Truly bad tyres

[Eagle 1516]

12 hours ago, Herbmiester said:

they are noticeably better in all measures

I just put a set of PS5's on my compact to replace the Pirelli P7's which had a few mm left. Went from a 205/50R16 to 215/45R17, rides just as good with better turn in. As you say the grip is so much more effortless in normal driving and conditions without even pushing it, everyone can notice that.

Double the price of a cheap tyre on special but $600 isnt much extra for what you in at least 30,000+ k's of driving.   

[Straykiwi 52]

I used to run mid range brands like Bridgestone, Dunlop,  Goodyear and Falken on my cars over the years,  then I was introduced to Michelin Pilots and I won't be going back.  But if you are on a budget those tyres give about 90-99% of the performance of more expensive tyres.  In the dry sometimes it's hard to tell any difference,  I found with Michelin Pilot Super Sport you get noticeably better initial turn in response but that's about it.  However it is in the wet where you see the benefit of all the money you spent as the mechanical grip level is simply incredible.

[Eagle 1516]

Id class those brands in the same tier as Michelin, Dunlop and Falken probably at the bottom for street rubber at least. I find Michelin is a very consistent brand, never the best at everything but do everything to a decent standard whatever the product. Easy to source, heaps of sizes with a easy to follow product names also helps. 

[Driftit 1945]

On 1/27/2024 at 8:06 PM, Herbmiester said:

I have now had the Goodyear Eagle F1Asymmetric 6  tyres on the front of the Skoda for just over a week and have done about 600kms on them. It should come as no surprise that compared to the Laufen's they are noticeably better in all measures, (that are important to me). Wet grip is probably the most noticeable improvement, even in heavy rain I could be confident in a corner. This is not punting it either, just cornering while staying within the speed limit. The Laufenn's in comparison would lose grip, understeer and I suspect they were hydroplaning. It was hugely disconcerting and the lack of feel made it scary. When they were removed they had around 4mm's of depth maybe a bit more. In the dry its what you would expect from a good tyre, good steering feel and high grip levels. The ride is quiet and being a 45 aspect ratio tyre with no non sporty suspension, the ride is comfortable with only a slight increase in firmness. 

Sadly it looks like all the Asymmetric 6's that were on special have gone. Apparently with the change of distribution for Goodyear, Hyperdrive bought up all the existing stock. I was told we probably wont see those prices again. 

 

Just to be the total opposite.  I have Laufenn LK03's aka S Fit on my 130i.  Zero issues.  Zero understeer.  Hammer on them over the hill at least once a week.  They are coming to the end of their life at around 30K and I am pretty hard on them.
I would say some of your issue is down to the VAG vehicle they are attached to.  The tyres are not the best but I have never experienced what you are.

 

[GorGasm 561]

All down to age and tyre type in the OP's case.  An old, worn all season vs a new UHP, I wonder if there will be a difference?

 

[Herbmiester 909]

Just to be clear the Laufen tyres still had between 3 and 4mm of tread when they were removed. As mentioned earlier, they were ok in the dry, but not so in the wet. I also believe that because of it being a FWD with high torque, this probably influenced the behaviour. The Skoda is no performance car.  And yes a UHP will out perform an all season tyre, but in the wet I would have thought the advantage would have swung back to the Laufen, but the Laufen in the wet, was so poor it bordered on unbelievable. Also I have a 130i on KW coil-overs and it runs some cheap Crosswinds on the front. Surprisingly they seem ok, a bit vague, but ok in the wet. I suspect the excellent chassis helps here. 

 

[Jacko 2078]

I had worn RE003s on the front of the VRS, still couple of mm of tread... thing is sketchy as sh*t in any rain (its also eating the fronts at an awesome rate). Aquaplanes all over the place on SH1. Just rotated them to try and kill a full set then will probably go to some Hankook Evo3s and hope they work better.

 

[Neal 512]

Road temp also plays part. PS4s below 5 degrees in wet make for entertainment. Add bit of hail and traction becomes nil.

Entertaining going past a bus stop full of people at 30kmh all crossed up.

[Jacko 2078]

Stuck some PS5s on the skoda, worn RE003s aquaplaning all over the motorway terrified me for the last time.

[freaknout 47]

What's a pair of PS5s cost these days? I have a VRS on PS4's which will need replacement in perhaps a year or so. 

[Jacko 2078]

235/35/19 were 450ish corner with N3 discount at advantage.