New Tyres

[corgi]

Firstly, my GTD is a lease car.

Secondly, I was a little surprised to find that after 12K miles the middle third of the tread on the OEM Continentals on the front of my GTD were on the wear markers. Suggests the VW suggested tyre pressures that I run are a little high...

Thirdly, forced to go to Kwik Fit 

So, I realised I had no choice in what tyres would be put on and in the past with lease companies they tend to go for the cheaper end of the named tyre range... imagine my surprise when the car is presented back to me with a pair of Michelin PS3s on the front (in spite of the fact that the manager told another customer that it was always better to put new tyres on the rear...)

[Hawaii-Five-O]

@corgi Do you rate Michelin PS3's? I'm guessing you're happy? I've heard they're very good quality tyres. Thinking of switching to them when I need to replace mine.

[monkeyhanger]

I had that pattern of front tyre wear on the Pirelli P7s that got supplied with my last Scirocco. At 11k miles, the outer and inner third were a healthy 6mm tread depth and the central third was down to the markers. The tyres were inflated to low load recommendations as found inside the fuel filler flap.

The replacements were Michelin P3s which were excellent under all conditions, just had a faff with Costco as they insisted the new tyres go on the back even though they could quite clearly see that the P7s had worn abnormally and so I didn’t want my P7s from the back put on the front to suffer the same fate. There was no swaying them, so I left the Michelins on the back for 150 miles to scrub in and then swapped them over.

I wonder whether this pattern of wear is associated with self-sealing tyres (as the P7s were) – maybe they’re more susceptible to the wear pattern that is normally considered to be due to massive overinflation? Are the Continentals self-sealing with a layer of gunk on the inside?

I will definitely be getting a pair of PS3s for the front come the winter.

[corgi]

@corgi Do you rate Michelin PS3's? I'm guessing you're happy? I've heard they're very good quality tyres. Thinking of switching to them when I need to replace mine.

I don't know about the PS3's - I've only driven about a mile or so on them so far... but others on here rate them and the older Michelin PS2s on my 911 are very good...

[corgi]

I had that pattern of front tyre wear on the Pirelli P7s that got supplied with my last Scirocco. At 11k miles, the outer and inner third were a healthy 6mm tread depth and the central third was down to the markers. The tyres were inflated to low load recommendations as found inside the fuel filler flap.

So I've run my Golf to the low load recommendations since new but the symptoms sound similar to your Scirocco.

The replacements were Michelin P3s which were excellent under all conditions, just had a faff with Costco as they insisted the new tyres go on the back even though they could quite clearly see that the P7s had worn abnormally and so I didn’t want my P7s from the back put on the front to suffer the same fate. There was no swaying them, so I left the Michelins on the back for 150 miles to scrub in and then swapped them over.

I thought the new tyres would be put on the rear based on what they'd told another customer... but they put them on the front and I'm happy with that...

I wonder whether this pattern of wear is associated with self-sealing tyres (as the P7s were) – maybe they’re more susceptible to the wear pattern that is normally considered to be due to massive overinflation? Are the Continentals self-sealing with a layer of gunk on the inside?

Continental do self-sealing tyres (www.continental-tyres.co.uk/www/tyres_uk_en/.../contiseal_en.html) but whether mine were like that I don't know. I doubt the over-inflation is massive - as I said, I used VWs low load recommendations - I suspect their recommendation is sightly higher than needs be to aid fuel economy...

[CraigW]

My car has just been in for its first service and was pleasantly surprised to hear that all four tyres (Bridgestones) still had between 6-7mm of tread left. That was after covering just over 8000 miles

[Sootchucker]

I'm at 9k miles with my GTD, and my Bridgestone Potenza's still have 5mm (front) to 6.8mm (rear) of tread and wearing quite evenly all over the width of the tyre. I swapped them fronts to back to equalize the wear. So it seems that whilst the Bridgestone's are pretty sh!te in the wet (too much wheel spin), they do at least wear OK.

Also in contrast to MH's experience with the Pirelli self sealers on the Rocco, my Rocco had the same tyres, and I traded it in for the GTD with just under 21k miles on it. Still on the original tyres, and still with the fronts at 3.5mm of tread (rears at 4.5mm) with even wear. Again, like the GTD, I just run both cars at the light load pressures in the fuel flap. The only difference between MH's car and mine were that mine was the 140ps Bluemotion version, whereas I believe MH had the 170ps diesel lump ? Maybe the suspension geometry was different on the 170ps cars or did you have the 19" alloys MH (mine had the standard 18" "Turbine" design).

[monkeyhanger]

Sootchucker: Yep, I had the 170 which officially weighs 21kg more than the 140, on 18" GT wheels. Basically me and Corgi have had as much rubber in contact with the road as the average moped! 

[KyleB]

I had to change tyres a few weeks back and opted for Dunlop Sport Maxx RTs. Have to say they've impressed me no end! No more traction control light on, even when hammering it down in 1st and 2nd.

[monkeyhanger]

Just be careful with Dunlops and minor potholes. Had 3 dunlops wrecked in 1 winter on my 1st Scirocco, all sidewall bulge. Were Dunlop SP01s. They're fragile.