Re: Advice on Rain Tyres

[Jim Griffin <JGriff@pobox.com>]

At 10:00 AM 12/07/96 -0500, you wrote:
>My wife has a Jetta VR6 with the original Eagle GAs and, living in Florida,
>we have found that these are considerably less than ideal in the rain,
>aquaplaning at relatively low speeds and generally providing little
>confidence.  Given that we have so much rain down here and that my family's
>wellbeing is at stake, I am inclined to choose a tire which has wet weather
>handling and braking as its best attributes at the expense of longevity.  I
>would prefer not to have to change the BBS 15" rims that come with the car.
> The GAs are 205/50R15s.
>
>I would appreciate any informed opinions on what my best choice might be.
>
>I also noted some time back that some of you had found the NTW was prepared
>to compete with Tire Rack on pricing.  This would be helpful because the
>GAs will probably end their days on my Urq where the 4wd will hopefully
>compensate for their shortcomings!
>
>I look forward to your input!!

I hated the Goodyear Eagle GAs that were on my car when I got it. I couldn't
wait to replace them. I put on a set of Pirelli P4000 SuperTourings,
195/65/15 (OEM size), and they are great. Nice all-around tire, very quiet,
smooth (although they are best once they are warmed up a bit; on a cold
morning, they are like Fred Flintstone's tires...), and great in the rain. I
have no problem driving them at high speeds on the highway when it is
raining. I really don't feel that I have to slow down that much.

I also took these out on the track at LimeRock this past August. They did an
admirable job, for an all-season, touring tire. They took all the
punishment, and did not wear all that much. I feathered the fronts a bit,
but just rotated them to the back when I got home. No problems since. I
bought them at NTW for $99.00 apiece.

I would definitely buy another set.

Take care.

                             Jim Griffin
                      JGriff@pobox.com
  http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/4475
                        Maryland, USA
   "Perception is often stronger than reality!"
                               '92 100S
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