Best Tires

[TDI_Cubed]

What brand and model tire do you use and would purchase again?

 

[tditom]

if i were in an area that received snow during the winter, but mixed conditions (sometimes dry, sometimes slush, some ice), then i would go with Nokian WRG2 again.

 

[hevster1]

Kumho Extsa ASX
Dunlop Signature
Nokian Hakka 4 or 5 for snow

 

[Abacus]

Not enough info.

Are you looking for dedicated summer tires or all-seasons? Quite a few of us run dedicated summers and then have a set of dedicated winter tires on steel rims.

Do you want handling, longevity, or fuel mileage as your top concern?

Without these answers you'll get a thousand responses, but none that may be relevant to what you seek.

 

[TDI_Cubed]

Not enough info.

Are you looking for dedicated summer tires or all-seasons? Quite a few of us run dedicated summers and then have a set of dedicated winter tires on steel rims.

Do you want handling, longevity, or fuel mileage as your top concern?

Without these answers you'll get a thousand responses, but none that may be relevant to what you seek.

With multiple vehicles, running dedicated summer and winter tiers is too expensive for me. Looking for something that is an all-season - So

#1 - Mileage
#2 - Handling
#3 - Longevity

 

[davebugs]

I'm pretty happy with the General Altimax HP's. Now on my second set. A directional tire which I typically don't like. Rotate every 5 to 10k and they seem to do well. Seem excellent in the rain. Often I do put winters on for the winter.

 

[1854sailor]

We have Continental Pro Contacts on the Golf and they are very good all-around tires.
My driving style might be called "spirited" by some and they have a lot of grip. Good winter tire too. I drove up a hill past a stuck Hummer and an Explorer which was spinning all four wheels during one of last winter's storms.

 

[BobnOH]

I like the rubber tires, the ones with the stiff wire mesh imbedded in the sidewalls, preferrably round.
But maybe I'll change my mind if I read another 100,000 posts on tire selection.

 

[savowood]

Hoosier R6

Amazing grip with this tire. I would absolutely purchase them again.

The Hoosier A6 has even better grip, but the life is a bit shorter.

 

[T_D_I_POWER]

Any OEM brand tires that I can buy at Sams w/o braking my bank. No Good Year, Michelin, Pirelli

BF Goodrich
Bridgestone
Toyo
Yokohama

 

[Strider199]

I just wait until Canadian Tire has a sale on all-season tires. Good for about 150,000kms before I toss them. I drive through alot of different conditions. Winters up here tighten the pucker factor.

 

[aja8888]

I like the rubber tires, the ones with the stiff wire mesh imbedded in the sidewalls, preferrably round.
But maybe I'll change my mind if I read another 100,000 posts on tire selection.

Yeah, it's getting old....but here is one of my tires. Just looked at it today...it's a really good tire except for the _________ in the sidewall..

 

[Strider199]

Ouch.

 

[ritsco]

I am running some 17" Cooper ZPT's and I think they are fairly decent, for 3 seasons. I have some blizzacks on steelies for winter time.

 

[peteman]

I am running Hankook Mileage Plus II's (May-Oct). Had them for the past 5 summers and they work great on our mountain roads, good in rain too. Can push 60mpg if I keep the car at 90km/hr. For winter I run Continental Conti Viking Contact 3's(Nov - Mar). We get lots, and I mean lots of snow (dry) and these tires work great even at -40.

 

[ChiTDI]

I'm pretty happy with the General Altimax HP's. Now on my second set. A directional tire which I typically don't like. Rotate every 5 to 10k and they seem to do well. Seem excellent in the rain. Often I do put winters on for the winter.

That pretty much sums up my experience as well. Good bang for the buck.

 

[markwo]

Real FOUR season tires recommendation

Hi, lots of research, Seattle area resident with some snow but fast melting, some icy roads for week stretches, otherwise cold rainy Winters. The best tire is...The Continental ExtremeContact DWS. Check out the reviews/Surveys on Tire Rack site, and the Tire Rack Arctic tire comparison video. As opposed to the Conti Sportcontact touring all season H91s, which have terribly weak sidewalls.

