Bridgestones, whats the problem?

[Mk7-GTD]

Funny you say that tyre could be replaced with shocks or brakes. Do you realise that one of the best ways of improving brakes is to have a good tyre.

I never understood why people don't think that tyres are one of the most important things you can have on a car. Yes compromises sometimes have to be made but they should never be made in regards to safety.

VW sell the GTD/GTI as performance cars and therefore should only use tyres that are in the top 20% of the best tyres in the particular size. When they were having their press drives of the cars I bet you they didn't have crap tyres on.

I'm not so sure you get just how important tyres are!

This ^^

Spot on!
If Bridgstones where £25 a tyre cheaper than the competition, you could almost understand VW fitting them, but not if they cost roughly the same. It makes no sense.
They must be getting huge discounts from Bridgestone is the only answer.

And this ^^

The importance of those few inches of rubber between you and the road should not be underestimated.

As a matter of interest what do you use on your R?

My go to tyre when possible is the Michelin pilot sport cup 2

[Mk7-GTD]

If you rarely drive it like you've stolen it and you have the standard 18 inch alloys you don't need Michelin Pilot Super Sports - it's overkill.  Michelin Pilot Sport 3's are considerably cheaper than the Super Sports and are the best all round value/compound/wearing Michelin tyre for the Mk 7 GTD in standard guise.  Job done.

That is just it though. It is not just when you are 'driving it like you stole it' as you say, what about when you want to stop, like when you have to when some muppet pulls out in front of you or have to swerve to miss a kid running out in front of your car.

[monkeyhanger]

My front Bridgestones are getting low now. What do people recommend to replace with?

Almost anything else that isn't a Chinese/Indian/Korean no make will be an improvement.

Cost vs Performance I would go Michelin PS3 on 18"ers, they offer great grip and are relatively hardwearing relative to their grip and perform well right down to 2mm left.

On 19" I would go Michelin PSS if you want outright performance or Uniroyal Rainsport 3 if on a budget (they were very cheap somewhere recently).

Contis, Pirellis, Dunlops will all do you a better job than Bridgestones.

Thanks for this. That other thread is a minefield of information! Yeah it appears the Contis are the best overall if your looking for performance but not if you want durability too. I rarely drive like I've stolen it so not really after the best performance all the time. Maybe I'll give the Michelin PSS a go! :-)

I'd definitely pick Michelin PSS over Conti 5's - there's not much in it new, but the Conti's deteriorate noticeably in performance when they get below 4mm.

[Booth11]

Funny you say that tyre could be replaced with shocks or brakes. Do you realise that one of the best ways of improving brakes is to have a good tyre.

I never understood why people don't think that tyres are one of the most important things you can have on a car. Yes compromises sometimes have to be made but they should never be made in regards to safety.

VW sell the GTD/GTI as performance cars and therefore should only use tyres that are in the top 20% of the best tyres in the particular size. When they were having their press drives of the cars I bet you they didn't have crap tyres on.

I'm not so sure you get just how important tyres are!

This ^^

Spot on!
If Bridgstones where £25 a tyre cheaper than the competition, you could almost understand VW fitting them, but not if they cost roughly the same. It makes no sense.
They must be getting huge discounts from Bridgestone is the only answer.

And this ^^

The importance of those few inches of rubber between you and the road should not be underestimated.

As a matter of interest what do you use on your R?

My go to tyre when possible is the Michelin pilot sport cup 2

Well I was very lucky because by the time my R was being built VW had switched from Bridgestones to ContiSportContact 5Ps for the 19s on the R.  It was the only upside to the 8 month wait!

My last 3 sets of tyres I've had have been CSC 5Ps.  They are a great tyre, so I'm very happy. But if the R had come shod with Bridgestones I was ready to swap them for a set of Michelin PSS.  There's not much between the two at all but I fancied trying them out.

