GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Chat about your 2018+ AW/BZ model Polos here!
roywolfey
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Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by roywolfey »

I’ve heard lots of good things about the Michelin Cross Climate tyres.

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/misce ... ate-tyres/
SRGTD
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Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experienceshem

Post by SRGTD »

barrywi wrote: Fri Sep 21, 2018 5:46 am Winter tyres?
My dealer said that would be a good option to just fit some on the front wheels, or if I could get hold of a pair of Parker wheels to match my current wheels to fit some winter tyres to them to make it an easy swop.
A longer term option would be to fit all weather tyres to the Polo when the current ones need changing.
Has anyone any experience of these type of tyres compared with normal ones?
Are they noisier? Do they grip badly in dry weather? Do they wear more quickly. Do they not suit a performance car like the Polo Gti?
Any sensible comments welcome, but please do not tell me to "Get a grip" !
From Michelin’s website;

What are the risks of fitting two winter tyres to the front?
If you only run two winter tyres to the front, it means that the rear end of your car is left vulnerable to the icy/wet conditions. This will generally result in rear skidding which can be hard to deal with when inexperienced. You increase the risk of spinning the vehicle under acceleration (rear-wheel drive cars) or when turning (for front or rear wheel drive cars).

There may also be insurance implications of fitting just two winter tyres, so always check with your insurer first before buying just two.

I’ve never bought winter tyres as I live in a part of the UK that has quite mild weather and I’m also retired, so I leave the car in my garage if we experience bad winter weather. If I lived in an area that gets ‘real’ winter weather and I needed to drive regularly in the winter, then I’d invest in a set. I’d also buy four. The initial outlay may seem expensive, but you’re not wearing up your summer tyres when the winter tyres are on the car, so the summer tyres won’t need replacing as often. I’d also get a second set of wheels (either steel or powder coated alloys) that are better suited to the UK’s winter conditions than diamond cut alloys fitted to the GTI+. It also removes the risk of tyre fitters damaging your easy to damage diamond cut wheels from removing summer tyres and fitting the winter set at the start of the winter and then refitting the summer tyres in the springtime. You can recoup some of the outlay when you sell the car, as there seems to be a good market for used winter wheels and tyres.

Also bear in mind that winter tyres aren’t just for the days when there’s snow. They perform better than summer tyres at low temperatures (below 7 degrees) because of the more ‘elastic’ rubber compound used, so there would be benefits in cold conditions, as well as specifically ice and snow.

As others have said, the other option is cross climates that you could leave on all year round. If your existing tyres were worn and need replacing (unlikely), they’re a worthy consideration, but as you’ve got a set of almost new, low mileage summer tyres, I think I’d go with the winter tyres if I was considering something other than summer tyres for the winter months.
silverhairs
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Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by silverhairs »

Before mixing different types of rubber, even on the same axle, (winters front, summers rear) it would be best to phone your insurance company first. They will use the weakest excuse not to pay you out.
I had to tell them I had a tow bar fitted, so ask first.
RUM4MO
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Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by RUM4MO »

I'd think that using all weather tyres on a car like a Polo GTI+ is not really the best plan, in general these tyres appeared to keep average cars safer all year round, though especially in winter.

I run an Audi S4 and I bought a used set of Audi 18" alloys and got them refurbished - ie powder coated, and fitted them with Michelin Pilot Alpins, they go on the car end of October and come off the car end of April.

I also have a seriously long and sloping driveway, and as far as being able to continue to use the cars and the driveway in winter, I can normally get away without laying down any salt - but, as delivery people end up needing to walk down the driveway, I have an obligation to provide them with a narrow strip of slated driveway! My other problem is that typically further up North, you can end up with a permafrost situation setting in, and that means the short periods of low sun slightly defrost the top layer of the driveway only to return to smooth ice over night, horrible situation!

So, my advice, based on the "character" of your car is, get what ever size of wheels/tyres VW advise for use in winter and fit them with proper winter tyres, and that means the ones with the 3 peaks and snow flakes on them.

Being retired and not needing to think about digging the driveway out, and in my case, a section of minor road out, before being able to get going to work, is okay!

Edit:- based on my experience of using proper winter tyres, as far as Michelin Alpins go, these tyres can stand being used well above 7C and do last for an extremely long time before they wear down to their suggested minimum tread depth, which might be 3mm. The directional ones, ie the Alpins do make a bit of noise under heavy braking, but I've never noticed any extra noises from the non directional Pilot Alpins. One other bit of advice, do buy only the correct rating of tyre for your car, that is speed rating as well as weight rating, quite a few people might say only get an "H" rated tyre as you are only driving slowly in winter, and so save a bit of money, I've never considered doing that as there is more than just the actual speed to be considered when fitting tyres to your car.
barrywi
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Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by barrywi »

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I will see how long it takes to wear out the Premacy 3 tyres on the Polo and then decide whether to go for the all weather tyres or some winter tyres. Mind you I have just read a long term weather report of four months of the beast from the East incoming so may have to get more salt or keep the freezer well stocked for this winter.
Will the alloy wheels from the previous Polo Gti fit my car, if I could find a cheap set of four wheels, or which other car's wheels match the current Gti?
Dark_cze
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Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by Dark_cze »

Brescia wheels are 5x100 so previous polo wheels should fit without any problem.
barrywi
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Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by barrywi »

Thankyou
Norn Iron
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Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by Norn Iron »

