Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp Tyres

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Tyre Reviewed Dry Grip Wet Grip Feedback Handling Wear Comfort
Uniroyal RainSport 2 (226) 85% 91% 78% 76% 76% 80%
Kumho Ecsta KU39 (123) 86% 78% 80% 76% 73% 81%
Dunlop SportMaxx RT (175) 88% 84% 83% 82% 60% 82%
Vredestein Snowtrac 2 (4) 88% 85% 80% 55% 83% 75%
Continental Sport Contact 3 (244) 88% 80% 81% 77% 62% 74%
Avon ZZ3 (115) 84% 75% 78% 75% 70% 74%
Michelin Primacy HP (198) 85% 75% 77% 74% 77% 76%
Toyo T1R (288) 83% 69% 75% 75% 63% 70%
Goodyear Excellence (125) 79% 70% 72% 71% 72% 73%
Bridgestone Potenza RE050A (212) 83% 69% 74% 72% 66% 59%
Nankang NS2 (211) 76% 58% 65% 62% 73% 62%
Semperit Speed Life (10) 69% 61% 67% 59% 52% 66%

Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp Tyre Review Highlights

Writing about the Michelin Primacy HP given 49% (205-55-16-)
Driving on a combination of roads for 20000 average miles
I had 4 new tyres fitted to my wife's car which tied in with a fuel voucher offer.... If she was a high mileage driver they might have been good value for money as they did wear reasonably well. However, after 25,000 miles and only 4 years on the car the tyres failed the MOT due to the tyres perishing. Not impressed when they were £116 each!
tyre reviewed on 2014-12-10 08:22:46
Writing about the Nankang NS2 given 33% (225-45-17-)
Driving on a combination of roads for 1250 spirited miles
Absolute rubbish.

These tyres were on a set of wheels I bought. I had ordered some Vredestein Sessantas for them however I was awaiting them to come back in stock.

I've never ever ever put budget tyres on a car for good reason - they're dangerous.
In the dry, they are about 70% as good as a premium tyre. In the wet, they are bad to the point of being dangerous. Grip fades in and out seemingly randomly and they provide virtually no steering feedback whatsoever. It's like driving on wood wrapped in wool.

Wet braking is an absolute no-no with maximum grip being reached with ease which would not bode well for a pedestrian if they wandered out infront of you while driving.

Anyone who says these tyres are good, or better than premium brands, clearly struggle to understand the dynamics of driving.

They create terrible road noise and are so hard they noticeably reduced the ride quality of the car.

Please please please if you value your life or the lifes of the people you'd crash into then
tyre reviewed on 2013-08-27 18:58:48
Writing about the Uniroyal RainSport 2 given 100% (225-45-18-W)
Driving on a combination of roads for 0 average miles
Just got these fitted on to golf mkvi gttdi. The previous tyres Goodyear egale f1's had been on for two years. They were good for grip etc espcially as I live in a area in the north west that has very fluctuating weather and a mixture of road types. Anyway the rain sport 2's are on and I'm very impressed. The grip is very good and actually improved all round performance. The weather is as per but behind the wheel is one reassured driver.
tyre reviewed on 2012-10-02 17:38:31
Writing about the Dunlop SportMaxx RT given 80% (225-45-17-W)
Driving on mostly country roads for 0 spirited miles
My initial feelings are that these tyres offer very good levels of grip in the dry, the initial turn in is not that sharp (I went for the 91Y the 94Y may be slightly better) but once turning there is better feel and more communicative adjustability. In the wet, again there are high levels of grip and a relatively better feel, they have slightly higher tendancy to aquaplane than I was expecting but overall a very safe and grippy tyre. One big bonus is that they are very comfortable although this is usually low on my priorities. They are soft so I am not expecting a long life from them.
tyre reviewed on 2012-04-26 13:53:49
Writing about the Kumho Ecsta KU39 given 90% (225-45-17-W)
Driving on a combination of roads for 4000 average miles
great in wet or dry conditions - haven't experienced winter conditions with them so can't comment on that i'm afraid. good feedback, comfortable and reassuring. they perform just as good as tyres that are twice the price. highly recommended. i've done a smidge under 4000 miles and they haven't lost even a millimetre of tread depth yet so if that's anything to go by, then they should last a fair while...
tyre reviewed on 2011-10-06 17:58:08
Writing about the Toyo T1R given 86% (225-45-17-)
Driving on a combination of roads for 45000 average miles
Having used michelin ps2's and conti sport 3's for many years the recent economic downturn has forced me to look at some mid priced tyres.
I was so impressed I have just fitted a new set to my MK5 Golf TDI 170.
I agree that they are great in the dry, progressiveness is not as good as the PS2's or conti sports but what do you expect for the money.
Wet grip is good and have only ever had aquaplaning when they were down to 2-3mm of tread like most tyres to be fair.
Road noise is a litte more than other tyres I have used.
Wear rate is as good as the michelins and conti's with a mix of motorway and spitited A/B roads at the weekends roughly 25,000 fronts, I've not replaced the rears yet but I would say between 45-50,000 on a front wheel drive.
A few of my friends also now use them and swear by them on his 370Z.
I would, and have bought these tyres again.
A good alternative would be the cooper zeon at this price.
tyre reviewed on 2011-05-26 09:50:12
Writing about the Goodyear Excellence given 96% (225-45-17-)
Driving on mostly motorways for 100000 average miles
Just replaced my Goodyear tyres with the new excellence ones. Last Goodyears excellent - did 99000 miles on my rear set before needed changing, and get approx 40000 out of front tyres- v v impressed with them!
tyre reviewed on 2010-12-06 12:19:33
Writing about the Vredestein Snowtrac 2 given 70% (205-55-16-)
Driving on mostly country roads for 18000 spirited miles
I live in Braemar, so I see plenty or real winter weather. On my Mk5 Golf these tyres were great. The golf itself is a fantastic car in the snow and the vredestein tyre didn't let that down. It ploughs in deep snow even up to bonnet depth, and I found myself getting more places than expected too, and have never once been stuck, even when drift bashing. They even give me confidence when overtaking the summer tyre brigade in snow / slush.

