Looking for recommendations for tires in size 185/55 R15 suitable for TDI vehicles

Hello everyone,

Currently, my odometer reads 43,500 km, and the original tires are nearing the end of their lifespan (as mentioned in a previous thread, I swapped the front and rear tires when they reached 20,000 km). There's now just under 4 mm of tread left, and I don't want to drive much longer with them like that.

I'm looking for tires in size 185/55/15 with a speed index of H that...

- have the lowest possible rolling resistance.

- For the Ibiza TDI (front axle load: 800 kg, rear axle load: 400 kg), aim for the longest possible lifespan.

- not too expensive.

As original equipment, the car came with Firehawk 700 tires, which lasted for the aforementioned 43,500 km (I think I'll probably get them to around 45,000 km). Based on a thread I started back then, this seems to be in line with the average lifespan of TDI tires. Of course, it would be great if the new ones lasted longer...

The driving profile is "normal," meaning no aggressive acceleration from traffic lights, wheelspin during starts, or drifting around corners. Instead, it includes occasional short bursts of speed ("WoWa"), and occasionally exploiting the full torque (which still puts strain on the tires even without wheelspin), as well as quick highway merges.

Do you have any good suggestions?

Best regards,

Jan, who ignores the new spelling rules and writes "Tip" with a "P".

P.S.: Would you trust A * U to change a tire, or would you rather not?

I have tried several tire brands as a frequent cyclist. There simply isn't one that is perfect.
About a year ago, I was swayed by various reviews and decided to buy a...
Spending the right amount of money on 'brand-name tires' (Vredestein Sportrac 2). Those things were really great.
(great in wet conditions/when braking) and still relatively comfortable.

However, this completely flawed 'suspension' system on the Passat mercilessly destroys every tire.
Now I have about 6/8 mm of tread left (front and rear), but the tires are really wide. There are saw marks all over them, and they're completely worn out.
'The vehicle exhibits significant body movements (sometimes to a frightening extent (*)). However, the suspension is properly adjusted.'
and the shock absorbers are okay (replaced regularly). At the customer-friendly, I was told that this was a...
Known issue with my car model (especially the wagon/estate version): I'm supposed to check the tire pressure every 5,000 km.
to have them swapped out one after another. I then asked him if that was possible with my mileage.
because it would still be included in the service...

Now I've decided to really not spend any more money than necessary and I'm at BARUM.
landed (a consumer brand from Conti) and was pleasantly surprised. Definitely not top-of-the-line tires, but...
Not nearly as precise as the Vredestein tires. But you get used to it.
They are more comfortable and quieter than other options, but I haven't been able to assess their durability or wear yet.
viel sagen. Aber vom Preis/Leistungsverhältnis aus betrachtet sind die BARUM IMO fair. Highest.
I have also tested it on the highway to check the speed - it's not really that bad.
But that's not really my preferred or frequently used speed range anyway.

Chris.

(*) especially at the rear axle.

P.S.

Ich bin 'nagelneu' hier und finde das Forum ist eine prima Wissensquelle. Thank you.
Unfortunately, there is no 'off-topic' section where new users can briefly introduce themselves.
Therefore, I'm quickly writing here.

hello jan,

Okay, what can I say? I drove the Passat 35i for a long time. When I first got it, it had Dunlop tires on it, which were almost new. They were great to drive on. Unfortunately, they didn't last very long, and the well-known 'sawtooth' tread pattern made the tires wear out quickly. Then I switched to the Firestone Firehawk, which is already mentioned a lot. That was my biggest mistake so far. Even with really careful driving, they only lasted 20,000 km. Not because they were worn down. No! Despite having correct alignment and tracking, the tires wore out on the inside. I've read about this problem quite often here and on Motor Talk, especially with Golfs and Passats. Then I put on a Pirelli tire, which was very good and is still running. It now has about 45,000 km.The EGR valve is stuck, and the profile is still at 6/8 (v/hi).