Changing the topic.... Our GTI has had its first repair under warranty at 1900 miles.
What started as a constant knocking noise (usual check of removing everything in case it was a feral golf ball!) resulted in the car being repaired this week. The cause? Drop links. Apparently, they link the anti-roll bar to the suspension.
The GTI was in the garage for most of the day but is back and no problems to report.
It's such an amazing car to drive.
Personally, I'd have preferred a Fiesta ST because the magazines say it's better especially when I need to go onto a racetrack. I also prefer the Fiesta interior layout, with the tablet sticking out of the dashboard. Finsncially, The ST doesn't hold its value, but who cares about that in three years time? The Fiesta doesn't have as much boot space and the leg room in the back isn't as good. The ST doesn't have as good a safety rating as the GTI but that's not the point. As long as I can have more fun going into and out of bends at 60 mph plus burn up other cars on track days which don't exist in Northern Ireland, that's all that matters. Who would buy a Polo GTI?
monkeyhanger
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Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by monkeyhanger »

barrywi wrote: Sat Sep 22, 2018 3:22 amThankyou
Do think about the offset though, the Bescia's offset is 51mm. which gives about 11mm clearance on the GTI's bigger than the average Polo rear calipers. I had my eye on a full set of new proper OEM Audi Winters suitable for an S1 (16" wheels) and the offset is only 34mm, so wasn't confident the calipers would clear.
barrywi
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Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by barrywi »

Norn Iron wrote: Sat Sep 22, 2018 9:46 am Changing the topic.... Our GTI has had its first repair under warranty at 1900 miles.
What started as a constant knocking noise (usual check of removing everything in case it was a feral golf ball!) resulted in the car being repaired this week. The cause? Drop links. Apparently, they link the anti-roll bar to the suspension.
The GTI was in the garage for most of the day but is back and no problems to report.
It's such an amazing car to drive.
Personally, I'd have preferred a Fiesta ST because the magazines say it's better especially when I need to go onto a racetrack. I also prefer the Fiesta interior layout, with the tablet sticking out of the dashboard. Finsncially, The ST doesn't hold its value, but who cares about that in three years time? The Fiesta doesn't have as much boot space and the leg room in the back isn't as good. The ST doesn't have as good a safety rating as the GTI but that's not the point. As long as I can have more fun going into and out of bends at 60 mph plus burn up other cars on track days which don't exist in Northern Ireland, that's all that matters. Who would buy a Polo GTI?
barrywi
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Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by barrywi »

barrywi wrote: Sat Sep 22, 2018 12:26 pm
Norn Iron wrote: Sat Sep 22, 2018 9:46 am Changing the topic.... Our GTI has had its first repair under warranty at 1900 miles.
What started as a constant knocking noise (usual check of removing everything in case it was a feral golf ball!) resulted in the car being repaired this week. The cause? Drop links. Apparently, they link the anti-roll bar to the suspension.
The GTI was in the garage for most of the day but is back and no problems to report.
It's such an amazing car to drive.
Personally, I'd have preferred a Fiesta ST because the magazines say it's better especially when I need to go onto a racetrack. I also prefer the Fiesta interior layout, with the tablet sticking out of the dashboard. Finsncially, The ST doesn't hold its value, but who cares about that in three years time? The Fiesta doesn't have as much boot space and the leg room in the back isn't as good. The ST doesn't have as good a safety rating as the GTI but that's not the point. As long as I can have more fun going into and out of bends at 60 mph plus burn up other cars on track days which don't exist in Northern Ireland, that's all that matters. Who would buy a Polo GTI?
I agree, I am so disappointed with mine, I am thinking of selling it . I saw a great Fiesta on ebay for sale that had been chipped to 400 bhp and together with amazing really wide wheels, purple paintwork that changes to green when you walk around the car and all the windows blacked out so nobody could see inside. It was also Cat C ...does that mean the suspension has been tweaked and lowered ? Me mates @ McDonalds would be well jelus, it was sick.
Wayne
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Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by RUM4MO »

Barrywi:- Ah Ha, so your new plan should be to stuff the freezer full of big macs - sorted, why did you not mention the baseball cap?

Seriously though, I'd take the advice over offset, Polos since late 2001 have had the same wheel fixing PCD so that goes for nothing when picking wheels from other VAG cars.

I almost bought a good used set of Audi A1 alloys already fitted with winter tyres for my wife's August 2015 Polo 1.2TSI - then checked the parts cat on line to discover that Audi A1 tends to use the same offset as SEAT Ibiza and Polo tends to use the same offset as Fabia. So I gave that wheel option a miss - though the seller in Audi Driver was having a laugh as to the selling price!
roywolfey
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Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by roywolfey »

New high on the MPG.
95% of the time busy motorways with ACC set to 70mph.
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monkeyhanger
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Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by monkeyhanger »

roywolfey wrote: Mon Sep 24, 2018 7:27 pm New high on the MPG.
95% of the time busy motorways with ACC set to 70mph.
Roywolfey: Are you on 17" wheels with the Michelin Primacy tyres? Might go some way to explain yiur amazing mpg and my poor mpg. Everytime i've had a VW on Bridgestones, the mpg has been markedly lower until they were replaced (almost 10% lower - how can a tyre with such low grip cause so much drag?). My 43mpg trek to York could well have been a 48mpg run if I religiously stuck to 70. My R with 50% more power and 10% more weight to lug around, as well as the drag oc 4 driven wheels almost natches my Polo for mpg on my commute, but it is on Michelin PSS tyres. I'm not a heavy user of aircon on either car.

A change in tyres might pay for half their cost in mpg gains over the course of a few years if poor economy relative to my R is all about the tyres.
barrywi
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Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by barrywi »

Mostly motorway driving spoilt by 15 minute traffic jam
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