2011 JSW TDI DSG.

 

[Elfnmagik]

I've got a set on order (backordered). Supposed to be here at the end of October. Can't wait to get the Bridgerocks off and these on.

 

[Abacus]

The best tire is...The Continental ExtremeContact DWS. Check out the reviews/Surveys on Tire Rack site, and the Tire Rack Arctic tire comparison video. As opposed to the Conti Sportcontact touring all season H91s, which have terribly weak sidewalls.

2011 JSW TDI DSG.

I cannot let this one go...did you read all the reviews...including the one from me?

I ordered these tires and they were so HORRIBLE I took them off and returned them a few days later with 314 miles on them. The car was almost undriveable and the tires flexed so much that despite 3/4" of clearance between the tire and strut, the tire would flex over and hit the strut in a corner, and they had 5 psi higher than recommended to try and stiffen them up some. The car felt like it was transformed into an ATV. Totally unacceptable. When looking at tires, make sure to read the negative reviews as well as the positive ones when making a decision, just food for thought.

I bought them based on the reviews from TireRack, and cannot for the life of me understand how in God's name they rank so high. The sidewall is so flimsy you feel like you can puncture the tire with just your finger.

Worst tire I have ever run on any vehicle in my life. I am glad Continental has a 30 day unconditional buyback guarantee.

 

[TDInownow]

Bummer. Looks like there's a lot of tread left, too. Prime reason why I've been erring on the side of less expensive vs more.

Looks like those are G019s. I had the G009s once and I actually liked them quite a bit.

Yeah, it's getting old....but here is one of my tires. Just looked at it today...it's a really good tire except for the _________ in the sidewall..

 

[Elfnmagik]

Abacus, what is your driving style (truthfully)?

 

[Abacus]

Abacus, what is your driving style (truthfully)?

I drive on Maine roads almost all of the time, with an occasional trip to the White Mountains in NH. The roads are rural roads, but I am in 5th gear most of the time, so they are not city roads by any stretch. I drive conservatively, usually staying within 5-10 mph of the speed limit, and I have never had a speeding ticket in my 27 years of driving (knocking on wood here). That doesn't mean I don't like a spirited romp through the twistys, but my car does have a lot of miles on it and it's the only one I have (currently), so I need to make it last. On the TireRack website, there is no selection for "rural" roads, only highway and city, and my style of driving most parallels the highway selection.

I don't drag race or hole-shot my car, and it has never put down a stretch of rubber. I have had the tires howling on more than one occasion in corners, but have never lost control of the car or pushed it beyond its limits. I don't slow down for corners much and instead enjoy the lateral feeling while letting the car and suspension work.

So I definitely drive more spirited than the average middle-aged guy with a Toyota, but a lot less than a teenager who thinks he's invincible.

I gave the tires an honest shot, and 300+ miles is more than enough to see how they'll work given the roads up here. I really had high hopes for them based on the reviews, but they were just that horrible.

Maybe in other sizes they are OK, I bought 225/50/16's. I did notice a difference between tires when I went from 205/45/16 General Exclaims to 205/50/16 G-E's, the larger tires had more give to them in the corners, but were definitely the right size for the car, with the 45's being way too small, and the 50's still hold the road great, they're just not as glued as the 45's. The 225 Conti's still had a lot of room in the wheelwell, so fit was not an issue on the car and they never rubbed in the front, only in the rear and only on corners.

 

[razoredge34]

Michelin Primacy MXV. Great tires all the way around, would definitely buy again.

 

[Mass. Wine Guy]

I think Continental has taken a dive in quality. The first set on my 2001 Golf lasted around 70,000 miles. Second set about 40,000. No change in driving style.

