Volkswagen Golf Tyres

On this page you will find the best real world tyre reviews from owners of the Volkswagen Golf.

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Tyre Reviewed Dry Grip Wet Grip Feedback Handling Wear Comfort
Michelin Alpin A4 (53) 88% 95% 91% 88% 94% 93%
Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 (23) 93% 92% 90% 91% 91% 80%
Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 (12) 91% 92% 85% 85% 75% 76%
Michelin Energy E3B (6) 87% 97% 83% 88% 78% 80%
Michelin Alpin 6 (30) 89% 92% 85% 83% 85% 90%
Hankook Winter i cept evo3 (13) 92% 92% 75% 86% 86% 77%
Kleber Quadraxer (42) 81% 87% 79% 71% 89% 87%
Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta (237) 91% 88% 87% 85% 79% 85%
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 (243) 93% 90% 86% 88% 79% 81%
Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 (91) 91% 87% 81% 85% 90% 84%
Nexen N Fera SU4 (73) 91% 88% 84% 79% 81% 88%
Vredestein Sportrac 5 (98) 88% 85% 84% 83% 86% 84%
Toyo Proxes CF2 (103) 88% 83% 82% 83% 84% 86%
Vredestein Snowtrac 3 (34) 84% 91% 82% 76% 83% 86%
BFGoodrich gForce Winter (20) 85% 81% 77% 78% 83% 84%
Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3 (303) 90% 88% 84% 84% 73% 82%
Dunlop Winter Sport 5 (40) 82% 84% 78% 78% 87% 83%
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 (181) 88% 86% 81% 81% 79% 86%
Kumho Ecsta HS52 (12) 90% 81% 85% 84% 81% 67%
Michelin CrossClimate Plus (113) 87% 85% 82% 73% 87% 86%
Matador MP 44 Elite 3 (16) 90% 84% 85% 71% 81% 78%
Continental WinterContact TS 830 P (37) 86% 86% 82% 78% 85% 87%
Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 (115) 90% 81% 80% 79% 80% 81%
Continental AllSeasonContact (36) 82% 87% 82% 83% 76% 82%
Semperit Speed Grip 3 (6) 83% 83% 78% 78% 86% 88%
Michelin CrossClimate 2 (122) 87% 83% 75% 74% 83% 84%
Lassa Greenways (17) 84% 79% 81% 78% 86% 80%
Dunlop SP Sport Fast Response (103) 88% 84% 84% 77% 76% 80%
Hankook Winter i cept RS2 (46) 85% 85% 76% 80% 86% 76%
Michelin Primacy 4 Plus (30) 87% 86% 76% 72% 83% 84%
Michelin Energy Saver Plus (64) 84% 71% 78% 76% 91% 83%
Hankook Winter I cept RS3 (17) 87% 87% 76% 81% 81% 66%
Falken ZIEX ZE914 EcoRun (90) 86% 82% 81% 82% 78% 76%
Uniroyal RainSport 3 (286) 84% 92% 79% 78% 64% 83%
Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance (247) 86% 84% 76% 78% 73% 85%
Nexen N Blue HD Plus (70) 83% 79% 77% 75% 76% 84%
