The most recent owner reviews fitted in this size, in their own words.
225 50 r15 size
The best dry braking tire according to "Auto Bild" and "Tire Reviews" tests! They grade it as a summer tire but it is a M+S tire, (in some sizes at least), make it much harder to beat Michelins, Condinentals, Pirellis and other premium tires. As for wet braking is good too, never had the feeling of slipage at various speeds. The ABS/EDL works rarely. This perfect behavior may be accompanied by the AWD Syncro system my car has.
I am never traveling with more than 200 km/h! Up to this speed the car is perfectly stable and it is not affected by winds.
The funny think is that on snow it gives enough traction to climb, easily, snowed roads with a 30°- 40° inclination. Not tested on ice, though, I haven't the opportunity. It works perfectly off road, too, @ 35-40 psi. Not tested on sand!
For more here: https://www.vwsyncro.eu/p/passat-b3b4-syncro-tires.html
In 2017 I bought 4 new tires for my classic high performance sedan. Size 225/50 R15 for the car. These tires were quiet, grippy and very comfortable.
Because the car is limited use they still look new. I run tire pressure at psi to limit rolling resistance and to help with sidewall flex under hard cornering.
The Sonars SX608's are a great tire for summer driving but winter wet road could be better. When they do break loose, they are predictable and easy to bring the car back into control.
The tires are now 8 years old and still have 92% of their tread left. They still drive as good as the day I fitted them. I'm looking to replace them because of age. There are no signs of cracking or splitting but because the car is rare I can't risk a tire blowout and damaging the car or worse.
51%
Toyo Proxes 1
225/50 R15
Lotus Elan M100 10 miles September 3, 2019
look pretty as tire wears front starts to track shoulders of tires have little rubber so hard driving wears tread out on edges center of tires holds lots of tread even when over inflated to correct wear
41%
Toyo Proxes FZ4
225/50 R15
Toyota MK2 MR2 Turbo 9,000 miles September 20, 2015
These are the rear tires on my MR2 Turbo. They are adequate in warm dry weather, but are nasty in cool wet conditions. They break loose violently when turbo boost comes on coming out of a corner (stock engine and at only part throttle). To avoid tank slappers I now switch to 14" Dunlops in the fall.
51%
Falken ZE912
225/50 R15
TVR 450seac 4,000 miles August 18, 2014
Fitted these due to extremely limited choice in this tire size, now wish i hadn't. The grip in the dry can only be described as okay under cornering and acceleration, but very poor under braking. Wet grip is shockingly bad. Unfortunately wear seems very reasonable, i say unfortunately as i'd love to wang 'em in the bin but there is still loads of tread left!
67%
Toyo T1R
225/50 R15
Toyota MK2 MR2 NA 10 miles February 21, 2014
If you have an mr2 on original 15" rims, good rear tires are to find. It's a choice of Pirelli p-zero (£220+) Falken ze912 or the Toyo t1r, if you can find them!!!!
The Toyo t1r offers very good dry grip (track days) for a very good price, road noice is average and front end braking is fantastic, even in the wet. The two downsides are soft side walls, which reduces steering feel & response, compared to your top end brands & the wear rate is high, but this is a track focused tire & lower profile tires will have much smaller side wall to move on.
The falken ze912 I felt it had better response & feel and has lasted longer, rides smooth but then it's not so track focused. Have not used the pirelli p-zero..
Well where do I start... After weeks of searching for a decent tire I finally plunged for these. £56ea fitted through black circles. A couple of weeks in and WOW! I do drive my car hard and every thing I thrown at it with the new tires it's taken and responded much better than the Mich'es I had on before. If you want a tire you can trust in the rain and brill grip in the dry then give these a whirl!!! For the money you can't complain... FAB!
91%
Yokohama A022
225/50 R15
Toyota MK2 MR2 NA 34,500 miles October 6, 2011
Actually the AO22 tire.
Best tires I have driven on with MR2. Allow for hard cornering and just stick as you throttle through. Endurance, time has come to change them after 34,500miles of fantastic driving. They are now on the legal limit. Not only did they cope with the snow and ice, they actually gave reassurance. Unfortunately, like all good things, they have come to an end and they are not producing them anymore. Struggling to get a decent replacement.