I had a set of Nokians that I thought performed very well in rain and snow. One blew out on the Mass. Pike at 75 mph. Not a flat, the tire just fell apart at the sides. Didn't have super high miles on it. Replaced those with the Sumitomo HTR A/S P01. So far, very good. Quiet, good mpg, good handling and traction. No snow yet, so I'll see.

On my Jetta wagon are Hankook 727 (or somethng with 727 in the name). I like them a lot. Felt good last year in slush, snow and rain. Good dry, too.

Check out Tiremonkey.com when you buy. Extremely good prices, selection and service.

 

[TDInownow]

Yeah, I just used tirebuyer.com for the first time because I was specifically looking for a pair of Altimax HPs to match the pair I already had for the Prius, and tirerack only had them in their Nevada depot, which made shipping to PA painful.

Looks like their prices range from even-up to $10 more than tirerack, but the shipping is included so it can a little better or it can be a wash. In my case, it was going to cost me $40 to ship two tires from tirerack, and tirebuyer had them at $2 more per tire with free. Saved $36.

I've always been happy with tirerack...just another alternative, and I had the tires in 3 days.

Of course, if you're going Nokian, use tiresbyweb.com.

 

[Shenandoah]

Guys,

I've got the Continental ExtremeContact DWS on the Beetle and ContiProContact on the Jetta. The Beetle is my car and the Jetta wagon is my wife's.

I really like the Extreme Contact DWS. They are the best tire I've had on the Beetle. Had some Kumhos KR21 Solus: they were terrible, didn't last. Kumho KR16 (I think): ran them just a little while. Michelin Pilot AS Sport: They were pretty good. Continental ExtremeContact DWS: They are great.

Abacus, sorry to hear about your bad luck with the DWS. The only thing I can think of is the Beetle is a 205/55r/16, so the sidewall is fairly narrow compared to a Passat.

Eric

 

[das_tractor02]

I cannot let this one go...did you read all the reviews...including the one from me?

I ordered these tires and they were so HORRIBLE I took them off and returned them a few days later with 314 miles on them. The car was almost undriveable and the tires flexed so much that despite 3/4" of clearance between the tire and strut, the tire would flex over and hit the strut in a corner, and they had 5 psi higher than recommended to try and stiffen them up some. The car felt like it was transformed into an ATV. Totally unacceptable. When looking at tires, make sure to read the negative reviews as well as the positive ones when making a decision, just food for thought.

I bought them based on the reviews from TireRack, and cannot for the life of me understand how in God's name they rank so high. The sidewall is so flimsy you feel like you can puncture the tire with just your finger.


Worst tire I have ever run on any vehicle in my life. I am glad Continental has a 30 day unconditional buyback guarantee.

Continental ExtremeContact DWS are far and away the best friggin tires I have ever put on my Dub!! And I have been through high end Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Yokahama, and Firestone. In fact they are so impressive I put a set on my wifes 09 3.5 Altima SE. Lots of reviews out there to read in support of these tires.

 

[Abacus]

Continental ExtremeContact DWS are far and away the best friggin tires I have ever put on my Dub...Lots of reviews out there to read in support of these tires.

Yes, and there are lots to debunk them as well. All I'm saying is read both and make your determination then.

Shenandoah, thanks. The tires in other sizes may be fine, but from my only experience, with that one size, they were really bad. I was very glad they have the 30 day warranty though, says a lot about the company and how they are willing to stand behind them.

 

[ChippedNotBroken]

Not that easy to find, but gislaved snow tires are great winter tires in places where you get snow, ice, rain, slush etc .... I found many snow tires lacking on wet roads, the gislaveds performed like all seasons in heavy rain and still gave excellent results in deep snow.

 

[vwmk4]

Michelin Primacy MXV. Great tires all the way around, would definitely buy again.

I was considering the Conti. DW in 225 45 17 for the GTI. But now it looks like I will stick with my first choice Michelin Primacy MXV. The Conti. tires are much less $$$ but as always you get what you pay for, Thanks razoredge.