Toyo Proxes CF1 (45) 85% 80% 80% 76% 68% 80%
Pirelli CINTURATO P1 (32) 81% 74% 77% 73% 80% 84%
Nexen N Fera SU1 (132) 83% 76% 76% 77% 74% 81%
GT Radial 4Seasons (6) 80% 75% 75% 68% 93% 80%
Dunlop Sport BluResponse (185) 88% 84% 79% 75% 62% 83%
Nexen N Blue ECO (34) 83% 78% 77% 77% 69% 74%
Matador MP 54 Sibir Snow (2) 75% 80% 75% 70% 85% 60%
Michelin Primacy 3 (191) 85% 79% 76% 77% 69% 80%
Michelin Energy Saver (136) 83% 71% 74% 71% 85% 80%
Nokian WR A3 (75) 92% 87% 88% 82% 90% 91%
Hankook Kinergy 4S2 (39) 80% 81% 71% 73% 78% 79%
Yokohama Parada Spec 2 (118) 92% 59% 80% 80% 69% 71%
Sava Eskimo S3 (34) 74% 65% 68% 70% 75% 71%
Continental Premium Contact 5 (117) 87% 83% 76% 77% 58% 78%
Kormoran Runpro B2 (3) 80% 67% 77% 67% 87% 83%
Hankook Ventus S1 evo2 (80) 84% 76% 76% 79% 67% 72%
Fulda Carat Progresso (13) 78% 72% 75% 74% 71% 72%
Pirelli CINTURATO P7 (182) 83% 73% 73% 75% 70% 74%
Bridgestone Turanza T005 (149) 82% 79% 73% 73% 65% 73%
Toyo T1R (288) 83% 69% 75% 75% 63% 70%
GT Radial Champiro BAX 2 (12) 83% 71% 75% 75% 67% 69%
Yokohama BluEarth AE01 (22) 79% 73% 76% 68% 59% 75%
Continental Sport Contact 2 (229) 85% 75% 76% 72% 61% 66%
Debica Frigo 2 (23) 68% 61% 65% 63% 84% 69%
Bridgestone Potenza S001 (161) 83% 69% 74% 74% 67% 60%
Yokohama Aspec A349 BluEarth (11) 72% 59% 69% 78% 87% 65%
Bridgestone Potenza RE050A (212) 83% 69% 74% 72% 66% 59%
Michelin Energy (42) 71% 65% 59% 61% 84% 76%
Kumho Winter Craft WP52 (7) 77% 69% 70% 73% 75% 73%
Goodride SV308 (32) 75% 64% 64% 63% 77% 69%
Sava Adapto (9) 60% 59% 68% 58% 80% 69%
Bridgestone Turanza T001 (107) 80% 70% 69% 67% 63% 72%
Starmaxx Ice Gripper W850 (4) 67% 67% 67% 63% 70% 70%
Yokohama S306 (17) 82% 59% 68% 62% 74% 64%
Sonar SX2 (12) 69% 58% 60% 56% 85% 68%
Debica Navigator (1) 80% 50% 80% 70% 60% 60%
Goodride SA37 (24) 74% 67% 64% 63% 57% 63%
Dunlop SP Winter Response (3) 63% 53% 67% 63% 63% 73%
Hero Milanza HZ1 (20) 74% 53% 65% 61% 64% 59%
Continental EcoContact 6 (113) 74% 57% 59% 61% 54% 69%
Radar RPX900 (9) 60% 50% 55% 53% 65% 69%
Goodyear GT2 (12) 80% 67% 71% 63% 83% 67%
Tourador X Wonder TH1 (4) 63% 45% 65% 60% 55% 50%
Maxtrek MAXIMUS M1 (75) 69% 39% 56% 52% 67% 61%
Nankang Econex NA1 (5) 60% 58% 45% 38% 70% 50%
Zeta Ztr10 (32) 60% 43% 48% 46% 60% 59%
Riken Maystorm 2 B 2 (22) 68% 35% 50% 54% 52% 57%
Event WL905 (129) 59% 30% 41% 39% 60% 49%
Linglong L688 (29) 43% 24% 32% 30% 53% 37%

