Quandary over Goodyear EfficientGrip

[mjt]

I discovered the Mk3 I bought earlier in the year had one tyre replaced with a Goodyear EfficientGrip. The others, all original, are ContiPremium Contact 2's. One of these, on the same axle as the Goodyear, has developed a slow puncture and is fairly heavily worn so needs to be replaced.

Ideally I'd choose to replace with another Goodyear so I have matched tyres on the axle but the reviews I've been reading suggest they're prone to sidewall bulges and the soft sidewalls affect the handling to some extent.

So now I have to decide: do I get a Goodyear fitted, which would be the cheaper option, or a pair of new Contis so I've got the same all round? What do you enthusiasts think?

[TomsFocus]

I bought a pair of part worn (6mm tread) EfficientGrips when I had a Mk4 Golf...they gave it even more understeer which I didn't think possible...   

I wouldn't chose them again, would spend the extra on something better personally!

[BOF]

I don't particularly like Goodyear EGs, but I'd be a lot happier if they were, say, £10 cheaper so take that in to account. Also I don't think that EGs are available in XL (not in my size anyway) and, certainly on the Mk 4, I feel that XLs are a better match than non-XLs.

I did have a sidewall bulge on one of my EGs where the tyres at the other end of the car (Barum Bravuris 2s in XL/97) probably had a bigger impact with the object in the road than the EGs and they showed no problem.

All that said,, the Conti PCs probably aren't Contis finest hour either (unless you like that kind of tyre) so I don't feel like I'm offering you easy options...

Can you describe what you really want from your tyres, and say what size the tyres are please?



 

[mjt]

Hmmm . . . . . seems this is going to be a difficult decision. I've pretty much decided not to go for the EG so it now boils down to whether I go for Contis, but I've found the Contact 2 has apparently been superseded by the Contact 5, so there'll still be some difference front-to-rear. The Contis don't seem to rate very well for wear. The alternative would be to go for a pair from another manufacturer with a view to replacing the other pair with the same at some future date, but if so which?

BOF, I'd say my priorities would be wet/dry grip, noise level and wear in that order. The size is 215/55 R16 93H.

I need to make a decision because the car's booked for a service, MOT, and 4-wheel alignment check in a couple of days.

 

[Typhoonf2]

i find the continentals wear down very quickly i only got 15k out of them. ive just replaced mine a few weeks ago with avon zv7 seems really good so far and wet grip is fantastic.

[williamweb]

I have Avons' zv5 on mine and can confirm they perform well in the wet and ware well.A good all round tyre in my opinion,there maybe a slight issue with road noise for some but I don't find it intrusive.

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[biff55]

5 hours ago, Typhoonf2 said:

i find the continentals wear down very quickly i only got 15k out of them. ive just replaced mine a few weeks ago with avon zv7 seems really good so far and wet grip is fantastic.

i have just this weekend had 2 avon zv7's fitted to the front wheels and they are remarkably quieter than the cheap garbage that came fitted to the car when i bought it.

i intend getting 2 more avons for the rear wheels at the end of summer

"A" rated for wet road grip and a very reasonable £55 fitted from Halfords autocentres..........

[BOF]

"...whether I go for Contis, but I've found the Contact 2 has apparently been superseded by the Contact 5..."

There seems to be a danger of confusion. You were talking about the PremumContact 2s, and there are also EcoContacts (and Sportcontacts though possibly not in your size...and even WinterContacts although I am sure that they are not relevant). These are quite different tyres.

You can still get PC2s, even if they mght be obsolescent, and given that they are more expensive than PC5s, usually, so I am not sure why you would. Mind you, the Contis are all a bit on the expensive side, so if you are worried about the cost maybe Contis should not be your first choice. (You might make the money back on the eco contacts over the life of the tyre with a longer tyre life and an improvement in fuel economy. Maybe. Although the grip is probably lower than the more mainstream options, so maybe you don't want that.

The ZV7s seem to be decently priced; I'd think their competition would tyres le Barum Bravuris 3, Hanook Ventus Prime 3 125, Toyo  Proxes CF2 (I didn't know the CF2 were avail in XL), Matador  MP 47 Hectorra 3 (not a fuel economy choice), Vredestein  Ultrac Satin might be a slightly more expensive but decent choce. Goodyear  Efficient Grip Performance are available in your size, and while in principle, they are only a mild upgrade on the plain Efficient Grips the fact that they available in the higher load rating should mean that the sidewall bulges are a bt less likely. Yokohama  BluEarth-A (AE50) ought to be decent, too.

Dunlop  Sport BluResponse or Pirelli  Cinturato P7 Blue are probably as fuel economical as you are likely to get but are already a bit expensive with the Dunlops being quieter. Michelin  Primacy 3 probably fairly similar but a bit less economical but a bit more expensive and bit longer life.

by the time that you get to a Uniroyal  Rainsport 3 you get to grippy tyres that wear out a bit quickly possbly wth less steering precision. I can't see the more obvious performance choices (GY Eagle F1 Assy 3 and 2 Dunlop RT2 and RT and Cont SC5) in this size but maybe  haven't looked hard enough. In any case these are the grippy but higher wear options.

You can get 93 and 97 (XL) rated tyres in that size and if you can I  would definitely go for the 97s.

 

 

[drsdriver]

Why not change the tyre size down to 205/55/16 ? 

Thats what I have done on my mk3 . ,much cheaper., than 215/55/16.

caused no issues with my Titanium. The new mk3.5 use 205/55/16 too. 

I also use Goodyear efficient grip performance, can purchase for £50 each on amazon. 

