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Treg Tyre Tests Conti Vs Mich Vs Pirelli

7974 Views 17 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  NoobyT
Hi
Am about to change tyres on allroad and whilst researching replacements came up with the shoot out tyre test on US Tirerack site, as they have used Touaregs as test vehicles thought you might all be interested.
I've gone for the Continental crosscontact UHP (thanks for Michelin Diamaris advice Adam but Conti have a buy 4 get 25% off offer at Kwik Fit and someone has to try them).

Am also having 4 wheel alignment (Audi price £170 + vat) as Michelin F1s have worn to limits on the edges, but at 24K so won't be chasing audi for compensation. Although might suggest to new Q7 owners on the audiworld forum to keep an eye on tyre wear and alignment issues.

I will keep the site updated on the conti UHP performance as will be looking at them as possible replacement for Wife's Treg Turanzas and maybe Cayenne rubber.

PL

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testRe...rossContact+UHP
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Good post!!!
I had the conti on my V10 20" and they were hopeless, crap, terrible

got Hankooks on at the moment much better.

but in future it will be Nokian for me just phoned the guy althomas suggested and they will take 2 weeks to come in from Findland they get`a cracking write up and loads and the guys over the pond rate them high.
QUOTE(ScottieTreg @ Nov 22 2005, 07:16 PM)I had the conti on my V10? 20" and they were hopeless,? crap,? terrible

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Fiona
Can you confirm which conti's you had, seems to be a few (I have 4x4 contacts on Cayenne and had my first back end slide this morning on a greasy road but it is stated as a summer tyre) I also had Conti sport contact 2s on my Audi S4 which didn't like being twisted about on the back roads (could of been 50/50 torque split though).

These cross contact UHPs appear to be fairly fresh out of the box (well 04) and the audi allroad on the OE Goodyear F1s or Pirelli P6 tyres is widely known to have compromised handling. If the contis tighten the allroad ride a bit then that would be good and if I get a similar 24K mileage (in 11 months) as the Goodyear F1s ploughing the A1 I'll be a happy man.

Its also hard to argue with £128 fitted and balanced for Conti Cross contact against £177 F and B for Goodyear F1s and as said someone has to try them.

Nokian and Falken tyres are well respected over the pond on this vehicle getting them here in the correct size (for ar) is another matter. But would be interested in your thoughts on Nokian for future reference.

PL
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I had the 4x4 SportContact found them to be overpriced and over rated got 10k
out of them in my old 3.2 petrol which never had any tyre wear issue these were 255x55x18 (it my V10 that has 20" on them) which have the hankooks fitted.

The Nokian WR is the strongest adhesion tyre in the world which, above everything, was specially designed for the weather conditions of central Europe. The Nokian WR can run on snowy roads as well as it can on wet roads.
And it can accomplish a very good driving comfort on dry roads too.
The angle of the profile grooves is specific for every size, so that it can have an adequate driving behaviour and be effective against aquaplanning.
The new bearing surface of the Nokian WR is designed for high demands.
The progressive HAKA-lamellas preserve the tyre's characteristics during the entyre use of the tyre.
The internal and external tyre noise are both low and pleasant.

Contact details these guys a really helpful and get the Nokian in no time

Tyreco Trading Ltd.
Unit 7, Hackhurst Lane
East Sussex BN2 Lower Dicker (Nr Hailsham)
Tel. +44 (0)1323 844 600
Fax. +44 (0) 1323 844 125
email: [email protected]

At the end of the day everyone has their own preference re tyres I have one set for winter the tyres are so wide that it is really hard to get a decent winter tyre but think Nokian tick all the boxes and one set for summer which at the moment is Hankook which will rocket in price the better know they become..

the F1's & the like I would only ever use them for summer but that just me dose not mean anything is wrong with them.
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Thanks Fiona
The Conti blurb says the Conti cross UHP are replacing the Sport contact 4x4 so I'll let you know whether they have improved.

We don't get much white stuff here in Lincs (I'll be eating my words now this winter you'll see) mainly brown lumpy stuff when roads become extensions of the fields when they crop the sugarbeet and boy are they solid after a frost.
So its hard to justify two sets of wheel tyres for the boys and the A1 gets a good gritting at the slightest hint of a frost so its front ends and windscreens which come off worst in winter here, we also have a few + degrees for most of the winter unlike your own locality.
Don't know what tyres your mini S has fitted but my own mini S had the dunlops and were superb just watch the slightest curbs.

Why did I sell my mini? cos I couldn't quite fit it in the boot of the RR and it looked sad left all alone in the garage, besides it was competing with the black lab for cuddly looks.