Volkswagen Golf Tyre Review Highlights

Writing about the Michelin Energy Saver Plus given 89% (195-55-15-)
Driving on a combination of roads for 10000 average miles
In past 4 years, I had a two sets of Michelin Energy Saver+

First one I had from april to november of 2021, I bought a used set of 4 for only 30 Eur, three tyres were manufactured in 2017 and one in 2018. They were 185/65 R15, two had about 3-4 mm and other two about 5-6 mm tread depth left. I just needed something cheap, for one season on a cheap daily car, because car was on some 20 years old Bridgestone's. So 5 years old Michelin's for 30 Eur, in that case, looked like a far better option.

Second one was bought in early spring of 2023, I have it and use it until this day. Second set are 195/55 R15. I bought a full set for 120 Eur, tyres were made in Poland, was with around 6.5-7 mm tread depth, and without any signs of previous repairs. All in all - looked like a great choice, because for that price, I couldn't buy even any of the cheapest sets. Brand new Michelin Energy Saver+ in this size was around 140 Eur per tyre or around 550€ per set. So 120 Eur for a set of used, but great condition premium tyres? Just perfect.

Dry - they are great for dry roads, feels stable, have plenty of grip.
Wet - I use them more carefully on wet roads, especially after reading tyre tests and people reviews that they are a little weaker in the wet. But in my experience there wasn't any unpleasant moments or aquaplaning on wet roads, even with quite low tread depth (on first set, rear tyres had only about 2-3 mm tread depth left, when I removed them in autumn to replace summer wheels with a winter wheels set), maybe because of precautions and calm driving when raining outside.
Road feedback - knowing fact, that they aren't oriented for super sharp or sporty driving and they are just a premium touring tyres - feedback is good enough.
Handling - is great on dry roads, on wet roads I use tyres more carefully, especially carefully was used a first set with quite low tread depth, but still - handling was safe enough even in wet conditions.
Wear - I would say it's 10/10, but I had experience with a two different sets, so more deeply:
● First set of tyres were 185/65 R15, DOT 2017-2018, had only 3-4 mm tread depth on rear and 5-6 mm on front, but after full summer season and about 8000 km - it was still about 2-3 mm tread depth left on the rear and about 4-5 mm left on the front, that was a late autumn of 2021 and tyres were manufactured in 2017 (one tyre in 2018, I guess one, from original set, was damaged unrepairable, so previous owner bought one new tyre to complete a set), and 3 of 4 were started to show some cracks on sidewalls. Front ones was still usable, but I decided not use any of them at all.
● Second set of tyres were bought used too, 195/55 R15, DOT 2020, made in Poland, all tyres had around 6.5-7 mm tread depth when I bought them in march of 2023. After two seasons and around 15'000 km I measured tread depth of them a month ago and there are still around 5-5.5 mm left. Because they are assimetric, I rotate them after every summer season, I pick two (with more tread depth) for front axle and two (with less tread depth) for rear axle, I have found that this method works out best to achieve even wear, because front tyres on FWD cars, even without any wheel spins, wears out a little bit quicker. Tyres are more than a 4 years old now, but I can't see any noticable signs of cracking, so I will continue using them in the future summers.
Comfort - how it was on my first set, it's same and on my second set - they were and they are very quiet and not too hard, I should say - well balanced in terms of hardness and quite comfortable overall.

In my experience - tyres are great in dry, good enough in wet, predictible in handling and gives enough road feedback, also very long lasting and not noisy at all. I bought my first set quite accidently and didn't knew what to expect from them, but even 5 years old used tyres - were very comfortable, very quiet and quite good overall. So, when I saw my second set, which was only slightly more than 2 years old, with tread depth of almost a new tyre - I knew that they will be even more perfect. And honestly - those Michelin's were (and still are) greatest summer tyres, that I had in my entire life.

P.S. don't forget to wash your wheels regularly.
tyre reviewed on 2024-12-11 19:01:31
Writing about the Hankook Winter I cept RS3 given 87% (175-65-14-)
Driving on a combination of roads for 3500 average miles
Hankook Winter I*cept RS3 tyres were bought brand new in october of 2023, was manufactured a few months earlier and stamped as made in Korea. Tyres were used on 1997 Volkswagen Golf Mk3, 1.9 TDI 66 kW (90 Hp), without ABS, TC or other driver assists.

First season/initial thoughts:
Dry roads - car was predictible, tyres felt a little bit softer and less responsive, in comparision with summer tyres (in my case it's 195/55 R15 2020's Michelin Energy Saver+), but it's a winter tyre, so it's absolutly normal to have a slightly different feeling in steering response or handling when having in mind they're softer compound than summer tyres. But they felt secure from city roads to country roads or motorways.
Wet roads - car was fully predictible too, I didn't had to face any aquaplaning, unexpected sliding or something similar, when driving in wet conditions, everything felt safe on all type of roads.
Snow - if we're talking about one of the most important winter tyre quality, then Hankook Winter I*cept RS3's were perfect. There was zero problems in inclines, declines, corners, in slush or deeper snow, also in traction or braking on snowy roads (biggest part of driving was on country roads). And last winter in Lithuania we had enough deeper snow, colder temperatures (few weeks up to -25°C, usualy around -10°C), etc., despite that traction was great, handling too. And even when car was having a wheel spin (mostly when driving more agressive, with calm, easy going driving style - tyres had more than enough traction and didn't spin the wheels, quick reminder - an old Golf Mk3 without traction control), it didn't stop moving, didn't start to slide in a middle of the corner uncontrollably, and I was a little bit shocked, because tyres had plenty of playfulness and room for safe driving on the limit.
Ice - I didn't had much experience on icy roads last year, but in a few situations, they didn't felt too bad, so if you're driving safely enough in those icy conditions, you shouldn't have any problems. Considering fact, that they are non-studded and/or not soft compound tyres, they do their job great enough.
Handling/road feedback - overall they felt secure and responsive enough, you felt that tyre limits line great and tyres gave enough response of what they're doing.
Comfort - in first season I didn't hear too much of the tyre noise, didn't felt any major comfort issues overall, it was slightly noisier than summer tyres, but no big deal.
Wear - I don't remember brand new tyres depth, I believe it was around 7.5-8 mm, after winter season and about 5000 km's I measurred it, and it wasn't much of a difference, maybe ~ 0.5-1 mm less, in comparision when they were new.

