GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: mcmaddy on 19 May 2020, 13:52
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Interesting video from Tyrereviews. https://youtu.be/2_utfLrFaOM
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I watched this and it was very interesting
I put the Michelin’s 4s on when they needed replacing and I found that they took 200-300 miles to wear in from new, ince they did though there were way better than the oem’s
The wear isn’t as good as I thought but then maybe I just “use” them too much :grin:
If I get round to swapping them I’d think I’d try the goodyears next just to see.
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Thanks Mcmaddy, really interesting watch.
I'm just about to replace my tyres and having watched that (and of course needing rim protectors!) might have a go with the Eagles. :smug:
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I've got the Goodyear Asymmetric 5 all-round on mine. They are ok. Not much noticeable difference to the Bridgestone in terms of grip. I did find recently on a rather enthusiastic run over the snake pass with a new M3 following that they quickly went off and seemed to lover heat after a very short time. Should have checked pressures really but it wasn't a great feeling and quite unexpected.
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Hi Jim. Can you please elaborate on your post please. I am a big fan of eagle F1’s and my Asy 3’s are just about done. Was automatically going to order a full set of Asy 5’s but am wondering what you make of them personally ?
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Hi Jim. Can you please elaborate on your post please. I am a big fan of eagle F1’s and my Asy 3’s are just about done. Was automatically going to order a full set of Asy 5’s but am wondering what you make of them personally ?
Hard to describe what I experienced and haven't checked the pressures. But after some hard cornering, the tyres seemed to go 'off' and felt like they were losing grip. I've had them fitted for some time now and haven't had this happen before so not sure what it was down to. They do seem like decent tyres though, maybe a bit more grip than the Bridgestones but hard to tell.
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The test result kind of backs up your own experiences with the PS4 mcmaddy
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The test result kind of backs up your own experiences with the PS4 mcmaddy
yeah most definitely, if the contis had better rim protection I'd probably go for them but the Goodyear seems to be best of both.
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The test result kind of backs up your own experiences with the PS4 mcmaddy
Compared to the Goodyear and Conti, definitely. But compared to the Bridgestone S001 standard on the GTI - nah.
The video very much echos my experiences with the PS4. I cannot fault the grip, wet or dry, but would like more steering feel. The Goodyear might be a good option for me.
I'm please to see the Mk8 GTI will be coming with either S005s or Goodyear F1s. Bridgestone must have finally exhausted the massive stockpile of ancient S001s! :grin:
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I had a puncture today on a fairly new rear Dunlop.
I’ve watched the video and decided on PS4’s to match the existing on the front. I was tempted by the Goodyear being £40 cheaper but I’ve read other reviews saying the are noisy.
Hopefully I’ve made the right decision.
I had bloody deciding on tyres ! Every group test says different things about tyres.
So in one week I’ve had to replace a wing mirror glass and 2 tyres 😡
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I absolutely love PS4's, superb grip even on a 300bhp+ FWD, you can throw it into corners at stupid speeds too without worrying if it'll lose traction. I'm on my second set now and will no doubt replace them with the same unless something better comes along.
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The test result kind of backs up your own experiences with the PS4 mcmaddy
Compared to the Goodyear and Conti, definitely. But compared to the Bridgestone S001 standard on the GTI - nah.
The video very much echos my experiences with the PS4. I cannot fault the grip, wet or dry, but would like more steering feel. The Goodyear might be a good option for me.
I'm please to see the Mk8 GTI will be coming with either S005s or Goodyear F1s. Bridgestone must have finally exhausted the massive stockpile of ancient S001s! :grin:
Are you confident that S005 will be better than S001? I'd rather avoid Bridgestones altogether, they've all been crap across about 15 years of buying new VWs with them (they seemed to be the VW tyre of choice from MK5 Golf and onwards.
Same formula of being rock hard, noisy, poor traction and turn in grip, with average fuel economy - in the hot and cold. Best way to describe them is that its like having summer tyres in -5C conditions all the time.
