# Tires for MkV GTI



## burtonownz (Jul 21, 2005)

Hey guys, my stock 2007 GTI tires (Continental contiprocontact 225/45 r17) are starting to get down to the ends of their lives so I have two questions:
1) The tires have only a little over 25k miles on them, all I do is highway driving (I really don't spin them ever), does that seem typical?
2) I'm looking for a tire to replace all four of them for $110/tire or so, I just need them to last a while and most of my driving will be in the hot Texas summer so I won't be seeing much snow or rain. Have any suggestions for tires you like?
Thanks,
Charlie


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## AHFlynn (Apr 6, 2008)

*Re: Tires for MkV GTI (burtonownz)*

tire rack is the best thing ever for buying tires, just look up the best ones and pick based on pricing. and ive been through 3 sets of tires in 25k with 2 cars that had a combined total of 230hp, so it depends on things other than spinning tires haha. do you corner hard at all? handbrake turn? drive "spiritedly"?


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## cxg231 (Sep 24, 2002)

*Re: Tires for MkV GTI (burtonownz)*

1) yes
2) Like the other guy said, do some research on tirerack.com, but I would go with these. General Exclaim UHP - 380 treadwear, so you should get about 30,000 miles out of them, and they are only $91 each. Just don't try to drive in the snow, if you get any. These are summer (three season) tires.


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## improvius (Mar 6, 2001)

*Re: Tires for MkV GTI (cxg231)*


_Quote, originally posted by *cxg231* »_1) yes
2) Like the other guy said, do some research on tirerack.com, but I would go with these. General Exclaim UHP - 380 treadwear, so you should get about 30,000 miles out of them, and they are only $91 each. Just don't try to drive in the snow, if you get any. These are summer (three season) tires.

http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif And technically, I think they are rated for snow. Though you'd be an idiot to test that in anything other than an emergency situation.


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## SpecialFX (Aug 20, 2006)

*FV-QR*

My stock contis are at 46,000 miles and are just about to hit the wear bars. 25k seems kind of low
I am getting Dunlop SPs put on tomorrow that were $106 each on sale from tire rack.
I made a thread a month or so ago if you want to look it up and see what people were recommending


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## uncle_scott (Oct 12, 2009)

My stock Conti's were gone at 25k as well. Replaces with Toyo Proxies 4 tires. They have held up well for about 15k so far.


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## TooFitToQuit (Jun 6, 2003)

*Re: (uncle_scott)*

Exclaims SUCK. I prefer discount tire over tirerack as they actually have stores that install and they will beat any tirerack price. Plus they sell Falken.


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## squitiere (Sep 18, 2006)

*FV-QR*


_Quote, originally posted by *cxg231* »_
2) Like the other guy said, do some research on tirerack.com


Just don't go buying Dunlop Z1 Star specs if you're looking for good treadlife


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## ChachiV (Jun 25, 2008)

*Re: FV-QR (squitiere)*

I have Nitto Invos on mine, got em in April. Great tires, very sticky but now almost down to the wearbars, 13,000 miles later


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## Das Borgen (Sep 10, 2008)

*FV-QR*

get the stretchypokeslammedwutlolz kind


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## mookieblaylock (Sep 25, 2005)

i had to replace one of the continentals, it was over 200 bucks, what a rip


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## abbeybluegti (Jul 7, 2003)

*Re: (mookieblaylock)*

I replaced the craptacular Bridgestone Potenzas with Yokohama S. Drives and i couldn't be happier. They are quite for y rated tires have a good tread life rating, quite and excellent in the rain. I agonized for a couple of weeks over making the right decision because of how bad the stock tires were. Got mine from Soulspeed in Austin. If you are anywhere in Central Texas they are worth making the drive for.


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## Travis Grundke (May 26, 1999)

*Re: Tires for MkV GTI (cxg231)*

I will also vouch for the General Exclaim UHPs. I have had them on my '06 A3 for about 30,000 miles now and they've been fantastic. I'm just about due for replacements come spring.

_Quote, originally posted by *cxg231* »_1) yes
2) Like the other guy said, do some research on tirerack.com, but I would go with these. General Exclaim UHP - 380 treadwear, so you should get about 30,000 miles out of them, and they are only $91 each. Just don't try to drive in the snow, if you get any. These are summer (three season) tires.


