[MIKE AERO HOT]

Hey everybody,

I have a 2002 95 Aero (standard). I want some grippy tyres - at the mo Im ashamed to say I am running Continental Contisports- yes 'Contisport', not 'Contisport 2 or 3' but the original Contisport. I got them second hand a year ago for £135 for all 4 when cash was tight and to be fair they have LOADS of tread left, but are not as grippy as I think tyres should be.

Please recomend what you would run on this car if it were yours!:cheesy: Im thinking Michelin Pilot Sport was original equipment....worth the price???

 

[tommyjr]

I have contisport2 on my aero and they are pretty good, they hook well and are pretty quiet. The other tire I can recommend are the goodyear eagle f1, I had them on my sti but be prepared for some sticker shock!

 

[i want an aero]

i only use conti sportcontact 2, original equipment on saab aeros. i have a pair in the garage of 3's for next time i need some. can't go wrong with them, by far the best tyres i've had on any of my cars

 

[MIKE AERO HOT]

yeah i must admit i had contisport 2's on this Aero and my previous car and yes they are good.....but I wonder if there are any grippier tyres out there! Anyone got experience of Michelins??

 

[KKAero]

Hi,

If you want grippier tyres than Contis, I'd suggest Michelin Pilot Sport or Pirelli P-Zero Neros.

I just finished up my stock set of ContiSport 2's (235/45-17). They lasted a good 23K miles on my BioPower, which is not bad considering I've got some lead implanted in my right foot and close to 200 hp more than stock...:cheesy:

Best regards,

KK

 

[pug]

I'm currently using Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3. Never had a problem with them. Got Toyo Proxies on the front at the moment and can't wait for them to wear out so I can get back to F1s on all corners, although with the amount of wheelspin I have with them that shouldn't be too long.

 

[Martin_9-5t]

I had vredestein ultracs on my 9-5 when it was 280bhp. Very grippy in the wet! lasted well too!

 

[afm]

I've got Toyo Proxes TR1s on mine at front, very grippy indeed.
Mind you I'm not sure how much of the extra grip is from the LSD:cheesy:
Previously had Michelin Pilotsport which I'm still running on rear
(recently fitted 2 x new of these)

 

[KKAero]

I'm currently using Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3. Never had a problem with them. Got Toyo Proxies on the front at the moment and can't wait for them to wear out so I can get back to F1s on all corners, although with the amount of wheelspin I have with them that shouldn't be too long.

Hi,

In general, you'll see excessive tyre wear with "V-shaped" tyre patterns, especially the Eagle F1:s. They work very well on e.g 9-3:s, but I've seen many cases where they don't work at all on 9-5:s.

Personally, I stay away from all V-shaped patterns on my 9-5:s. I prefer Conti SportContact, Michelin Pilot Sport and Dunlop SP9000:s.

Best regards,

KK

 

[pug]

Hi,

In general, you'll see excessive tyre wear with "V-shaped" tyre patterns, especially the Eagle F1:s.

Not denying what you say here and certainly don't want to start an arguement but I think discussion is what helps people learn stuff.

You've obviously already tried different tyres and was hoping you could give a bit more info here as well, if it's something I can learn from I thank you in advance.

When you say they wear quicker is that on a car with standard suspension or lowered? I only ask as I have the Toyo Proxes T1-Rs on the front and the car wheelspins like a greased monkey on ice, also noticed a little more understeer with them whilst on a spirited drive. The Eagle F1 GSD3s on the other hand do seem to grip a lot better with a lot less understeer unless I am absolutely caning it.

As far as wear goes each pair of tyres I buy are generally on the car for at least a year. I've had the car for about 3 years now, put a pair on the back when I got it, and only bought 2 pairs since (bar the incident when some ^£$"^% put a screwdriver through the sidewalls of a brand new pair only a week old :evil: , a lot of cars were done that day). When the front tyres wear out I move the rear tyres to the front and put the new tyres on the back. Never had a problem with uneven or rapid wear at all.

At the end of the day I know a lot of people have a tyre they like and generally stick to it, I am one of those people and it's just human nature.

Pug.

 

[Chris 9-5]

At the end of the day I know a lot of people have a tyre they like and generally stick to it, I am one of those people and it's just human nature.

Pug.

Me too

 

[MIKE AERO HOT]

Thanks guys for all the info! I think I may try the Pilot Sports - the car had these when i first got it and im sure the handling is not as grippy now with the Conti's!

Not sure if it is my imagination but these Contisports are loud and Im sure they flex and slip a bit too much for a car this size. Roll on pay day!

Yep and I think its true about sticking to a tyre you know well - I just gotta find it!:cheesy:

 

[KKAero]

Thanks guys for all the info! I think I may try the Pilot Sports - the car had these when i first got it and im sure the handling is not as grippy now with the Conti's!

Not sure if it is my imagination but these Contisports are loud and Im sure they flex and slip a bit too much for a car this size. Roll on pay day!

Yep and I think its true about sticking to a tyre you know well - I just gotta find it!:cheesy:

Michelin Pilot Sports are an excellent choice on the 9-5 Aero. I just got a round of four 235/45-17 that are now on my summer tyres...

Best regards,

KK

 

[KKAero]

Not denying what you say here and certainly don't want to start an arguement but I think discussion is what helps people learn stuff.

