Favourite Tyre

[chriswhiteuk 0]

Hi all

 

After getting nearly 20k out of my Goodyear GSD3 (mainly drive hard in a straight line off the lights, being a BX) it's time to change them.

 

Am tempted by Michelins Exalto 2 as they are French (hehe) keeping the theme.

 

Have read LOTS through the Search facility and have short listed the above, plus a few other possibilites.

 

Cheers

 

Chris

[Deadliest Pug 0]

i'm on my second set of GSD3's and wouldn't change now.

 

dave!

[pug_ham 240 3 Cars]

I'm currently running a mixture of Yoko A509s up front & Pirelli P5000 Drago 's at the rear but I am currently (still) waiting for a set of GSD3's to be delivered from topgear.co.uk.

 

I've recently also been considering a set of Bridgestone Potenza RE720's because I can get those to fit the 1.6 GTi alloys as well but Proxies don't do that size.

 

Graham.

Edited September 9, 2004 by pugtorque

[cybernck 400 1 Cars]

keep the french theme... but not exalto's

 

http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?showtopic=30167&hl=

[Guest bravocars1]

Bridgestone potanza's

 

Great tyre. Have not fitted them on pug yet but as soon as i need tyres that is wat is going on.

[Anthony 1,000]

I've voted for Toyo Proxes - the F1's are probably marginally the better tyre, but are significantly more expensive. I find the Toyo's more progressive at the limit too, which helps for "playing" on roundabouts/track

 

PS. If you're getting 20k miles from a set of tyres, you must drive like an old woman

[ellisg 0]

If you're getting 20k miles from a set of tyres, you must drive like an old woman 

 

Oh dear, I drive like an old woman. 21k and 2 track days and the Kumhos still going not for long. Toyos T1Rs to replace them

 

Maybe worth splitting Toyos into T1-R and T1-S, because they seem totally different, early reviews of T1-R from Scooby drivers are that they are better than F1s. They seem a direct copy of Dunlop SP9000 which is considered a good modern tyre.

 

I've found on other cars Pirelli P-Zeros are the best but on the pug they only come in 185 or 205 and are very expensive

Edited September 4, 2004 by ellisg

[huxley309 0]

i had p-zero assys on the front...excellent grip but very snatchy on the limit...

 

a fezza i saw ran assy's on the back and directionales on the front so might try this or the toyo T1r's next time

[Guest ADRIANFARINA]

I have the Dunlop sp-9000 (195\50\15) on my 1.9 CTI ,

I'm glad to tell you that I made a great choise.

[nick 3]

Vredestein Sportrac 2.

Brilliant wet or dry, the're a bit more expensive than the Toyo's and Goodyears but worth it in my opinion.

These tyres out perform both the above in the test results on mytyres.co.uk.

Maybe not fashionable enough for most people though

 

Nick

[Alan_M 66 1 Cars]

I voted GSD3's. Previously had Yoko's on the rear, which made for interesting handling in the wet.

 

Very good tyre, which has lasted about 15k miles (On the rear) and I can get them fitted for £40

 

Not sure what the Exalto2's are like, but I had Exalto Pilot's on the front of my 205 for a while, and although they are more expensive than the GSD3's, offered very impressive grip in the wet especially on some soaking welsh roads

[fiji bob 0]

i voted for f1`s as the only tyres ive had on the car are probably the tyres the car originally came with and a520`s which werent very good

[Buddha 0]

but I am currently (still) waiting for a set of GSD£'s to be delivered from topgear.co.uk.

 

Graham.

GSD£'s? I'm guessing a typo, but nice point all the same..

 

I'm on GSD2s and I love em...

 

Can you get GSD3s for the 14"?

[jonah 1]

I was told I couldn't get GSD3's in 14" (standard 1.6 size). I have a pair of GSD2's, which are pretty good, but overall I would say that the Bridgestone Potenza RE720's are better. Stronger, better dry grip and still less sidewall flex, and still respectable grip in the wet.

[Buddha 0]

Official line on the GSD3s is: Not available in 14"

 

Bad news on the GSD2s... not gonna be available soon .. get in touch with your supplier and see if they have any kicking about.

[findlay 0]

Eagle F1s... the only tyre to have IMHO

 

Sidewalls are stronger than Toyos and they last twice as long and are only 20% more expensive (you do the maths...)

 

Excellent grip wet or dry.

 

I was running Michelin Pilots before and the ride quality is much better (although I have dropped the tyre pressures) and it doesn't feel quite so positive on turn-in(see pressure comment) but all round you can't beat them

[C_W 3 1 Cars]

F1s are a brilliant all round tyre, the GSD3 being far better in the dry than the GSD2 was.

 

But for a dry tyre, some of Bridgestone's offerings are probably better. If S-02s were still made I would probably get those, though the F1s would be cheaper.

[Dino 3]

F1s are a brilliant all round tyre, the GSD3 being far better in the dry than the GSD2 was.

 

But for a dry tyre, some of Bridgestone's offerings are probably better. If S-02s were still made I would probably get those, though the F1s would be cheaper.

Agree with all of the above especially the comment on the S-02's - probably the best tyre ever made and yes I'd still be buying them if they still made them

[pug_ham 240 3 Cars]

GSD£'s? I'm guessing a typo, but nice point all the same..

 

Can you get GSD3s for the 14"?

Typo corrected.

 

They list them on www.topgear.co.uk in 185/60-14 so I hope so, even though I haven't heard from them yet about when I'm likely to receive them.

Official line on the GSD3s is: Not available in 14"

 

They list them on www.goodyear.co.uk but only as GSD2.

I'll ring them today actually & let you know.

 

I wish you could still get Bridgestone S-02's though after seeing how they lasted Chris on track at Croft on Sunday, does anyone know how the RE-720'S perform in comparison? They are listed as available for 185/60-14 so I might get those instead.

 

Graham.

[C_W 3 1 Cars]

Graham, you never saw how they looked beforehand; ie no tread on them. I've been using those tyres all year!!! They were down to the limits when I started using them on trackdays so wear rate is very good really, probably had 1000miles of track driving out of them which seems improbable but I have have done quite a few days this year and always used these either at the back or front on the car.

 

But now they are pretty much slick I might squeeze the Anglesey track day out of them running them on the back, but it needs to be dry.

[pug_ham 240 3 Cars]

I saw them enough before to know how well they were lasting & the compound didn't appear to be going off.

 

If they still have a trackday left in them after a day on track killing cosworths & RS200 wannabe's among others after 100o track miles, then they are certainly good tyres. Obviously that is why they stopped making them.

 

Graham.

[bedders 0]

Ive changed to T1R's recently and their a lot better than T1S's, especially for wet handling where the T1s' werent good at all.

[maxi 36 1 Cars]

You cannot beat the Goodyear Eagle F1 for an all round fantastic road tyre. Wet or dry they have never let me down. Although Yokohama are the best in the dry, just s*ite and I really do mean toffee in the wet.

 

Maxi

[Justin 9]

I run Exalto 2's and they're pretty good in the dry - grippy and progressive.

They're not bad in the wet but not as good as GSD3's , IMHO.

 

I'll be going back to GoodYear.

 

Justin.

[cornish_205_gti 0]

im curently running avon zv1, mainly because they came with the car when i bought it, but im gonna change to toyo proxes ts1 when i have 1.0 wheels fitted,

 

been told by many people these are excellent in the wet, and handle really well in the dry, and being in cornwall we certainly get our fair share of rain,