'On my PD Passat, I use the original Continental tires. I managed to find two sets at a very cheap price on eBay. They're certainly not the absolute top-of-the-line tires, but I'm satisfied with them. They have good wet grip and are excellent overall in my opinion. The first set has 50,000 km (approximately 31,000 miles) on it and shows about 5/6 of the tread remaining (front/rear). This is considering fairly frequent stop-and-go driving and at least 7,000 km (approximately 4,350 miles) driven in winter conditions.'

My friend who's really into tires swears by Pneumant. I took a look at the new model, and it looks great, has excellent rolling resistance, and is also quiet. It's also reasonably priced. Many Passat drivers I know use Pneumant tires without any major problems.

Sorry for the Passat overload!

Oh yes: why not go to ATU? They probably have another discount promotion soon. You won't get new tires much cheaper anywhere else. And even ATU can't really mess up the mounting process too badly...

Hi Joergs,

Did your Firehawk tires last for 20,000 miles with the tread (meaning 2 x 10,000 miles), or were they worn out on the front axle after 20,000 miles? Or was there uneven wear on all four tires?

My first 20,000 kilometers wore down the front tires to just over 4 mm, and the next 23,000 kilometers wore down the other two. There's no noticeable wear on the rear tires; probably the Ibi is too light for them to experience significant wear.

"I don't have any problems with uneven wear and tear; apparently, the suspension isn't overly complex yet, to the point where it could cause issues. According to rumors and part numbers, it seems to be a combination of components from the Golf 2 and Golf 3."

So, based on that, Conti, Barum, Pirelli, and Pneumant would be recommended right now... let's see what other opinions come up.

Okay... well, you could just let the aluminum foil fall to the floor...

Best regards,

Jan.

They were only on the front axle. I had them installed in the spring, and then shortly before switching to winter tires, I noticed a problem during a repair of the driveshaft. The rear tires were completely fine, except that they had lost a little tread. As I said, the front axle geometry was perfectly okay. It was even checked again after the issue was discovered, and it was still perfectly within specifications. The problem wasn't related to the shock absorbers either. They were brand new Sensatrac gas shock absorbers.
Well, if the trainee or someone undergoing retraining is putting on tires for the first time, then the alloy wheels might occasionally fall off.

Hi,

Regarding durability, I've had good experiences with Michelin tires on Golf II and III models (gasoline engines with 66 and 85 kW), and very good experiences with Dunlop. The relatively high price becomes less of an issue when you consider the longevity.

The latter, as SP 2000 Sport in size 205/50 R15, I used on the III for 6 and a half years. After approximately 65,000 km of summer use only, they were still quite good , with about 3-4 mm of tread left all around. However, they were swapped axle by axle every spring after switching from winter to summer tires. The Michelin winter tires in size 195/50 R15 had approximately 6 mm of remaining tread after about 30,000 km and were relatively "easy" to sell again. .

Only the dealer grumbled something about cracks forming on the Dunlop tires when taking the car as a trade-in. That makes sense, considering its age.

Sawtooth formation? Never heard of it before buying my Golf IV.

Okay, and just so you know: even though this might be off-topic, I've had very good experiences with Fulda Kristall Gravito (which unfortunately is no longer available), Toyo Snowtrac, and Goodyear UltraGrip winter tires. Last winter, I drove about 25,000 km on the A9 highway in the latter, and the tread wear was barely noticeable...

Goodyear UltraGrip 6 RULES!!!
They might not be the cheapest option, but they ride like they're on rails.

Hi there,
Then, if I may add my two cents...
Personally, I have had the best experiences with Michelin tires, even on cars that are known for "eating" through their tires due to their suspension characteristics (e.g., Passat 32B, 35i, etc.). They offer above-average lifespan and acceptable driving characteristics, especially in wet conditions.
This year, I tried the somewhat more affordable Michelin Energy tires and I'm thrilled with their rolling resistance. Perhaps the Pirellis that were on before had an extremely high rolling resistance, at least in a direct comparison with the same driving style, I noticed a fuel consumption reduction of almost half a liter per 100 km. (Besides that, the Pirellis (P6000) were so noisy due to wear and a poorly designed tread pattern that I was even considering replacing the wheel bearings...)
It seems that the quality at Conti varies greatly depending on the batch. Both my last set of winter tires and the summer tires on our company's Passat have developed cracks in the tread grooves after about 2 years (the tire pressure was always correct). According to a tire specialist, this is not an isolated case and appears to happen more frequently.

