Given
90%
while driving a
Honda Civic Type R
(225/45 R17) on
mostly town
for 10
spirited miles
So after reading a number of reviews I decided to get a set of these for the fronts to replace a set of cheap and crappy Nangkang tyres.
The difference was immediate and the tyres made a huge difference in how the car handles in both dry and wet conditions.
In dry conditions the grip is pretty great, and I’ve been on track with super sticky semi slicks in the dry so I’m comparing my experiences. In these I’ve taken long sweeping bends and roundabouts in the dry with real spirited driving and you really have to work it to find the limit and even then it’s progressive and controllable with good feedback through the steering wheel and seat. Im finding the limits of my car’s suspension before the limits of the tyres to be honest because I think these can take a bit more. In the dry, even from cold, it’s not super easy to get the tyres spinning if you’re quick with the clutch. (No I’m not a chav lol)
As the tyre has come to the end of its life they are giving me slightly more wheel spin. It may be because I’m enjoying the last few enthusiastic thousand miles before I replace these.
Snow and ice / Winter driving:
In the recent snowfall I found these really good. Don’t get me wrong, my traction control was working overtime and my driving skills are above average (I hope) but I didn’t particularly find any real issues with these in the heavy snow and ice. Bear in mind I believe mind these are summer tyres but any slight loss of traction when steering at low speeds in the ice and snow were quickly recovered.
In the wet:
Although the dry grip is excellent, the wet grip (as with most tyres) isn’t as good but I can definitely say that any loss of traction to my front wheels was progressive, controllable and gave me confidence to stay on the limit on bends. The wheels tend to spin up much easier in the wet if I put my foot down a bit harder than the tyres like. This happens even on straight roads and not just on bends.
Braking:
Genuinely excellent in both dry and wet. Very good in snow / icy conditions. Hitting the brakes in the dry these stop amazingly well, the grippy compound has been consistent through the life of this tyre and they have helped in some last minute emergency braking moments. This is also true in the wet as I haven’t noticed the ABS kicking in under hard braking in most cases.
Comfort:
In terms of comfort I really don’t have a good base to give fair feedback on this product. My car is known for harsh and hard suspension from factory so although these tyres didn’t make it worse I don’t feel like they made it any better. I don’t expect any tyre to work miracles like that :(
The feedback I got from these tyres are excellent. Great handling and confidence inspiring in the dry and progressive, controllable, grippy and not too noisy in all conditions. I would definitely look to Dunlop and this model of tyre again, it’s lasted around 10,00 miles since I got them brand new in April 2015 but I’ve subjected them to very spirited driving on the straights, corners and bends and it’s taken it all in it’s stride. I’d be looking at the RT2 since these are supposedly designed to last longer than the RT