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The noise levels across all the tyres even the supposed premium ones is negligible. It's only Dunlop that manage to creep under 70 on the noiseometer :smiley:
As for fuel economy again the expert opinions are that's it negligible between a tyre claiming to be C and one for E. VW have probably used the harder tyre from the factory as the characteristics of the tyre suit the car. I much prefer the harder sidewall of the Bridgestones compared to the soft mush of the Michelin. The Goodyear seems to give the best of both in the test above but if the Conti had better rim protection that would be my choice.
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The Bridgestones work fine when hot. And I mean HOT!
Back in the mk6 days a lot of OEM tyres were Dunlop and these seemed to have soft sidewalls that suffered bulges after pothole impact and the like.
Maybe VW opted for a more concrete compound for UK cars to reduce warranty moans about the tyres, or maybe it was entirely emissions and fuel economy related (hard tyres blown up to the max to provide good headline economy figures under test conditions).
The Ed40 chassis guys rated the Bridgestones for their ‘Ring based chassis development going from the interviews back in 2016.
As I said, they work well when HOT!
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The Bridgestones work fine when hot. And I mean HOT!
Back in the mk6 days a lot of OEM tyres were Dunlop and these seemed to have soft sidewalls that suffered bulges after pothole impact and the like.
Maybe VW opted for a more concrete compound for UK cars to reduce warranty moans about the tyres, or maybe it was entirely emissions and fuel economy related (hard tyres blown up to the max to provide good headline economy figures under test conditions).
The Ed40 chassis guys rated the Bridgestones for their ‘Ring based chassis development going from the interviews back in 2016.
As I said, they work well when HOT!
ideal set up is to have a set of winters to swap them if you can be arsed :grin:
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The Bridgestones work fine when hot. And I mean HOT!
Back in the mk6 days a lot of OEM tyres were Dunlop and these seemed to have soft sidewalls that suffered bulges after pothole impact and the like.
Maybe VW opted for a more concrete compound for UK cars to reduce warranty moans about the tyres, or maybe it was entirely emissions and fuel economy related (hard tyres blown up to the max to provide good headline economy figures under test conditions).
The Ed40 chassis guys rated the Bridgestones for their ‘Ring based chassis development going from the interviews back in 2016.
As I said, they work well when HOT!
Those effin' Dunlops! Cost me a fortune with Winter 2009 and my Scirocco. The car was 8 months old and despite not hitting a proper pothole, I had 3 f**ked tyres in the space of a month - all sidewall bulges and absolutely no damage to the wheels. Dunlop wouldn't entertain a claim, neither would VW.
Maybe Dunlops should only be used on a track or in Arab/African countries?
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I've had Dunlop's previously and they were really good. Was years and years ago mind 😂
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The Bridgestones work fine when hot. And I mean HOT!
Back in the mk6 days a lot of OEM tyres were Dunlop and these seemed to have soft sidewalls that suffered bulges after pothole impact and the like.
Maybe VW opted for a more concrete compound for UK cars to reduce warranty moans about the tyres, or maybe it was entirely emissions and fuel economy related (hard tyres blown up to the max to provide good headline economy figures under test conditions).
The Ed40 chassis guys rated the Bridgestones for their ‘Ring based chassis development going from the interviews back in 2016.
As I said, they work well when HOT!
Those effin' Dunlops! Cost me a fortune with Winter 2009 and my Scirocco. The car was 8 months old and despite not hitting a proper pothole, I had 3 f**ked tyres in the space of a month - all sidewall bulges and absolutely no damage to the wheels. Dunlop wouldn't entertain a claim, neither would VW.
Maybe Bridgestones should only be used on a track or in Arab/African countries?
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The test result kind of backs up your own experiences with the PS4 mcmaddy
Compared to the Goodyear and Conti, definitely. But compared to the Bridgestone S001 standard on the GTI - nah.