Monkeyhanger may be right about the CSC performance after they hit 4mm but I always change my tyres at around 4mm so never taken them to the limit.  On my mk6 GTI I got 13k miles out of both sets, before they got to 4mm.  It's as Stevie (p3asa) says, best performance = quicker wear; longer wear = poorer performance. So they don't last and last like Bridgestones, but I know which I'd rather have.  I had Bridgestones on my Mk5 GTI and never again!!!

[andrewparker]

I have not got a GTD yet but I assume they come with Bridgestones, and I see lots of people commenting on the Bridgestones, can anyone tell me what the issue is?

You might be lucky, my recently departed GTD came on Continental Contact Sport 2s. They were far from a good tyre compared to the Goodyears I put on it after 7000 miles, but not terrible.

Incidentally I don't find the Bridgestones on my R that bad, though I've only drove the car in the wet so far. Seem to lack a bit of turn in bite, but I guess 4Motion probably flatters them.

[monkeyhanger]

First time since I got it that the R has left me feeling a bit nervous today due to lack of grip.

7C ambient temp, roads very slightly damp, medium traffic, everyone leaving home early to ensure they make the first day at work after new year, so not much opportunity to put my foot down. 2 miles into the journey I put my foot down to get up to 80mph. The traction  control lit up on 2/3 throttle. The rest of the 20 mile commute was driven in a saintly fashion due to a lack of opportunity to do otherwise and a bit of curiosity to see what the car can do mpg-wise. The second to last roundabout was a medium sized one, my exit about 2/3 round it.  Took it about 25mph, following a BMW 118d, and the car underwent a bit of a sideways slide, I crawled out of the exit!

Got to work, the tyres are nicely warm and I check the tread depths. A very healthy 5mm on the fronts and 6mm on the back.

The Haldex will only do so much, these Bridgestones are truly sh!te! Looking to get them off ASAP and drive like a nun in the wet meantime. A rear wheel drive BMW 118d going much quicker around the roundabout than me negotiated it with no drama. 2/3 wear remaining on the tyres, a long enough journey to be warm and slightly damp conditions defeats them at low speeds. Tell me they're ok!

[fredgroves]

Monkey,

Your temperature and tread depth description matches how I felt about the BS's on my GTD.

Fine in 10+ and relatively new, not fine part worn (nowhere near illegal though) and when it gets cold - not necessarily wet.

For balance the Goodyear F1's I swapped my fronts to next never gave me any drama whatsoever and were definitely quieter than the BS's.

Now I have PS3's on the front and they feel different again. Not had much chance to do anything but crawl along so far, but I think probably they will be better again.

Just to highlight my driving style - I am a company car driver doing many miles for work. I drive fast but not racetrack/café racer fast. My tyre requirements are not exactly like Mr Hamilton's but if I can tell the difference, then there is a big difference.

Its annoying to have a car which I think is the best one I've had in a very long time to be niggly faulted with sub-par tyres. Its usually (in my company car leasing world) the reverse  -the OEM factory tyres are excellent and then the lease company won't pay for something specifically setup for the car by the makers... VW seem to have got this round the wrong way!

[CraigW]

Bloody hell this thread is boring. MH you have been the biggest critic of bridgestones on this forum and yet you are still running with them  where others have changed long ago. Just change them for god sake. There's no point in compromising your safety for the sake of saving a few pennies if you feel they are that bad.

[Sokkia]

I do get the feeling that somewhere in an alternative reality there is a world where they fit the tyres with the best grip to VW's whatever they may be and whatever the cost. In that world is a forum with a thread complaining that they last for 5000 miles and what a liberty it is that having paid 30K for a car the tyres last 3 months.

I exaggerate somewhat but you get the picture. Cant please all the people all the time 

[Booth11]

Bloody hell this thread is boring. MH you have been the biggest critic of bridgestones on this forum and yet you are still running with them  where others have changed long ago. Just change them for god sake. There's no point in compromising your safety for the sake of saving a few pennies if you feel they are that bad.

^^Amen to that.