215-40-18 or 225-40-18 tyres on Polo GTI

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Ima
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Re: 215-40-18 or 225-40-18 tyres on Polo GTI

Post by Ima »

When I get my car and change to 225/40/18 tyres I’ll have 4 spare tyres. My wife’s mk3 Seat Leon 1.4 FR is currently on 225/40/18 tyres and buy the time my car comes her tyres will be due a change. It may be a dim question but for reassurance I’m assuming I can put the spare 215/40/18 tyres from the Polo on to her car as she isn’t a performance driver?
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Re: 215-40-18 or 225-40-18 tyres on Polo GTI

Post by monkeyhanger »

Ima wrote: Fri Apr 24, 2020 8:11 pm When I get my car and change to 225/40/18 tyres I’ll have 4 spare tyres. My wife’s mk3 Seat Leon 1.4 FR is currently on 225/40/18 tyres and buy the time my car comes her tyres will be due a change. It may be a dim question but for reassurance I’m assuming I can put the spare 215/40/18 tyres from the Polo on to her car as she isn’t a performance driver?
I'd assume that if the Leon FR has 225/40 R18 tyres, the 18" wheels will be 7.5J width (you'll need to check), so they'd be fine. However, she'll not thank you for the Bridgestones, they'll make the ride a bit knobbly, the tyre roar will increase and plenty of tramping if she's more than a little enthusiastic in moving from a standstill. The grip is pretty poor too. I'd get them off immediately, ebay them and recoup most of the PS4 spend.

If you do put the Brudgestones on the Leon, you'll probably need to increase the Leon's tyre pressure recommendations to those of the Polo. Conversely, if you put 225/40 R18s on to the Polo, you'll want to drop the tyre pressures a little. 36psi on the fronts and 33psi on the rears work well for me.
Ima
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Re: 215-40-18 or 225-40-18 tyres on Polo GTI

Post by Ima »

Thanks monkeyhanger. That’s really helpful thank you. Her car has Bridgestone Potenzas S001 on it already as original fitment tyres and they are pretty rough tyres but she hasn’t noticed. Do you think think the Polo tyres in the 215/40 will be even worse or about the same? If worse I’ll cut my losses and sell the Polo tyres on.
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Re: 215-40-18 or 225-40-18 tyres on Polo GTI

Post by monkeyhanger »

Ima wrote: Fri Apr 24, 2020 10:52 pm Thanks monkeyhanger. That’s really helpful thank you. Her car has Bridgestone Potenzas S001 on it already as original fitment tyres and they are pretty rough tyres but she hasn’t noticed. Do you think think the Polo tyres in the 215/40 will be even worse or about the same? If worse I’ll cut my losses and sell the Polo tyres on.
They're about the same, maybe a little worse. I've had Potenza S001 on a MK5 Golf GT TDI170 and a MK7 Golf GTD. My R came on Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tyres which were every bit as bad. Under moderate acceleration with my first Polo GTI+, the back end got away from me exiting a large roundabout, as a GTD sailed past me in the outside lane with no drama. That was the trigger to change to PS4s. When the wife's GTI+ came, I didn't wait to change them, they went on day 1.
Ima
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Re: 215-40-18 or 225-40-18 tyres on Polo GTI

Post by Ima »

Thanks, so likely best to get rid and have done. I don’t want her car to be worse than it is. I had the same tyres on my Leon 1.8 and found them awful, noisy with terrible grip. I put Goodyear’s eagle f1 asymetrics on and that transformed the car.
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Re: 215-40-18 or 225-40-18 tyres on Polo GTI

Post by green justin »

On the Michelin Pilot Sport 4..Grip and steering feel is awesome but Some Reviewers say their fuel consumption has increased by 10% to 15%? Interesting
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Re: 215-40-18 or 225-40-18 tyres on Polo GTI

Post by SRGTD »

green justin wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 5:47 pm On the Michelin Pilot Sport 4..Grip and steering feel is awesome but Some Reviewers say their fuel consumption has increased by 10% to 15%? Interesting
It’s one of the trade-offs of swapping the GTI/GTI+ Bridgestone Turanzas - which are a ‘hard as nails’ tyre like with poor grip and low rolling resistance - for one with much better grip and higher rolling resistance like Michelin’s PS4. A stickier tyre like the PS4 won’t roll as freely over the road surface, which will have a negative impact on fuel consumption compared to the Turanzas - borne out by the official fuel consumption ratings; Bridgestone Turanza T005 is ‘B’ whereas the Michelin PS4 is ‘E’. However, as you’ve said, steering feel and grip are much improved with the PS4 compared to the Turanza.

Bridgestone Turanza T005 = low wear rate, poor grip, fuel economy benefits, Michelin PS4 = (probably) higher wear rate but superior grip and handling, and poorer fuel economy. At the end of the day, it comes down to personal choice and what individuals consider to be the most important factors when choosing tyres for a performance car. IMO the Polo GTI / GTI+ does deserve better tyres than Bridgestone Turanza T005.

