18" tyres recommendation for FR 1.4

Feb 11, 2020
13
1
Looking at changing all 4 corners on the facelift FR 1.4 as currently it has Bridgestones Potenza S001 (225/40/R18) and the ride is quite harsh and crashy with the sport suspension so the priority will be less road noise, comfort and tread life.

My local place have some Michelin/GYs that are around the same price and are cheaper than elsewhere like Blackcircles, only do around 3-4k miles a year and main use is just getting to work and out and about with the friends/family.

  • Michelin PS5 - £105
  • Goodyear Eagle F1 A5 - £98
  • Goodyear Eagle F1 A6 - £102
  • Goodyear Eagle F1 SS - £105
 

Rob McCool

Active Member
Sep 15, 2009
71
13
Birkenhead
I have the same size wheels and have found continental contact 5 or 6 on my fr184 are both fairly quiet and last well.Also good road holding and braking.I've also had good year asymmetric 3 which are also top notch.

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R53Winny

Active Member
Apr 11, 2022
91
34
I recently went from 17s to 18s which are fitted all round with Pirelli P Zero Nero GTs. Perfect!
 
Feb 11, 2020
13
1
Just stuck some Asymmetric 6s on the Cupra and I'm really happy with them.
I have the same size wheels and have found continental contact 5 or 6 on my fr184 are both fairly quiet and last well.Also good road holding and braking.I've also had good year asymmetric 3 which are also top notch.

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Seen good reviews of the Asymmetric 6 as it's the equivalent to the PS5s but seems the AS6 is a sportier tyre with a harder ride whereas the PS5 will be more comfortable since my FR doesn't have DCC

My local place doesn't have Continental but the Premium Contact 7 are £112 on Blackcircles, not seen much reviews of them if they are better than the AS6/PS5 for a extra few quid per corner

What about PS4s? Cheaper than 5s? I have PS4s on my Leon Cupra 280.
Surprisingly they are the same price as the 5s, how do you find the PS4s?
 

H Rafiq

Active Member
Jan 5, 2022
1,114
452
Seen good reviews of the Asymmetric 6 as it's the equivalent to the PS5s but seems the AS6 is a sportier tyre with a harder ride whereas the PS5 will be more comfortable since my FR doesn't have DCC

My local place doesn't have Continental but the Premium Contact 7 are £112 on Blackcircles, not seen much reviews of them if they are better than the AS6/PS5 for a extra few quid per corner


Surprisingly they are the same price as the 5s, how do you find the PS4s?
They’re superb. Had budgets on when I bought the car, and it used to wheel hop a lot. The tyres took about 80% of the wheel hop away. Having an engine mount filter fitter in the hope more wheel hop is eliminated. It’s stage 1 too, so more power.
 

Giuseppe Busso

Ioannis
Jan 29, 2021
91
53
Greece
Looking at changing all 4 corners on the facelift FR 1.4 as currently it has Bridgestones Potenza S001 (225/40/R18) and the ride is quite harsh and crashy with the sport suspension so the priority will be less road noise, comfort and tread life.

My local place have some Michelin/GYs that are around the same price and are cheaper than elsewhere like Blackcircles, only do around 3-4k miles a year and main use is just getting to work and out and about with the friends/family.

  • Michelin PS5 - £105
  • Goodyear Eagle F1 A5 - £98
  • Goodyear Eagle F1 A6 - £102
  • Goodyear Eagle F1 SS - £105

Go for Michelin PS5 or GY A6.
SS are not for your car.
 

oldglosracer

Active Member
Oct 27, 2022
95
34
Just got some PS4s on the front of my Cupra 290, seem a lot noisier than the Continental sport contact, but maybe they need to wear a bit.
By the way Halfords have 10% off 2 tyres and free fitting at home, 7 days a week.
 

G.P

Active Member
Sep 3, 2011
1,274
41
Worcestershire
Micheln Pilot Sport will have soferter walls than Goodyears AssyM range, both softer walls than the Bridgestone you currently have fitted.

Continental's PC7's are touring tyres so may have softer walls the the PS and Assy's however, Conti. tyres do have slightly firmer walls than Mich. & GY so may actually be very similar..
 

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,714
964
My wife and I both have Leon FRs that came with the Bridgstones. I disliked them on both cars, which wasn't a surprise as I've had Bridgstone tyres on other cars and never liked them. When it came time to change I put Goodyear Eagle F1 A5s on my car and Michelin PS4s on my wife's car. The short answer is that they are both good and both much better than the Bridgstones.

I would say that the Goodyears feel a bit more forgiving and 'softer' than the Michelins. They still have very good grip which is progressive and predictable. They also work extremely well with the suspension on the car. Previously I thought that the FR suspension was quite twitchy and not very well set up. Turns out a lot of this is down to the tyres. It's a heck of a lot better on the Goodyears.