I only had Firestone tires once; they were so noisy that I sold them after one summer to someone else.

I also had Goodyear tires on my car once (the Eagle NCT5). They were excellent in the rain, but they only had average mileage.

"On my 'summer car' (a Fiat 124), I've been using Kleber Viaxer tires since last year; so far, I've only had good experiences. They wear evenly despite the soft suspension, and they offer good grip even in wet conditions."

I'm completely done with ATU. I won't even let them change my oil there, let alone attempt to have them mount or balance a tire. Last year, I tried to buy two tires for my wife's car from one of their so-called "discount" promotions, but the DOT numbers indicated they were only 3 years old...

Regards,
Olli.

Goodyear Ultragrip 6 RULES!!!
They might not be the cheapest, but they drive like on rails.

That's how it is! I chose the UG because I got a 25% discount, and then it was considerably cheaper than everything else.

My advice: Stay away from Michelin! They are very expensive, last a long time, but offer very little grip in wet conditions. The budget tires from Dunlop are the same kind of junk (just ask Gremlin about his 200E).

My favorite in your size: Conti Premium Contact. Very quiet, lasts a long time (so far we've gotten 15,000 km without measurable wear, even with heavy use), and performs well in wet conditions (although the SportContact 2 is slightly better). Plus, the tire is affordable. I paid around €80 for a set of 205/55/16 at the tire shop, so yours should be even more reasonably priced.

I would strongly advise against buying tires from Barum based on various tests I've seen.

(...) Based on various tests, I can only advise against buying tires from Barum.
I'm interested in your experiences. What are the criticisms or shortcomings?

Chris.

Yep. The Dunlop 200E tires are the factory-installed ones, and I'm finally getting rid of them this summer. They're complete garbage in wet conditions.
Michelin Energy tires are on the Ibiza, and they perform so poorly in wet conditions that it's practically attempted murder. The same applies to motorcycle tires...

I used to have Goodyear Eagle Ventura tires on my 'auf der Kiste' car, and they were great. They had excellent grip in wet conditions, and the durability was also very good.

According to various tire tests, the Fulda Carat A Tiro in size 195/65 R15 are supposed to be top quality. And at €51 including shipping, you can't really complain...
if they fit on the IBI...

CU Gremlin.

(...) Based on various tests, I can only advise against buying tires from Barum.
I'm interested in your experiences. What are the criticisms or shortcomings?

Chris

We used to have those on our old Golf2 back in the day (195/15 size). They were terrible in wet conditions. The braking distance was very long, and the handling felt unstable. They were okayish in dry weather. Over time, they also became hard, quite noisy, and produced a lot of vibration.
In tests, the Barum and Marangoni tires were approximately 30 meters slower than the best performing tires when braking on wet surfaces from 100 km/h.

I haven't seen any tests of energy-saving/low rolling resistance tires where they performed well in terms of grip – especially on wet surfaces. It seems that the low rolling resistance profile is incompatible with good grip. I would generally avoid such tires. Even a minor accident will end up being more expensive than all the fuel savings could ever compensate for. However, you can't blame the manufacturer outright; those who want eco-friendly products get them, along with all their associated "drawbacks."
At reifendirekt, for each tire you're interested in, there are several links to tire tests. This allows you to gather ratings from the relevant types of tires based on your own criteria.

My friend, who is very knowledgeable about tires, swears by Pneumant. I took a look at the new model based on its specifications. It looks great, has excellent rolling resistance, and it's also quiet. The price is also reasonable. Many Passat drivers I know use Pneumant without any major problems.


I had Pneumant tires as my winter tires on my Passat. I can only recommend them. They have now been driven for about 50,000 km (3 winters) and still have approximately 6 mm of tread left.
According to Reifenmann, Michelin is also involved.

I had a negative experience with Fulda summer tires (Fulda Carat Extremo). They only lasted for one summer (about 15,000 km). Apparently, the Toyo brand wears out just as quickly.