob some of the time, its what we do!! :cool:) but when they come up for needing changing, go elsewhere.
Not sure whether you're getting a GTD, GTI or R (get that signature filled in!), but on the GTD, the least powerful of the 3, the brochure stated some "anti-tramping" measures when I ordered it- I thought that was great, seeing as my last Golf (MK5) tramped like a fatherless son. Imagine my disappointment when the Bridgestone shod GTD turns up and tramps with more than 1/3 throttle in the damp and just over 1/2 throttle in the dry, and spins up when you give it more than 1/2 throttle once rolling. They're pretty poor for cornering grip too. I'd say the Bridgestones are not fit for purpose. By all means fit them on a 120ps variant. On a top tier Golf they are not "good enough". You will soon find out no doubt. Bridgestones last a long time, they're very hard wearing, so you'll be stuck with them for quite a while.
VW GTD/GTI/R with Bridgestones = Armani suit with £5 velcro strap trainers!
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Mine lasted 14,000 miles so I'll give them that and Monkeyhanger is spot on. Even at stock if you corner too fast then you feel the car struggling to keep the car stable at the rear.
Roundabouts is the same story, the excellent limited slip diff helps keep it manageable but it's having to work overtime....
I used launch control a while ago when it was dry and not even all the clever computers on the GTI could cope with the Bridgestone rubber.
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can't say I have noticed a problem with the tyres must be my careful driving style :smiley:
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@ffrank I'd be amazed if you got conti 3's when the rest of the conti's were 2's. I had the bridgestones on my jetta a couple of years ago and they were good for fuel economy but very poor in cold conditions. They just take far too long to warm up and subsequently the outer tread blocks go hard and you end up with a castle turret effect. Personally I think they are better suited to a warmer climate than the uk. I'll probably be going conti 5 or Goodyear with maybe a Dunlop depending on price come tyre change time.
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Ha ha, yeh thanks mcmaddy. I'm laughing because I said the wrong tyre last time I talked about them aswell :whistle:
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Ha ha, yeh thanks mcmaddy. I'm laughing because I said the wrong tyre last time I talked about them aswell :whistle:
It's when you're getting old :D
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I recently replaced the Bridgestones with Conti 5s. The difference in grip and traction was immediately noticeable, the Contis are a softer compound tyre and won't last as long but the tramping is no longer an issue and grip is much better, so well worth it.
The Bridgestones are probably not that dangerous just not fit for purpose on this type of car in the U.K.
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Not sure whether you're getting a GTD, GTI or R (get that signature filled in!)
GTI, and done :wink:
Imagine my disappointment when the Bridgestone shod GTD turns up and tramps with more than 1/3 throttle in the damp and just over 1/2 throttle in the dry, and spins up when you give it more than 1/2 throttle once rolling. They're pretty poor for cornering grip too.
This doesn't fill me with confidence since i really look forward to pushing the car, doing the typical young lad hot hatch traffic light sprint down to the local mcdonalds!!
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I was amazed that I got 15k miles out of my 19" Pirelli P-Zero's :)
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Now the snow is here and with the Bridgestones still on, my TDI now stands for 'Torvill & Dean Ice-skating' :embarrassed:
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Had capstone on a BMW 335i and god were they dangerous. Run flats made it even worse. Str8 in the bin and pilot super sports were put on...totally different car.
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well it looks like my fronts (bridgestones) wont make it to 10k (entirely my fault, I love driving my car!)
I always like the contis when I had my vrs, so may just go with them next.
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Now the snow is here and with the Bridgestones still on, my TDI now stands for 'Torvill & Dean Ice-skating' :embarrassed:
They should call those tyres "Tombstones". :whistle:
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well it looks like my fronts (bridgestones) wont make it to 10k (entirely my fault, I love driving my car!)
I always like the contis when I had my vrs, so may just go with them next.
How have you managed to burn through them in 10k? I don't exactly drive slow and they're still lasting up to 14k.
