***** Motors chat - round 12 *****

Leonard Hofstadter

Anyone got experience of Dunlops?

I need to change the tyres on the car (once Covid-19 is over naturally!).

The tyres which are currently on the rear of the car are Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3s, so I was going to go for the same again, but they are not available in my tyre size any more.

For GoodYears, the only available options on the rear are Asymmetric 2s, which are run-flats (so they're out), or Asymmetric 5s, which are 3 dB louder than the Asymmetric 3s currently on it. I won't bore ye with the maths, but a 3 dB increase is 23% more noise. The only noises I want to hear from the car are those made by its engine when I want to have fun with it !

I rather like the Sport Maxx RT2s, they are one of the quietest tyres (69dB) and are reasonably priced. They have the added advantage of being one of the few tyres available on my front tyre size also (225/40 R18), and since I need to change all the tyres, I want to have the exact same make and model all around for the first time (I have GoodYears on the front also but they are Efficient Grips and E46s prefer having the same tyres all around).

I have heard bad things about Continentals and Bridgestones so I'm not really interested in either. Pirellis don't have good noise ratings and seem to be quite expensive, I have read mixed reviews about those also.

I know Michelins are highly rated by BMW enthusiasts but although the Pilot Sport 4s are also available on both the front and rear sizes I need, they are a good bit noisier (2 dB or 15% more on the rear tyres and 3 dB or 23% more on the front tyres) than the Dunlops and a whole set would be €135 dearer.

I'm not one for cheaping out on tyres of all things, but I don't really want to spend extra money for no good reason. Any reason not to get Dunlops?

https://www.tyres-outlet.ie/search?sortCode=label_sound_asc&minPrice=&maxPrice=&season=So&width=255&profile=35&size=18&speedRating=&loadIndex=&brand=&priceCategory=premiumbrands&rimProtection=true&clientReviewsRating=&approvedBy=&isRunflat=&reinforced=&cTire=&sealLayer=&noiseReduction=&homologation=&vehicleTypes=PKW&vehicleTypes=RACE_PKW&vehicleTypes=LLKW&vehicleTypes=VINTAGE_PKW&vehicleTypes=OFF&pageNoFull=1&itemsPerPage=15

Wibbs

Tazzimus wrote: »

Remove the stupid pop up aerial and look at getting one that uses the window instead.

Ahh I like the stupid oul pop up aerial T. Well, since I replaced the core so it doesn't go dak dak dak dak every bleedin time it goes up and down. Reminds me of simpler times. I remember "helping" my dad fit one to his Ford Cortina when I was a kid. A school friend and me ran his battery down making it go up and down. A bollocking ensued.

A few years back I was tempted to put the S2000 stubby aerial. Have it somewhere. Or like you go the internal aerial/window route. Even have the OEM aerial blanking plug thingie.



That kinda thing was so much easier to source a few years back. And cheaper.

Tazzimus

I liked it initially, but then I slightly bent mine testing the car on a private track when the aerial was still up. Plus that clack sound when it was fully extended got annoying fairly quickly as well ha.

I'll likely go the window route and get the hole filled in when the body is getting cleaned up, I've seen a few with the S2000 aerial and not really a fan of that either.

Wibbs

FWIW T I have a new replacement uppy downy aerial(technical term). Not a Honda one, but almost identical and would fit, so if you do want to go that route let me know. You'd be welcome to it.

Austmcc

Leonard Hofstadter wrote: »

Anyone got experience of Dunlops?

I need to change the tyres on the car (once Covid-19 is over naturally!).

The tyres which are currently on the rear of the car are Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3s, so I was going to go for the same again, but they are not available in my tyre size any more.

For GoodYears, the only available options on the rear are Asymmetric 2s, which are run-flats (so they're out), or Asymmetric 5s, which are 3 dB louder than the Asymmetric 3s currently on it. I won't bore ye with the maths, but a 3 dB increase is 23% more noise. The only noises I want to hear from the car are those made by its engine when I want to have fun with it !

I rather like the Sport Maxx RT2s, they are one of the quietest tyres (69dB) and are reasonably priced. They have the added advantage of being one of the few tyres available on my front tyre size also (225/40 R18), and since I need to change all the tyres, I want to have the exact same make and model all around for the first time (I have GoodYears on the front also but they are Efficient Grips and E46s prefer having the same tyres all around).

I have heard bad things about Continentals and Bridgestones so I'm not really interested in either. Pirellis don't have good noise ratings and seem to be quite expensive, I have read mixed reviews about those also.

I know Michelins are highly rated by BMW enthusiasts but although the Pilot Sport 4s are also available on both the front and rear sizes I need, they are a good bit noisier (2 dB or 15% more on the rear tyres and 3 dB or 23% more on the front tyres) than the Dunlops and a whole set would be €135 dearer.