Second season:
Winter tyres season in Lithuania started only a month ago, so we didn't have any snow or ice yet, at least in my region, only dry or rainy days with temperatures around 0°C, with a light cold at nights and positive temperatures at days. On dry or wet roads they feel same as in last years, in snow or ice - we'll see, but main change is - noise. Tyres became much more noisier, especially around 70-80 km/h, around 90-100 km/h they become less noisy again. And it's not the worst tyre noise I have experienced in my life, but it's not the most fun too.

All in all - tyres are great for their purpose, bought them after Jonathan winter tyres review on Tyre Reviews YouTube and I haven't regret this choice, because of their great properties on dry, wet, snowy or even icy roads. Price and quality rate was great too (~ 230 Eur for set of 4 tyres, I should say thanks for small and narrow size, for me Hankook's price was a sweet spot, because budget tyres set would have cost ~ 160-180 Eur and premium tyres set would have cost ~ 300-500 Eur, so in middle price range, there wasn't much of a better choices), I would strongly consider buying them again, but off course - it would be nice if they would be less noisy.
tyre reviewed on 2024-12-06 19:17:49
Writing about the Sava Eskimo S3 given 70% (205-55-16-)
Driving on a combination of roads for 43500 spirited miles
I have used 205/55/16 on Golf 5 for 4.5 years and 70.000km all seasons! Never changed them in those 4.5yars

Tires are good up till this day and I'm about to replace them with the same type!
tyre reviewed on 2024-06-11 10:05:13
Writing about the Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 given 93% (225-45-17-)
Driving on a combination of roads for 8000 average miles
For an all season tyre this thing is fantastic, it reminds me of the original crossclimate as it's really good in the dry and wet. The snow grip was more than enough, not tested it on ice.

Really happy with the purchase, wear doesn't even look as bad as some of the tests would have you believe.
tyre reviewed on 2024-05-06 15:10:09
Writing about the Michelin Primacy 4 Plus given 90% (205-55-16-)
Driving on mostly country roads for 10000 spirited miles
My car is old and do not have any esp/asr systems, but have a lot of torque(450nm+) for a small car. I try few mid class tyres, but all was the same-very low grip, wheels spin and burnouts, dry and wet. So I buy michelin primacy 4+ and is all good. after 10k miles, I dint notice any wear or problems. Great tyres!
tyre reviewed on 2023-11-17 12:46:40
Writing about the Kumho Winter Craft WP52 given 70% (185-60-14-)
Driving on mostly town for 2000 average miles
No comments left
tyre reviewed on 2023-10-21 02:41:12
Writing about the Michelin CrossClimate 2 given 89% (195-65-15-)
Driving on mostly motorways for 35000 average miles
A great tyre both in dry and wet conditions. Excellent breaking performance in dry, with a predictable understeer in the wet. Center feel and feedback were poor first 5000 miles, but improved drastically.
Even though I live in the Alps we rarely get much snow in recent 20 years. Maybe I've had 5 days of snow in last two years. Never experienced any problems with traction or breaking performance. Handling was ok.
The only major downside: Summer temperatures of above 35°C negatively affected the rubber compound which became hard, negatively affecting the wet grip. Performance in dry is stil great.