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## Spax MC (Oct 26, 2006)

*Re: Tires for MkV GTI (Travis Grundke)*

25k is very low for contipros....they have a 400 rating
my dads rabbit has 29k on them and they have about half thread left
fiance has 15k on hers and they look brand new


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## windsorblue (Jul 23, 2001)

*Re: Tires for MkV GTI (Spax MC)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Spax MC* »_25k is very low for contipros....they have a 400 rating
my dads rabbit has 29k on them and they have about half thread left
fiance has 15k on hers and they look brand new









Yeah, 25K seems a bit low but the OP says he likes in Texas. IIRC, Texas highways are concrete, wich MAY(?) wear the tires a bit more quickly, my best friend and his wife have a Jetta TDI that has ove 40k on ProContacts, and they will be replacing them within the week.
I'm currently shopping for replacment summer tires for my wife's GTI, to replace the seemingly not-intended-for-FWD Bridgestone RE050s. The Conti ExtremeContact DW recieved rave reviews on tirerack's site from a southern highway commuter with driving some sort of small, sporty FWD car(civic, 3, GTI, etc). He said they were quiet and smooth riding, reasonably fun on back roads, good treadwear but the sidewalls were a bit soft. Should be comparable to the ProContacts but with a little more stick, and not at all intended for snow use.
Hope this helps


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## GT17V (Aug 7, 2001)

*Re: Tires for MkV GTI (burtonownz)*


_Quote, originally posted by *burtonownz* »_Hey guys, my stock 2007 GTI tires (Continental contiprocontact 225/45 r17) are starting to get down to the ends of their lives so I have two questions:
1) The tires have only a little over 25k miles on them, all I do is highway driving (I really don't spin them ever), does that seem typical?
2) I'm looking for a tire to replace all four of them for $110/tire or so, I just need them to last a while and most of my driving will be in the hot Texas summer so I won't be seeing much snow or rain. Have any suggestions for tires you like?
Thanks,
Charlie


At that price range & driving conditions....I had Kumho ECSTA SPT's on my old MKIV Golf (w/ 225/45r17). Was quite happy. UTQG wear rating of about 300.... so I got decent life from them, noise was reasonable for a UHP summer tire.


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## GodSquadMandrake (Feb 17, 2004)

*Re: Tires for MkV GTI (windsorblue)*

I like Continental Contisport Contact 3's for a summer tire, winter tires only for winter of course.


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## Accidental L8 apex (Sep 26, 2008)

*Re: Tires for MkV GTI (cxg231)*


_Quote, originally posted by *cxg231* »_General Exclaim UHP - 380 treadwear, so you should get about 30,000 miles out of them, 

Treadwear ratings are different from each mfr. to each mfr.. There is no "across the board" standard, so you can really only compare one brand's rating to that same brand. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## cxg231 (Sep 24, 2002)

*Re: Tires for MkV GTI (Accidental L8 apex)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Accidental L8 apex* »_
Treadwear ratings are different from each mfr. to each mfr.. There is no "across the board" standard, so you can really only compare one brand's rating to that same brand. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 

That's why I said "about" 30,000 miles.








They really do need a government-standardized test for tread wear though. I got ~24,000 miles out of a set of 280 rated continentals, and now I have a set of 200 rated Dunlops, and I'll be lucky to get 7,000 miles out of those. Tread wear ratings are a joke. http://****************.com/smile/emthdown.gif


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## GTI-DNA (Feb 18, 2006)

*Re: Tires for MkV GTI (windsorblue)*


_Quote, originally posted by *windsorblue* »_

I'm currently shopping for replacment summer tires for my wife's GTI, to replace the seemingly not-intended-for-FWD Bridgestone RE050s. 


Don't like the Bridgestones, huh??








But seriously,25,000 miles seems a little low. Do you do regular rotation/balance? Keep tire pressures in check?
My GTI came with the RE050 PP and I have yet to hit the wear bars and have 40,000 on my car (32-35,000 on the RE's, the rest on my winters) but check pressures weekly and keep allignment within factory specs.


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## Straz85 (Sep 2, 2003)

Stock Contis on my Mk5 had around 40k at replacement, could have gotten another 5 or so, but had a blowout and replaced all 4 as I was making a 3000 mile trip and felt more comfortable with 4 new tires. Ended up with General Exclaim UHP's. Very happy with them, they did provide a rougher ride, but much better traction in all but snow and extreme cold. (Note: These were originally on my GTI then swapped to my fiance's Mk5 Jetta when I got new wheels for the GTI, the 40k miles was a total between the two, and the Generals are now on her car).


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## SlvrAroGLX (Jun 29, 2002)

*Re: (Straz85)*

just replaced the dunlops at 40k.. replaced with toyo proxes 4... good tires!


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## clutch_dust (Apr 24, 2007)

*Re: Tires for MkV GTI (burtonownz)*

I highly recommend the BFG G-Force Sport. I had a few friends in Texas with the same problem. One guy had a new Rabbit and his factory tires were gone in two months. Those tires just suck. The BFG's I had on my '03 were the best tires I've ever had. Quiet, sticky, and after 20k, you'd swear they were still brand new!
Edited 'cuz I'm stupid.