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I don't hang around, but my Tombstone fronts lasted almost 16k... even when I was working hard to shred them and make work buy me something else.
I supposed if you turned off traction control and launched from every traffic light in a cloud of smoke.... I didn't get quite that mental with them...
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I have to say on my previous car, a Civic Type R (with LSD) i managed to wear through a pair of Bridgestones in around 7K+ miles. I wasn't even going too mental with them.
However I never had any problem in regards to tramping on my last 4x Civic Type-R's. But I am now experiencing tramping on the GTI with the same make and model of tyre after 4.5K miles of wear. It must obviously be the torque. As the Civics are known for low torque.
I think I may negotiate better tyres on the next new VW I buy. Can you imagine if they decided to put the Bridgestones on the R400. If you are tempted to buy an R400 and they put Bridgestone tyres on it, You may as well write your last will and testament right now! :laugh:
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I have to say on my previous car, a Civic Type R (with LSD) i managed to wear through a pair of Bridgestones in around 7K+ miles. I wasn't even going too mental with them.
However I never had any problem in regards to tramping on my last 4x Civic Type-R's. But I am now experiencing tramping on the GTI with the same make and model of tyre after 4.5K miles of wear. It must obviously be the torque. As the Civics are known for low torque.
I think I may negotiate better tyres on the next new VW I buy. Can you imagine if they decided to put the Bridgestones on the R400. If you are tempted to buy an R400 and they put Bridgestone tyres on it, You may as well write your last will and testament right now! :laugh:
The Civic R-type comes quite low in the Torque stakes, hence the need to rev the nuts off it to get it to perform. Negotiate better tyres on your next VW? Tried that, got me nowhere. Wrote to VW UK after writing to VW Germany and got short shrift. Unless the dealership is prepared to dig into their own pocket to pay for tyre replacements then you'll be out of luck - you'll just get what you're given. I swapped my Bridgestones around so a full set would last 19k miles 'til the R comes.If the fronts had been left on the front i'd have gone through them in 13k miles.
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I was re-reading the 26th Nov '14 review in Autocar of the Audi TT 2.0TFSi S-line . It was shod with Hankook Ventus S1Evo2 245/35 ZR19 tyres. I wondered if they were any good.
Hankook came 3rd after the Conti 5P and the Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Bridgestone S001 5th out of 7.
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2014-Auto-Review-Max-Performance-Tyre-Test.htm
Hankook came 8th out of 10 in the Evo test. Conti 5 came first. Bridgestone S001 came last.
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2014-EVO-Max-Performance-Summer-Tyre-Test.htm
All Summer Tyre tests:
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre-Tests/#summer
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well it looks like my fronts (bridgestones) wont make it to 10k (entirely my fault, I love driving my car!)
I always like the contis when I had my vrs, so may just go with them next.
How have you managed to burn through them in 10k? I don't exactly drive slow and they're still lasting up to 14k.
I blame my trips to oban/glencoe....and the summer nights in weardale and teesdale
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My tyres have just gone at 11k, no traction at all in first and second gear , just ordered a full set of Goodyear Eagle F1's for £320 delivered from Camskill.
Looking forward to getting my handling back next week!
Bridgestones were ok in the summer but as soon as it got cold they have ruined the feel of the car , making it to edgy and it felt like I was driving on ice a lot of the time.
Supposed VW haven't changed the standard tyre with the amount of feedback they get about them.
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Supposed VW haven't changed the standard tyre with the amount of feedback they get about them.
We moan about them here, but not many people have actually got onto VW about the issue, and so as far as they're aware there's either nothing wrong or they think we're happy to tolerate them.
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The two best tyre makes in 19" size for the Golf R/GTI/GTD it seems are the Conti 5P and the Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Unfortunately, I can't find a review for 18" tyres.
According to the review below, in 19" guise, the Michelin and the Bridgestone S001 are equivalent and rank top for Comfort, Noise and Wear, each scoring 9, 9 and 10 respectively. They are both better in these respects to the Conti 5P. The Michelin and Bridgestone score the same in the wet at 42, whereas the Conti 5P scores 46 in the wet. In the dry the Michelin is best with a score of 29, Conti 5P scores 28 and Bridgestone S001 scores 25.
