MK6 Wheel / Rim / Tyre Thread

[Corey_R]

Harsh.

I think a more accurate assessment is that there are better (& more expensive) high performance tyres out there.

Not at all...They're just crap, ESPECIALLY for the money:
225/45ZR17 91W Bridgestone Potenza RE050 $188 each.
225/45R17 94Y Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric $165 each.

225/40ZR18 88Y Bridgestone Potenza RE050 $210 each
225/40R18 92Y Bridgestone Potenza RE050A $217 each
225/40R18 92Y Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric $198 each

235/35R19 91W Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Pole Position $284 each
235/35R19 91Y Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric $230 each

So those are the 3 sizes for the GTI and R. At each size, the Bridgestone are crap, and are more expensive than the far superior Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric.

[Ideo]

The Goodyear Eagle F1 asyms are the best tyre I have ever had.

Would get them again above any other tyre on the market.

[nat225]

Not at all...They're just crap, ESPECIALLY for the money:
....

225/40ZR18 88Y Bridgestone Potenza RE050 $210 each

..

i think this one is illegal for a Golf, load rating is only 88. but it's the OEM for civic type R (FN2R).

92Y is the minimum.

i found my re050a to be a bit slippery in the rain, but i had 38psi and need to be easier on the pedal during rain

[Corey_R]

It depends on the Golf... but yeah, I know it's a bit low, hence why I put the 050A alternative. Either way, the message is DO NOT buy them because they suck for the money.

[brad]

I think the RE050A was good in its' day but it's now 5 years old isn't it? The competitors have caught up or done better.

Unfortunately Bridgestone still charges a premium out in retail land because the RE050A comes as OEM for so many cars (Subaru, Holdens, Mondeos, etc) and (IIRC) 30% of drivers refit the OEM tyre, so you have an almost guaranteed market & you can bend people over as well.

[v0a]

In the end it comes down to what you want

How much money you have to spend..
How long you want them to last..
How grippy you want them to be..
How good you want them to be in the dry..
How good you want them to be in the wet..
How quiet you want them to be..

I've always had Yokohama Ad08's until i got my golf, i run bs re-11 now (only because load rating is 88 and we need 92), was going to go nitto nt-05's but with 5-6mm of tread i knew it wasnt going to last long. Re-11 less grip but will last longer, still eat re050a, goodyear f1

[v0a]

92Y is the minimum.

I dont think this is correct. Load rating of 92 must be met and cannot be lower!, however speed rating can vary, you must have tyres which are at least 92N (this is NSW for you guys) and 92S (for vic guys) legally however. N being more than 140km/h and S being more than 180km/h.

[MkVIGTI]

You may have been quoted RE050A's not the RE050 which are less than $300

No, they quoted my $400 for the RE050 and $409 for the RE050A

[MkVIGTI]

Not at all...They're just crap, ESPECIALLY for the money:
225/45ZR17 91W Bridgestone Potenza RE050 $188 each.
225/45R17 94Y Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric $165 each.

225/40ZR18 88Y Bridgestone Potenza RE050 $210 each
225/40R18 92Y Bridgestone Potenza RE050A $217 each
225/40R18 92Y Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric $198 each

235/35R19 91W Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Pole Position $284 each
235/35R19 91Y Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric $230 each

So those are the 3 sizes for the GTI and R. At each size, the Bridgestone are crap, and are more expensive than the far superior Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric.

These are the prices on Tirerack I assume?

[Corey_R]

Yes... sorry... I did have that in my post at some point, but must've accidently deleted that line during the formatting...

[DionM]

Okay I've got a MkV Jetta (2.0T DSG) but seems this is "the" tyre thread.

My RE050As (225/40 R18s) are pretty much shagged after 13000kms so looking at options.

Nitto NT-05 gets good mentions but are they available in Oz? I rang a couple of tyre dealers in BNE but they didn't stock Nitto.

Next choice I guess is the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asyms ?

I'm after outright performance - tired of not having any traction on launches and cornering.

Not too concerned with wear rates - don't do many kms. Not too concerned with wet performance - I'll take the other car if its raining.

[Corey_R]

If you're not too concerned with tyre wear or wet performance, and are considering the Nitto semi-slicks, then there are a few brands locally which you could try.

Federal have a nice and cheap semi-slick which is probably comparable to the Nitto.
A bit further up the performance and price range you have things like the Hankook Ventus Z221. The APR Stage 3 Golf GTI (and R? and Polo GTI in this months Motor Magazine) run them.

I did a search for them on the Hankook Australia site and couldn't find them though. So maybe you could ask APR Australia or Harding Performance where they're sourcing theirs from.

[DionM]

Thanks. That Hankook is quite pricey it seems!

The Federal 595RS-R in the size I want doesn't have the right load rating unfortunately.

[AdamD]

My RE050As (225/40 R18s) are pretty much shagged after 13000kms so looking at options... I'm after outright performance - tired of not having any traction on launches and cornering.

Damn, 13,000km... you must be really hard on your tyres, and/or have some serious alignment issues! I've been pretty damn brutal on a couple of sets on other cars in the (fairly recent) past, but have never worn a set in under 20,000. Maybe the Jetta's set up too soft?

If budget's not a huge issue, how about a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cups? $1150 from Tirerack, plus shipping (say $300), plus duty. Wouldn't be cheap, but a great tyre.

[DionM]

Damn, 13,000km... you must be really hard on your tyres, and/or have some serious alignment issues! I've been pretty damn brutal on a couple of sets on other cars in the (fairly recent) past, but have never worn a set in under 20,000. Maybe the Jetta's set up too soft?

They've worn well - been balanced and rotated as needed and no alignmenti ssues. I was a bit surprised too but then again I do make use of the car ...

If budget's not a huge issue, how about a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cups? $1150 from Tirerack, plus shipping (say $300), plus duty. Wouldn't be cheap, but a great tyre.

Hmmm they're in 235/40 ... close size. I'll do some research.

I guess the appeal with the Eagle F1s is they come on sale now and then at Goodyear with their buy 3 get 1 free deal, which drops the price by 25%.