Hi,
I realise that this is quite an emotive subject, but it's time to replace the tyres on my 2010 2.2 sport (225/45/18). I have been looking on the likes of BlackCircles and TyreShopper and have narrowed it down to 3 possibles:
1. Dunlop SP Sport 01 - based on same vendor as OEM, and mid price (~£160each)
2. Continental Sport Contact 3 - Have had the SC2's before and happy with them, but are pricey at £190 each
3. Hankook / Falken / Kumho budget options - based on being more cost effective.
I bought an 18" alloy as a spare and put a Falken Ziex912 on it as a cheap asymetric tyre to make sure it worked well with the SP2050's on the car originally, but luckily have never had the need to use it so don't know if it's absolutely useless or not. But it's UTQ numbers show the same traction and temperature ratings as the 2050's but with better wear (360 plays 280) figures. I note that the RE040/RE050 bridgestones they now use for OEM's have a treadwear figure of only 140 so although they may be grippy they probably won't last long.
I spend 99% of the time on the motorway, so noise and wear are more important than ultimate grip in the corners - Any suggestions / input / prefernces out there?
Thanks
Garry