Skoda Rapid TSI Tyres
On this page you will find the best real world tyre reviews from owners of the Skoda Rapid TSI.
Do you Drive a Skoda Rapid TSI? Why not add your own tyre review and help other owners pick the right tyre! After all, who knows what the best tyre for a Rapid TSI better than the owners?
| Tyre Reviewed | Dry Grip | Wet Grip | Feedback | Handling | Wear | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental WinterContact TS 860 S (12) | 85% | 83% | 87% | 88% | 91% | 92% |
| Barum Polaris 3 (18) | 82% | 88% | 83% | 80% | 87% | 86% |
| Continental WinterContact TS 860 (49) | 89% | 92% | 84% | 86% | 83% | 86% |
| Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance (247) | 86% | 84% | 76% | 78% | 73% | 85% |
| Jinyu YH12 (28) | 81% | 74% | 79% | 69% | 79% | 80% |
| Bridgestone Turanza T005 (149) | 82% | 79% | 73% | 73% | 65% | 73% |
| Kumho Ecowing ES01 KH27 (20) | 76% | 63% | 73% | 61% | 76% | 80% |
| Dunlop SP Sport 01 (124) | 78% | 67% | 71% | 69% | 69% | 65% |
| Barum Polaris 5 (11) | 70% | 71% | 66% | 66% | 68% | 73% |
| Dunlop SP Sport Maxx (165) | 79% | 69% | 69% | 67% | 63% | 64% |
Skoda Rapid TSI Tyre Review Highlights
Writing about the Continental WinterContact TS 860 S given 100% (185-60-15-)
Driving on mostly motorways for 10000 easy going miles
Driving on mostly motorways for 10000 easy going miles
What a tyre, extremely satisfied, mainly Iam driving on motorways 70% and 30% in the city. Till now I have done approx 9-11k Km.
Excellent handling on wet, dry or snow conditions, never worried or felt a fear, I am so comfortable that I really drove the same way like I have a summer tyre.
Exceptional performance on snow, usually going for a week at alps for skiing and have to say they shine, exceptional grip control and very good road feedback, you totally know when you can push more or you are pushing too much.
Few times I had to break hard on highways I felt comfortable and confident.
No wear issues till now.
Deff would buy it again and I would recommend it 100%
Please note, generally Iam an easy going driver with gentle foot.
Excellent handling on wet, dry or snow conditions, never worried or felt a fear, I am so comfortable that I really drove the same way like I have a summer tyre.
Exceptional performance on snow, usually going for a week at alps for skiing and have to say they shine, exceptional grip control and very good road feedback, you totally know when you can push more or you are pushing too much.
Few times I had to break hard on highways I felt comfortable and confident.
No wear issues till now.
Deff would buy it again and I would recommend it 100%
Please note, generally Iam an easy going driver with gentle foot.
Writing about the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance given 96% (185-60-15-T)
Driving on a combination of roads for 24981 easy going miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 24981 easy going miles
Excellent tyres.
Faultless really, better than dunlop sport sp01 that came originally on the car. Lasted very well, got a good 25,000 miles out of my 1st set of Goodyear effecientgrip performance tyres. Replaced when they were on 3-4mm.
They are fitted on the family car, very safe, excellent wet handling and braking in all weathers. Biggest benefit is fuel savings. I get around 61mpg average on a decent run, compared to original tyres of 52mpg average.
I have replaced these tyres with a new set of the same.
£66 each fitted & balanced per tyre by Protyre, excellent value for money.
Faultless really, better than dunlop sport sp01 that came originally on the car. Lasted very well, got a good 25,000 miles out of my 1st set of Goodyear effecientgrip performance tyres. Replaced when they were on 3-4mm.
They are fitted on the family car, very safe, excellent wet handling and braking in all weathers. Biggest benefit is fuel savings. I get around 61mpg average on a decent run, compared to original tyres of 52mpg average.
I have replaced these tyres with a new set of the same.
£66 each fitted & balanced per tyre by Protyre, excellent value for money.
Writing about the Barum Polaris 5 given 90% (185-60-15-T)
Driving on a combination of roads for 5000 easy going miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 5000 easy going miles
Brilliant Winter tyre, truly suited to frequent snow and ice.