The tyres currently sit at 35.000 miles in exactly 2 years.
tread depth front: 5.0 mm
tread depth rear: 5.0 mm
tyre reviewed on 2023-09-19 06:21:20
Writing about the Debica Frigo 2 given 83% (225-45-17-)
Driving on a combination of roads for 6000 average miles
Sunt foarte multumit de aceste anvelope pe zapada, au o aderenta impresionanta fata de altele pe care le am manevrat. Pe asfalt uscat nu mi-au oferit prea mult confort, sunt ceva mai zgomotoase, dar isi fac treaba, iar pe asfalt umed iar mi-au oferit suficienta incredere. Pe asfalt cu gheata sau polei nu au aderenta prea buna, trebuie sa faci niste manevre sa te redresezi. In concluzie raport/calitate/pret le pot recomanda.
tyre reviewed on 2023-04-29 02:21:16
Writing about the Debica Frigo 2 given 83% (225-45-17-)
Driving on a combination of roads for 6000 average miles
I am very satisfied with these tires on the snow, they have an impressive grip compared to others I have handled. On dry asphalt they didn't offer me much comfort, they are a bit noisier, but they do their job, and on wet asphalt they gave me enough confidence. On asphalt with ice or poles they don't have very good grip, you have to do some maneuvers to recover. In conclusion, ratio/quality/price, I can recommend them.
tyre reviewed on 2023-03-28 14:21:32
Writing about the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 given 68% (195-65-15-)
Driving on mostly town for 1000 average miles
So far tried Michelin Energy Saver (ES), Continental Premium Contact 5 (PC5) and now these Goodyear Efficient Grip 2’s (EG2) on my car. The Efficient Grip 2’s are basically like half way tyre between the Energy Savers and Premium Contact 5’s. EG2 have a softer ride and are a touch quieter than the PC5. Definitely less fidget over broken surfaces and thumps from the suspension on bigger bumps are a bit quieter too. EG2 therefore don’t respond to changes in direction as readily as PC5. There is more squidge in the initial turn in and the car feels less keyed into the road surface. They do grip well however. EG2 the steering feels more gloopy than PC5, this is especially apparent when temperatures drop below 5 degrees. EG2 don’t respond to low temperatures as well as PC5 and start to behave like ES. More understeer on wet surfaces especially. Inconsistent steering weights become apparent in very cold temperatures, less than 3 degrees. EG2 has similar fuel economy to ES. I regularly get 310-330 miles per tank driving around town. On PC5 doing the same routes, I got 280 - 290 miles per tank. Overall if I had to buy new tyres for my car again, I’d get the Premium Contact 7’s when they are released. I much preferred the PC5’s consistency across temperatures and sporty response. I would sacrifice a bit of ride comfort and fuel economy for this.
tyre reviewed on 2022-12-12 12:39:27
Writing about the Hankook Kinergy 4S2 given 90% (195-65-15-)
Driving on a combination of roads for 9000 spirited miles
Excellent tire and far outperformed the OEM tires (ContiProContact), especially in the snow. Very good in the snow and dry with slight weakness in wet breaking (subjective, not measured). Got me through a very bad snowstorm when they were new and passed many vehicles that had slid off the road. Even had good traction uphill. Tread depth after about 9,000 miles is at 7/32" (starting depth at 10/32") on the North American compound (warranty is 60,000 miles to 2/32"). Looking forward to see how it performs this winter provided there is adequate snow to drive through. I'm also writing this review because it seems that the tire is either discontinued entirely in the US or Tire Rack is electing not to carry it anymore. Further, I have noticed that many reviews on the tire appear to have been scrubbed from the Tire Rack website (I wrote one and was able to find it a week ago and now it is gone now that they no longer carry my tire size). I think it is a shame that this tire will no longer be offered as an option because it was a good buy compared to the more expensive Cross Climate 2. I know you can get tires from other places than Tire Rack but it is a major distributor and I use their website as a reference on what tires are available. Regardless, they should not be deleting or hiding reviews.
tyre reviewed on 2022-11-23 17:09:30
Writing about the Kumho Ecsta HS52 given 87% (205-55-16-)
Driving on mostly country roads for 5000 spirited miles
For a 16 inch tyre it feels pretty sporty! I'm impressed with them, came from the PS3.
tyre reviewed on 2022-10-01 06:45:12
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