rubbaVdub
Beer Enthusiast
- Location
- Ottawa, Canada
- Car(s)
- GTI MKV TSI DSG
The GTI has been in desperate need of some new rubber for a long time. I have been riding on some bald OEM Dunlops since I got the car and tires were beginning to chirp into the bottom of third gear (yikes!).
I called around asking for cash or clearance deals and quickly tracked down a set of Bridgestone Potenza RE050A max performance summer tires for $160/tire ($246 not installed from Tire Rack) installed. After doing a bit of research, I decided to step up from a 225 to 235 width tire.
On first impression, the wider tires look much more at home on the 18" Detroits than the OEM 225s. The tires sit vertically more flush than stock and eliminate the tapered-down look of the skinnier wheels. They also provide a nice bit of buffer for curbs and other debris. On stock suspension the fit is perfect, no rub whatsoever and no spacers needed.
In terms of performance, having an extra 40 mm of rubber on the road provides a lot of lateral grip. The car corners like crazy and the steering wheel seems easier to manipulate while cornering at higher speeds than before. Torque steer is very much eliminated, allowing the car to keep straighter while overtaking under heavy throttle. I've also found that ride quality and tracking improved slightly.
Taking off in first gear results in some nicely managed wheel spin as the torque comes in, but with absolutely no more wheel hop. The car keeps traction until breaking loose at around 4000 RPM, but the spin is a lot more controlled and the car seems to grip through it smoothly - easily recovering traction while smoothly transitioning into the bottom of second gear. Wheel hop was a big issue on the last tires.
The car feels much faster off the line. I'm barely even getting a chirp in second gear at this point. Dynolicious is clocking 0-60 of 5 seconds flat, which is a 1-2 second improvement over my Stage 1 times on stock tires. The tires are very quiet, even in aggressive cornering scenarios. On a straight-highway, they seem smoother than stock and comparable in volume. Driving to work this morning after the car sat for 8 hours over night and didn't notice any flat spots.
Overall I'm very happy with the tires. These come as OEM on a lot of heavier sports/luxury vehicles (including the Ferrari Enzo & AMG S55) and the only complaints I've has been short tread-wear and flat spots after sitting. I have a feeling these might be a perfect tire for the light-weight GTI. Only time will tell!
Pics to follow!
More info: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Potenza+RE050A&partnum=34YR8RE050N1&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes
I called around asking for cash or clearance deals and quickly tracked down a set of Bridgestone Potenza RE050A max performance summer tires for $160/tire ($246 not installed from Tire Rack) installed. After doing a bit of research, I decided to step up from a 225 to 235 width tire.
On first impression, the wider tires look much more at home on the 18" Detroits than the OEM 225s. The tires sit vertically more flush than stock and eliminate the tapered-down look of the skinnier wheels. They also provide a nice bit of buffer for curbs and other debris. On stock suspension the fit is perfect, no rub whatsoever and no spacers needed.
In terms of performance, having an extra 40 mm of rubber on the road provides a lot of lateral grip. The car corners like crazy and the steering wheel seems easier to manipulate while cornering at higher speeds than before. Torque steer is very much eliminated, allowing the car to keep straighter while overtaking under heavy throttle. I've also found that ride quality and tracking improved slightly.
Taking off in first gear results in some nicely managed wheel spin as the torque comes in, but with absolutely no more wheel hop. The car keeps traction until breaking loose at around 4000 RPM, but the spin is a lot more controlled and the car seems to grip through it smoothly - easily recovering traction while smoothly transitioning into the bottom of second gear. Wheel hop was a big issue on the last tires.
The car feels much faster off the line. I'm barely even getting a chirp in second gear at this point. Dynolicious is clocking 0-60 of 5 seconds flat, which is a 1-2 second improvement over my Stage 1 times on stock tires. The tires are very quiet, even in aggressive cornering scenarios. On a straight-highway, they seem smoother than stock and comparable in volume. Driving to work this morning after the car sat for 8 hours over night and didn't notice any flat spots.
Overall I'm very happy with the tires. These come as OEM on a lot of heavier sports/luxury vehicles (including the Ferrari Enzo & AMG S55) and the only complaints I've has been short tread-wear and flat spots after sitting. I have a feeling these might be a perfect tire for the light-weight GTI. Only time will tell!
Pics to follow!
More info: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Potenza+RE050A&partnum=34YR8RE050N1&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes
