I've happily used UHP 235/45R17 tires on my Passat and Beetle 18T convertible with nothing but smooth cruising. I tried 38 psi but backed off, the slightly tauter steering wasn't worth the harshness on SoCal's crumbling surface streets. Mine were all German origin.
formoza 165 45's.... i gotz 2 sets. they are great. and fairly cheap.
I got some Federal 215/40/18's from Josh @ Sterling Tire and I think they're great! They stretch well, have a bit of a lip protector and aren't loud. The traction is great, especially in the rain.
I just moved back to the northeast and purchased a set of General Altimax Artic. Apparently they are Gislaved NF3's which is a Scandinavian tire rebranded by their parent company (Continental) and sold as Generals in the US. So far they have been good but no major snow storms but some ice and slush. I got them studded. Once the warm up they are fairly quite. Not to mention they are pretty inexpensive ($99 each). I got wheels, tires with studs, mounted/balanced and shipped for under $1K from Tire Rack. Pretty good if you ask me. -Ron
From what I have read these are great tires.
If you're looking for cheap performance summer tires I'd recomment the General Exclaim UHP or the Sumitomo HTRZ III, you'd be VERY surprised they handle and grip about 90% as well as a tire double it's cost, VERY well worth the money at about $80-$100/tire. I bought a set of the Exclaims and was very surprised, and 3 of my friends are running the HTRZ's and both tires are amazing for that pricepoint.
IIRC he said it dropped him like two more inches and it's VERY stiff.
Well, the 235-45 tires arrived from Tire Rack mounted on forged rim aftermarket 17 inch wheels, these were installed yesterday. Steering feel and feed back are really good, little or no compromise of comfort. The Z-rated General tires, German-made, are actually a bit lighter than the 225-45 Goodyear R-SA's they replaced. No clearance problems, the three tenths of an inch increase in overall tire diameter isn't all that noticeable. The design of the wheel and the tire sidewall as well as the wider tire section width all give a lot more rim protection. The original VW wheels and OE tires left the outer rim and spokes protruding beyond the sidewall, very vulnerable to damage. Any change from OEM is invariably a compromise, no buyer's remorse on this one.
Recently upgraded a W8 wagon to 17 inch wheels and General Exclaim UHP Z-rated tires from Tire Rack. So far delighted. General is a Continental subsidiary, tires are mfg in Germany. Amazing level of comfort for a Z-rated tire.
General Exclaim UHPs
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