The video very much echos my experiences with the PS4. I cannot fault the grip, wet or dry, but would like more steering feel. The Goodyear might be a good option for me.
I'm please to see the Mk8 GTI will be coming with either S005s or Goodyear F1s. Bridgestone must have finally exhausted the massive stockpile of ancient S001s! :grin:
Are you confident that S005 will be better than S001? I'd rather avoid Bridgestones altogether, they've all been crap across about 15 years of buying new VWs with them (they seemed to be the VW tyre of choice from MK5 Golf and onwards.
Same formula of being rock hard, noisy, poor traction and turn in grip, with average fuel economy - in the hot and cold. Best way to describe them is that its like having summer tyres in -5C conditions all the time.
Good points and spot on with the last comment. Now I think about it, no I'm not confident. Given how long ago the S001 was developed, I'd hoped the S005 would have caught up, but when I think about it, every set of Bridgestones I've owned had the same characteristics - RE030 on two different cars, RE040 and S001. All had poor straight line traction and cold weather performance. Tend to agree they're all designed for hot weather only.
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I had the re050a on my old Jetta and they were fine. The thing is even when cold you can't just stamp on the go pedal and expect to get traction from the outset. Drive to the conditions and sensibly and you won't have any issues even on Bridgestones.
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I had the re050a on my old Jetta and they were fine. The thing is even when cold you can't just stamp on the go pedal and expect to get traction from the outset. Drive to the conditions and sensibly and you won't have any issues even on Bridgestones.
I had the RE050A on my R. 18 miles into a 20 mile commute on an unseasonably warm Winter's morning (9C), going around the Greenside roundabout near Prudhoe, a RWD 120d sailed around the roundabout, the R was breaking traction at the back end doing 1/2 the speed of the BMW on the roundabout. That was the event that made me decide to get some Michdlin PSS (which transformed the car). The RE050A are a poor tyre and you don't have to be driving like a loony to feel their shortfalls.
Nursing a car for 2 years with crap tyres when most will only keep the car for 3 really spoils it. Learnt my lesson - get the f**k*rs off ASAP, sell them on ebay and get some adequate rubber on for not a lot more.
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Expecting to be shot down.
I doubt the average driver can really tell the difference between top branded tyres.
Over the years I’ve tried many brands. Not a great deal of difference. Sorry
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Expecting to be shot down.
I doubt the average driver can really tell the difference between top branded tyres.
Over the years I’ve tried many brands. Not a great deal of difference. Sorry
No you should just be shot :grin:
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Expecting to be shot down.
I doubt the average driver can really tell the difference between top branded tyres.
Over the years I’ve tried many brands. Not a great deal of difference. Sorry
unless you're driving like a wayne kerr the only real place will be on a track 👍
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I had the re050a on my old Jetta and they were fine. The thing is even when cold you can't just stamp on the go pedal and expect to get traction from the outset. Drive to the conditions and sensibly and you won't have any issues even on Bridgestones.
I had the RE050A on my R. 18 miles into a 20 mile commute on an unseasonably warm Winter's morning (9C), going around the Greenside roundabout near Prudhoe, a RWD 120d sailed around the roundabout, the R was breaking traction at the back end doing 1/2 the speed of the BMW on the roundabout. That was the event that made me decide to get some Michdlin PSS (which transformed the car). The RE050A are a poor tyre and you don't have to be driving like a loony to feel their shortfalls.
Nursing a car for 2 years with crap tyres when most will only keep the car for 3 really spoils it. Learnt my lesson - get the f**k*rs off ASAP, sell them on ebay and get some adequate rubber on for not a lot more.
didn't think they were still using RE050As on Rs. Weren't they all not S001s?
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I had the re050a on my old Jetta and they were fine. The thing is even when cold you can't just stamp on the go pedal and expect to get traction from the outset. Drive to the conditions and sensibly and you won't have any issues even on Bridgestones.
