(New Mk6 GTI owner, just got some new shoes for the old girl....)
Review of BFG Comp 2 A/S on a 2010 VW GTI, stock, unmodified w/18" Detroits.
I recently bought a Mk6 GTI and had to put new tires on it after some pothole damage. The old tires were Bridgestone Potenza RE97AS which I quite liked and still had a lot of tread left. They were relatively quiet, handled well and were a comfortable ride. That said, one tire had a sidewall bulge and another had a chunk missing from the sidewall. I was originally planning on replacing them in a few months as I have some other maintenance work to do (TOB, clutch/flywheel, water pump).
But, Tuesday evening I hit a pretty massive pothole - enough for me to stop & check for damage. I discovered a crack in my sidewall about 1" long. The impact was enough for tire residue to wind up on the rim. The tires were still holding air, so I limped home and searched for tires that night & the next day. Also had to get new wheel locks, but that's another adventure.
On a side note, this car is my commuter car. It replaces a 2001 BMW Z3 Coupe I used to drive as the BMW is rare and going up in price - I don't really want to drive it to work anymore, esp since I now drive every day. I've owned more than a few high-performance cars, and used to run a lot of track days, so I'm pretty picky about tires.
My short list came down to:
After calling around, it was clear I couldn't get anything the same day and prices compared to the Tire Rack (where I usually buy my tires) were mostly far off. That is, except for the BFG Comp2 A/S on my shortlist, which were only $1 more....
So I ordered them and they were installed today.
First impressions
Yes, I know the preferred choice is the Michelin PSS, but it's very hard to justify an additional $400 on top of an already expensive purchase. FWIW, I have a set of BFG Comp2 (not A/S) on my Z3 and like them as well - they replaced a set of horrible Falkens. I also have a set of Cooper Discoverer A/T3s on my SUV, which replaced a set of Firestone Destination A/T, so I'm not esp. brand loyal...
I'm probably going to have these re-balanced at my usual tire place (which has a Road Force balancer) after a few hundred miles. I'll also post an update when I get more miles on these.
Review of BFG Comp 2 A/S on a 2010 VW GTI, stock, unmodified w/18" Detroits.
I recently bought a Mk6 GTI and had to put new tires on it after some pothole damage. The old tires were Bridgestone Potenza RE97AS which I quite liked and still had a lot of tread left. They were relatively quiet, handled well and were a comfortable ride. That said, one tire had a sidewall bulge and another had a chunk missing from the sidewall. I was originally planning on replacing them in a few months as I have some other maintenance work to do (TOB, clutch/flywheel, water pump).
But, Tuesday evening I hit a pretty massive pothole - enough for me to stop & check for damage. I discovered a crack in my sidewall about 1" long. The impact was enough for tire residue to wind up on the rim. The tires were still holding air, so I limped home and searched for tires that night & the next day. Also had to get new wheel locks, but that's another adventure.
On a side note, this car is my commuter car. It replaces a 2001 BMW Z3 Coupe I used to drive as the BMW is rare and going up in price - I don't really want to drive it to work anymore, esp since I now drive every day. I've owned more than a few high-performance cars, and used to run a lot of track days, so I'm pretty picky about tires.
My short list came down to:
- Cooper Zeon RS3-S
- BF Goodrich Comp 2 A/S
- Continental DWS 06
- Cooper
- RS3-A
- Continental
- DW
- DWS
- Bridgestone
- Potenza S-04 Pole Position
- RE970 Pole Position
- RE760
- Michelin
- AS3
- PSS
- Kumho
- Ecsta 4
- Nitto
- Nitto NeoGen
- NT555
- Goodyear
- Eagle F1 Asymetric 2
- Firehawk
- Wide Oval
After calling around, it was clear I couldn't get anything the same day and prices compared to the Tire Rack (where I usually buy my tires) were mostly far off. That is, except for the BFG Comp2 A/S on my shortlist, which were only $1 more....
So I ordered them and they were installed today.
First impressions
- Very quiet, way better than the RE97AS
- Less harsh that the RE97AS, comfortable on railroad tracks & potholes
- More steering 'noise' (e.g. feeling the road surface through the wheel) than the RE97AS
- Stickier (stalled the car on one steep hill, would have spun before)
- Slightly more precise, but not much, some vagueness creeps in at the limit
- Slight vibration over 80 (prob. balancing)
- Torque steer slightly worse/changed
Yes, I know the preferred choice is the Michelin PSS, but it's very hard to justify an additional $400 on top of an already expensive purchase. FWIW, I have a set of BFG Comp2 (not A/S) on my Z3 and like them as well - they replaced a set of horrible Falkens. I also have a set of Cooper Discoverer A/T3s on my SUV, which replaced a set of Firestone Destination A/T, so I'm not esp. brand loyal...
I'm probably going to have these re-balanced at my usual tire place (which has a Road Force balancer) after a few hundred miles. I'll also post an update when I get more miles on these.
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