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2014-Auto-Review-Max-Performance-Tyre-Test.htm
So the Bridgestone S001 is not such a bad performer and is far better than the outdated Bridgestone RE050 which the 19" Prets come with. With 18" Cadiz wheels and 4WD, I certainly won't be paying extra for either Conti 5P or Michelin Super Sport tyres. But in the case of 19" Prets with Bridgestone RE050 tyres, a change would seem worthwhile.
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My bridgestones have now done 2k miles . I am happy with them at the moment do they change due to wear as I really don't know why there is so much criticism of the tyres. How hard are people driving ? Having said that I have always bought Michelin pilot sports so will replace with them when the bridgstones wear out.
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The two best tyre makes in 19" size for the Golf R/GTI/GTD it seems are the Conti 5P and the Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Unfortunately, I can't find a review for 18" tyres.
According to the review below, in 19" guise, the Michelin and the Bridgestone S001 are equivalent and rank top for Comfort, Noise and Wear, each scoring 9, 9 and 10 respectively. They are both better in these respects to the Conti 5P. The Michelin and Bridgestone score the same in the wet at 42, whereas the Conti 5P scores 46 in the wet. In the dry the Michelin is best with a score of 29, Conti 5P scores 28 and Bridgestone S001 scores 25.
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2014-Auto-Review-Max-Performance-Tyre-Test.htm
So the Bridgestone S001 is not such a bad performer and is far better than the outdated Bridgestone RE050 which the 19" Prets come with. With 18" Cadiz wheels and 4WD, I certainly won't be paying extra for either Conti 5P or Michelin Super Sport tyres. But in the case of 19" Prets with Bridgestone RE050 tyres, a change would seem worthwhile.
I put very little confidence in those tests - you have to wonder what conditions they are tested in. User reviews of S001 are usually far more critical than the official ratings. My GTD is on S001s right now and they are completely sh!te in the cold, or the damp (even warm and damp), they're not much better in the dry (still easy to get tramping). S001 have a wet rating of "B", as we say up here...."haddaway an' sh!te!". :grin:
The 4WD might make the S001's shortcomings not quite so obvious.
General user concensus is 5P are a better wet tyre (but wear out quite quickly), and Michelin SS are a better dry tyre and are decent for wear and noise.
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The 4WD might make the S001's shortcomings not quite so obvious.
General user concensus is 5P are a better wet tyre (but wear out quite quickly), and Michelin SS are a better dry tyre and are decent for wear and noise.
I agree. :smiley:
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I just picked up my R today and its got Bridgestone's all round and I have forgotten how noisy they are compared to Michelins. Will be buying Michelin, got a few miles to do, car has only covered 900 miles.
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I just picked up my R today and its got Bridgestone's all round and I have forgotten how noisy they are compared to Michelins. Will be buying Michelin, got a few miles to do, car has only covered 900 miles.
Congratulations. Yes, those must be the Bridgestone RE050 tyres. Noisy things.
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Yeah had them on the GTD to start with soooo noisey.
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Just picked up a set of Michelin Super Sports that my mate took off his BMW M135I for winters. Never used them before but the reviews are very good. He said the grip was phenomenal. Looking forward to getting them fitted on the fronts this week.
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My front Bridgestones died after 14k miles on a GTD. Replaced them with Michelin PS3's at £100 each fitted, there was an immediate improvement in ride quality and no tramping. Done about 6k now and looking half worn, time to go on the back I think but I can't bring myself to throw away the rear Bridgestones which are barely worn....
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What are the shoulders like on the Michelins? The Tombstones do have a nice protrusion that stops you curbing those delicate diamond cut wheels...
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Result - new GTD has been delivered today on Continental Sport Contacts :)
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Those will be the tyres VW UK will tell you are not the optimal choice...