I had the RE050A on my R. 18 miles into a 20 mile commute on an unseasonably warm Winter's morning (9C), going around the Greenside roundabout near Prudhoe, a RWD 120d sailed around the roundabout, the R was breaking traction at the back end doing 1/2 the speed of the BMW on the roundabout. That was the event that made me decide to get some Michdlin PSS (which transformed the car). The RE050A are a poor tyre and you don't have to be driving like a loony to feel their shortfalls.
Nursing a car for 2 years with crap tyres when most will only keep the car for 3 really spoils it. Learnt my lesson - get the f**k*rs off ASAP, sell them on ebay and get some adequate rubber on for not a lot more.
didn't think they were still using RE050As on Rs. Weren't they all not S001s?
My R was on Prets 235/35 R19, presumably that's why I got the RE050A on the R but S001 on the GTD with 18" Nogaros.
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I had the re050a on my old Jetta and they were fine. The thing is even when cold you can't just stamp on the go pedal and expect to get traction from the outset. Drive to the conditions and sensibly and you won't have any issues even on Bridgestones.
I'm beginning to think you work for Bridgestone. Or alternatively, drive everywhere at 10mph and have never had to make an emergency manoeuvre/braking on the Bridgestones.
I'm not talking about stamping on the go pedal, nor driving in a manner not in tune with conditions. Nor driving like a lair. Just everyday driving with the traffic flow.
For example, I had one ~40kmh, constant speed, emergency swerve manoeuvre to avoid another driver who decided they wanted my lane almost put me in a pole on RE030s due to their lack of turning and braking grip. Then there were the numerous take off's from a standstill uphill resulting in wheel tramp due to no traction. Or the relatively sedate take offs on level surfaces which had the traction control cutting in. In a variety of different cars I could go on for ages listing why these tyres are sh!te, for everyday, cold weather driving, but why bother. Bridgestones are fine.
And the funny thing is, the numerous different model Michelins and Conts I've used have not exhibited the Bridgestones' appalling cold weather performance.
But yeah, the Bridgestones are fine. :rolleyes:
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I think Exonian hit the nail on the head when he said they've got to be hot. Trouble is, in our climate, with normal driving, even in the height of Summer, they don't get hot. For me, these should be track day tyres, not every day tyres.
In everyday situations without putting your foot down, the difference between Bridgestones and almost every other big make tyre will handle flawlessly. On my latest car, Polo GTI+, in the dry on a warm day, the Bridgestone Turanzas it came on would tramp from a standstill with 30% throttle. Switch to PS4s and you need 70% throttle to make the traction control light flicker in cooler conditions and 90% in warmer (20C) conditions.
Turn in grip is woeful. The back end broke traction exiting Testos roundabout that other cars ahead took far quicker than me. I tried to do the same thing since switching to PS4s and I can't replicate it, even driving much harder (at a quiet time!).
4WD on the R and LSDs on the GTI PP and higher GTIs mask initial tramping but they can't mask lack of turn-in grip.
If you have Bridgestones on and go for a spirited B-riad drive well within spped limits, you've a very high chance of ending up in a ditch. Putting your foot down on a die-straight bit of motorway that you're already rolling on, not so much.
Your GTI/R is much more capable on Conti/Dunlop/Michelin/Pirelli etc. than on any Bridgestone variant.
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I had the re050a on my old Jetta and they were fine. The thing is even when cold you can't just stamp on the go pedal and expect to get traction from the outset. Drive to the conditions and sensibly and you won't have any issues even on Bridgestones.
I'm beginning to think you work for Bridgestone. Or alternatively, drive everywhere at 10mph and have never had to make an emergency manoeuvre/braking on the Bridgestones.
I'm not talking about stamping on the go pedal, nor driving in a manner not in tune with conditions. Nor driving like a lair. Just everyday driving with the traffic flow.
