Recommend Tyres: VW Passat

creedp

MarkR wrote: »

I've a similar size car, and do a bit more mileage. My avensis has 17" alloys, and I got 4 Goodyear Eagle F1's asymetric tyres for less then 400. As above, check for local tyre fitters as well. You may as well compare prices too!

I would be someone who would like to fit premium tyre brands where possible but in my case 225/50/17 premium tyres cost upwards of €200 a corner even online so I normally end up with Kumhos or most recently Hankooks at €150 a corner approx. Given that the car eats through a front set at 15k miles I find it difficult to shell out for the premium brands at present.

I'm aware this tyre size is expensive so would I be better off going for a different tyre size which would be cheaper thereby allowing me to opt for a more premium brand? Would a narrower tyre make the allows more susceptible to damage .. they are already damaged enough!

Ronnie Beck

creedp wrote: »

I would be someone who would like to fit premium tyre brands where possible but in my case 225/50/17 premium tyres cost upwards of €200 a corner even online so I normally end up with Kumhos or most recently Hankooks at €150 a corner approx. Given that the car eats through a front set at 15k miles I find it difficult to shell out for the premium brands at present.

I'm aware this tyre size is expensive so would I be better off going for a different tyre size which would be cheaper thereby allowing me to opt for a more premium brand? Would a narrower tyre make the allows more susceptible to damage .. they are already damaged enough!

Hankook are more or less a premium tyre. Try a set of sunny's if you want to know what a bad tire feels like :P.
It depends on the size of your alloys on how small a tyre you can fit. Your alloy will have something like 17 x 8 on it, meaning it's 8 iches wide. To narrow a tyre and you'll end up with the stretched look exposing the rim of the alloy completely to the kerb.

GTE

I drive a Golf 90 hp TDI so a similar enough car to the OPs.

I have Hankook H730s (Optimo 4s). They are all season tyres and have done me very very well over all weather conditions, hot and cold. Without getting into the Summer vs Winter debate, if you want a good all round tyre that will cope in the weather conditions that Ireland throws at you, then I would consider these.

Over the years, I just don't think about them anymore as I know how well they cope in all conditions. Different story with my family members cars who have budget to midrange Summer tyres, scary when wet and very scary when cold and wet.

I first got them in the middle of the heavy snow of a few years ago and in my excitment I decided to drive into a big pile of snow, about wheel arch height. Realised my excitment made me do something stupid but low and behold, the tyres got me out of it. Previously, I couldnt get past 10 mph on my Cooper Zeon tyres. I guess it's nice to know that I am not badly equipped even in the rare weather occasions we get =D

That said, we dont get crazy snow often but there was a period where I was on "regular" tyres on the front while I was in between a new set of those Hankooks. On dry but cold roads, I did some informal testing and the regulars had the ABS on very quickly while the all seasons didnt get a peep of ABS. Dont worry, huge stretch of wide N road with no one about and stopping from 30mph, just incase I get questioned about it =P

Sadly, I drove over something that punctured a front tyre recently and I have a budget one on there which will soon be a spare but that tyre is spinning up like its on an icerink when it gets colder.

The Cooper Zeons I mentioned were great in the Summer, very grippy but high wear and rubbish in the cold. The Hankook H730 is also great in the wet.

Someday

Handkook are a very good mid range tyre

creedp

@Ronnie Beck

Will check my alloy's to see what size they are but I don't think I want to go for the look in your post:pac:. Given that a couple of people have expressed the view that Hankooks are a reasonable tyre maybe I should just stick with 225s rather than risking further alloy damage. As for winter tyres I already have winter Hankooks (215/55/16) on a set of steels in case of snow - house is inaccessible on summer tyres with snow - I got these on Eiretyres and the 215s plus steels were same price as 225s.

vectra

Hankook.

_Kaiser_

I had Hankook all-season 4s tyres on the Passat previously and found them great. Lasted through the winter and well into the spring/early summer last year

The A6 has 2 Vredestein and 2 Goodyear's on it at the moment which are grand but I'm still thinking about downsizing as the 18"/low-profile thing really doesn't work on crappy Irish roads.
Is there much of a difference in that regard between 18s and 17s, or would I need to go back to 16s?

vectra

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

I had Hankook all-season 4s tyres on the Passat previously and found them great. Lasted through the winter and well into the spring/early summer last year

The A6 has 2 Vredestein and 2 Goodyear's on it at the moment which are grand but I'm still thinking about downsizing as the 18"/low-profile thing really doesn't work on crappy Irish roads.
Is there much of a difference in that regard between 18s and 17s, or would I need to go back to 16s?

I had 17's on my white vRS
18's on the red one and my current one.
I can see/feel/hear no difference to be honest.

ardmacha

Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions on a good 4 season tyre.

I put the Bridgestone A001 on my Focus
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056892943

After I posted in March, I was in Belfast in the March snows and the tyres certainly performed better than the Turanzas used previously. Otherwise I haven't noticed much difference, although in warm dry conditions the Turanza should be better. But I figure I'll get stopped in such conditions anyway, wet and snow is more important.

GTE

ardmacha wrote: »

I put the Bridgestone A001 on my Focus
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056892943

After I posted in March, I was in Belfast in the March snows and the tyres certainly performed better than the Turanzas used previously. Otherwise I haven't noticed much difference, although in warm dry conditions the Turanza should be better. But I figure I'll get stopped in such conditions anyway, wet and snow is more important.

I might try those next. I was going to try out the Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons but the A001 looks like they have better wet performance than the Vectors and Hankook Optimos. Though, that is with the loss of snow performance. I would probably prefer outright cold wet and dry performance over snow.