I'm not one for cheaping out on tyres of all things, but I don't really want to spend extra money for no good reason. Any reason not to get Dunlops?

https://www.tyres-outlet.ie/search?sortCode=label_sound_asc&minPrice=&maxPrice=&season=So&width=255&profile=35&size=18&speedRating=&loadIndex=&brand=&priceCategory=premiumbrands&rimProtection=true&clientReviewsRating=&approvedBy=&isRunflat=&reinforced=&cTire=&sealLayer=&noiseReduction=&homologation=&vehicleTypes=PKW&vehicleTypes=RACE_PKW&vehicleTypes=LLKW&vehicleTypes=VINTAGE_PKW&vehicleTypes=OFF&pageNoFull=1&itemsPerPage=15

I have the dunlop sport Maxx rt2s on all corners of mine and I cant wait till they're low enough to change them. They're acceptable in the dry but the second there's any level of moisture or greasyness they're hopeless. Slipping happening on slow corners etc. I actually brought up the dunlops either in this thread or the pics of my car thread and there was a few others with the same feedback on the dunlop.i wouldn't reccomend.

From asking for tyre suggestions the three that kept coming up were
Goodyear asymmetric 4 or 5s
Michelin ps4
Uniroyal transport 3s (I think was the third one)

jmreire

I took a car for a wash in the automatic car wash after repair's were carried out....while sitting in the car waiting as it was washed, turned on the radio..forgetting completely that the aerial was automatic, and up she went !! Didn't hear a thing over the noise of the wash,,but when it finished,,,discovered that not only was it the cleanest aerial around, it was also the most mangled,,,,,was on a Mercedes too, make matters worse,,:mad: still remember the bollocking I got for that.. never liked automatic aerials after that !!!:cool:

Wibbs

Ouch

CIP4

@LH Goodyear Eagle F1 Asy 5 are phenomenal tyre serious step up even on the Asy 3 wet grip is unreal you can really push them. I can’t argue with your noise values but at the same time I have no issue with them noise wise. But for me grip and the way the tyre performs would be more important at the same time I have never had Dunlop’s so don’t know what they are like.

Midnight_EG

Wibbs wrote: »

FWIW T I have a new replacement uppy downy aerial(technical term). Not a Honda one, but almost identical and would fit, so if you do want to go that route let me know. You'd be welcome to it.

I'd the S(tubby)2000 one on mine and it just looked weird :pac:

jmreire

Wibbs wrote: »

Ouch

It went quite a bit beyond "OUCH"...its many year's ago since it happened,,,but i still remember it......vividly !!! And this "Aerial" discussion brought it all back...:cool::cool:..

Duff

Anyone know a ballpark figure of getting four lowering springs fitted? I've a set of Eibach Pros I'd like to get fitted when things return to normal. Car is an E60 BMW if it makes a difference. Cheers.

Wailin

Duff wrote: »

Anyone know a ballpark figure of getting four lowering springs fitted? I've a set of Eibach Pros I'd like to get fitted when things return to normal. Car is an E60 BMW if it makes a difference. Cheers.

Anywhere from €350-500 depending on who you go to. I got a quote from discount tyres in blanchardstown for €360 on my f10 and €470 from a different crowd in north dublin.

Leonard Hofstadter

Thanks lads, feck having tyres that aren't great for grip anyway:pac:.

I don't want GoodYears because apart from the noise rating, one thing I've noticed is that the Asymmetric 3s have gotten incredibly noisy over the past few thousand miles (although the front tyres are lovely and quiet and there's over 22,000 miles clocked on those), they're so bad I actually thought the car had developed a diff problem until I realised it's perfectly quiet on some roads, like the part of the M7 that has been widened to three lanes but on the M8 near Glanmire and Cork you'd nearly be deaf.

I know I'm not the only person who had that problem with GoodYear tyres as they get older, either.

What are peoples' thoughts on Vredesteins? They seem a lot cheaper than Michelins and I've heard good reviews about them on BMWs, although I'm heavily leaning towards Michelins at this stage, I might as well stump up the extra if there's more grip from them.

bazz26

I had Vredesteins Ultrac Sessenta on my old E90 years ago and found them to be a great tyre. The grip was great on them and had a unique looking tread pattern. It's hard to find a stockist of them these days though and they don't do them in my F10 sizes so haven't any recent experience of them.

colm_mcm

Didn’t they have very soft sidewalls?

bazz26

My E90 rears were 255/35/R19 so every brand of tyre on those had a fragile wall.

bazz26

FWIW on my F10 I have Goodyear Eagle F1 AS 3 RFTs on the front and replaced them on the rear with Michelin Primacy 3 ZPs as there was a special offer on them at the time. There is not much between both around grip or road noise but the Primacy 3s seem to be wearing a bit better.