For example, I had one ~40kmh, constant speed, emergency swerve manoeuvre to avoid another driver who decided they wanted my lane almost put me in a pole on RE030s due to their lack of turning and braking grip. Then there were the numerous take off's from a standstill uphill resulting in wheel tramp due to no traction. Or the relatively sedate take offs on level surfaces which had the traction control cutting in. In a variety of different cars I could go on for ages listing why these tyres are sh!te, for everyday, cold weather driving, but why bother. Bridgestones are fine.
And the funny thing is, the numerous different model Michelins and Conts I've used have not exhibited the Bridgestones' appalling cold weather performance.
But yeah, the Bridgestones are fine. :rolleyes:
re030s are not re050s or S001s. I don't drive everywhere at 10mph either but I've never felt unsafe with them. Yes you'll have slightly more grip in the cold with a Michelin or Goodyear or conti tyre but driving to the conditions of the road and surroundings probably has way more weight than just saying oh these tyres are terrible. It's a good job we've got hundreds of tyres to choose really isn't it 👍
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I had the re050a on my old Jetta and they were fine. The thing is even when cold you can't just stamp on the go pedal and expect to get traction from the outset. Drive to the conditions and sensibly and you won't have any issues even on Bridgestones.
I'm beginning to think you work for Bridgestone. Or alternatively, drive everywhere at 10mph and have never had to make an emergency manoeuvre/braking on the Bridgestones.
I'm not talking about stamping on the go pedal, nor driving in a manner not in tune with conditions. Nor driving like a lair. Just everyday driving with the traffic flow.
For example, I had one ~40kmh, constant speed, emergency swerve manoeuvre to avoid another driver who decided they wanted my lane almost put me in a pole on RE030s due to their lack of turning and braking grip. Then there were the numerous take off's from a standstill uphill resulting in wheel tramp due to no traction. Or the relatively sedate take offs on level surfaces which had the traction control cutting in. In a variety of different cars I could go on for ages listing why these tyres are sh!te, for everyday, cold weather driving, but why bother. Bridgestones are fine.
And the funny thing is, the numerous different model Michelins and Conts I've used have not exhibited the Bridgestones' appalling cold weather performance.
But yeah, the Bridgestones are fine. :rolleyes:
re030s are not re050s or S001s. I don't drive everywhere at 10mph either but I've never felt unsafe with them. Yes you'll have slightly more grip in the cold with a Michelin or Goodyear or conti tyre but driving to the conditions of the road and surroundings probably has way more weight than just saying oh these tyres are terrible. It's a good job we've got hundreds of tyres to choose really isn't it 👍
Never had REO30A, but it's a fair assumption to make that they'll be poor in normal UK driving conditions and climate when the rest are. I've personally experienced:-
Potenza S001
Potenza RE050A
Turanza T001
Turanza T005
They all suffer the same shortfall.
"Driving to the conditions of the road and surroundings" means having to treat the car differently if its got Bridgestones on vs Conti 5, Michelin PS4 etc. You shouldn't need to treat the car differently because it's got Bridgestones on. For me, that highlights the shortcomings of the tyre on UK roads vs its peers. If you can't get safe levels of grip on a GTI with Bridgestones when you put your foot down a little (not driving like a nutter) then what's the point of having a GTI apart from the badge and equipment?
For me, binning the Bridgestones and getting something better on is the best £320 you can spend in modding your GTI or R rather than nursing the car for 2 years on average miles and then realising how much better the car is on different rubber in the last few months of ownership before you chop it in.. I got £210 for my set of Bridgestones on ebay vs a £320 spend on a set of PS4s. So the difference neddn't hit you hard in the pocket.
I know we all have different priorities for our money, but when you're prepared to spend £600 on a detail and ceramic coating but won't spend a few hundred quid on decent tyres, i'd do the tyres first, every single time.
Driving on Bridgestones is like driving on decent summer tyres in snow when everyone else is on winter tyres - extreme caution needed.
If only VW would take on customer feedback and act on it appropriately. I can only think that they're getting these tyres for a song!
