I need some new tyres for the front of the Golf & I've done plenty of research over the past couple of days but have still got a couple of questions. Having read a lot of reviews & opinions I've narrowed my decision to either Goodyear Eagle GSD3's or Toyo T1R's.

They both seem pretty similar but the main difference I can tell (please correct me if I'm wrong at all in this post) is that the Goodyears have a rim protector which means that they are designed to stop alloys getting scuffed. At home I park by the side of the house & it's a tight squeeze between the house & this little brick-high thing with flowers in between us & next door & I occasionally touch that wall type thing, which I always worry about damaging the tyre. Would it be best to get the Goodyear because they're better equipped to deal with this or the Toyo because they're narrower & so shouldn't scrape the bricks as many times?

A question about the speed rating now, the tyres I've got on (which I think are the same as standard) are Z rated so my gut instinct is to replace them with another set of Z rated tyres but according to parkers my car can only do 134 mph & I've never even got close to that so is that a bit excessive or would it be best to replace them with Z rated ones anyway? Generally speaking, are the Z rated a similar price to V & W rated?

Finally, the tyres I've got are 205/65 ZR16, what does the Z bit mean? I've got 1 on the rear that is made by a company with a Japanese-sounding name that I’ve never heard of & that is just an R16, what’s the difference?

As always, any advice greatly appreciated

Thanks

I'm having exactly the same dilema. Also narrowed it down to the Toyos or the Goodyears. And possibly the Dunlops SP9000s that I already have on the Celica.

I have heard elsewhere that the Goodyears are better on heavy cars, the Toyos better on light ones, but not sure exactly what that's based on. I feel there's probably something in it.

Again, my current tyres are a very high rating. If I go down a rating to the Toyos or Goodyears I'll still have tyres that are rated higher than the car's top speed.

Z in ZR16 is the speed rating you mentioned. The R means Radial.

I'd personally go with Kuhmo KU-31s for about half the price!!! Much beter then previous Good years, pirrellis and toyos I have had.

Although the Goodyears have a rim protector.. if you were to hit a kerb you can still damage your rims, they are not all that usefull in everyday situations.. you still have to be carefull.

The speed rating of tyres is important.. especially in the eyes of insurance companies (some can be quite particular about it).. however, you will find that there may not be that much of a price difference between V,Z and W rated tyres... you may also find that it is the lower speed rated tyre that costs slightly more.. this is because the manufacturers make more of the higher rated tyres in certain sizes which makes production costs cheaper.

Z = Speed Symbol.. 156MPH (iirc)



Tyres have a load rating as well as a speed rating.. the higher the load rating the more weight the tyre can take... the load rating is the number on the sidewall after the size..E.G 205x55r16 91W.. 91 = a load rating of 615KG (multiplied by 4 = the max full load)




A very good cheaper alternative.. a very popular tyre at my work, and we get very good feedback from customers who have bought them.

Just phoned the tyre place & he said the Goodyears are excellent but recommended some Nexens as the same quality but a bit cheaper, he's put some on my dad's BMW & has got them on his car he said. Also they're in stock & the Goodyears aren't & my tyres are edging towards the limit so I'm keen to get them changed as soon as possible so I've booked to get them changed on Monday for £110 + VAT for the pair. He didn't think much of the Toyos though, which is odd because near enough every1 who's had them think they're great

Nexen N2000 & N3000 both have a very similar tread pattern to the Goodyear F1, My boss had them fitted to his Espace and they done very well.. I wouldn't say they are as good as the Goodyears but, certainly a descent cheaper alternative if you need tyres right away.