But aswesome, I wish mine had had them!
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Result - new GTD has been delivered today on Continental Sport Contacts :)
Conti 2, 3 or 5?
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I think they are 2s but will check later
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I think they are 2s but will check later
Some will say the 2s aren't much better than Bridgestones, 5s are the tyres Audi seem to stick on S3s by default and they are supposed to be a lot better than their predecessors. If those 2s resist tramping once they are scrubbed in and the car is run in then i'd say you have a better tyre.
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My front Bridgestones died after 14k miles on a GTD. Replaced them with Michelin PS3's at £100 each fitted, there was an immediate improvement in ride quality and no tramping. Done about 6k now and looking half worn, time to go on the back I think but I can't bring myself to throw away the rear Bridgestones which are barely worn....
You could always sell the Bridgestones, they are very popular on this forum :wink:
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Any taker upfront for a set of 19" RE050s in early/mid May? They'll have about 20 miles on them - the distance from Pulman Durham to Gateshead Costco.
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Er no...
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Any taker upfront for a set of 19" RE050s in early/mid May? They'll have about 20 miles on them - the distance from Pulman Durham to Gateshead Costco.
Haha :D I just got Michellins put on the front of mine Monkey (posted full impressions on the tuning thread) such a huge difference. Either the Bridgestones are awful or the Michellins are superb, probably both.
Get rid of those standard "tyres"
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Any taker upfront for a set of 19" RE050s in early/mid May? They'll have about 20 miles on them...
Are you sure they fitting 19" Brigestones MH? I suspect you wont have to make that journey....
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Any taker upfront for a set of 19" RE050s in early/mid May? They'll have about 20 miles on them...
Are you sure they fitting 19" Brigestones MH? I suspect you wont have to make that journey....
I don't know anyone lately with 19" Pretorias on an R recently delivered that hasn't had them.
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Any taker upfront for a set of 19" RE050s in early/mid May? They'll have about 20 miles on them...
Are you sure they fitting 19" Brigestones MH? I suspect you wont have to make that journey....
I don't know anyone lately with 19" Pretorias on an R recently delivered that hasn't had them.
MH: If you had stuck with the 18" Cadiz you would have had your car in the next 3 weeks, you would have saved the cost of getting Prets and it would have come with the better S001 tyres. :evil: :grin:
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Any taker upfront for a set of 19" RE050s in early/mid May? They'll have about 20 miles on them...
Are you sure they fitting 19" Brigestones MH? I suspect you wont have to make that journey....
I don't know anyone lately with 19" Pretorias on an R recently delivered that hasn't had them.
MH: If you had stuck with the 18" Cadiz you would have had your car in the next 3 weeks, you would have saved the cost of getting Prets and it would have come with the better S001 tyres. :evil: :grin:
The S001s on my GTD are completely sh!te, if RE050 are noticeably worse they must be comically bad. Might take out tyre insurance and take a slow drive over a fully deployed police stinger to get 4 new tyres of my choosing. :evil:
Really gone off the Cadiz after seeing a few Rs with them (although I do think they suit some colours far better than others and Lapiz isn't one of those colours IMO), in a big way. I'm usually an options tight-arse, but I consider the Prets as money well spent.
Worst case I will be happy to get shot of the Tombstones for £90-100 a piece.
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Why are people putting Michelin on? Are they better than conti 5 or Dunlop or even the goodyear's??
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Why are people putting Michelin on? Are they better than conti 5 or Dunlop or even the goodyear's??
Michelin Pilot Supersports are better in the dry, Conti 5P are a little better in the wet but are very soft and so aren't particularly long lasting.
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Just been out in the wet tonight and I am shocked go bad the bridgestones are!! 3rd gear and the traction control light is going mad. Also when they do break traction you get such a horrid bang as the tyre hops trying to find traction.
Think we as a collective need to draw VWs attention to this
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I can only guess vw get a good cheap deal and that's why they put them on. .?
They are pants.
