MK6 Wheel / Rim / Tyre Thread

[dave_r]

but it could open up your tyre choice significantly.

The speed rating doesn't have much impact other than the RE-11's I mentioned earlier. The load rating seems to be the main protagonist.

In OEM size/rating, come up with this list....

Performancealloys.com
Toyo T1-Sport Proxes
Toyo T1R Proxes
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2
Dunlop Sp Sport Maxx GT
Bridgestone Potenza S001

Tirerack
Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position
Continental ContiSportContact 3
Hankook Ventus V12 evo K110
Kumho Ecsta LE Sport
Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 (though not enough stock on hand for a set hehe)
Yokohama ADVAN Sport

[Corey_R]

Thanks for that list dave_r.

I had started to write about how we had this "discussion" in a thread with an R32 person who had moved to 19" wheels and then couldn't find any tyres which were legal based on the tyre placard on his car (which didn't have 19", but had 18's at 95Y from memory). One of the things that I established at that time was that there were plenty of suitable tyres for the 19" Golf R peeps.

I'd personally be going for the Goodyear F1A or F1A2 depending on who has the best price and supply of them.
Do goodyear still have the "buy 3 get 4" deal on? If so, they're quite competitive with Tirerack to just purchase locally.

[dave_r]

There is indeed a few options but which are any good is the hard part!

[Corey_R]

The Goodyear F1A has won so many round ups it's not funny... the F1A2 has improved that even more, and has won practically every round up thus far too. The only time something seems to beat them is when the round ups are looking for something "more specific", like the "ultimate dry tyre" or "track tyre" or "wet tyre", rather than "all round high performance".

[brad]

Anyway I've gotta order a set of tyres ASAP but finding a set of suitable replacements for the R a right pain in the rear end! Manufacturer requirements are 235/35R19 91Y but those last 3 characters are the painful bit and OEM Dunlop's aren't listed anymore.

tirerack get about 20 hits for your spec once you take out the M&S, etc - not sure what their stock situation is though.

What about Michelin Pilot SuperSport? or Continental Extreme Contact DW? A few others there I'd consider (Sumitomo, Goodyear F1A, Bridgestone S04) but I'm sure you can work the search engine.

[dave_r]

Corey, those reviews don't help with performance on the track and the road performance is going to be similar enough to be a non issue for me. Not fussed on road noise either.

Brad, you're right there are 31 hits for 91Y in that size, but there are quite a few duplicates and I ignored the Pzeros etc due to them being too expensive.

PSS are probably a great street only option but they did not get good feedback yesterday around the track so they're not on my radar

I've done some ringing around and got this feedback
Conti 5P
Bridgestone RE050A (But I'm sure I've read people saying they had these on their R's 18's and feedback wasn't great?)

As per usual, selecting tyres is always difficult as feedback is so hard to quantify!

[brad]

Brad, you're right there are 31 hits for 91Y in that size, but there are quite a few duplicates and I ignored the Pzeros etc due to them being too expensive.

PSS are probably a great street only option but they did not get good feedback yesterday around the track so they're not on my radar

I culled brands that I wouldn't buy myself & tried to limit the spend to USD230 to get in under the $1k limit.

I thought PSS was the PS2 replacement? Therefore aimed at occasional track use?

If the track performance is important & you do a few trackdays then would you be better off buying some 18"s for track days?

[dave_r]

I thought the PSS would be a shoe in as well but the feedback from another Golf R driver yesterday at Sandown said otherwise.

Yes a 2nd set of wheels is the ultimate option but I'd rather burn a set of tyres a year than have to worry about changing wheels, storing them and the initial outlay. I'm not chasing lap times anyway.

[brad]

meh, Bridgestone Pole Position. Must be track focussed if they have pole position in the name

[MkVIGTI]

Hi All,
Michelin PS3 $253.00

Which store is this? I had two fitted at the front about a month ago and I was quoted $280, and that was on special! But the PS3 is definitely a step up from the stock RE050s though.

---------- Post added at 10:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:11 PM ----------

I thought PSS was the PS2 replacement?

The PS3 is the replacement for the PS2. The PSS is meant to be the performance flagship for Michelin and it sits above the PS3. From what I've read the PSS is more focused on dry road performance though.

[Diesel_vert]

PSS are probably a great street only option but they did not get good feedback yesterday around the track so they're not on my radar

Though the PSS is very much a road tyre, a lot of owners have nothing but praise for them regarding track driving (admittedly, mostly from BMW M or Porsche owners). But like all road tyres, that's provided you don't murder them - I'm sure you know how easy it is to cook road tyres on the track.

