Quote:
Originally Posted by oldnick
now he tells us !
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I told as soon as found out myself, not to worry it's on demand now.
Fair and positive review on S8. You should not expect much of the handling on the car of this size and weight even if it is S version it's still a limousine and it's not RS version.
What I found more interesting was the tyre test. I have been feeling for long time that most of modern tyres are designed more towards economy and CO2 figures, less for grip. You can see it when you look at tread pattern as well, it's mostly radial grooves and not much cross groves which is good for steering and displacing standing water, not so much for braking. Interesting that partworns did the best in wet braking test, 2 winter tyres did make a lot of difference. They recommended to stay away from partworn tyres but I don't see problem using them as long as you choose wisely. I have only bought 10 new tyres ever, 2 sets and a pair. I would never recommend using different tyres on the same axle and never to mix winter and summer tyres. In many countries you have to have same make and model tyre on the same axle and I totally agree with that. It's best if all 4 are the same but 2 similar pairs are OK as well with the better ones going on the back.
I have ContiSport 3 for summer on A6 and they are good allrounders but do lack grip on wet, cold and off tarmac be it gravel or grass. Good Year Eagle F1 on S8 are pretty much the same but difference between warm and cold is bigger with them being rubbish in cold. I have winter set for A6 and they are still on since October 2x Vredestein and 2x Continental but only 1 summer set for S8 as it doses not get used much. You only get a couple of hot days in summer and there is a lot of rain in UK so winter tyres are more suited for most of the year so I think going forward I will only use 1 set of tyres on each car and they will be winter tyres all year round. They will age quicker, produce more noise and will be not that good at fuel economy but will provide best grip most of the time and with the little mileage I do 8-12k miles per year on A6 and 2-3k on S8 It is not economical to keep 2 sets as they just get old and hard before tread wears down and need to be replaced anyway. The favourites of mine was Michelin Alpin A4 which were very good in winter and when the tread wore below 4mm I used them in summer and they were very good at that as well and lasted a lot better than I expected as I was thinking they would wear out fast in summer, I bought them part worn in 16" for £120 a set including mounting and balancing, did 2 winters and summer on them around 20k miles in total and still had 2-3mm left when took off, sold 2 off the better ones on e-bay for £10+£12P&P , disposed 1 and used 1 as a planter in garden.
So after all this banter my next tyre choice will be set of 4 matched second hand Michelin winter tyres if I can get them at reasonable price. I will be looking for at least 6mm of tread, no more than 3 years (preferably less than 2) since manufacturing, no damage and preferably no repairs, will pay up to £160 set of 4 for 17" for A6 and up to £200 for 19" for S8.