S_94 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 19, 2019 7:43 pm
monkeyhanger wrote: ↑Tue Feb 19, 2019 5:16 pm
Getting Michelin PS4 tyres fitted as we speak...
Would love to know how they compare to the stock tires monkey.
I've done about 14 Miles on them.
Bought in Costco, but they won't fit 225s to a car that has 215s, so bought to take away £90 each without fitting. Was going to get a local wheel refurb guy who's a friend of a friend, but 2 miles towards home from Costco Gateshead, I passed TAM Tyres and ask if they'd fit. They said yes. I was their last job of the day so I helped out getting the wheels off when the car was jacked and helped getting the wheels back on. £10 a corner fitting and I was done. Washed my filthy hands (mucky wheels) with their swarfega in a sink at the tyre place that looked like it was meant to accompany the Trainspotting toilet (their toilet was surprisingly clean looking).
Even though I checked front clearances at full lock and rear arch liner clearances (including the liner rear drivers side that I pulled in a bit), there's still a bit of paranoia that you've missed something, so the radio was off and I was listening hard all the way home (10 miles).
Only had a few opportunities to go from a standstill. The car still tramped in 1st from standstill in the dry (less severely), but requiring 50% throttle (vs 30% with Bridgestones for it to happen. At this point the car had done 5 miles - I'd not consider them fully scrubbed in until they've been on 200 miles.
The car has noticeably less tyre roar, has a more compliant ride. So I was home, content that nothing is, or will rub, after doing a full lock 3 point turn (Even though I measured and was sure it wouldn't).
After getting the kids to bed, the missus fancies a takeaway for tea, so I was looking to give it another go, drive a bit harder on my 6 mile round trip. It had started to rain. The tyres don't have more of a tendency to tramp in the dry than the wet.
Flooring it at 15mph, accelerating in 2nd (in the wet) results in no tramp at all, the Bridgestones would have tramped at about 40% throttle. Acceleration is much snappier, Less feathering in of the gear change - so I'm assuming that the feathering in previously seen on the Bridgestones is a function of the traction control system rather than a trait of the gearbox.
Can't wait to see what a difference these tyres make when fully scrubbed in, but right now it seems that it was £400 well spent to improve the car. Why VW chooses to put crap tyres on the performance models is beyond me - its like making Usain Bolt sprint with Clogs on.
Even on the Ford Transit van you can opt for better rubber with a surcharge of about £100 on the minibus models.
Should be able to report any positive or negative effect on fuel economy tomorrow if I don't put my foot down too much.
I bet the buggers are on a Costco £80 cashback offer in a fortnight's time!