It's possible that the PSS doesn't work as well on vehicles with a heavy front-weight bias - but that goes for any tyre, in the sense that some tyres work better on some vehicles than others. Well it's that, or his tyre pressures were incorrectly adjusted or maybe even his driving style.

If you were considering the PS2, then you should find the PSS to be an improvement, particularly in terms of dry handling / braking and wear on the track.

I've done some ringing around and got this feedback
Conti 5P
Bridgestone RE050A (But I'm sure I've read people saying they had these on their R's 18's and feedback wasn't great?)

Regarding the poor feedback (I take it they're mostly from non-track drivers) of the RE050A, perhaps the qualities that make it a poor road tyre is what makes it a better track tyre, at least in terms of durability...

Cheap Track Tire Experiment - NAGTROC - The Nissan GT-R Owners Club

Now despite getting on a bit, and recent tyre tests being less than complementary, it seems the RE050A can really take a beating on the track.

At the moment, the OP is currently waiting for the RE050A's to wear out before trying the PSS waiting in his garage, but you did mention you needed new tyres soon, so I guess you can't wait for the outcome of his experiment.

The successor of the Potenza RE050 / RE050A is the Potenza S001. Or for the North American market, it's the Potenza S-04. Perhaps they might offer more of the same qualities (or not)?

As per usual, selecting tyres is always difficult as feedback is so hard to quantify!

Exactly, which is why I'd just get the RE-11. At least you know they stand (i.e. along with the Hankook R-S3 / Yokohama AD08, above everything else mentioned so far) and given that it's designed for some track usage, I find it hard to imagine that it wouldn't exceed safety or performance requirements of any tyre fitted from the factory. Well, maybe except aquaplaning performance or noise, but even here the RE-11 is said to be better than most tyres in the same category.

Alternatively, you could also get the Nitto NT05 (on sale at Ozzy Tyres at AUD 269.00 per tyre), though the load and speed index is the same as the RE-11 (i.e. 91W). But at least you won't feel as guilty from wearing these out too fast on the track!

[Corey_R]

Corey, those reviews don't help with performance on the track

If you're looking for good tyres on a track, by a cheap set of 2nd wheels (18" even) and get some Federal 595RS-R's relatively cheap, even locally, and good tyres for the track. I used them once in the past after being recommended by local Skyline Australia guys. I've seen a few peeps here use and love them too.

I've done some ringing around and got this feedback
Conti 5P
Bridgestone RE050A (But I'm sure I've read people saying they had these on their R's 18's and feedback wasn't great?)

The Conti are great in those reviews I was talking about. But don't get the RE050A's. They suck balls... and they're below average in those reviews I was talking about

[dave_r]

Though the PSS is very much a road tyre, a lot of owners have nothing but praise for them regarding track driving (admittedly, mostly from BMW M or Porsche owners). But like all road tyres, that's provided you don't murder them - I'm sure you know how easy it is to cook road tyres on the track.

All my googling said the same thing, also some Ferrari forums had high praise also which had me convinced the PSS were ok.

Thinking about it, I did go pretty hard on my OEM dunlops the last track day so I'm sure they'd have lasted another few days if I backed it off a bit. Having a good look over my current set, 1 is toast, one has some ordinary wear and 2 could go a bit longer. I could just get another set of those and swap them in pairs to get some more mileage. They're the same price as a set of PSS and at least they're a known quantity for me...

Other than tirerack and performancealloys.com are there any other decent o/s stores to look at?

[HereGoes]

New Tyres for the GTI

Hi All

I have just clocked over 44,000 with my Potenza RE050's (255/45 17) that came with the car and it is time to get new rubber.

The guys at the tyre shop tell me the Potenza S001 is the replacement for the 050 and at $275 a tire it is not a cheap change over.

So I have two questions:
1. What tyres are you guys looking at for your first change?
2. How many Km's did you get out of your first set?

Mods: My apologies if this is a re post, I did a search and did not find any obvious threads. Feel free to move as you see fit.

[MACCAA]

$275 is a pretty good price.050's were over $400 in my size-225-40/18.
You have to remember that these are a performance vehicle and as such run fairly high performance tyres.
It's [VERY] false economy to put brand "X" tyres on to save a few $$$$.
Those four small patches of rubber is all that's between you and the road.
People never appreciate the difference in tyres until you need to do a panic stop in the wet....
I went from 050's to S001's on my S3 and I'd rate them pretty highly.
Same lap times on the track in the dry,and better in the wet than the 050's.
Cheers
Len