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Problem is I don't trust any tyre fitter to not mark, gouge or scratch my new wheels so I'll stick with them until I absolutely have to change them. They can't even balance them properly either :whistle:
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I had the re050a on my old Jetta and they were fine. The thing is even when cold you can't just stamp on the go pedal and expect to get traction from the outset. Drive to the conditions and sensibly and you won't have any issues even on Bridgestones.
I'm beginning to think you work for Bridgestone. Or alternatively, drive everywhere at 10mph and have never had to make an emergency manoeuvre/braking on the Bridgestones.
I'm not talking about stamping on the go pedal, nor driving in a manner not in tune with conditions. Nor driving like a lair. Just everyday driving with the traffic flow.
For example, I had one ~40kmh, constant speed, emergency swerve manoeuvre to avoid another driver who decided they wanted my lane almost put me in a pole on RE030s due to their lack of turning and braking grip. Then there were the numerous take off's from a standstill uphill resulting in wheel tramp due to no traction. Or the relatively sedate take offs on level surfaces which had the traction control cutting in. In a variety of different cars I could go on for ages listing why these tyres are sh!te, for everyday, cold weather driving, but why bother. Bridgestones are fine.
And the funny thing is, the numerous different model Michelins and Conts I've used have not exhibited the Bridgestones' appalling cold weather performance.
But yeah, the Bridgestones are fine. :rolleyes:
re030s are not re050s or S001s. I don't drive everywhere at 10mph either but I've never felt unsafe with them. Yes you'll have slightly more grip in the cold with a Michelin or Goodyear or conti tyre but driving to the conditions of the road and surroundings probably has way more weight than just saying oh these tyres are terrible. It's a good job we've got hundreds of tyres to choose really isn't it 👍
I know we all have different priorities for our money, but when you're prepared to spend £600 on a detail and ceramic coating but won't spend a few hundred quid on decent tyres, i'd do the tyres first, every single time.
£600 might get a bonnet and roof and nowt else :grin: :grin:
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Problem is I don't trust any tyre fitter to not mark, gouge or scratch my new wheels so I'll stick with them until I absolutely have to change them. They can't even balance them properly either :whistle:
I had to use national tyres through my lease company. Thought they'd done a good job. Until over winter when I didn't clean the car for a while then found white worm where the lacquer had been caught on a 2 of the wheels. Hard to even see this at the time until its too late.
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Problem is I don't trust any tyre fitter to not mark, gouge or scratch my new wheels so I'll stick with them until I absolutely have to change them. They can't even balance them properly either :whistle:
You can't even trust the factory in that regard either.
When I swapped out the Bridgestones for PS4 on the 18" Brescias on the Polo GTI, Iwas helping the tyre fitter out as it was the last car of the day and I knew it'd be quicker if I helped. Got the wheel off took it over to him, he popped the tyre off in front of me and showed me a big scrape on the inside edge of the rim. No-one outside the factory (or potentially the delivery network/dealership) would've touched that wheel to put a tyre on. 3" long scrape as if the wheel had been dragged along the floor.
The inevitable has happened and I have whiteworm starting. Going to get all wheels powder coated I think. The car's coming up to 2 years old and past experiences are that whiteworm is inevitable between years 2 and 3. Every single VW I've had with diamond cut alloys that I've kept beyond 2 years has had whiteworm which have been replaced under warranty. Recent dealings with VW have been that they're knocking back more and more non-mechanical warranty work. If they pull the tyre off and see the scrape they'll say I or a tyre fitter caused it anyway.
Might hold out to Aug 1st when second service is due, ask then and be prepared to powder coat when denied.
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£600 might get a bonnet and roof and nowt else :grin: :grin:
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Jeez, I'm in the wrong job. Got told to stick in at school to become a lowly paid Scientist, should've become a detailer instead! :grin:
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Problem is I don't trust any tyre fitter to not mark, gouge or scratch my new wheels so I'll stick with them until I absolutely have to change them. They can't even balance them properly either :whistle:
You can't even trust the factory in that regard either.