No problems with handling, much better on the fuel consumption too. Great for rolling resistance. 

[TomsFocus]

Can't fault Dunlop Sport BluResponse on mine...  Excellent wet grip, even if you're being a complete idiot on a soaking wet day (not that I'd know of course), stiff sidewalls for sharp turn in and decent longevity as well, looks like I'll get at least 20k from a full set with rotation. 

I would ignore the fuel efficiency ratings though, they really don't make a difference, I swapped from Hankook Ventus' (which I didn't like in the rain tbh) to these with no change in MPG.  Equally the cheap Nangkangs on the ST (for dry use only haha) have an F rating for efficiency and it's averaging 35mpg which is about the most I'd expect from it anyway lol.  Not really sure where the ratings come from but I doubt there's anything scientific behind them!

[mjt]

Hi BOF, wow, that's given me a lot of food for thought! Thanks for that.

Quote

There seems to be a danger of confusion. You were talking about the PremiumContact 2s, and there are also EcoContacts (and Sportcontacts though possibly not in your size...and even WinterContacts although I am sure that they are not relevant). These are quite different tyres.

One of the reviews I was reading said the PremiumContact2 has been superseded by the PremiumContact5 and among the comments one contributor claimed the 5's he'd handled were lighter (in weight) than the 2's so, he thought, probably had thinner sidewalls. That would make them more supple and therefore more comfortable and less noisy but at the expense of responsiveness.

Graham, according to my calculations that change would cause the speedo to read an additional 1.7% fast, about 1mph at 70mph. Ok, that's not much but in any case I wouldn't want to do that because I'm not changing all four and a mixture of sizes could affect front/rear balance. It might upset the ABS too.

Thanks everyone for your contributions. Decision time tomorrow.

[drsdriver]

Yes it has made my speedo read faster , 74mph on the speedo is 70mph against a sat nav speed. Less chance of getting done for speeding then 👍

Some cars do have different sizes on the front to the rear.. But like you I wouldn't want different sizes front to rear. 

Cant fault the Goodyears thou. 

[mjt]

Decision day. I've rung the service department, explained the situation and requested a pair of Avon ZV7's. They asked for an alternative if they can't get them so I've chosen Contis (on reflection maybe I should've suggested the Dunlops). I'm just waiting to hear back from them.

Edit: just heard they can supply the Avons, but (gulp) at £100.30 each inc. fitting. Anyway I've said go ahead. The car goes in for the service & MOT tomorrow and I don't really want to mess around looking for a tyre fitting depot with a cheaper price today.

[williamweb]

I'm having two Avons fitted to rear soon,I paid £144 last time with all four wheels balanced at my local.

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[pky]

I know opinions and A-holes and all that but I'd rank the 4 different tyre brands/models on longevity, grip etc as follows. 

1= Dunlop bluresponse sport

1= Goodyear efficient grip 

2= Pirelli Cinturato P7

3= Avon ZV7 (noisy, lasted 15000 ish with rotation.)

I do 30,000 a year plus and with rotation the Goodyears last a full 12 months 2 years running. I do mostly motorway and don't drive like a loon on the twisters so I cannot confirm or deny soft sidewall problems. 

[artscot79]

yet no one mentions verdestian sportrac 5 they narrowly missed 1st place and came 2nd in all the tests yet are a quarter of the price I had them all year round extremely grippy in dry or wet no understeer thanks to harder sidewalls quieter than the OEM tyres I loved them they beat all ure Avon continents etc

[mjt]

Last year I tried to get some Vredestein (note spelling, Arthur) Sportrac 5's for our other Focus but found that no-one in my area stocked them and they would have to be ordered in specially. That's one reason why I didn't consider them on this occasion as I needed something quickly. They do get very good reviews though.

From the reviews I've read it seems Vredestein are Indian-owned now.

[BOF]

This site with its non-functioning editing is a right pain!

 

Anyway, although this doesn't help immediately, I think you ought to find a cheaper place to buy tyres.
 

[mjt]

Editing works all right for me.

I would normally phone round for the best deal but on this occasion I found myself too short of time so I've had no real alternative to the inflated (pardon the pun) prices of a Ford main dealer.

Similarly I usually use a small independent garage for my servicing but as this is a newly-acquired car and not that old I was a bit concerned they might not be up to speed with the technology.

[Dave1981]

I've just had all 4 Michelin premecy 3 tyres changed to dunlop sport blue responce.  Massive improvement!! 

[itsrelfy]

I've had a full set of Hankook Ventus v12 Evo2 on my car for about 18 months now and I think they are excellent tyres. I do about 18-20000 miles a year and they still have a fair amount of tread left and the grip from them is amazing. 

 

Fuel consumption is as good as the michellins they replaced. They may be slightly noisier but they are not noisy. The car is still pretty quiet. 

 

All in all they were about 80-100 cheaper than a full set of michellins and I'm well impressed. 

[dave1987]

I have 4 Goodyear EG on my focus mk3 and have had no issues whatsoever. 10k in and just over half worn.

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[Jeremyc]

I strongly recommend uniroyal rainsport 3. Literally the best

[mjt]

The Avons are on and it's all done and dusted. Thanks to everyone for your contributions.

[mjt]

Thought I'd just post an update on this. Since fitting the Avons it seems to me that the car is less stable. It feels a lot more twitchy and sensitive to crosswinds and tramlines and seems to sway a lot when changing direction. The effect is as if the new tyres have more flex in them than the Contis on the front thereby causing the tail to wag. I've obviously carefully checked all the pressures and they've run for several hundred miles now so are scrubbed in. I'm thinking of swapping them onto the front to see if that will make any difference.