The Official Polo Tyre Thread

[Timbo]

Anyone run Falken RT 615's?? I'm thinking of going for those

Yes. Don't. You have been warned

[Whubbsie]

Yes. Don't. You have been warned

cheers I'll avoid them.

[mikepologti]

10000kms out of the contis? what the hell are they doing with them?, thats like a year of conservative (mon to friday 50kms each) runs. more like tyre mobs are talking them into more tyres by the sounds , they tried to do that to my g'friends car. i had a look, both were perfectly legal but just to keep it safe i rotated them. 6000kms later there still fine.

[Blitzen]

Unusual to get anything like that sort of mileage on a tyre that claims to be for track use. I suspect they must be like the Falken RT 615's. What's the treadwear rating?

I put them on at 11,000km, and now have them on 34,000km, and I have rotated them twice. The ones on the front now have about 85% tread left, and the rears have about 55% left...good for another rotation. And I am HARD on these tyres...Just ask Shaneth, Mischa and Branko!!

I had the Falken RT'615's on my last car, and thought they were great. I got well over 25,000km out of them. Loved the grip I got out of them.

On my Conties, I had them on for 11,000km, and the fronts are only have about 50% left on them...Crap tyres, and I would never go back to them.

[pixl]

I have no idea why there is so much hate for the Continental CS2.

I had PP2s put on a while back and felt less confident. I went back to the CS2s and difference was amazing. I had no idea how quiet the CS2s were until I went back and as far as I'm concerned, the PP2s did not compare to the CS2s for wet weather.

I can appreciate that everyone has their own preference and experiences, but I can't see how it can be such a crap tyre when VW rigorously tested it before approving its use on the GTI.

[Blitzen]

I have no idea why there is so much hate for the Continental CS2.

I had PP2s put on a while back and felt less confident. I went back to the CS2s and difference was amazing. I had no idea how quiet the CS2s were until I went back and as far as I'm concerned, the PP2s did not compare to the CS2s for wet weather.

I can appreciate that everyone has their own preference and experiences, but I can't see how it can be such a crap tyre when VW rigorously tested it before approving its use on the GTI.

Crap is my technical description!! Soft side walls, low grip, bad wear rate...Good as spare tyres though!!

[Kai]

Im another person on the CS2 banwagon. I didnt mind them.

Edit. But if you can afford advans and you dont go them. You are quite simply dumb. o hay.

[mikepologti]

cant say ive ever had a problem with the contis either.

[ACTGTI]

Crap is my technical description!! Soft side walls, low grip, bad wear rate...Good as spare tyres though!!

That would be my opinion of them as well. The Marangoni's crap all over them IMO. I only got 5000kms out of my two front Conti's as they both got a bubble in the sidewall. The rears are still Conti's and they have 80% tread still.

For everyone who thinks they put their tyres through hell - What do you mean by that? Do you mean that you take off from every set of lights fast with wheel spin or do you mean you drive on a really twisty road every day to and from work?

I ask because I am at about 30000kms with my Marangoni's and I'll need to replace them in about 3000kms. I think this is a pretty good wear rate considering I have done almost every twisty road in NSW on them. Snowy Mtns twice, Jambaroo Mtn Rd (with flash), Macquarie Pass (with flash), Kangaroo Valley (with flash), Putty Rd, and lots of other random roads that looked like they were fun on the map.

I would be interested to know how many kms people expect to get out of their tyres.

[Spec83]

IMHO, 30-35,000 km's out of a set of tyres on a fwd is good

[FL00DY]

I'm getting my 105,000km service done this Saturday. At the new VW C'town service center. They also own a Tyrepower place so I'm getting my 3rd set of Michelin PP2's. If you could see the tread left on my tyres and see how hard I can still push on Macq Pass in the wet last Sunday, you'd understand why I've bought 3 sets of them. For the money they're a fantastic tyre.

So I've averaged bout 26,000km for my tyres. But that's including a fair bit of track work and lots of weekend drives.

This car should get more praise then it does, the Polo forum here is pretty busy, but living with this car for nearly 3 years has been perfect. I haven't had to chip it to have a barrel of laughs in it. I'd buy another one in a heart beat, if the new one is half as good as this one then there'll be a lot of VERY happy drivers out there.

[Blitzen]

For everyone who thinks they put their tyres through hell - What do you mean by that? Do you mean that you take off from every set of lights fast with wheel spin or do you mean you drive on a really twisty road every day to and from work?

I do all of this...I love it...I have 4 roundabouts I go through every morning on my 5km run to work, and love them...I push it hard up Mt Stuart, I'm taking a trip up to cairns this weekend for a run through the AWESOME mountain ranges up there, and I have got 25,000km out of the semi slicks so far, and would comfortably see another 20,000km out of them yet.

[Timbo]

I have got 25,000km out of the semi slicks so far, and would comfortably see another 20,000km out of them yet.

Then I hate to disappoint you, but they're not semi-slicks; semi-slicks rely in good measure on a softer, stickier compound that provides grip when hot.

So a Kumho V700, which many of us use as a track tyre, has a treadwear rating of 50; the Bridgestone 050's that came on my S3 has a treadwear rating of 140; but I recall the Farkens RT 615s were something like 210 and I suspect your Federals might be around the same. (EDIT: no, I recant, I see the Federal 595 RS-R has a 140 treadwear, so it's similar to a Bridgestone 050 in that respect. I would expect to get 30-35,000k from the 050s.

That's not to say the Federals don't offer grip, just that they're not semis as in track tyres, despite what their marketing blurb says

[Blitzen]

Then I hate to disappoint you, but they're (1)not semi-slicks; semi-slicks rely in good measure on a softer, (2)stickier compound that provides grip when hot.

1)Yes, they are...
2)Yes, they do this...

Just because they have done the distance they have done, dosn't mean they aren't what they are...

If they are not Semi Slicks, you want to ring up both Motor(Tyre test 2008 ) and Tarmac (Issue 1) magazines and tell them that they labeled and tested this tyre wrong. Even Federal themselves may have got it wrong...

http://www.federaltyres.com.au/ss595rsr

http://www.accessauto.com.au/Items/f...0(semi%20slick)

[ACTGTI]

I do all of this...I love it...I have 4 roundabouts I go through every morning on my 5km run to work, and love them...I push it hard up Mt Stuart, I'm taking a trip up to cairns this weekend for a run through the AWESOME mountain ranges up there, and I have got 25,000km out of the semi slicks so far, and would comfortably see another 20,000km out of them yet.

Wow, 45k out of a semi slick is amazing - well done!!

Paul, my sentiments exactly. The Polo has been a great surprise to me - I love it and am considering keeping it at end of lease.