The Michelins are a little sharper feeling, fantastic grip and really inspire confidence. If you value sporty driving over anything else I'd pick these as you trade a little comfort for feedback. Although you don't get a lot of feedback from the Lean no matter what you do.

In terms of comfort, both should be better than the Bridgestones if you run them at the lower recommended tyre pressure, a few PSI really does make a big difference. Between the two the Goodyear is the softer feeling. Both are pretty quiet. From what you've said I think you'd prefer the Goodyears. On balance I think I do but there isn't a huge amount in it.
 
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DigitalSushi

Active Member
Sep 7, 2020
147
68
Asymmetric 6's all day long

Just put some on the cupra and hammered them through scotland in all weathers, rain sun sleet and snow. They performed superbly in all conditions.

They are also a little bit better at riding the bumps i feel, something when you have 19" rubber band tyres and heading fast through middle age is a concern.

I used to champion the pilot sports but I have to say I find they are awesome when its lovely and warm and dry, but as soon as it gets a bit cold and damp they become pretty poor grip in my opinion.
 
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Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,714
964
I used to champion the pilot sports but I have to say I find they are awesome when its lovely and warm and dry, but as soon as it gets a bit cold and damp they become pretty poor grip in my opinion.
These tyres are not designed for winter and will behave very poorly. Come November my wife's tyres go to sleep in the shed and a set of 17'' alloys with Goodyear winter tyres go on the car. The difference in grip is ridiculous. Using summer tyres in the winter is asking for it. No wonder it is illegal in Germany.
 
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andye1

Newbie
Oct 15, 2005
66
8
I have Goodyear Vector gen3 4seasons on my 2019 fr st. Very quiet and great grip all year round. Lasting loads longer than any summer tyres I've had on other cars.
 

BigJase88

Jase
Apr 20, 2008
3,767
1,076
I used Pilot Sport 5's all winter and i am still here to tell the tale 🫣

They behaved with zero issues throughout the whole period 🤷🏻‍♂️

For 225/40/18 i think Continental are doing mega deals atm. You can get a new set of ContiSport 7's for less than PS5's and the contisport7 is apparently from the next tier up tyre UUHP vs UHP and gets great reviews 🤷🏻‍♂️
 

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,714
964
I used Pilot Sport 5's all winter and i am still here to tell the tale
Just because you didn't crash doesn't make summer tyres good in the winter. They're not. I've used winter tyres on our cars for years and the difference is stark. Plenty of videos out there which will demonstrate it but I've experienced it. The only reason you think summer tyres are ok in the winter is you've obviously never used winter tyres.
 
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Reactions: Walone
Feb 11, 2020
13
1
Got the PS5s fitted yesterday and a huge improvement over the Bridgestones in terms of the ride quality and road noise in the cabin, will definitely try the GY Asymmetrics next time to see how they fair between the Michelins

They put 35 PSI all round and it feels a bit bouncy, it's usually just me in the car so was thinking to use the middle setting for comfort or a middle ground between the higher and middle setting for comfort and MPG?

seat.jpg
 
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Dr.Dash

Active Member
Aug 30, 2015
342
73
Midlands
Go for the "Comfort" settings, 2.2 BAR (32 psi) Front, 2.0 (29 psi) Rear if it's just driver + 1. The other values are aimed at maximising fuel economy for testing and certification purposes or prolonged high speed running (which the car isn't capable of).

If you are going on holiday and have four people and a load of luggage then the higher values are reasonable, and adapt your driving style.

The 1.4 doesn't have independent rear suspension and with the higher pressures it's limitations are magnified. Mid corner bumps can unsettle the car quite easily, the slightly lower pressures give a bit more damping and help. My 1.4 is the most tyre pressure sensitive mainstream car I've ever owned.

If you want to experiment then try different values but maintain the differential (ie front 0.2 BAR higher than rear). Small differences are really quite noticeable.

[Remember to reset the TPWS ].
 
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Reactions: Mr Pig
Apr 27, 2023
4
0
Go for the "Comfort" settings, 2.2 BAR (32 psi) Front, 2.0 (29 psi) Rear if it's just driver + 1. The other values are aimed at maximising fuel economy for testing and certification purposes or prolonged high speed running (which the car isn't capable of).

If you are going on holiday and have four people and a load of luggage then the higher values are reasonable, and adapt your driving style.

The 1.4 doesn't have independent rear suspension and with the higher pressures it's limitations are magnified. Mid corner bumps can unsettle the car quite easily, the slightly lower pressures give a bit more damping and help. My 1.4 is the most tyre pressure sensitive mainstream car I've ever owned.

If you want to experiment then try different values but maintain the differential (ie front 0.2 BAR higher than rear). Small differences are really quite noticeable.

[Remember to reset the TPWS ].
I need to check my pressures, had new Goodyear F1 asymmetric 6 fitted and car felt more jittery than it needs to be, so probably running 2.5/2.3 if not higher.

Just got the car so I need to get used to how it feels but the Goodyear seem to have crazy grip.
 
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