When I swapped out the Bridgestones for PS4 on the 18" Brescias on the Polo GTI, Iwas helping the tyre fitter out as it was the last car of the day and I knew it'd be quicker if I helped. Got the wheel off took it over to him, he popped the tyre off in front of me and showed me a big scrape on the inside edge of the rim. No-one outside the factory (or potentially the delivery network/dealership) would've touched that wheel to put a tyre on. 3" long scrape as if the wheel had been dragged along the floor.
The inevitable has happened and I have whiteworm starting. Going to get all wheels powder coated I think. The car's coming up to 2 years old and past experiences are that whiteworm is inevitable between years 2 and 3. Every single VW I've had with diamond cut alloys that I've kept beyond 2 years has had whiteworm which have been replaced under warranty. Recent dealings with VW have been that they're knocking back more and more non-mechanical warranty work. If they pull the tyre off and see the scrape they'll say I or a tyre fitter caused it anyway.
Might hold out to Aug 1st when second service is due, ask then and be prepared to powder coat when denied.
would very much doubt it'll be from the factory. More likely to be transporter or at the dealer.
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[ would very much doubt it'll be from the factory. More likely to be transporter or at the dealer.
I'd like to think so, but in the past I've had factory released defects that are obvious (like a mis-press of a front wing on a 2001 Polo that was perfectly painted).
It could've been anywhere prior to delivery, with the assumption "the customer will never know". It could've been dropped or scraped at the factory prior to original tyre fitting or if the car required a new tyre in transit or at the dealership, they scraped it during tyre change.
Either way, unless Pulman get the whiteworm acknowledged and accepted as a warranty claim without the tyre coming off, I'll need a new wheel at my cost, then wait for the other 3 to go, or get them all powder coated at my cost.
It'll be impossible to disprove that the scrape was done in my care. The R had a stealth Pretoria refurb before delivery too.
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I had the re050a on my old Jetta and they were fine. The thing is even when cold you can't just stamp on the go pedal and expect to get traction from the outset. Drive to the conditions and sensibly and you won't have any issues even on Bridgestones.
I'm beginning to think you work for Bridgestone. Or alternatively, drive everywhere at 10mph and have never had to make an emergency manoeuvre/braking on the Bridgestones.
I'm not talking about stamping on the go pedal, nor driving in a manner not in tune with conditions. Nor driving like a lair. Just everyday driving with the traffic flow.
For example, I had one ~40kmh, constant speed, emergency swerve manoeuvre to avoid another driver who decided they wanted my lane almost put me in a pole on RE030s due to their lack of turning and braking grip. Then there were the numerous take off's from a standstill uphill resulting in wheel tramp due to no traction. Or the relatively sedate take offs on level surfaces which had the traction control cutting in. In a variety of different cars I could go on for ages listing why these tyres are sh!te, for everyday, cold weather driving, but why bother. Bridgestones are fine.
And the funny thing is, the numerous different model Michelins and Conts I've used have not exhibited the Bridgestones' appalling cold weather performance.
But yeah, the Bridgestones are fine. :rolleyes:
re030s are not re050s or S001s. I don't drive everywhere at 10mph either but I've never felt unsafe with them. Yes you'll have slightly more grip in the cold with a Michelin or Goodyear or conti tyre but driving to the conditions of the road and surroundings probably has way more weight than just saying oh these tyres are terrible. It's a good job we've got hundreds of tyres to choose really isn't it 👍
Never had REO30A, but it's a fair assumption to make that they'll be poor in normal UK driving conditions and climate when the rest are. I've personally experienced:-
Potenza S001
Potenza RE050A
Turanza T001
Turanza T005
They all suffer the same shortfall.
"Driving to the conditions of the road and surroundings" means having to treat the car differently if its got Bridgestones on vs Conti 5, Michelin PS4 etc. You shouldn't need to treat the car differently because it's got Bridgestones on. For me, that highlights the shortcomings of the tyre on UK roads vs its peers. If you can't get safe levels of grip on a GTI with Bridgestones when you put your foot down a little (not driving like a nutter) then what's the point of having a GTI apart from the badge and equipment?