PL
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[quote name='ScottieTreg' date='Nov 22 2005, 09:49 PM']
I had the 4x4 SportContact found them to be overpriced and over rated got 10k
out of them in my old 3.2 petrol which never had any tyre wear issue these were 255x55x18 (it my V10 that has 20" on them) which have the hankooks fitted.

Fiona,

Interesting that you only got 10k from the Contis on your 3.2V6.

Mine now has just over 9k in 6 months varied driving. Just over 2mm left over full surface of all tyres so about another 1000 miles I reckon.

That'll be about the 10k mark also.

Which tyres did you swap to and would you recommend them for ride, performance and wear (more than 10k please next time).

Also do others consider around 10k being around average from new bearing in mind experiences to date?
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smudger said:
ScottieTreg said:
I had the 4x4 SportContact found them to be overpriced and over rated got 10k
out of them in my old 3.2 petrol which never had any tyre wear issue these were 255x55x18 (it my V10 that has 20" on them) which have the hankooks fitted.

Fiona,

Interesting that you only got 10k from the Contis on your 3.2V6.

Mine now has just over 9k in 6 months varied driving. Just over 2mm left over full surface of all tyres so about another 1000 miles I reckon.

That'll be about the 10k mark also.

Which tyres did you swap to and would you recommend them for ride, performance and wear (more than 10k please next time).

Also do others consider around 10k being around average from new bearing in mind experiences to date?
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I'm not sure Smudg. I went on to Goodyear Wrangler for the winter and that was what was on my car when I sold it.

To make my mind up on what tyres to put on the current V10 which did have the tyre issue I just read up on the posts from Meld and Co about the Hankook and thought that I would give them a go and to be honest they seem fine to me.
QUOTE(ScottieTreg @ Nov 23 2005, 09:04 AM)I'm not sure Smudg. I went on to Goodyear Wrangler for the winter and that was what was on my car when I sold it.

To make my mind up on what tyres to put on the current V10 which did have the tyre issue I just read up on the posts from Meld and Co about the Hankook and thought that I would give them a go and to be honest they seem fine to me.
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Okey dokey.
QUOTE(smudger @ Nov 23 2005, 09:07 AM)Okey dokey.
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Just got a price for the Hankooks from Silverline at £352.50 inc vat & p&p delivered to my door next day.

My sons a mechanic so no probs fitting.

Any body got any better deals?
QUOTE(smudger @ Nov 23 2005, 10:21 AM)Just got a price for the Hankooks from Silverline at £352.50 inc vat & p&p delivered to my door next day.

My sons a mechanic so no probs fitting.

Any body got any better deals?
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Hey Smudg. You don't look old enough to have a son who is a mechanic
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QUOTE(ScottieTreg @ Nov 23 2005, 10:24 AM)Hey Smudg.? You don't look old enough to have a son who is a mechanic
?
?
?

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Hey mate we wear well here in sunny Yorkshire.

3 sons in total aged 20, 16 & 12.

3 cats.

1 dog.

& SWMBO aged .............................

Beat that.
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QUOTE(ScottieTreg @ Nov 23 2005, 10:24 AM)Hey Smudg.? You don't look old enough to have a son who is a mechanic
?
?
?

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Oh by the way thank you.
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Just had to replace the tyres on my 2005 2.5 Touareg (Manual).
I replaced the Maragoni ( i think they make push bike tyres?) with Continental Cross Contact UHP's. So far so good.
Road noise @70mph on motorway-Good
Back road driving -Good
Muddy field -Good
Hoping for some snow this weekend as was told they are not too good in cold weather but @?141 inc the dreaded(VAT would prefer not to be a member of that club) thought the price was OK.

I work with some German engineers (Paper and Graphics not Rubber) and they sid these are common on Tregs down in Bavaria.
I will be travelling up to Hanover next month and will keep my eyes peeled for the tyres the Northern Germans are using.

:oops:
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After much research and finding out from this site that VW themselves fit these tyres for their Touareg Experience days, yesterday I fitted 4 new tyres to my 3.2 Auto, 53 plate, using 255/60/17/106V Goodyear Grabber UHPs supplied at home and fully fitted by event-tyres.co.uk for ?388 all in.

Set at 36 psi all round, I can already report that the tyres [9mm tread depth], which replaced Continental Contact 4x4 235/65/17, with 3-4 mm left, are incredibly quiet - far quieter than the Contis to the point of no road/tyre noise at all and this is on lanes/A roads and the M4 tonight.

These Grabber UHPs have improved the ride quality too. I have two vicious speed bumps to negotiate in my drive and, to my complete surprise as I was not expecting this at all, the car is noticably smoother over them, especially the back end with none of the thump that used ot occur with the old tyres as the wheels mounted or dropped off the speed bumps and it is the same on the open road with a much, much smoother ride on familiar roads.

And a run across hilly fields confirms that there is good grip on steep wet grass including hill starts without using any of the gizmos to lock things up!

I am still running the tyres in so cannot report on turn-in, braking, etc., as yet, but I will come back after a few hundred miles.

I can definitely recommend event-tyres.co.uk. I ordered at 1 a.m. in the early hours of Wednedsay morning and the tyres were fitted within 40 hours - and it could have been sooner if I had not put them off until the afternoon. The fitter turned up on time after calling to confirm the location. He used a wire brush to clear surface rust from the hubs and the rear of the wheels before putting on some copper grease to prevent the wheels sticking to the hubs as they had done when he tried to remove them. And the wheel balancing is spot on after a run out at speed tonight.

I am very surprised at the noticeable reduction in noise and the equally noticeable increase in comfort so I am glad I followed VW's example and can wholly recommend General Grabber UHPs.

27 Nov edit: Here's a bit more info and a pic:

Treg 013.jpg[/attachment:2stnlnyq]

Just to confirm I still can't believe how much quieter and more comfortable my Treg is with these new Grabber UHPs.

Also, on severe sleeping plods and ruts, there were knocks in the suspension on the old Continentals and I was going to get the garage to check the bushes, but now there is silence!

I can see that fitting the wider 255 as opposed to the 235 makes the tyre wall "balloon" more so there is clearly more compliance in the tyre wall now and 40 mph over my cattle grids is just a mere brief rumble!

Braking and turn-in on dry and wet roads seems much the same for my style of driving - brisk in town and quick on the open road - but not ragging it!
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And have fun with this stuff too:

And here's more stuff to waste your time looking at black round rubbery thingummies!

Here are some good sites:

Although a US site, it is very comprehensive so to read all about every tyre, see pix, wear ratings, user ratings, and all sorts of other info, spend a couple of hours here:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire-brand.jsp

If you want bigger tyres [tell your insurers if over standard size] go here:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

For UK supply at home, office or while you are sh*gging your mistress go here:

http://www.event-tyres.co.uk

If you want to make grown men cry at the size of your . . . er . . . rubber, go here:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2427967

[Still wish I'd had the nuts to go for these!]

And if you don't have a tyre pressure warning system, here's a retro-fit:

http://www.novablue.co.uk/shop/shop.php ... full&id=34

[Not used it so can't comment on efficiency or otherwise.]

And here are some other sites to while away your time "just doing something very important" while SHMBO irons, hoovers, gets the meal ready:

http://www.4x4tires.co.uk/

http://www.4x4tyres.com/

http://www.ctyres.co.uk/

http://www.etyres.co.uk/

http://www.hankooktire-map.com/index.php?lang=en

http://www.jettyres.co.uk/

http://tyremen.myshopify.com/products/2 ... c-4-xtreme [Does what is says - Winter tyres!]

A couple of mytreg posts:

tyre-update-t5528s50.html

tyres-&-servicing-t4051s650.html

VWvortex posts on max tyre sizes:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1357586&page=2

And wheel alignment:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1357586&page=2

Have fun!
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hello all.

although i have had my treg since 04 i have naff luck with tyres. currently have michelin diamaris 275/45/19 108y

but they have barely done 8k and 1, osf tyre is almost bald but the others have life in them but not much.

i dont know if i have the transfer box issue again as this was sorte under warranty feb 05, but why are the tyres wearing so much? i dont drive hard or break hard.

i do a lot of miles on country roads so need decent tyres and have seen the comments on vreds, hankook, general grabber etc

it seems that 275/45/19 is a pricey combo.

is it "safe" to go to 285/45/19 ? then i could get 285/45R19 111W XL TL HANKOOK RH06 for ?116 from camskill or
285/45R19 111W XL TL GENERAL GRABBER UHP for ?110

i just dont get the science behind all the rating info.

my other concern is that camskill dont fit, and i dont know anyone in basingstoke that will fit if i supply (never done it that way before)

also, should we always change all 4, or is a matching pair ok (assumin my rear set is good) i was also told by vw that i would need geometry redoing at about ?250 - is this true?

i'd warmly welcome any advice, and if i can offer help in return (i am an ifa) i'd be happy to assist

know its a bad time of year for this plea, but hopefully someone out there can help!

thanks
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Darren

I've sent you a PM as I hadn't realised you'd posted on this thread.

Cheers!

NT
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