I dare say that VW will have fitted Bridgestones to the 18” Brescia alloys, inflated to VW’s maximum recommended pressure for WLTP purposes when testing the 18” wheel option, as it would have helped optimise the official figures; maximise fuel consumption and minimise the emissions figures.
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Re: 215-40-18 or 225-40-18 tyres on Polo GTI

Post by monkeyhanger »

SRGTD wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 6:35 pm
green justin wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 5:47 pm On the Michelin Pilot Sport 4..Grip and steering feel is awesome but Some Reviewers say their fuel consumption has increased by 10% to 15%? Interesting
It’s one of the trade-offs of swapping the GTI/GTI+ Bridgestone Turanzas - which are a ‘hard as nails’ tyre like with poor grip and low rolling resistance - for one with much better grip and higher rolling resistance like Michelin’s PS4. A stickier tyre like the PS4 won’t roll as freely over the road surface, which will have a negative impact on fuel consumption compared to the Turanzas - borne out by the official fuel consumption ratings; Bridgestone Turanza T005 is ‘B’ whereas the Michelin PS4 is ‘E’. However, as you’ve said, steering feel and grip are much improved with the PS4 compared to the Turanza.

Bridgestone Turanza T005 = low wear rate, poor grip, fuel economy benefits, Michelin PS4 = (probably) higher wear rate but superior grip and handling, and poorer fuel economy. At the end of the day, it comes down to personal choice and what individuals consider to be the most important factors when choosing tyres for a performance car. IMO the Polo GTI / GTI+ does deserve better tyres than Bridgestone Turanza T005.

I dare say that VW will have fitted Bridgestones to the 18” Brescia alloys, inflated to VW’s maximum recommended pressure for WLTP purposes when testing the 18” wheel option, as it would have helped optimise the official figures; maximise fuel consumption and minimise the emissions figures.
I don't read that much into official tyre fuel ratings. Sometimes the other ratings aren't that predictable either. The Potenza RE050 fitted to my Golf R had an A rating for grip, but they were awful. I doubt there's 10% difference in mpg between the best and the worst either.

My swap to Michelins has had no detrimental measurable effect on mpg, nor has it previously with 2 MK5 Golfs and 2 MK7 Golfs that I was unlucky enough to get Bridgestones with. This is especially important to emphasise on the Polo with the tyre width increasing by 4.7% vs the standard 215s and the tyre pressure decreasing from 41psi on the fronts (215/40 R18) to 36psi (225/40 R18). On the Golfs it was a 100% like for like swap.

The Michelins might have a bit more rolling resistance, but they've got far better grip, which means that more of the power generated by the car is transferred to moving the car forward - which is going to benefit mpg. A tyre with poor grip (like the Bridgestones) is going to be wasting more kinetic energy at the wheels if they can't put all of it down.

I'm guessing that when the official figures are derived for a car, they have to do them from one tyre type that a fleet of cars used to create a pool of data uses, otherwise you'd pick the grippy tyres to do the performance figures and some ultra low rolling resistance ones to bring your fuel economy figures up. I'd estimate 0.3 to 0.5 seconds between true 0-62 times for a GTI+ with Bridgestones and PS4/Conti5/Goodyear Eagle Asy3 or 5. With the slightly warmer weather I can floor my GTI+ from a standstill and get zero tramping (brief flicker of the traction control light only).

Bridgestones aren't universally used on Brescia shod Polos, different markets get different tyres. It seems to be the RHD cars that get them. Same story on the Golf, you don't get the Germans, French and central/Eastern Europeans saddled with Bridgestone Potenzas on their GTDs, GTIs and Rs.

It'll almost certainly be down to cost. VWUK will specify what tyres they want fitting to VW GmbH when deciding on car spec for the UK market.

Most of the other big brands are far better than the Bridgestone, but for me Michelins are the best all rounders. Other tyres might pip them to top spot in a
category each, but they usually win out overall.

I don't know how they do it but somehow they manage to make tyres that are grippy in warm and cold conditions relatively quiet, comfortable, good on mpg and yet still decent on the wear rate.
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Re: 215-40-18 or 225-40-18 tyres on Polo GTI

Post by fazzy »

Just got mine.... :)
Hoping for some improvement :)
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green justin
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Re: 215-40-18 or 225-40-18 tyres on Polo GTI

Post by green justin »

fazzy wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 8:02 pm Just got mine.... :)
Hoping for some improvement :)
Can you post more pictures a meter away?
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Re: 215-40-18 or 225-40-18 tyres on Polo GTI

Post by green justin »

SRGTD wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 6:35 pm
green justin wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 5:47 pm On the Michelin Pilot Sport 4..Grip and steering feel is awesome but Some Reviewers say their fuel consumption has increased by 10% to 15%? Interesting
It’s one of the trade-offs of swapping the GTI/GTI+ Bridgestone Turanzas - which are a ‘hard as nails’ tyre like with poor grip and low rolling resistance - for one with much better grip and higher rolling resistance like Michelin’s PS4. A stickier tyre like the PS4 won’t roll as freely over the road surface, which will have a negative impact on fuel consumption compared to the Turanzas - borne out by the official fuel consumption ratings; Bridgestone Turanza T005 is ‘B’ whereas the Michelin PS4 is ‘E’. However, as you’ve said, steering feel and grip are much improved with the PS4 compared to the Turanza.