They have so much grip in fact the only limiting factor is the ground clearance of the vehicle.
Dry grip is good and wet grip is impressive. Braking on wet roads, snow and ice is incredible. Better than the previous Polaris 3 tyres. These tyres are certainly for below 7 degrees, when the temperature gets above this the turn in handling and braking reduces quite quickly. The tyres are reasonably quiet and offer decent fuel economy. Only 5-6 mpg less that the summer tyres @ 25c deg .
Value wise there excellent, i got a set of 5x from my tyres .com for £58 fitted and balanced each at a local tyre shop.
If you live in the countryside or have a family or commuter car then these would be ideal, there designed really for proper winter conditions. If you have a sportier car like a jaguar or Maserati then I would advise you look at something like Pirelli sottozero winter or Goodyear Ultragrip Performance as these will perform better at higher speeds. But for the money you will not be disappointed at the winter grip and safety.
They have so much grip in fact the only limiting factor is the ground clearance of the vehicle.
Dry grip is good and wet grip is impressive. Braking on wet roads, snow and ice is incredible. Better than the previous Polaris 3 tyres. These tyres are certainly for below 7 degrees, when the temperature gets above this the turn in handling and braking reduces quite quickly. The tyres are reasonably quiet and offer decent fuel economy. Only 5-6 mpg less that the summer tyres @ 25c deg .
Value wise there excellent, i got a set of 5x from my tyres .com for £58 fitted and balanced each at a local tyre shop.
If you live in the countryside or have a family or commuter car then these would be ideal, there designed really for proper winter conditions. If you have a sportier car like a jaguar or Maserati then I would advise you look at something like Pirelli sottozero winter or Goodyear Ultragrip Performance as these will perform better at higher speeds. But for the money you will not be disappointed at the winter grip and safety.
Writing about the Dunlop SP Sport 01 given 90% (185-60-15-T)
Driving on a combination of roads for 40000 easy going miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 40000 easy going miles
Exception set of tyres, have covered nearly 40,000 miles and are between 3.5-3mm tread left. I have checked the tyre pressures every week and run them pretty high for economy at 38psi. Handling is good still, good turn in. Getting abit louder in the wet now but still sharp and precise braking even in the wet. Minimal signs of wear or cracking. It's an older model tyre now and has been replaced, but if I can find a set of these tyres writhing a few years of manufacture I will defiantly purchase again.
Only down side is rolling resistance, compared to the newer blue response or goodyear efficient grip performance.
Still a fab tyre.
Only down side is rolling resistance, compared to the newer blue response or goodyear efficient grip performance.
Still a fab tyre.
Writing about the Bridgestone Turanza T005 given 53% (185-60-15-H)
Driving on mostly town for 17000 easy going miles
Driving on mostly town for 17000 easy going miles
Fitted to (1200kg) Skoda Rapid 1.2 TSi petrol, bought at 6k miles, now on 17k miles, front tyres need replacing as tread worn down to minimum, exactly what one needs on cold wet winter roads. Were OK up to about 14k, so 3mm of tread or thereabouts. Now there's an utter lack of grip from traffic light starts (and no, this isn't upon contact with white lines). Tried to drive at 50mph uphill in Peak District (4 degrees outside), car started to pull to right; no fault of steering and tyre pressures correct, so....what? Decided to look for replacements before Plod makes the decision for me. Previous cars had Michelin Pilot (good overall, though expensive and constantly finding other people's screws left in road!), Goodyear Excellence (they weren't!) and Continental (which tended to last 25k miles, not 10k, did what they were meant to do when asked to do it, good in any weather and any speed!!). Think I'll see what Conti can offer.
Writing about the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance given 72% (185-65-15-)
Driving on a combination of roads for 3000 spirited miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 3000 spirited miles
I came from a set of Continental Ecocontact 5 tyres. The grip with these tyres is staggering. Although not a performance car by any stretch of the imagination I hold my IAM certificate and have done many driving courses over the years as I enjoy driving quickly but safely (and legally).
These tyres did return around 3-4mpg less than the Continentals and the road noise was a lot louder but it was worth it for the grip. These are the XL version which would have contributed to the slightly better handling having stiffer sidewalls.