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Think we as a collective need to draw VWs attention to this
I've done my bit with an email to VW UK.....twice.
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I can only guess vw get a good cheap deal and that's why they put them on. .?
They are pants.
No doubt. Hoping that 'good' cheap deal comes to an end before my R turns up end of summer, but somehow I think not :undecided:
Had Bridgestones on a previous gti, never again! Spoilt for last 3 years with conti 5p's so that's most likely what'll go on if the R if it comes with sh!te tyres.
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When the press are testing and reviewing the golf, do you think the cars are shod with these bridgestones? because you never ever hear them saying the car is scrambling for grip... do vw supply them one with better tyres?
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When the press are testing and reviewing the golf, do you think the cars are shod with these bridgestones? because you never ever hear them saying the car is scrambling for grip... do vw supply them one with better tyres?
Maybe? Need to scrutinise the press/auto mag photos :wink:
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Maybe? Need to scrutinise the press/auto mag photos :wink:
Autocars has dunlop sport max by the look of it. do these have good reviews on here?
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Maybe? Need to scrutinise the press/auto mag photos :wink:
Autocars has dunlop sport max by the look of it. do these have good reviews on here?
Not sure. Favoured ones tend to be the Michelin's, Goodyear Eagles and Contiort 5p's.
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Bridgestones are mainly for Uk market by the looks of it.
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Bridgestones are mainly for Uk market by the looks of it.
Yes, because we happily roll over and accept the sh!t, that nobody else wants.
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When the press are testing and reviewing the golf, do you think the cars are shod with these bridgestones? because you never ever hear them saying the car is scrambling for grip... do vw supply them one with better tyres?
Autocar's Review R was shod with Prets and Bridgestone RE050 tyres. I think I mentioned this in one of my previous posts.
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When the press are testing and reviewing the golf, do you think the cars are shod with these bridgestones? because you never ever hear them saying the car is scrambling for grip... do vw supply them one with better tyres?
Autocar's Review R was shod with Prets and Bridgestone RE050 tyres. I think I mentioned this in one of my previous posts.
I didn't quite make it clear, but i was more interested in the GTI.
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Charv94, off topic but have you figured a way forward with your 'early car'/insurance predicament yet?
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Charv94, off topic but have you figured a way forward with your 'early car'/insurance predicament yet?
Do you know, i haven't given it much thought. I think I'm split minded, i want the car asap because its time to get rid of my corsa, but then i really really want it to be more like a present. i.e. get it for my birthday, the deal with the free 7 days means ill collect like 3rd april or something, but as of yet there is no way to get around the huge premiums.
I could get the car early, get my dad to insure it for the month or so, but then i know him. he'd want to drive it. and id also lose mine because its in for a p/ex so id have no car for a month.
I can't get rid of mine i need it, and i think ill just wait, i have confidence the car will be fine port side for a bit
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Charv94, off topic but have you figured a way forward with your 'early car'/insurance predicament yet?
Do you know, i haven't given it much thought. I think I'm split minded, i want the car asap because its time to get rid of my corsa, but then i really really want it to be more like a present. i.e. get it for my birthday, the deal with the free 7 days means ill collect like 3rd april or something, but as of yet there is no way to get around the huge premiums.
I could get the car early, get my dad to insure it for the month or so, but then i know him. he'd want to drive it. and id also lose mine because its in for a p/ex so id have no car for a month.
I can't get rid of mine i need it, and i think ill just wait, i have confidence the car will be fine port side for a bit
Yeah, it'll most likely be fine, you can overthink these things. Fingers crossed it arrives unscathed for your birthday then.
I can understand your desire to get it asap if you're in a corsa :grin: :smiley:
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Charv94, off topic but have you figured a way forward with your 'early car'/insurance predicament yet?
Do you know, i haven't given it much thought. I think I'm split minded, i want the car asap because its time to get rid of my corsa, but then i really really want it to be more like a present. i.e. get it for my birthday, the deal with the free 7 days means ill collect like 3rd april or something, but as of yet there is no way to get around the huge premiums.
I could get the car early, get my dad to insure it for the month or so, but then i know him. he'd want to drive it. and id also lose mine because its in for a p/ex so id have no car for a month.
I can't get rid of mine i need it, and i think ill just wait, i have confidence the car will be fine port side for a bit
Yeah, it'll most likely be fine, you can overthink these things. Fingers crossed it arrives unscathed for your birthday then.
I can understand your desire to get it asap if you're in a corsa :grin: :smiley:
How very dare you!! its my beautiful baby hahahaha. talk about a big change. 85bhp is just going to seem pitiful
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Yeah, it'll most likely be fine, you can overthink these things. Fingers crossed it arrives unscathed for your birthday then.
I can understand your desire to get it asap if you're in a corsa :grin: :smiley:
How very dare you!! its my beautiful baby hahahaha. talk about a big change. 85bhp is just going to seem pitiful
Haha, better make the most of your last beautiful weeks together then. I'll admit, I moved from a Corsa to to a gti (not a golf, some lesser known French kind :grin:).
Back on topic.....wonder what tyres you'll get :undecided: :smiley:
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Haha, better make the most of your last beautiful weeks together then. I'll admit, I moved from a Corsa to to a gti (not a golf, some lesser known French kind :grin:).
Back on topic.....wonder what tyres you'll get :undecided: :smiley:
Interestingly, part of me wants to see if the tyres are really that bad, silly i know, but i don't know if some of the reviews on here are over inflated. who knows.
But then id like to have the car perfect so, unless the reviews are overinflated, i really don't want the bridgestones :cry:
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But then id like to have the car perfect so, unless the reviews are overinflated, i really don't want the bridgestones :cry:
They are certainly not the widows makers they've been made out as on here by some. They are not; however, the best. Being very temperature sensitive this time of year does not suit them and nor does the wet.
When I had my Honda S2000 it came with Bridgestone S02s (car specific) they were made out by some on the S2KI forum to be widow makers as well, I never had a problem with them and I drove that car 80K miles in two years... Yes you had to get them warm, and in the wet (at that time the S2000 had no traction control) you had to be careful about just standing on the throttle... Funnily, enough in this case it was the younger element who had been brought up with front wheel drive and traction control who feel foul of the mysterious "S2K specific oil/diesel" on the road...
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They are certainly not the widows makers they've been made out as on here by some. They are not; however, the best. Being very temperature sensitive this time of year does not suit them and nor does the wet.
When I had my Honda S2000 it came with Bridgestone S02s (car specific) they were made out by some on the S2KI forum to be widow makers as well, I never had a problem with them and I drove that car 80K miles in two years... Yes you had to get them warm, and in the wet (at that time the S2000 had no traction control) you had to be careful about just standing on the throttle... Funnily, enough in this case it was the younger element who had been brought up with front wheel drive and traction control who feel foul of the mysterious "S2K specific oil/diesel" on the road...
This sounds fine then, i will just not replace them with bridgestones when they wear out. and not go crazy from the get go, give the tyres some time in cold weather.
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They're as bad for dry/wet traction in the Summer as they are in winter. These aren't summer tyres unfairly criticised for their winter performance, they're simply sh!te in all weather - temperature sensitive they are not. Damp traction and grip don't get any better in the Summer, it doesn't even noticeably improve at the end of a decent length drive vs cold start. They are way below expectations for a warm/hot hatch. If you prefer tramping to a confident getaway when a gap opens up to get onto a busy roundabout then you'll love the Bridgestones.
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Found this out last night after taking the car for its first real drive in the wet and damp.
I have never used a tyre to s**t in my life, Tried to pull away from what is a horrible junction only to find my self going no where with a load of tramping.