Bridgestone Turanza T005 = low wear rate, poor grip, fuel economy benefits, Michelin PS4 = (probably) higher wear rate but superior grip and handling, and poorer fuel economy. At the end of the day, it comes down to personal choice and what individuals consider to be the most important factors when choosing tyres for a performance car. IMO the Polo GTI / GTI+ does deserve better tyres than Bridgestone Turanza T005.

I dare say that VW will have fitted Bridgestones to the 18” Brescia alloys, inflated to VW’s maximum recommended pressure for WLTP purposes when testing the 18” wheel option, as it would have helped optimise the official figures; maximise fuel consumption and minimise the emissions figures.
I have to ask...
I get an average +- 420km per tank , would I get similar figures if I have PS4 fitted following the same daily routes to work and back.
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Re: 215-40-18 or 225-40-18 tyres on Polo GTI

Post by fazzy »

SRGTD wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 6:35 pm
It’s one of the trade-offs of swapping the GTI/GTI+ Bridgestone Turanzas - which are a ‘hard as nails’ tyre like with poor grip and low rolling resistance - for one with much better grip and higher rolling resistance like Michelin’s PS4. A stickier tyre like the PS4 won’t roll as freely over the road surface, which will have a negative impact on fuel consumption compared to the Turanzas - borne out by the official fuel consumption ratings; Bridgestone Turanza T005 is ‘B’ whereas the Michelin PS4 is ‘E’. However, as you’ve said, steering feel and grip are much improved with the PS4 compared to the Turanza.
I actually had the Bridgestone Turanza T001 on my GTi and that seems to have identical rating of C and A as the Michelin PS4 with the Turanza 1 dB noisier...
Then again... it's all lab results :)
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Re: 215-40-18 or 225-40-18 tyres on Polo GTI

Post by monkeyhanger »

green justin wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 9:36 pm
I have to ask...
I get an average +- 420km per tank , would I get similar figures if I have PS4 fitted following the same daily routes to work and back.
Let's be clear on that "420km per tank" - do you always get that, or just since the roads are empty due to Covid-19 lockdown?

420km = 262 miles, if you're taking it down to an indicated "0 miles/0 km then that's the UK equivalent of 30mpg. I was averaging 34mpg on my 13 mile commute on mixed road pre-lockdown and I was getting no better than that on the Bridgestones.
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Re: 215-40-18 or 225-40-18 tyres on Polo GTI

Post by green justin »

monkeyhanger wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 10:29 pm
green justin wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 9:36 pm
I have to ask...
I get an average +- 420km per tank , would I get similar figures if I have PS4 fitted following the same daily routes to work and back.
Let's be clear on that "420km per tank" - do you always get that, or just since the roads are empty due to Covid-19 lockdown?

420km = 262 miles, if you're taking it down to an indicated "0 miles/0 km then that's the UK equivalent of 30mpg. I was averaging 34mpg on my 13 mile commute on mixed road pre-lockdown and I was getting no better than that on the Bridgestones.
Before LockDown, I would get those figures. Between 400km to 420km then the light goes on.
Mostly Back Roads with stop and go. Sometimes Sport Mode.
green justin
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Re: 215-40-18 or 225-40-18 tyres on Polo GTI

Post by green justin »

fazzy wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 9:54 pm
SRGTD wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 6:35 pm
It’s one of the trade-offs of swapping the GTI/GTI+ Bridgestone Turanzas - which are a ‘hard as nails’ tyre like with poor grip and low rolling resistance - for one with much better grip and higher rolling resistance like Michelin’s PS4. A stickier tyre like the PS4 won’t roll as freely over the road surface, which will have a negative impact on fuel consumption compared to the Turanzas - borne out by the official fuel consumption ratings; Bridgestone Turanza T005 is ‘B’ whereas the Michelin PS4 is ‘E’. However, as you’ve said, steering feel and grip are much improved with the PS4 compared to the Turanza.
I actually had the Bridgestone Turanza T001 on my GTi and that seems to have identical rating of C and A as the Michelin PS4 with the Turanza 1 dB noisier...
Then again... it's all lab results :)
From tyre reviews, the labels are mid-leading
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