Tyre recommendations

[Sven_Saab]

Nearly there with purchasing a Saab 9-3 2.0t SE convertible and planning a few minor improvements when I get the car home.

Number one on the list is to replace the s*@$$y budget tyres currently fitted with some decent rubber. I was thinking Toyo Proxes but Abbott Racing recommend Mitchelin. What do others on here recommend ?

Sven (aka Boxster Virgin ;))

[cirks]

Not the same car but my 9-5 Aero definately prefers Michelin (Pilot Sport 2). Bridgestones are excellent but just don't last anywhere near as long. Goodyear F1s were horrible.

[LongQ]

cirks said:

Not the same car but my 9-5 Aero definately prefers Michelin (Pilot Sport 2). Bridgestones are excellent but just don't last anywhere near as long. Goodyear F1s were horrible.

What cirks said. 9-5 Aero Estate mind, but it had Michelin somethings on it when I got it and I put Sport Pilote - possible 2 I can't remember exactly - on the front a few months ago. Seem very suited to the car though normally I would be a little more keen to fit some other brand. Not that Michelin are bad - quality tyres - but I have always found something a bit more advantageous on one way or another in the past.

That said the wife's Citroen always gets Michelin as they seem very suited to the suspension characteristics and last well.

FWIW my local (excellent) Saab dealer recommends Vredesteins and claims that their clients are very happy with them across the range. Might have tried them but for the local tyre and brake place I use regularly doing a great deal on the Michelins. And I didn't even have to ask.

[Prof Beard]

I have Pilot Sport on the 9-3 Aero - they have been good so far (possibly a bit "loud" `road-noise wise)

Prof Beard

[cirks]

LongQ said:

What cirks said. 9-5 Aero Estate mind,....

Mine's an estate too!

[aero]

I have had Goodyear Eagles F1s for 3 years now on my 9-5 Aero Estate.

Never tried the Michelin but Michelins were very good on my MX5.

The Goodyears seem fine in the dry, so so in the wet coping with 250 bhp - but won't any tyre?

Handling over potholes etc at speed is terrible and whole car seems to jump across the road - is this common to all 9-5 Aero estates with their stiffened suspension?

Having read the above posts I think I will spend the extra £10 per tyre and try the Michelins....

Regards rupert

[LongQ]

aero said:

The Goodyears seem fine in the dry, so so in the wet coping with 250 bhp - but won't any tyre? Handling over potholes etc at speed is terrible and whole car seems to jump across the road - is this common to all 9-5 Aero estates with their stiffened suspension? Having read the above posts I think I will spend the extra £10 per tyre and try the Michelins.... Regards rupert

The ESP on my Aero Estate seems to deal with just about anything I have tried on a wet road with no more than momentary flashes of the traction control even on some of the absurdly bumpy bits of tarmac that the local authorities try to tell us are main roads.

As for potholes and the like - er, no, can't say I have noticed a significant jump across the road. There is one particular bit of road I use fairly regularly where there is a wide metal joint on a bend in an elevated section. The road is NSL and good for at least 60 if clear enough without appearing to be hooning dangerously. In the wet under power there is just the tiniest twitch discernable and it might, at worst, understeer a few cms wider than the current line.

When I got the car the fronts were quite well worn - had to change after about 4000 miles. But I have never felt that is was about to lose grip even with low tread and very wet conditions. Which surprised me and is part of the reason I stuck with Michelin at the change although the new tyres are Exalto rather than Primacy somethings. Still got the Primacy's on the rear. All tyres are EL rated, being an Estate.

I would add that the stability of the thing is better than just about anything else I have ever driven and with the bottom end power it always seems unstressed and responsive in a subtle way. I think if one was to assume that it felt the same - steady as a rock - all the way to its terminal velocity or as close as one might wish to get to, one would not be far wrong. Of course one might need a trip to Germany to obtain proof of theory.

So if yours does not feel like that it may benefit from some fettling. Probably should add that mine is 02 MY and I think some improvements were introduced at that time to suspension as well as engine. Also that it now has 104k on the clock.


Edit to apologise for the thread hijack! Second edit to fix the errors left by the proof reader.



>> Edited by LongQ on Wednesday 5th October 22:40

[cirks]

aero said:

I have had Goodyear Eagles F1s for 3 years now on my 9-5 Aero Estate.

You need to get out and drive a bit more 3 Years is a lot longer than any tyre has stayed on mine hence knowing what the Michelins, Goodyear and Bridgestones are like!

On you other question, no, mine doesn't jump around at all. The main problem I had with the F1s was that they provided no feel on the steering and quickly lost my confidence in cornering (always felt as if the sidewalls were too soft).

[A57 HSV]

Are you talking about the Eagle F1 GSD3?, the previous F1 was very different & not nearly as good. I have the GSD3's on my 500+bhp HSV RWD saloon, Smart car & 9-5 Aero estate.
IMO best tyres currently available. Just got another 04 model 2yr old Aero estate, this has Continental Sport Contact's fitted. I have had these on the HSV before & like them a lot, not as grippy in the wet as the GSD3's though.
Bridgestone SO2's were the best tyres I've used but sadly the SO3's are no comparison.

[aero]

Actually I do around 30000 miles a year - mainly motorways and dual carriageways - have stuck with the F1s and yes I use the latest ones........
TVR was great on SO2s but these have been replaced by SO3s and apparaently not so good. Too soft a compound anyway for the high mileage I do!!

I will try the Michelin next time the fronts need changing,

Rupert

[cirks]

Without digging out the invoice I couldn't tell you which F1s I used. I agree about the SO2s being superb on my TVR and the SO3s were excellent on the Saab although too soft and didn't last long enough. Despite numerous people finding the SO3s not as good as the SO2s I still use them on the TVR and find them perfectly good on track. They have actually lasted a lot better than the 2s but some of that might be due to the change in suspension setup and wheels.

[A57 HSV]

I think tyre performance/handling is very much affected by the type of car.
My own experience of changing from SO2's to SO'3's on the HSV was awful. I was getting the rear slipping on corners that I had taken faster with no problems on the SO2's. But have heard that some Saab drivers love them.
Used F1 GSD3's for 2 years on Aero estate & found them to be very confidence inspiring in wet & dry conditions. Wear not brilliant, but would rather have the grip than economy on an Aero anyway.
The Continental Sport Contact's on the 04 Aero estate seem to be very good, but it's too early to comment properly as only done about 600 miles since we got it.
When using the Conti's on my HSV, I was very impressed that during a 90mph blow out on o/s front, hit a pot hole on M4, the carcass remained intact & the rim wasn't even damaged. Must be very strong.
Not really sure if the wear rate of the Conti's is better than the F1's, but I think it probably is.
Overall, I would suggest anyone who hasn't tried them to give them a go.
Wear rate is of course so dependant on how you drive anyway. I would imagine I could shred a set of front tyres pretty quickly with 250bhp if I wanted to!!