Tyres - what did you get?

[Transporter]

I'd be running into my nearest tyre guy and trading the Hankooks for the Bridgestones. The Mich's are good too, as are the Pirelli's, but I've found the Mich's noisier than most, for some reason.

What knowledge do you have about the tyres and especially tyres on Tiguan to say that Hankooks are so bad that you would change it right away for Bridgestone?

I had Michelin on my T5 since new they didn't last 25,000km and I can't say about Michelin that they're the bad tyres. I replaced them with Hankook and I'm very happy with them.

[NZTiguan]

If the Tiguan now comes with different tyres to those supplied in the review cars, then surely these reviews are no longer truly valid as a sales tool are they?

Good grief that's a bit OTT isn't it, I doubt there's many cars produced in the World that ALWAYS 100% come with the same brand of tires. I'd think that the fact the Tig comes with 16" 17" or 18" wheels would make vastly more difference than the rubber that's on them. I think you guys are reading far too much into a set of tires. If they're REALLY not performing as you expected or are incredibly noisy etc then by all means complain and get them changed but to suggest a road test isn't valid cos of different rubber is "out there" IMHO.

Cheers

[Sharkie]

Actually different tyres make a huge difference to the way a car drives and handles. It all depends on what you want from the tyres.

There are substantial differences between different tyres as far as performance and noise goes. The regular tyre tests in Oz publications have highligted that fact repeatedly. 4 Tiguans on 4 different tyres will have fairly substantial differences as far has handling and noise goes and it is valid to say that a test on 1 brand will have a different result than a test on another brand.

I have seen cars "fail" comparison tests (in the press) on tyre related issues alone. I have also seen that during performance testing 1 brand can be 4s a lap quicker than another brand ... this is not strictly relevant to Tiguans though ....

If you want performance ensure you have a performance tyre fitted (specify in the sale contract if you have to); for long life pick a suitable tyre and the same applies to noise levels. Make sure you have 1 you are happy with.

When (if) I buy a Tig I actually won't care much (I'd complain if it was a Korean brand though) what the stock 16" have on them, they'd be stored in the shed immediatly upon arrival home, as set of 18"/19" RS6 clones with Goodyear F1 DS-3Gs would be waiting..... (In 2007 this was rated the best performance tyre) http://www.goodyear.com.au/TyreDetai...&from=nPerPage

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What knowledge do you have about the tyres and especially tyres on Tiguan to say that Hankooks are so bad that you would change it right away for Bridgestone?

I used to sell them, tyres that is. The Hankooks IME were OK for the family sedan or hack, OK in the wet, long lasting, good value for money. I never said they were bad, just that I would be swapping them. Why?, because I want a better performing tyre on my car. I'm not so interested in wear, infact, I'll happily sacrifice wear for better grip. Hell, I'm used to only getting 5000k out of my bike tyres - and a rear alone costs me $330!

I had Michelin on my T5 since new they didn't last 25,000km and I can't say about Michelin that they're the bad tyres. I replaced them with Hankook and I'm very happy with them.

Short life (like your Mich getting 25000k) does not equal bad tyre (as you rightly say), just as long life also does not equal 'good tyre'. As far as grip etc, the softer compound, faster wearing tyre will be giving you the better grip and more safety. It's a compromise.

I used to sell tyres in the country to some guys that would always keep one set ahead. They used to buy a new set, leave them in the shed for 4 or 5 years, then bring those back in and have them fitted, buy the new set and stick them in the shed etc etc. They got fantastic life out of them because the compound had gone hard from age and sitting in the shed. Just don't get in their way if they need to stop or go around corners

However, having said all that, I have not run Hankooks on a TIG. I don't even have a TIG yet!

And I did also say that "I would be running..." I didn't tell brenno that he should run and get them changed.

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Actually different tyres make a huge difference to the way a car drives and handles. It all depends on what you want from the tyres.

what he said

[TonyTA]

Good grief that's a bit OTT isn't it,

Normally, you'd be 100% to say that and I'd agree that my statement would be completely OTT - but when I'm trying to walk out the door of a dealership and the sales guy sticks 2 magazines under my nose and...let's ALL just get real. Sales teams and drivers.

And I'd at least like someone to tell me why VWA changed the rubber from one that received specific mention in a well regarded review such as COTY. There may well be good reason, just let us know what it is.

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And I'd at least like someone to tell me why VWA changed the rubber from one that received specific mention in a well regarded review such as COTY. There may well be good reason, just let us know what it is.

my bet's on price cutting. Then again, if brenno's is a one off??

....then again, just read phaeton's post about Hankook backing VW, that might be the answer Tony. And brenno, you might have an a Tig that was destined for the UK before you-know-what happened!

[TonyTA]

my bet's on price cutting. Then again, if brenno's is a one off??

Na, breno does not seem to be a one off. I just picked up my 09 Tig and it's got Hancooks. Dealer said this is what was on it when it was supplied to him.

Now to be honest I don't know a thing about tyres: I need to rely on expert opinion and WOM from trusted sources as to what's good and what's not.
I read in 4x4 mag that it's hard to find a tyre dealer you can trust - I think their last 4x4 tyre review had 6 of 7 random calls to tyre dealers give different recommendations. So when VWA select a tyre and COTY back it up as much as they did, I listen.

Now that VWA have changed the rubber, I'd like to know why so I can add to my understanding and try to pick the right tyre for my Tiguan (or, even decide to keep the ones that are on it).

[NZTiguan]

The great thing for me is that mine came with Michelin Latitude Diamaris rubber which was specifically developed for the Porsche Cayenne. Looks fantastic, performs really well, isn't too noisy and does the job admirably. I sincerely doubt that I could tell the difference between tyres while driving except possibly at the extreme ends of the scale unless I had the car on a race track where I could compare on individual corners etc. I suspect that the biggest "difference" people will experience will be wear rates. I had a Mazda Astina V6 (my daughter still has it) that had Z (I think, not positive of the rating but it was a high speed tyre) rated rubber on it as new that were FANTASTIC, stuck like the proverbial to a blanket BUT they lasted less than 20,000k and that was with forward/back rotation and care !!! Had Khumos (or however it's spelt) on my Kia Sorento and they were fine on road but absolutely useless in anything slippery, so, "horses for courses" I guess.

Cheers

[brenno]

Oops, forgot I posted this thread

I popped in to the local VW dealer at Mascot and asked if I could have a poke around their storage area, where they had around 30 Tiguans in a pre-delivery state. It looked like they came straight off the boat with all the protective cladding they had on.

The vast majority of them had the Bridgestones on, about 75% I reckon. They rest had a mix of Hankooks, Michelin and Dunlop. There was no rhyme or reason with size of wheels or engine/transmission derivatives etc. It looked very random.

With that in mind, I guess I can rule out the dealer doing a dodgy swap. It is disappointing to have a lesser tyre on, but we'll add it to the list of woes we have when it comes to tyres and buying Volkswagens in Australia.

The first Mk5 in the family had a puncture on the way home from picking the car up at the dealership, and we found that the tyre on the car was not available to buy in Australia. So we had to fork out for two tyres so that they matched on that axle. Not impressed.

The next Mk5 in the family had a set of Goodyears fitted, which I think are pretty ordinary compared to the Michelin Energy's fitted to the first one.

Now this problem with the Tiguan