You've obviously already tried different tyres and was hoping you could give a bit more info here as well, if it's something I can learn from I thank you in advance.

When you say they wear quicker is that on a car with standard suspension or lowered?

Sorry, hope I wasn't sounding condescending in my previous post.

I only have experience from lowered cars or stock Aero suspension, nothing else. I've never heard anyone with good experience from Eagle F1:s on the 9-5. On most other cars, yes. They might work better on the front axle, it's usually in the rear where they tend to wear very fast. By contrast, my Conti Sport Contacts that have been on for 22 K miles look almost like new in the rear...

Best regards,

KK

 

[ragtopcav]

Currently the 9-5 here is running on shocking budget far eastern rubbish that are hard and robust but will not grip when accelerating in a bend. Being on 18" rims I will wear them out prior to replacement though.
I recently picked up some wheels and tyres for the wife's 9000 'toy'; I shan't talk wheels as this is a tyre thread, the tyres are Continental Sportcontact.

I had not driven it very much with the new bits until this weekend when we went away in the caravan [as you do when the forecasts suggest inclemency]. I did some 'observation' runs on the way home; now bear in mind about 75-80kgs of weight on the car's hitch, then add about 50-60kgs of stuff in the boot, this means the car is sitting a little nose high, so what happens to traction? Well in the past it was wheel spin city, any hint of full boost in 1st or 2nd would light up the front axle, so when on several occasions I pushed the Conti's they actually tried to grip, the car shuddered and the nose bobbed around as the tyres actually tried to bite in cold damp conditions, I was actually surprised and a bit pleased; I can't wait to how good they are in their proper dry/summer environment.

On my wanna-be track car I have Kumho Extas [SP?] and these are impressive [cheapish too]; but again, in this cold damp weather they do not grip.

 

[pug]

Sorry, hope I wasn't sounding condescending in my previous post.

I only have experience from lowered cars or stock Aero suspension, nothing else. I've never heard anyone with good experience from Eagle F1:s on the 9-5. On most other cars, yes. They might work better on the front axle, it's usually in the rear where they tend to wear very fast. By contrast, my Conti Sport Contacts that have been on for 22 K miles look almost like new in the rear...

Best regards,

KK

No mate, didn't think that at all.

Like I said I was just a bit confused as I have never had any problems with them at all but I'm running the stock suspension. Was just wondering if yours was lowered as that will affect the suspension geometry slightly in which case different tyres do sometimes grip better and wear better. The main reason for asking really is I am wanting to get lowered sus for my car and don't want to be using a tyre that needs replacing twice a week.

I admit that they are a softer compond than a lot of other tyres and do wear slightly quicker but I have found them to grip better than a lot especially in the wet. Aquaplaning also seems to be reduced quite considerably as well but I think this is down to the tread pattern. This is always handy in the Great British Summer, never mind the winter. Can't wait for the Toyos to wear out. Would rather that on a car with the power of an Aero than tyres too hard which don't grip at all. Besides £200 for a years worth of tyres isn't that bad in my books.

I had a 260bhp Octavia vRS before this and the had the Conti Sport Contacts 2 fitted as standard. Didn't get on too well with them when they came towards the end of their life, before this point they were really good and grippy tyres. Read somewhere that there are 2 layers of rubber for the tread, a softer outer and harder inner, when it hit the harder the grip seemed to go out of the window. The F1's seemed to be consistent right up to the point that an F1 racer would actually start using them.

I've heard a lot of good reports about the Pilot Sports too but mostly on other cars. Would like to know how well they do on the 9-5 as I was considering these the last tyre change but the "better the devil you know" syndrome kicked in.

Pug.

 

[aeropilot]

In general, you'll see excessive tyre wear with "V-shaped" tyre patterns, especially the Eagle F1:s. They work very well on e.g 9-3:s, but I've seen many cases where they don't work at all on 9-5:s.

Personally, I stay away from all V-shaped patterns on my 9-5:s. I prefer Conti SportContact, Michelin Pilot Sport and Dunlop SP9000:s.

Totally agree with KK regarding the V-shaped pattern tyres on a 9-5.

I ran Pilot Sports on my Aero (in 225/40 on the 18" Hirsch rims) for over 25k miles and they were good tyres.
I'm currently running Bridgestone RE50's and I think they are even better, I'm very, very impressed with the Bridgestones.

 

[KKAero]

I'm currently running Bridgestone RE50's and I think they are even better, I'm very, very impressed with the Bridgestones.

Interesting, I'll take note of that for my next change. With 370+ hp, chances are it'll be sooner than my wallet expects...:cheesy:

Best regards,

KK

 

[KKAero]

NoLike I said I was just a bit confused as I have never had any problems with them at all but I'm running the stock suspension. Was just wondering if yours was lowered as that will affect the suspension geometry slightly in which case different tyres do sometimes grip better and wear better. The main reason for asking really is I am wanting to get lowered sus for my car and don't want to be using a tyre that needs replacing twice a week.

My current car is lowered (Koni/Eibach combo), previous one was stock MY03 9-5 Aero.

Best regards,

KK

 

[Katsura]

Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta, and Goodyear Eagle FSD3, Had both and I prefer Sessenta but the Eagle is great trye as well. The Sessenta is a little more grippy and feel more sure footed in wet.