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Tire Recommendations

14K views 19 replies 13 participants last post by  Shenandoah 
#1 ·
I am looking to replace the tires on my vert. With so many choices out there, I thought I could possibly get some recommendations or reviews of tires that current members have have had experience with. I am looking for All Season tires, dry, rain and maybe light snow, that have good performance and handling, low noise and long wear. Any feedback you could give me would be appreciated.
 
#2 ·
In the stock sizes and keeping in mind that you are looking for a long lasting quiet top of the line tire there really is only one choice in this category and it's the "Goodyear Assurance Triple Tred".

It's one of the first true all season tires that really does do it all in every situation and often excelling to the top where dedicated tires should win.

I'm not a Goodyear fan by any means but this particular tire is the exception to my rule of avoiding Goodyear because of their mediocrity but this is the exception. It really is THAT good. :)
 
#4 ·
I don't actually own a set of the Triple Treds. They are on my Mother's Passat wagon. If they were on my car I couldn't tell if they were quiet or how they wore since I only do about 5000 miles per annum and my car is rather on the .. um.. loud side.

On her car a tire that makes even the slightest vibration, noise etc will be noticed immediately. She averages around 30,000 miles per year and thus far has about 35,000 miles on these tires. They really do still look new... really. :)
 
#6 ·
Replace the tires? I found the Continental Conti Extreme to be very quiet, at least for a while. I didn't rotate them often enough and now the tire noise has returned.

I've been told (how many times have you heard that?) that fwd cars are very hard on their rear tires for some reason. Don't know if that is true in general or not but our '02 has been.
 
#8 ·
I have no connection with them but -- have you looked at tirerack.com? They have their own test/evaluation results
plus they also have customer evaluations of the tire in question. This is the area where you can see
wet vs dry performance, noise issues, longevity, etc.

They have alway been one part of my decision-making process.

Tire Rack - Your performance experts for tires and wheels
 
#9 ·
New tires...

I just got a set of Continental Extreme Contact tires and they are some of the best all around tires I have ever driven on. I now run 215-55/16 for it's improved ride and road noise characteristics of my 99 NB turbo with it's Eibach Pro-Kit lowering spring and damper set. It is quite an improvement over the previous Yokohama 225-50/16 tires I used to have. There are two models to choose from with the Continental Extreme contact tires. One is the DS with the other being the DSW. There is a difference in price between these two models with the DS costing more due to it's emphasis on ultra-high performance driving for dry and summer driving. The other is still an ultra-high performance tire but the tread pattern is more for all season driving, better in rain and a reasonable winter tire for snow. I read everything I could about this tire with The Tire rack providing much of the info. Go to their site and look at the specs for this tire and all the other data that is available and I think you will find that this tire is the logical choice for our cars. I can't recommend it enough for a great replacement tire in this size.
Good Luck, JK
 
#10 ·
I am also looking for tires in the next few months. Quiet, good quality, and handling on ice/snow and rain are my requirements.
 
#11 ·
Continental Extremes...

In my recent post regarding this type tire I got some info wrong. The correct designation for the two styles of tires are DW and DWS. The DW is the more expensive tire with a very slight increase in handling over the DWS. Plus it has good wet weather driving capabilities. The DWS is also an extremely good handling tire with a great wet weather capability plus the tread is also designed to handle snow... The DW model has 35 different sizes ranging from diameters of 16 to 21"'s. The widths range from 205mm's to 275mm's with aspect ratios from 25% to 55%. The DWS has a total of 37 sizes ranging from diameters starting at 16" to 24". Section width is from 205 to 295mm's with aspect ratios from 25% to 55%. Both tires are very quiet for a tire of this ultra-high performance range and I still recommend them totally. JK
 
#12 ·
Thanks for the correction. The DWS sounds like a possibility for me.
 
#13 ·
Got my new tires last weekend. Ended up going with the BF Goodrich g-Force Super Sports A/S. Discount Tire ended up giving me the best deal (500.00 out the door, including certs). They make a world of difference compared the the Goodyear OEM's that I had. The ride is smoth, they are very quiet and handling is much better.

Thanks to everyone for all the feedback. I researched the Continental's and ended up being between them and the BFG's, but Discount Tire recommeneded the BFG's over the Continentals and the price was more affordable too. I will let you know how they hold up after some mileage on them.
 
#14 ·
Keep those G-force rotated and balanced! Had a set on mine when i bought it. They made a lot of noise! I could tell the person that owned it before me didnt do the proper care for the car. front wheeel drive cars, you must keep the roation process right. Its a must. I have read a lot of good reweiws on the new Hankook V-12. This may be my next choice! Good luck! KillerBee02
 
#15 · (Edited)
Good balancing

When getting your tires re-balanced make sure the technician removes all of the old weights from the wheel before he spins the tires up for re-balancing. I've found many shops including Discount tire that have tried to take this short cut. Also, most all new wheels that are alloys with a finished design on the outside require all of the weights to be placed inside the wheel, not on the outside edge of the rim. Placing weights on the edge will damage the protective finish there and allow rust and corrosion to start. There is plenty of room on the inside of the wheel for outer and inner weights to be placed for a perfect balance. Keep each wheel and tire on the same side it was on. Always move front to back. Left front to left rear and right front to right rear. Never rotate in an X or diagonally except for most snow tires unless stated other wise... Most all tires are uni-directional these days.
I've heard some pretty bad reviews for Hankook tires. I think quality control is a big issue with that brand. Premature failure also... You usually get what you pay for so never buy tires for their low prices. JK
 
#17 ·
I had a set of Hancooks. They rode alright. Did ok in the rain. But they started to dry rot long before the tread wore down. I had 40k on them with plenty of tread left, but they started dry rotting after 4 years. Picked up a set of Kumho Solus tires last summer. They are cheaper than what the Hancooks were and they do way better in the rain. Quiet too. I have probably 5 or 6k on them now. Love them.
 
#19 ·
Found out the tires on Alice, my wife's `02 Greenie were the OEM's from `02 :mad: So I am getting her new shoes this week. Going with the Goodyear Eagle GT which has been a killer tire in wet/dry/snow on my Mazda3 hatch.

Will 205/60's work just as well as 205/55's for a stock ride height Beetle? I don't see it being a huge change keeping the width the same but maybe someone knows differently for the Beetle.

Thanks,
Keith
 
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