The Neverending Tyre Debate

Sun Mar 27, 2011 12:38 am

bridgestone have been a fave of mine for a good while.
I'll be honest e30's suffer from poor tyre choice and shite tyres like falken, nexen, kumho etc just dont help.
Buy properly save your paint not your pennies!

Sun Mar 27, 2011 1:53 pm

Bob_S wrote:bridgestone have been a fave of mine for a good while.
I'll be honest e30's suffer from poor tyre choice and shite tyres like falken, nexen, kumho etc just dont help.
Buy properly save your paint not your pennies!

Your not wrong about tyre choice! it's SHOCKING. There are quite a few cheap almost unheard of brands (or atleast unheard of by me) that come up, but I'm not temped as I value me car and my life!

I've been looking online for Bridgestones, but I can't seem to find any in 205/55/15 fitment, any ideas?

Also I've read some reviews that rate the Toyos above Bridgestones. Whats your opinion?

Which Bridgestones would you suggest?

Sun Mar 27, 2011 6:20 pm

i had the re040's in 205/50/15 on my car which were superb better than toyo.
I dont think they make them anymore but hopefully be superceeded by the re050's

Sun Mar 27, 2011 11:52 pm

Toyos are popular because they are cheap!

Mon Mar 28, 2011 12:12 am

I have Fate-o tyres 205 55 16 and they're brilliant! You don't really hear about them and I don't know which type they are. They have the big V style tread in the tyre to disperse water were amazing in the snow, Much better then the shitty courtesey fwd Insignia I had at the same time. They were on new when I bought the car.

Mon Mar 28, 2011 1:57 pm

Fate-O are budget tyres, budget tyres are ok in the dry, pretty good in snow but very very poor in the wet, as a rule.

Nexan are not too bad for mid range tyres. Mine has Avon ZV3's at the moment which are good in the dry but not great in the wet, the new ZV5's are supposed to up there with the best, not had any myself yet.

Mon Mar 28, 2011 11:03 pm

You think conti's are crap yet you rate Avon ZV3's?!

Mon Mar 28, 2011 11:06 pm

bss325i wrote:You think conti's are crap yet you rate Avon ZV3's?!

Have to say ZV3's are the worst tyre i've yet to experience on the E30 - deadly in the wet!

Mon Mar 28, 2011 11:28 pm

TouringMatt wrote:
bss325i wrote:You think conti's are crap yet you rate Avon ZV3's?!
Have to say ZV3's are the worst tyre i've yet to experience on the E30 - deadly in the wet!

They are shocking in the dry let alone the wet!

Tue Mar 29, 2011 10:42 pm

bss325i wrote:Toyos are popular because they are cheap!

The fact there wide available might have a factor too. I can find loads of prices for these (all pretty similar), but I can't find many for some of the other recommendations, none for Bridgestones.

There again they wouldn't get that many votes if they were pants.

Wed Mar 30, 2011 12:40 am

Camskill do 205 size Kumho Ecsta Sport for £47 each. The equivalent Toyo T1Rs are £58.

I wouldn't bother with Avon. Expensive for what they are, and certainly not that good also.

Wed Mar 30, 2011 12:28 pm

The nicest set of tyres I've had on an E30 yet were Dunlop SP9000 in 205/55/15. They have now been replaced with a new model, so I went for the Kumhos which I know rather than an unknown tyre with few reviews.

Wed Mar 30, 2011 1:48 pm

It doesnt matter which tyres you have if you do not have decent suspension and proper alignment..............

Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:34 pm

bss325i wrote:Conti rock wet or dry and have good wear rates.

I had Conti Contact Sport 2's on my Fabia vRS and didn't really like them that much! Found the flexible sidewalls numbed steering feel, they wore quickly and were very vulnerable to punctures. I had 5 punctures in 18 months on Conti's, I havn't had a single one in the 3.5 years since I've changed. On the plus side, they weren't bad in the wet.

The only other tyre I can comment on are Marangoni Zeta Lineas - these were good in the dry but not the best in the wet. Hard compound means they wear well though and I have noticed they are quite popular amongst sprinters and hillclimbers.

Wed Mar 30, 2011 7:52 pm

Motorhole wrote:
bss325i wrote:Conti rock wet or dry and have good wear rates.
I had Conti Contact Sport 2's on my Fabia vRS and didn't really like them that much! Found the flexible sidewalls numbed steering feel, they wore quickly and were very vulnerable to punctures. I had 5 punctures in 18 months on Conti's, I havn't had a single one in the 3.5 years since I've changed. On the plus side, they weren't bad in the wet.

I have had the continental sport contact 2's(in 205/50R16 225/45R16) on my E30 since early '08 and done approx 15000 miles fast road use, 12 laps of the Ring and about 20 runs up the strip at Santa pod including lighting them up to warm them before a run and have only just replaced the rears which were still leagal, just! I think that is exceptional especially on an E30's semi trailing arm rear suspension lowered 35mm. The fronts still have 4.5-5mm!

Never had a puncture with them or any bulges etc.

I also had them on my old S50 powered E30 and that also did 12 laps of the ring, a day up the pod and a track day at Abigndon.

One thing i have noticed with them on track is that they dont go "off" from high temps as quickly as Toyos.

As you say, they are great in the wet and i find them brilliant in the wet.

My experience of them extends to the many BMW's i drive at work that are fitted to them from new.

It was an OE tyre for E46 M3's and some Porsche 911's.

As for weak side walls...

...no problems found here either.

Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:29 pm

All good points! May even be a case of contis suiting a lightweight rwd car better than a very front heavy torquey fwd car.

Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:33 pm

Possibly.

Another tyre i rate are Michelin pilot sport 2's. Had these on my old E46 Alpina and they were outstanding in the dry.

Bloody expensive though.

Wed Mar 30, 2011 11:00 pm

bss325i wrote:Possibly.

Another tyre i rate are Michelin pilot sport 2's. Had these on my old E46 Alpina and they were outstanding in the dry.

Bloody expensive though.

You can say that again, Just had a quote of £528 for 4 (Pilot Sport) or £428 (Conti), but I get the alignment free of charge.

Wed Mar 30, 2011 11:04 pm

el-bunyip wrote:
bss325i wrote:Possibly.

Another tyre i rate are Michelin pilot sport 2's. Had these on my old E46 Alpina and they were outstanding in the dry.

Bloody expensive though.
You can say that again, Just had a quote of £528 for 4 (Pilot Sport) or £428 (Conti), but I get the alignment free of charge.

Which size?

Which conti's by the way?

Thu Mar 31, 2011 1:43 am

bss325i wrote:
el-bunyip wrote:
bss325i wrote:Possibly.

Another tyre i rate are Michelin pilot sport 2's. Had these on my old E46 Alpina and they were outstanding in the dry.

Bloody expensive though.
You can say that again, Just had a quote of £528 for 4 (Pilot Sport) or £428 (Conti), but I get the alignment free of charge.
Which size?

Which conti's by the way?

I asked for a quote on Sport Contact 3's, 205/55/15's!