Downsides, they are a harder tyre and you feel the bad bits of the road more. When you start to slip in the snow, you really lose it, but those are both characteristics of winter tyres and snow driving in general, so wouldnt fault the tyre I dont think.

All in all you are if you buy these they will be about as good as you can get, but i've opted not to go back to them. Not because of anything wrong with the tyre, just fancy a change and thought the Avon Ice Tourer ST looked pretty good and about ?20 cheaper a tyre - I run summer Avons with much enjoyment.

The Snowtrac 3 is out now and looks slightly better.

I got 18,000 miles from these tyres - winter only use on 60% country / 30 % Motorway / 10% Dirt track.

tyre reviewed on 2010-09-07 18:07:35
Writing about the Avon ZZ3 given 80% (205-55-16-)
Driving on mostly country roads for 20000 spirited miles
It's hard to tell what your getting with a review but as a, fast bust sensible driver (60-80 mph)in rural Scotland I really like these tyres.

I drive a Golf Mk5 and they really suit this car, the ride is quite and smooth and the steering is great. There is a big difference in noise with these tyres compared with my winter tyres - no surprises - they are way better.

In the wet I find them very good, but I do ease off a little, i've never had them let go on me. They will aquaplane in deep water at high speed, but only slightly - no tyre can disperse the deep stuff quick enough.

Looks shouldn't count but inevitably they do. Tyre looks great on an alloy and has rim protectors which is amazing for one of the cheapest mid range tyres - even the vredesteins cant do this, nor do they look good.

Only downside, I've had them on for 3 summer seasons switching front to back and they are finally done now after about 20,000 miles. Maybe I would have liked more.

I use Vredestien snow tracs in the winter, but I have just bought a new set of ZZ3 - ?54 each - What a buy when you know what you are getting.
tyre reviewed on 2010-09-07 17:56:22
Writing about the Semperit Speed Life given 40% (225-45-17-W)
Driving on a combination of roads for 1000 average miles
Although I only had these tyres on my Golf for a month, thought I'd give my view as no other reviews. I replaced a set of Continental Sport Contact1's with these as I wanted something from a reputable maker (Semperit is owned by Continental) which was cheaper than the Contis with good fuel economy (they scored very well on this in an Auto Express test and seemed to be a good all rounder). Oh dear! If you want a decent budget tyre they're OK, certainly not dangerous but they were a let down after a premium brand. Why? I found handling seemed to have developed another level of mushiness, steering feel dulled, it was harder to know what the front wheels were doing and I couldn't help feeling that the levels of grip and control were much inferior to the Contis. You felt - especially in wet conditions - that you could easily slide off the road although in fairness actual performance wasn't bad. What annoyed me most though was that fuel eceonmy dipped by about 4-5 mpg! Not what I was expecting. After a month of inferior economy and not enjoying the drive I'd had enough and bought a set of new Conti Sport 3's which were vastly better in every respect. In other words you get what you pay for. If you can get these tyres at a good price and you're not expecting too much, you should be OK, but I wouldn't recommend if you are used to a premium brand.
tyre reviewed on 2010-07-22 05:09:49
Writing about the Continental Sport Contact 3 given 84% (225-45-17-W)
Driving on a combination of roads for 21 average miles
I've found this to be an outstanding all rounder in all weathers. Wet behaviour is outstanding for a tyre not advertised as a wet performer, it resists aquaplaning brilliantly and I've driven it in some torrential conditions. For a performance tyre, noise is well contained and comfort is fine, firm but comfortable. Where it really scores is rolling resistance, very important on a daily runner; it's much better at stretching the mpg than any other tyre I've tried. It's very grippy in the dry as well, there are better but not with the SCS3's wet abilities. Wear is good providing you drive seasonably sensibly, I got 23,000 out of mine but you will get far less if you drive with exuberance! Expensive, yes, but worth every penny!
tyre reviewed on 2010-07-21 10:35:08
Writing about the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A given 71% (225-45-17-W)
Driving on a combination of roads for 13000 spirited miles
I was unfortunate to have had my car in at the accident recovery garage and they replaced all 4 tyres with the RE050A's. Overall these tyres provide amazing grip with my 170Bhp golf as i tend to give it a beasting every now and again, i do tend to be good when it gets a bit slick on the road. they are very quiet on most roads and and provide very good feedback on the corners. i am in the process of getting my front 2 replaced and for a pair of these for a good price so will be having these again.

Hope this helps
tyre reviewed on 2009-11-09 08:34:48
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