James Bond Junior

bazz26 wrote: »

I had Vredesteins Ultrac Sessenta on my old E90 years ago and found them to be a great tyre. The grip was great on them and had a unique looking tread pattern. It's hard to find a stockist of them these days though and they don't do them in my F10 sizes so haven't any recent experience of them.

I have them on my E36 and found they transformed the car.

Wailin

I switched from Bridgestone Potenza RFT's (awful tyre in damp conditions) to Michelin PS4 a few months back. Better grip, more forgiving over bad road surfaces and just feels better overall. Not sure how they compared noise wise but that never really bothered me anyhow. I had Pirelli P Zeros on a previous f11 and they were fine but the Michelin are better.

Leonard Hofstadter

Thanks folks, I remember you saying that before JBJ about Vredesteins, well if they're good enough for your E36 I'm sure they'll do just fine for my E46 also!

It's times like this I almost wish my MV2s were replicas instead of genuine:pac:; it would have been so much easier if I just had to find a set of 225/40 R18s (which is the tyre size for the fronts) as there's a truckload of choice and I could have stuck with the very reasonably priced GoodYear Efficient Grip Performances on all four corners, having had them for over three years and nearly 23,000 miles, they're a very good tyre.

Anyway, Google tells me that Ultrac Sessenas have been replaced by Ultrac Vortis, which fortunately are available in both tyre sizes I need, like the Michelin Pilot PS4s and Dunlop RT2s I mentioned earlier are. Google also tells me their performance is comparable to Asymmetric 3s but they score pretty well for quietness and have the added advantage of being €200 cheaper than the Michelins, so happy days. It will be nice to have the exact same make and model of tyre on all four corners of the car for the first time in my 3 1/4 years of ownership to keep my OCD happy, too :pac: !

Manic Moran

I switched from Bridgestone Potenza RFT's (awful tyre in damp conditions) to Michelin PS4 a few months back. Better grip, more forgiving over bad road surfaces and just feels better overall. Not sure how they compared noise wise but that never really bothered me anyhow. I had Pirelli P Zeros on a previous f11 and they were fine but the Michelin are better.

Interestingly, I just put Portenza RFTs onto my F10. They replaced the Turanzas which came with it. I was not pleased by the lack of grip on the Turanzas, the Portenzas are much better. That said, I made that choice in the knowledge that Portenza is a summer tyre and the Turanzas are an all-season. "Damp" here is often still over 20 degrees (This week it's 26 and thunderstorms).

That said, I can't argue the Michelin Pilot Sports. I had them on my S4, fantastic tyre. Only problem was they they were not rated for snow, so if I wanted to avoid using chains, I had to put something else on. Now I'm not on snow any more, the Audi's suffering on corners. But at the cost of the tyre for how little I drive it, the PS is just too damned expensive.

farna_boy

Anyone know a good place to buy new alloys?

The wheels on my TT are corroding so I was thinking of just replacing them with something lightweight.

Demontweeks seem reasonable with a good range and I know they have been around for ages but is there anywhere else I should look?

Also is there anywhere that does good reviews of wheels?

MetzgerMeister

Have you considered getting the original wheels refurbished?

farna_boy

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

Have you considered getting the original wheels refurbished?

It is an option I suppose but I have read a lot saying that lightweight wheels make it a much better drive so I had been kind of thinking of that in the long term anyway.

If I thought I could pick some nice wheels somewhere for a reasonable price now though I would go with that rather than investing money into something I want to ultimately replace anyway.

Tazzimus

What model of TT is it?
Also, if you go for lightweight wheels, they're generally easier to buckle on our fantastic roads.

joujoujou

farna_boy wrote: »

Anyone know a good place to buy new alloys?

[...] is there anywhere else I should look?

[...]

https://alloywheels.com/ and https://www.tyres-pneus-online.ie/car-wheels.html

Bought from them couple of times, no issues.

CIP4

Out of curiosity for car salesman I know it varies but for a salesman working for a main dealer middle of the road brand wise selling an average number of cars percentage wise how much of their salary is purely commission based vs. base wage. I am thinking it would be around 30% commission based but that's a pure guess.

colm_mcm

Commission was multiples of basic if you were doing it right, back in the day anyway.
Basic is usually quite low.

CIP4

CIP4 wrote: »

......... I am thinking it would be around 30% commission based but that's a pure guess.

OTE of €50k could be almost 60% commission.

Toyotafanboi

Low 20's basic in most places. Probably the same again for commission OTE I'd say.

Any salesman you ask says with commission has doing 70-80k gross p/a, so divide that by 2 for the actual number and he's making 40k a year on a good year.

Maybe some lads in big dealers are doing big numbers like that but a middle of the road lad in a middle of the road dealer I cant see doing wicked money.

You could probably tell by their demo too and the BIK amount, some lads driving a loaded Touareg, others in a middling Golf.