TCS flashing away even in 3rd gear at half throttle, there is no way I am going to push the car slightly in the wet now after a diabolical perfomace in a stright line let alone round corners,
VW must have been offered these on the cheap! :cry:
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They're as bad for dry/wet traction in the Summer as they are in winter. These aren't summer tyres unfairly criticised for their winter performance, they're simply sh!te in all weather - temperature sensitive they are not. Damp traction and grip don't get any better in the Summer, it doesn't even noticeably improve at the end of a decent length drive vs cold start. They are way below expectations for a warm/hot hatch. If you prefer tramping to a confident getaway when a gap opens up to get onto a busy roundabout then you'll love the Bridgestones.
theres nothing i can do about it anyway. the car will come on what it comes on.
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Just wait and see and if it has Bridgestones then give them a chance first, if you can't get along with them then swap them out for a better tyre, or replace when worn.
I had them on previous car and they weren't 'that' bad on dry summer roads but let me down badly in winter to the point where I had to abandon the car at the side of the road and walk home. There was barely a sprinkling of snow on the ground. No traction whatsover with or without esp. After that and a couple of other let downs with them, I lost all confidence and they were replaced.
I guess having winter tyres would have avoided all that but I've run my current car for 2.5 years on conti 5p's all year round with no issues.
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Just wait and see and if it has Bridgestones then give them a chance first, if you can't get along with them then swap them out for a better tyre.
That's some pretty sound advice, and if/when they start being slippery, don't delay, get them swapped out - don't stomach them for 14k miles if they piss you off on a daily basis.
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I have just reached £21k in the GTD and still on original set of fronts - i think i could push 25k out of them, and this is a company car :sick:
Agree they have little grip in the wet or cold as they are so hard and getting heat into these tyres takes a good 30 miles or so. I would say they would be wonderful tires in a warmer climate. But not in Blightly, maybe need to get some F1 style tyre warmers :grin:
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I was at Costco today for some bits and bobs and looked again at tyre prices, should my R come with RE050s. To my surprise, most of the tyre prices are up 15-20%, the 225/40 r18 PS3s are about £130 now from £108, and they want just over £200 a corner for 235/35 R19 Supersports. I mentioned to the fella who got those prices that they were nowhere near competitive any more and asked if they would fit tyres bought elsewhere, for a fee. He said they wouldn't, but could almost certainly authorise a price match with the likes of Black Circles after looking on Black Circles website, which would also include fitting.
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I need to join Costco if they will price match!!
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I need to join Costco if they will price match!!
Costco membership is a slippery slope - you go in there with the intention of spending £30 and come out having spent £200. You'll only be able to get a price match on anything they stock or can order in - Michelins, and now :sad: Bridgestones. If you need a new set of PS3s or Supersports Chris (or if you're feeling particularly brave, a set of Tombstones), I can take you down there on my membership for a set.
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Well everyone keeps raving on about Michelin tyres so I might give them a bash come tyre change time.
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out of interest has any 1 on here had a R with any other tyre other than Crapstones in the last few months..And if so what we're they?
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He said they wouldn't, but could almost certainly authorise a price match with the likes of Black Circles after looking on Black Circles website, which would also include fitting.
That's good to know as my daughters Polo tyres of which I need 4 are a special order from Costco at £100 each whereas Blackcirlces are £15 cheaper each.
Do you know offhand what proof you need for the price match?
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He said they wouldn't, but could almost certainly authorise a price match with the likes of Black Circles after looking on Black Circles website, which would also include fitting.
That's good to know as my daughters Polo tyres of which I need 4 are a special order from Costco at £100 each whereas Blackcirlces are £15 cheaper each.
Do you know offhand what proof you need for the price match?
Not offhand. I asked about prices on Supersports, he went on the terminal and came up at £203 each, told him that wasn't competitive, that other places like black circles were significantly cheaper. I asked if I got the tyres from black circles, would they fit them for a certain price. He said they wouldn't fit tyres they hadn't sourced, incase they damaged them on the fit. Then from the same terminal (it was the optician's terminal) he got onto the internet, looked up black circles, saw the price on there and said they'd almost certainly be able to do a pricematch following a quick phonecall to head office.
