Bridgestone Tyres

[Mr Savage]

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...

[monkeyhanger]

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!! ) 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!

[Mr Savage]

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.

[caprigreen]

can't say I have noticed a problem with the tyres must be my careful driving style 

[mcmaddy]

@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.

[ffrank]

Ha ha, yeh thanks mcmaddy. I'm laughing because I said the wrong tyre last time I talked about them aswell

[Mr Savage]

Ha ha, yeh thanks mcmaddy. I'm laughing because I said the wrong tyre last time I talked about them aswell

It's when you're getting old

[GolfTi]

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.

[charv94]

Not sure whether you're getting a GTD, GTI or R (get that signature filled in!)

GTI, and done 

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!!

[2014GTi]

I was amazed that I got 15k miles out of my 19" Pirelli P-Zero's