If the Kumho's were on the Tiguan, I am guess they were factory fitted? Did VW fit these shyte tyres from stock?
Yeah!
I know they factory "budget" brands of tyres on some of their poverty-spec cars, such as the Fox, and the non-performance Polos - but never on anything large like the Passat or their performance models. I really was shocked to find them on the Tiguan, because being a "tall" car, with a hig centre of gravity, any dynamic forces, such as leaning out when cornering, or pitching forward when braking - are more "exagerated", due to the height of the car. Because of this, it places even greater demands on the tyres, and the Kunhos really were the weakest link on the car. Good job I'm not Anne Robinson!
I know that the previous owner (but one) replaced the fronts at 15000,
I bet that was just before he sold it!
Sadly, that is a typical tactic when selling a car.
I am nearly 30000 now and again its time to replace. The ones I am replacing are probably snyde as well, they are Barum Bravius!
NO NO !!!
I really, REALLY, don't get why people put crap budget tyres on a high performance car!
So there was a pair of Kumhos, AND a pair of Barums
That means the previous owner must have driven it very hard - because, by simple maths, he/she would have needed to replace the front tyres every 7,500-ish miles! That must say they had done more 1/4 mile sprints than Hurdy <wink>, or trying to out-brake Lewis Hamilton on every roundabout!
I sometimes feel a little less planted than I should going round corners, thought a, it might be the entry speed or b, the fronts getting low,or just poor tyres all round perhaps?
Not good. Other peeps on other forums, who use Kumho, report the same similar lack of cornering grip. Some even think they are "cool", purely because they slide so much on corners, and one silly little tw@t is even a "fan" of Kumhos, stating he'll never buy anything else - but then he only has a Golf IV TDI PD115.
Had a Mini Cooper S before, it cornered like it was on rails!
And the GTI (and not forgetting the R32
) will also corner like on rails, on the OEM tyres. Do you remember when Jeremy Clarkson first tested the GTI on Top Gear? He actually raved about how good the cornering was, and managed to lift the inside rear wheel clear of the tramac. You need three things to do that - (a) grip, from the tyres, (b) a stiff, strong chassis, and (c) well-designed suspension. Change anyone of those three, and you will reduce the cornering ability. Now, I'm not suggesting you've been wielding a hacksaw to the underside of your GTI, nor getting a bastard file to your springs and dampers
, so the only "area" which has reduced the cornering ability in yours is the tyres!
At the end of the day, you can ask anyone, from Ross Brawn and Lewis Hamilton, all the way down through Traffic Police and advanced/performance driving instructors, to "enthusiastic"
joe public road car drivers - and they will all state that tyres are
THE most critical part of a car. You could have RedRobins superb AP brakes, Hurdys crazy 380bhp, some awesome mega suspension - but it will all be wasted with crap tyres. The brakes, no matter how good, only stop the actual wheel from rotating - it is the grip generated between the
tyre and road surface which stops the car (or makes it corner, or accelerate). The (one of many) huge complaint I had with the Pirelli P-Zero Rossos on my RS4 was they were completely overwhealmed by the power of my Ceramic brakes, and even under what I would describe as "modest braking", the fronts would lock, and the ABS would start working overtime. With my PS2s, no such problem. I can brake so hard, and get so much grip from my tyres, my specs (which I used to wear - Polos) regularly flied off my head and hit the windscreen!
First things first TT, she needs to get through her MOT on Saturday. Just paid Gordon Brown £210 as well. I have a couple of other mods I am considering first before chucking away 2 tyres with loads of tread, however shyte they may be.
Gordon must need it for his hols, as I too have just coughed up £210 for the GIT!
BTW, did you use the online tax disc order? It's much better than queing in the PostOffice, along with the aroma of stale urine, and having to look at beardy old women!
I really would recommend some decent tyres as your first "mod", you'll be able to use much more of the performance you already have! And you won't need to advise your insurance if you fit a set of PS2s!