These tyres did return around 3-4mpg less than the Continentals and the road noise was a lot louder but it was worth it for the grip. These are the XL version which would have contributed to the slightly better handling having stiffer sidewalls.
Writing about the Barum Polaris 3 given 90% (185-60-15-T)
Driving on a combination of roads for 19700 easy going miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 19700 easy going miles
An update on my previous review.
I've done just under 20,000 miles on these Polaris 3 tyres now and they've been nothing short of incredible.
Rear tyres are down to 4mm, the sipes in the tyre are just about visible.
Front tyres are down to 3mm and there are no more sipes visible.
The tyres are perfectly drive able, still perform well in the wet and dry. I have just ordered a replacement set because the sipes in the tread are pretty much worn and from previous experience this can severely impact the traction and braking on snow and ice. Although the tread depth and the tyres could safely go on for a few more thousand miles.
To sum these tyres up there a perfect mix from the motorway to the snowy hills.
Last winter I drove from the south of Devon through sheet rain for 7 hours then further on to Inverness through a pretty nasty snow storm. The last 50 minuites of the trip in particular were through 4" of fresh snow up and down hills. Did not at any point feel out of place in those conditions. Really designed well and when your commuting at 50mph+ there quiet and comfortable.
Only bad points is the fuel consumption. It's not really bad, but going from Goodyear efficient grip performance tyres with a fuel B rating to these barum Polaris 3 tyres that are a fuel E rated tyre it's about 3-5 MPG less depending on speeds.
But seriously for cold wet weather safety there great!
Shibby
I've done just under 20,000 miles on these Polaris 3 tyres now and they've been nothing short of incredible.
Rear tyres are down to 4mm, the sipes in the tyre are just about visible.
Front tyres are down to 3mm and there are no more sipes visible.
The tyres are perfectly drive able, still perform well in the wet and dry. I have just ordered a replacement set because the sipes in the tread are pretty much worn and from previous experience this can severely impact the traction and braking on snow and ice. Although the tread depth and the tyres could safely go on for a few more thousand miles.
To sum these tyres up there a perfect mix from the motorway to the snowy hills.
Last winter I drove from the south of Devon through sheet rain for 7 hours then further on to Inverness through a pretty nasty snow storm. The last 50 minuites of the trip in particular were through 4" of fresh snow up and down hills. Did not at any point feel out of place in those conditions. Really designed well and when your commuting at 50mph+ there quiet and comfortable.
Only bad points is the fuel consumption. It's not really bad, but going from Goodyear efficient grip performance tyres with a fuel B rating to these barum Polaris 3 tyres that are a fuel E rated tyre it's about 3-5 MPG less depending on speeds.
But seriously for cold wet weather safety there great!
Shibby
Writing about the Continental WinterContact TS 860 given 0% (185-60-15-)
Driving on mostly motorways for 55000 easy going miles
Driving on mostly motorways for 55000 easy going miles
Amazing tyre, did 5.5k km this winter, drove in all kind of conditions, dry-wet-snow and the results were excellent, especially on snow I have no words, roads full of snow and the control, handling of the car were on an excellent level, I was able to see the difference with other cars, a friend of mine has the same car with different types and on the same conditions his grip was a lot worst, tyre excells in snowy cold conditions and is a 10 for me.
Excellent grip also in snowy-wet conditions.
No issues on dry on also but I do not recall an emergency situation were I had to break hard.
Not any significant wear, seems it will last me 4 winters.
NEGATIVES:
More noisy than I was expecting.
Average fuel consumption but not bad.
Excellent grip also in snowy-wet conditions.
No issues on dry on also but I do not recall an emergency situation were I had to break hard.
Not any significant wear, seems it will last me 4 winters.
NEGATIVES:
More noisy than I was expecting.
Average fuel consumption but not bad.
Writing about the Jinyu YH12 given 90% (185-60-15-)
Driving on a combination of roads for 28000 average miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 28000 average miles
One year on since my last review. - Still good!
I have just replaced all 4 tyres and bought new set of these jinyu yh12 tyres. £29.50 per tyre.
The previous set that I'm reviewing covered 28,000 miles! The tread depth was 3mm, and at this shallow depth there was a noticeable reduction in effective breaking in very wet conditions from new, tyres were also louder than before. Dry grip was still top notch and the comfort and reasonable fuel economy remained. Overall these tyres are great for my driving style. Still commuting at around 55mph with the odd overtake here and there, but generally quite easy going, I checked tyre pressure twice a month and these tyres lasted along time, longer than other premium tyres I've used, for an economy or budget tyre at the low cost it's great.
I highly recommend these tyres to all who drive at reasonablely sensible speeds.
The weather permitting, I've pushed the tyres a little harder than usual, three things stand out.
1, the tyres are very stable at higher straight-line speeds, possibly due to the continuous centeral rib.
2, my car has very sharp turn in due to electronic steering not hydraulic power steering and these tyres match the turn in rate and are very responsive.
3, when pushed to the limit it tyres are reasonably forgiving, an audible squeal is heard before the tyres break away and loose lateral grip. These tyres corner well for its size and type, it's no track tyre so don't expect that but it's safe for some fun.
The newer tyres have a redesigned tyre sidewall. The text jinyu yh12 is no longer raised but flush with the tyre and that addition text gallopro is also visible. Still holds tyre shine well so compound hasn't changed much. Balancing is easy I can only recall getting my previous set balanced 2x over the life of the tyre, and that was due to swapping the jinyu for barum winter tyres.
Great tyre, safe tyre, we'll constructed for the money.
9/10
Shibby
I have just replaced all 4 tyres and bought new set of these jinyu yh12 tyres. £29.50 per tyre.
The previous set that I'm reviewing covered 28,000 miles! The tread depth was 3mm, and at this shallow depth there was a noticeable reduction in effective breaking in very wet conditions from new, tyres were also louder than before. Dry grip was still top notch and the comfort and reasonable fuel economy remained. Overall these tyres are great for my driving style. Still commuting at around 55mph with the odd overtake here and there, but generally quite easy going, I checked tyre pressure twice a month and these tyres lasted along time, longer than other premium tyres I've used, for an economy or budget tyre at the low cost it's great.
I highly recommend these tyres to all who drive at reasonablely sensible speeds.
The weather permitting, I've pushed the tyres a little harder than usual, three things stand out.
1, the tyres are very stable at higher straight-line speeds, possibly due to the continuous centeral rib.
2, my car has very sharp turn in due to electronic steering not hydraulic power steering and these tyres match the turn in rate and are very responsive.
3, when pushed to the limit it tyres are reasonably forgiving, an audible squeal is heard before the tyres break away and loose lateral grip. These tyres corner well for its size and type, it's no track tyre so don't expect that but it's safe for some fun.
The newer tyres have a redesigned tyre sidewall. The text jinyu yh12 is no longer raised but flush with the tyre and that addition text gallopro is also visible. Still holds tyre shine well so compound hasn't changed much. Balancing is easy I can only recall getting my previous set balanced 2x over the life of the tyre, and that was due to swapping the jinyu for barum winter tyres.
Great tyre, safe tyre, we'll constructed for the money.
9/10
Shibby
Writing about the Dunlop SP Sport 01 given 97% (185-60-15-)
Driving on a combination of roads for 38000 average miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 38000 average miles
One of the best tyres I've ever used. Comfy, quiet, very good dry handling and pretty good wet.
They stop very very good especially if there warmed up plenty.
I drive mostly outer city single / duel carriageway and motorways, at a speed around
55mph, occasionally upto 90mph when overtaking. Feedback and steering response is
Precise and straight line stability is good. Overall very sure footed.
Best of all is the life of these tyres, they are at 3mm now and have done 38,000 miles.
Car original came with pirelli cintauro tyres which were also very good but didn't last half as long. And the dunlop tyres were £48 fitted each compared to original pirelli around £60.
Next month I will replace with the same.
They stop very very good especially if there warmed up plenty.
I drive mostly outer city single / duel carriageway and motorways, at a speed around
55mph, occasionally upto 90mph when overtaking. Feedback and steering response is
Precise and straight line stability is good. Overall very sure footed.
Best of all is the life of these tyres, they are at 3mm now and have done 38,000 miles.
Car original came with pirelli cintauro tyres which were also very good but didn't last half as long. And the dunlop tyres were £48 fitted each compared to original pirelli around £60.
Next month I will replace with the same.
Writing about the Barum Polaris 3 given 91% (185-60-15-T)
Driving on a combination of roads for 7500 easy going miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 7500 easy going miles
Review update.
