16" Tyres, Any Recommendations

[gliderboy]

Hi All,

My partner has just bought a Ibiza TDI Sport 130 and it needs two rear tyres.

The seller fitted a pair of Kumho Ecsta LE Sport's 205 45 16 87 Y to the front of the car, are there any recommendations or should I get another pair of Kumho's on the back so all 4 are new and matching treads.

Thanks

Luke

 

[touge]

You're probably better off putting those on the back and then maybe getting something a bit better up front considering that's where the power is!

Toyo's, yokohama's, continental's are well renowned. But it all depends on your budget!!

 

[Blanco92]

It's always nice to have matching sets, though I wouldn't say Kumhos are the best in the world.

I have Uniroyal RainSport 2s, they're fantastic and I will buy again when the time comes.

 

[gliderboy]

You're probably better off putting those on the back and then maybe getting something a bit better up front considering that's where the power is!

Toyo's, yokohama's, continental's are well renowned. But it all depends on your budget!!

Surely its better to have the good tyres on the back. Otherwise the rear will let go first oversteering and spinning out, where as if they were on the front you get understeer which is more controllable and safer for the less experienced driver.

I use Hankooks on my VW and there great, but I'm looking to see if there is a general consensus for the Ibiza.

 

[touge]

I don't know really, a FWD short wheel base car is not going to suffer as much oversteer i would imagine.
Personally, i'd prefer to have better tyres up front considering if they don't grip enough you're not gonna get ANY steer. I don't claim to be an expert however! =D

 

[Modelmakerman]

The general recommendation these days is to have the best tyres on the back. There are a million arguments for and against this but there have been several test done (including on on Fifth Gear) showing the car handles better and stops quicker with the newer/better tyres on the back. I didnt believe it either till I saw the results.

As for what tyres the general consensus for Ibizas on here (the names that come up the most) are Uniroyal RainSport 2 or Toyo Proxxies. The Toyos wear really quick though and Ive heard they can be noisy, I personally wanted the RainSport 2s but after trying for about 4 months to get some in the right size for my Ibiza (205/45R16) and finding the there are not any ANYWHERE in the country. I had left the old tyres as long as I legally could and went for Hankook K110 Ventus V12 as they are getting great reviews, Ive had them on for over a month and Im pretty pleased with them, good in the dry and the wet even on cold days and if you push them too hard (you have to be really pushing though) the loss of traction is nice and progressive and they regain grip really quickly when you lift off the throttle.

If you can get the Uniroyals then Id go for them but if not Id recommend the Hankooks for the same price.

 

[gliderboy]

Luke


Thanks Modelmakerman, I have used the Hankook Ventus V12 (225 45 17) on my VW Bora for 3 years now. Ive gone through over 10 of them and I wouldn't change them. I think there great.

I'm tempted to get the Khumos for the Ibiza though just so each corner will have a brand new matching tyre. I know how important it is to have them all to match as I commute on A and B roads with my Hankooks and its very predictable in the wet.

I'll see how much price difference there is between them.


Luke

 

[touge]

I stand corrected, ill update the memory banks accordingly!

 

[abbotsmike]

The Toyos wear really quick though and Ive heard they can be noisy, I personally wanted the RainSport 2s but after trying for about 4 months to get some in the right size for my Ibiza (205/45R16) and finding the there are not any ANYWHERE in the country.

How quickly out of interest? I had a set on my old Corsa, and they have done about 14k miles over 2 years, and still have plenty of tread on them. I swapped the fronts to the back after a year, but I'd say they still have 5+mm of tread left.

Obviously the Ibiza is heavier and the torque on the diesels will kill them faster than the 1.2 in my Corsa, but they did a lot of country roads, and the grip was great! I think when I'm less skint, the Ibiza will get a set, certainly on the front, even if they do only last 15k!

 

[krussel]

Rainsport 2's on the back

 

[DKershaw]

I Have Bridgestone on my 16" winter alloys and 17" Rainsport 2's on my Summer wheels and both are recommended by me.....

 

[tomh18]

I've got Hankooks v12 front and rear and they're fantastic! Work well under all conditions, reasonably priced and wear extremely well. I had a set of Goodyear eagle f1s previous to these, great tyres, however they wore down in a matter of no time! Hankooks are the perfect all rounder in my opinion

 

[smithy84]

kumho ecsta ku31 are whats on mine & theyre pretty good for the money imo. 205 45 16