Some tyre advice please

[brenno]

I finally had a moment to replace the 17 inch factory rims on the Octavia with 15 inch rims from a Golf 7. I've not driven on it much but first thoughts are noticeable. More compliant and more enjoyable. Why the local distributors thought it appropriate to specify 17 inch wheels with a Travel Pack I am yet to understand.

There is a significant decrease in unsprung weight. The factory wheels weigh 21.1 kg compared to 14.8kg. I had assumed the wheel studs would be different going from alloy to steel but I was surprised to learn they are exactly the same.

[Gerrycan]

Well that is promising.
What tyres are the 15 inch and how is the noise?
The noise aspect is a particular worry as the current Dunlop are good from that aspect but when I have had to fit the spare 16 inch Nexen the noise from that single tyre is unbearable at any speed on any surface.

[Gerrycan]

Well I've chickened out on buying small steel wheels and possibly suspect quality tyres and have decided to stay mainstream.
Reduced recent mileage means that the existing Dunlops are still road legal (just) and doing a reasonable job but I popped into a couple of local dealers to see if there was any good deals going.
My shortlist was Goodyear and Michelin with a preference for the latter. Reviews of Primacy 3 ST are consistently good and with the sort of characteristics I am looking for and Michelin are offering a $100 money back. There were some PS3 on offer at a good price but only the 235x45x17 size which would not fit on my 7J rims.
The Bob Jane dealer did say there was an excellent deal on for a relatively new tyre (launched 2106) from Pirelli called Dragon Sport (same name as used for motorcycle tyres in Europe) for $536 for four (fitted and balanced) which sort of competes with the Michelin PS3.
Reviews are generally positive for them but has anyone here any experience with them on an Octavia (preferably mk3)?
Almost seems too good to be true, which always makes me suspicious.

[Jondalar]

Hi Gerrycan,

That seems low mileage on your OEM tyres. It's not Octavia but my wife's Golf 7 2.0 TDI got almost 70,000 from the original Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres. We went with Bob Jane and they suggested the P7, they had the Dragon Sport cheaper but the tyre guy said the P7 were better. In any case the wife is happy and hasn't noticed anything different with ride or handling. On a side note I've got 19 in wheels and Pirelli P Zero tyres on my Octavia and it's just past 37k km, tyres are definitely nowhere near done, only look about half worn. I actually think grip and handling has improved a lot since they were past 25k.

Cheers,
Karl

[Gerrycan]

I agree not real good mileage but my wife negotiates 8 urban mini-roundabouts on her 2.5km commute so probably to be expected, even with rotation.
I suspect you do a lot more open road mileage than we do.
Thanks for your comments on the Dragon Sports / P7 tyres.
Sometimes the 'specials' at restaurants are just to get rid of old stock and not the best choice, and this might be the case here.

[brad]

my experience of Pirelli:
Good at first but noisy once they lose 30% of tread.
Variable build quality.
Prone to vibration.
The price is tempting though... (NB: in Sydney they appear to be around $520/set)

Primacy 3 will be around $700/set? Have you tried Costco? PS4 about the same price...

[gadget007a]

Original Potenza's only got 38k from them put on Dragon sports about half the price of the potenza, much quieter but they dont have the same grip as the potenza (easy to get them to squeal on takeoff), now at 78K these tyres are due for replacement (<2mm tread left before wear bar)

[Jondalar]

Yeah I drive 90 km a day to work and back, half of it is highway the other half inner city but mainly straight main roads. My wife's drive is similar but shorter only about 80km a day.

[Gerrycan]

$700 for Primacy is about right for Adelaide as well. I am not a Costco member and the conservative way I drive PS4's would be a bit like putting lipstick on a pig (me being the pig).

Gadget, Dragon Sports being quiet and long lasting and cheap is good but if traction is an issue that might also relate to braking performance (?)

[brad]

$700 for Primacy is about right for Adelaide as well. I am not a Costco member and the conservative way I drive PS4's would be a bit like putting lipstick on a pig (me being the pig).

It's more tyre than you need but as you can get it in the right size and they still get great mileage.... It's an option.