_Modified by clutch_dust at 11:19 PM 1-2-2010_


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## dumpedmk3 (Nov 4, 2008)

*Re: Tires for MkV GTI (clutch_dust)*

I had the 22/40/18 conti sport 2's. Wore out in about 30k.
Replaced with cooper zeons. 80k warranty from my job. Doubt I will get that though.


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## 65dunebuggy (Jan 22, 2008)

*Re: FV-QR (squitiere)*


_Quote, originally posted by *squitiere* »_
Just don't go buying Dunlop Z1 Star specs if you're looking for good treadlife








 
dang thats what i was going to buy hoping to get about 30k out of a good set but what did u get from them??


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## B3passatBMX (Feb 27, 2004)

*Re: (DarthVader)*


_Quote, originally posted by *DarthVader* »_Exclaims SUCK. I prefer discount tire over tirerack as they actually have stores that install and they will beat any tirerack price. Plus they sell Falken. 

Why do you say that? I've always heard they are a great tire for the money. Asking cause I was considering them this summer.


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## TooFitToQuit (Jun 6, 2003)

*Re: (B3passatBMX)*


_Quote, originally posted by *B3passatBMX* »_
Why do you say that? I've always heard they are a great tire for the money. Asking cause I was considering them this summer.









Maybe it was the car they were on (2000 Mustang GT), but they did nothing well. I guess when you need a tire to keep the wheel off the asphalt it works. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## windsorblue (Jul 23, 2001)

*Re: Tires for MkV GTI (GTI-DNA)*


_Quote, originally posted by *GTI-DNA* »_
Don't like the Bridgestones, huh??








But seriously,25,000 miles seems a little low. Do you do regular rotation/balance? Keep tire pressures in check?
My GTI came with the RE050 PP and I have yet to hit the wear bars and have 40,000 on my car (32-35,000 on the RE's, the rest on my winters) but check pressures weekly and keep allignment within factory specs.









I think the Bridgestones have about 10,000mi on them and they sound like the all of the wheel bearings are about to fall out of the car. I was sure it was the tires when the car got nearly as quiet as our A4 after I installed the winter tires!!! 
I don't check pressures weekly but usually 1-2 times a month, car is aligned to EU specs with EU springs and bumpstops. Tires have plenty of tread, but I'm done with them. If you read the reviews on TR they seem fine on RWD cars, but terrible on FWD.


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## cxg231 (Sep 24, 2002)

*Re: FV-QR (65dunebuggy)*


_Quote, originally posted by *65dunebuggy* »_ 
dang thats what i was going to buy hoping to get about 30k out of a good set but what did u get from them??

I'm going to get about 7,000 miles (and a few auto-x events) out of my dunlop star specs. They are basically R compound tires with a 200 tread wear slapped on them as some sort of joke from the dunlop engineers. Great comp tire, way too soft for the street IMO.


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## CandyWhiteTSi (Jul 22, 2004)

*Re: FV-QR (cxg231)*

I am in the same boat... I really want Star Specs but they will be overkill for what I will be using them for (Daily driving)... If I decide to get into any events I will purchase some for the stock Denvers, but for my new wheels I will look elsewhere...


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## Kong99 (Jul 3, 2008)

*Re: FV-QR (CandyWhiteTSi)*

Same boat, put Dunlop Star Spec on last Nov. Fantastic grip, a little noisy, got about 15k out of them. I looked at what was suggested at Tire Rack and Discount Tire and the tire I am leaning towards right now is the Continental ExtremeContact DW. The local tuner shop suggests Vredestein Ultrac Cento.
I'm looking for longer wear (30k), little to no noise, and good grip. I am assuming that whatever I get will not have the same cornering performance as the Dunlops.


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## burtonownz (Jul 21, 2005)

Thanks for all the help! Before I posted I did do some searching on tirerack and discount tire. I'd already been looking at the Conti ExtremeContact DW's as a possibility, I'll definitely be adding the BFG's and Exclaims to my list of choices.
Also, I have kept the tire pressure up-to-snuff and the tires have been rotated 3 times since I got the car with 8k miles on it. Although, I think the car does need to be aligned, anyone have that done at the dealer and know how much it costs?
When I said "spin" I guess I meant to imply that I really don't corner hard or do any "spirited" daily driving, save for maybe less than a handful of occasions.
Thanks,
Charlie


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## jmcovelo91 (Jul 8, 2008)

Sumitomo HTRZ 2's FTW! very good tires jus bought em


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## VMRWheels (Aug 11, 2009)

*FV-QR*

check out the General UHP's or the Kumho SPT's, both are bang for the buck summer performance tires. Tirerack.com is also a great resource, there's actually a tirerack rep here on vortex you can ask for help http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## hyeedo818 (Mar 10, 2009)

*Re: Tires for MkV GTI (burtonownz)*

25k on contiprocontact is amazing
I have hardly 9,000 miles and all 4 of my p235 17'' continentals are pretty much left with minimum thread.
I don't spin them but i corner a lot


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