Decent wet weather tyres

djimi

I had been looking at getting a set of Uniroyal Rainsport 3 tyres for the front of the Integra, but they are proving hard to come by and I have been offered a set of Bridgestone Turanza ER300 instead. Has anyone got any experience of these tyres; how they would handle in the wet and how they would compare to the Uniroyals?

h3000

They don't seem to be getting great reviews. I find this site very good for checking out tyres http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Bridgestone/Turanza-ER300.htm

djimi

Yeah the reviews dont seem to be wonderful alright. Ive found someone who stocks the Uniroyals so I think Ill stick with those and see how I get on.

h3000

djimi wrote: »

Yeah the reviews dont seem to be wonderful alright. Ive found someone who stocks the Uniroyals so I think Ill stick with those and see how I get on.

Vredestein Sportrac 5 are a very good mid budget wet weather tyre too.

djimi

Yeah Id like to try out the Sportrac some time; I hear they get good reviews. Ill stick with the Uniroyal for the moment; I really need the tyres today if I can and they were the best I could get after about 30 phone calls and multiple offerings of Nankang/Sunny, despite me saying I didnt want bottom end budget!

ION08

I have Beidgestone Turanzas on my car (B6 A4) and find them very good.

I dont drive the car like im on a track or anything but it does have a fair wedge of torque and tyres can usually keep up without spinning on full throttle in 2nd.

Never get any understeer around roundabouts either unless you really push it.

SleeperService

djimi wrote: »

Yeah Id like to try out the Sportrac some time; I hear they get good reviews. Ill stick with the Uniroyal for the moment; I really need the tyres today if I can and they were the best I could get after about 30 phone calls and multiple offerings of Nankang/Sunny, despite me saying I didnt want bottom end budget!

Hahaha, you're two levels above ultra nylon/teflon tyres, you still have landsail, linglong, hifly. The perception of what are mid range tyres changes when the bottom end keeps plumbing new depths!

Inquired about tyre prices for a 210hp car recently, also said id prefer something decent. Got quoted for landsails... This is from a well established chain around limerick

_Kaiser_

h3000 wrote: »

Vredestein Sportrac 5 are a very good mid budget wet weather tyre too.

Always liked the Vredestein's. Impossible to get though unless you buy online, and can store them/bring them to be fitted (and find somewhere to fit them)

As an aside, is there ANYWHERE in Dublin that supplies decent tyres at decent prices .. anytime I go in to a place I get offered stuff I've never heard of for premium rates

Tea 1000

I found the ER300's to be sound. The tyre review site is a bit useless, it's only user reviews. So it depends on what the person had before or what car it was on. There's no standard test with proper testers.
If you do go for the bridgestones, make sure they are the ER300's, they were replaced by something else, I think the T001's, and they're supposed to be terrible.

bazz26

I found the Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta great in the rain, they have a fairly unique thread pattern that pushes the water away from the tyre. Hard to beat them in the rain.

djimi

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

As an aside, is there ANYWHERE in Dublin that supplies decent tyres at decent prices .. anytime I go in to a place I get offered stuff I've never heard of for premium rates

Discount Tyres in Blanchardstown seem to be pretty good when I called them earlier in on the summer.

Im getting my tyres today from Atlas in Fonthill, who were the cheapest of all the places that I rang for the Uniroyals. Not sure what they are like generally though.

Viper_JB

bazz26 wrote: »

I found the Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta great in the rain, they have a fairly unique thread pattern that pushes the water away from the tyre. Hard to beat them in the rain.

Ya these are a great tyre, very hard to unstick even in the wet. Great value too.

h3000

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Always liked the Vredestein's. Impossible to get though unless you buy online, and can store them/bring them to be fitted (and find somewhere to fit them)

As an aside, is there ANYWHERE in Dublin that supplies decent tyres at decent prices .. anytime I go in to a place I get offered stuff I've never heard of for premium rates

Victory Tyres in Limerick were always able to get Vredestein's for me, often had them in stock too. I haven't been there in a little while though. A little more expensive then buying online but the last time it was only an extra €5 a corner.

stimpson

I have the ER300's. They're grand, but not fantastic. Good grip, but not a lot of feedback.

I'm planning on replacing them with these:

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/Dunlop-Sport-BluResponse-Launched.htm

And +1 on Discount Tyres in Blanch. They seem to be the only place in a 10 mile radius that know how to balance a wheel properly.

SleeperService

h3000 wrote: »

Victory Tyres in Limerick were always able to get Vredestein's for me, often had them in stock too. I haven't been there in a little while though. A little more expensive then buying online but the last time it was only an extra €5 a corner.

Good to know. Was there for the first time recently, their tracking equipment and ability seem better than others around.

Spike Witwicky

I fitted a couple of Uniroyal Rainsport 3 to my car a few weeks ago.
Good wet grip but soft sidewall (which is fine for me on 40 profile tyres)
Much better than the Dunlop Sportmaxx which came off

Ded_Zebra

Spike Witwicky wrote: »

I fitted a couple of Uniroyal Rainsport 3 to my car a few weeks ago.
Good wet grip but soft sidewall (which is fine for me on 40 profile tyres)
Much better than the Dunlop Sportmaxx which came off

It's interesting that you say that because sportmaxx are possibly the best tyre I ever used! I wasn't expecting them to be as good as the bridgestones that came off but they were so much better. More grip in the dry, more grip in the wet and better feel

Spike Witwicky

The Dunlops had great grip in the dry but personally i think the Uniroyals have better wet grip. Ive noticed the Uniroyals are quieter too and with the softer sidewall are more comfy.

djimi

Would the softer sidewall on the Uniroyals make them more prone to issues from say hitting potholes on country roads etc?

EazyD

djimi wrote: »

Would the softer sidewall on the Uniroyals make them more prone to issues from say hitting potholes on country roads etc?

Not from my experience, no. I have them on MX5 and previous 2 cars with no trouble. Seem to wear very well and the wet grip is excellent.

djimi

Cool. One place mentioned it as an issue but Im not sure if he was just trying to guide me towards something else!

fryup

uniroyals are great for grip, but at the expense of economy...my average mpg has dropped significantly since changing to them

EazyD

fryup wrote: »

uniroyals are great for grip, but at the expense of economy...my average mpg has dropped significantly since changing to them

I'd check your pressure, hasn't been an issue for me.

SleeperService

EazyD wrote: »

I'd check your pressure, hasn't been an issue for me.

They dont have very good ratings for fuel efficiency or noise in fairness.

No Pants

djimi wrote: »

Discount Tyres in Blanchardstown seem to be pretty good when I called them earlier in on the summer.

Im getting my tyres today from Atlas in Fonthill, who were the cheapest of all the places that I rang for the Uniroyals. Not sure what they are like generally though.

I've got the last two sets of tyres for both cars from Discount in Blanch. Michelins and Hankooks. Also got Bridgestone on a prior visit. Wasn't even offered the really cheap rubbish. Prices and service were fine. Have had good experiences with Atlas in Blanch and Swords.

EazyD

SleeperService wrote: »

They dont have very good ratings for fuel efficiency or noise in fairness.

That's the trade off with directional tires. I don't do huge mileage anyway so feel it's worth it.

djimi

fryup wrote: »

uniroyals are great for grip, but at the expense of economy...my average mpg has dropped significantly since changing to them

Ill keep an eye on it. I drive a Type R so econemy isnt really something that Im used to caring too much about anyway!

No Pants

djimi wrote: »

Ill keep an eye on it. I drive a Type R so econemy isnt really something that Im used to caring too much about anyway!

Mazda MPS here. If I was worried about economy, it's be a real headache.