I'd say a printout of the black circles price would be enough for them t prompt a call to head office to confirm the price match. Maybe other branches have different guidelines as i'm sure someone on the R forum said their Costco branch would fit tyres sourced from Black Circles when they asked.
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These Bridgestones are truly awful.
On the North Circular in London today, anything more than third throttle away from a standing start, or slower speed would have them tramping or spinning up. Really cannot wait to get rid. I am not sure if DSG makes it worse or not, but at Roundabouts I am really having to think about whether I can make the gap, because depending on the road surface, I just cant be sure I will get the traction.
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These Bridgestones are truly awful.
On the North Circular in London today, anything more than third throttle away from a standing start, or slower speed would have them tramping or spinning up. Really cannot wait to get rid. I am not sure if DSG makes it worse or not, but at Roundabouts I am really having to think about whether I can make the gap, because depending on the road surface, I just cant be sure I will get the traction.
Those Bridgestones are just as happy to tramp in a manual (mine is manual) - my Dad has a GTD DSG fitted with Dunlop SP01 and experiences no tramp at all, even with a DTUK box on.
It is for the reasons you state above that I think they are quite dangerous. If you're trying to get away at a busy roundabout, giving it more than 1/3 throttle might see your car get enough traction to get your nose out onto the roundabout and then have you spinning on the spot, waitin for a car to come along and clip you. Knowing full well you can only apply 1/3 of the throttle (semi) confidently, you'd have more chance of trying to get away in a 60ps VW UP!
Maybe we should all swap out and bring our Bridgestones back to Wolfsburg and then pile them up a safe distance outside the front entrance and set light to them just to get our message across! :grin: :evil:
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I'd say a printout of the black circles price would be enough for them t prompt a call to head office to confirm the price match. Maybe other branches have different guidelines as i'm sure someone on the R forum said their Costco branch would fit tyres sourced from Black Circles when they asked.
Cheers. I'll ask them the next time I'm in.
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out of interest has any 1 on here had a R with any other tyre other than Crapstones in the last few months..And if so what we're they?
Bridgestones on mine, and to be fair they aren't toooo bad - but I suspect that's more to do with the AWD rather than anything else - because on my GTI PP they were sh!te!
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Yes, the AWD could maybe mitigate a lot of the initial traction issues, but in the back of your mind you still know they're crap and noisier than a set of Flintstone's stone tyres. :grin: Have you had the back end slide a little on a quick turn?
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Have you had the back end slide a little on a quick turn?
I've had that... without the help of the Bridgestones...
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Yes, the AWD could maybe mitigate a lot of the initial traction issues, but in the back of your mind you still know they're crap and noisier than a set of Flintstone's stone tyres. :grin: Have you had the back end slide a little on a quick turn?
Yes, they are quite noisy :angry: No, not as yet, but maybe I'm not pushing the car as hard as I should - as much as I like to think I'm Lewis Hamilton I'm really not :grin:
I certainly can't wait to change them in any case!
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Have you had the back end slide a little on a quick turn?
I've had that... without the help of the Bridgestones...
Excusable on a RWD car, I've had a few rear slides quickly getting away on a right turn from a crossroads. I managed to get the Skids Superb courtesy car to tramp easily today - dry road, Bridgestones and only the 140TDI engine.
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Excusable on a RWD car
My Golf is not rear drive??? You can induce a front wheel drive car to oversteer; however, pulling out of a junction would be difficult. With the stability control/tcs turned down the Golf can be quite playful but not dangerously so.
In truth, on a smooth surface, making a front wheel drive car oversteer is something you need to provoke (either intentionally or by accident) either by injudicious use of the throttle and/or brakes...
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out of interest has any 1 on here had a R with any other tyre other than Crapstones in the last few months..And if so what we're they?
Bridgestones on mine, and to be fair they aren't toooo bad - but I suspect that's more to do with the AWD rather than anything else - because on my GTI PP they were sh!te!
Thanks for that,... any one else?
when did you get your car?
Thanks