For me, binning the Bridgestones and getting something better on is the best £320 you can spend in modding your GTI or R rather than nursing the car for 2 years on average miles and then realising how much better the car is on different rubber in the last few months of ownership before you chop it in.. I got £210 for my set of Bridgestones on ebay vs a £320 spend on a set of PS4s. So the difference neddn't hit you hard in the pocket.
I know we all have different priorities for our money, but when you're prepared to spend £600 on a detail and ceramic coating but won't spend a few hundred quid on decent tyres, i'd do the tyres first, every single time.
Driving on Bridgestones is like driving on decent summer tyres in snow when everyone else is on winter tyres - extreme caution needed.
If only VW would take on customer feedback and act on it appropriately. I can only think that they're getting these tyres for a song!
Spot-on, monkeyhanger. This ^ exactly echos my thoughts and experiences.
As previously stated, and I repeat, I've had basically the same traction and grip issues on:
RE030;
RE040;
S001 (briefly - ditched them after 1 week from new);
and an older Bridgestone model the name of which I can't recall.
They all lacked traction and grip in the cold and wet.
Now I think of it - all the above were OEM fitment on a variety of new cars. It was once explained to me by someone in the tyre industry that Bridgestone dump tyres to manufacturers on the premise that a certain percentage of owners know no better and fit the same tyre again at inflated prices. Whether this is correct I don't know, but it could explain VW's love affair with Bridgerocks.
I just cannot understand putting up with tyres which so obviously limit enjoyment of the GTI. For what? A few dollars/pounds saved over how many years? Lunacy in my opinion. And false economy in terms of safety. Going from 1 week old S001 to PS4 cost me 2/3rds of stuff-all on change over for a large gain in safety and driving satisfaction. I call that a small amount of money well spent.
And I can now safely drive over 10 MPH. :grin:
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OEM tyre choices are almost certainly driven by cost and CO2 figures.
Someone bids with a design and a price and then the OEM uses them for an agreed contract period/volume.
The better tyres you find either aren't cheap enough or don't produce the desired CO2 figures.
That's it.
Exactly the same reason why a whole load of parts you might choose to fit to your car aren't fitted by the OEM.
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OEM tyre choices are almost certainly driven by cost and CO2 figures.
Someone bids with a design and a price and then the OEM uses them for an agreed contract period/volume.
The better tyres you find either aren't cheap enough or don't produce the desired CO2 figures.
That's it.
Exactly the same reason why a whole load of parts you might choose to fit to your car aren't fitted by the OEM.
In this case it's got to be down to cost. Bridgestones aren't particularly economical, regardless of official ratings. I wonder whether one particular model of tyre has to be used in umbrella testing for official figures.
Can't see Bridgestones being used to derive the performance figures quoted as you get a lot more tramping than you'll get with other brands to affect the 0-62 times.
Whenever you see write-ups of a new VW model, VW always seem to send the press cars out on Michelins (whenever you can determine tyre brands from the pics)
Even if it is purely down to cost, VW could give you the option to pay extra for better tyres - Ford has been doing this for years with the Transit van. Performance Renaults come on specified tyres rather than a lucky dip.
Whenever you go on ebay.fr/.de/.it looking for OEM wheels to buy that someone is getting rid of, they're always on decent rubber. Makes me strongly believe that sometimes OEM tyre choice is market specific.
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Could be VW UK with the tyre contract then.
Its definitely a contract thing and almost certainly a price point.
If that contract was an exclusive one for say 18" tyres on a particular model, then they couldn't offer tyre options... and without the lockin, I expect the price would increase.
I know stuff like that goes on - my work is like that, we use some parts that aren't the best purely for a contract reason and even though our customers often later swap them out, we couldn't do that for them.