I've don't 7500 miles on these tyres now and have just rotated them. After 7500 miles the front tyres tread depth is 6.5mm and the rear tyres tread depth is 7mm. Original depth was 8mm. So they are wearing well and evenly. Better than other winter tyres I've used in the past.
Wet traction over the last month has been very impressive both handling and braking are sharp and precise. The last few weeks has allowed me to test them on ice. Again very good, offering good steering feedback when accelerating and cornering. Ice braking is quite impressive for a non studded tyre (around 25mph). Not yet tried it on snow.
Only down side would be fuel consumption. But it could be due to fitting heavier steel wheels. Fuel consumption has dropped 3.5mpg over summer tyres.
Still joint top safest tyre for winter I've used. 9/10
I've don't 7500 miles on these tyres now and have just rotated them. After 7500 miles the front tyres tread depth is 6.5mm and the rear tyres tread depth is 7mm. Original depth was 8mm. So they are wearing well and evenly. Better than other winter tyres I've used in the past.
Wet traction over the last month has been very impressive both handling and braking are sharp and precise. The last few weeks has allowed me to test them on ice. Again very good, offering good steering feedback when accelerating and cornering. Ice braking is quite impressive for a non studded tyre (around 25mph). Not yet tried it on snow.
Only down side would be fuel consumption. But it could be due to fitting heavier steel wheels. Fuel consumption has dropped 3.5mpg over summer tyres.
Still joint top safest tyre for winter I've used. 9/10
Writing about the Barum Polaris 3 given 96% (185-60-15-)
Driving on a combination of roads for 3000 easy going miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 3000 easy going miles
Exceptional winter Tyre. Best Tyre I've used yet on wet roads and offers lots of traction and safety on snow and ice. Only covered 3000 miles, but Tyre looks like new. Easy and comfy to drive on, but also surprisingly agile and sure footed when pushed. Best winter Tyre I've used to date, ideal for cold wet British roads.
Best Tyre Tests
Best UUHP Tyres- Best Performance Summer Tyres
- Best Summer Tyres
Best All Season Tyres- Best UHP All Season Tyres
Best Winter Tyres- Best UHP Winter Tyres
- Best SUV Winter Tyres
- Best Studless Winter Tyres
- Best All Terrain [AT] Tyres
- Best SUV Summer Tyres
Winter Tyre Tests
- The BEST Performance Winter Tyres for 2024 / 2025
- 2023/24 Tyre Reviews UHP Winter Tyre Test
- 2023 Tyre Reviews SUV Winter Tyre Test
- 2023 Tyre Reviews Winter Tyre Test
- 2024 Nordic Friction Winter Tyre Test
- 2024 Studded Tyre Test
- 2024 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test
- 2024 Auto Bild Sportscars Winter Tyre Test
- All Winter Tyre Tests
All Season Tyre Tests
- The BEST All Terrain Tyre for 2025
- The Best All Season Tyres for 2024 / 2025
- The Best All Season Tyres for 2024
- Goodyear Eagle F1 vs Falken Azenis FK460 vs Wildpeak AT Trail
- Nokian Outpost nAT vs Hakkapeliitta R5 vs WRG4 vs One
- 2023/24 Best All Terrain Tyres In Snow
- 2023 Tyre Reviews All Season Tyre Test
- Best All Terrain Tyres Tested On Road, Off Road and Snow [2024]
- All All Season Tyre Tests
Summer Tyre Tests
- 2023 Tyre Reviews Performance Tyre Test
- Are Budget Tyres Finally Good Enough? 8 Cheap Tyres VS 1 Premium Tyre
- 2023 Tyre Reviews Best Summer Tyres
- 2024 TopTireReview Best UHP Tires for Asia Test
- 2024 EVO Summer Tyre Test
- 2024 Auto Express Summer Tyre Test
- All Summer Tyre Tests
Features
- Understanding The Tyre Sidewall
- EU Tire Label
- Summer VS All Season VS Winter
- Road vs Track vs Slick Tyres
- Michelin Pilot Sport 4S vs 4S * (BMW)
- OE vs Aftermarket Tyres
- Winter Tyres Tested at 0c to15c
Tyre Reviews
General
