Accelera PHI Reviews - Page 8
Given 66%
while driving a
BMW E46 M3
(225/40 R19)
on a combination of roads
for 15,000 spirited miles
I work in the motor trade and have the benefit of driving many different vehicles with many different tires. My honest opinion of these is that they are massively under rated.
Dry grip, road noise and fuel economy are comparable to Continental and Michelin pilot sports which i had previously on my M3. In the Wet, the Acceleras are a little less grippy but they are predictable. Contrary to some of these reviews, they will not throw you off the road, unless you have a vehicle defect or a massive lack of driving skills.
They wear excellently, 16k miles from my set on the rear and i drive the car hard. Fronts are half worn in this same time.
Only issue iv had is a crack in the sidewall but probably due to pot holes. When you compare to the fact i had 3 different michelin pilots develop bulges and one continental blow out, these tires have been superb for the money.
No offence but if you only have a normal hatchback or family car you wont need anything better.
Dry grip, road noise and fuel economy are comparable to Continental and Michelin pilot sports which i had previously on my M3. In the Wet, the Acceleras are a little less grippy but they are predictable. Contrary to some of these reviews, they will not throw you off the road, unless you have a vehicle defect or a massive lack of driving skills.
They wear excellently, 16k miles from my set on the rear and i drive the car hard. Fronts are half worn in this same time.
Only issue iv had is a crack in the sidewall but probably due to pot holes. When you compare to the fact i had 3 different michelin pilots develop bulges and one continental blow out, these tires have been superb for the money.
No offence but if you only have a normal hatchback or family car you wont need anything better.
Given 66%
while driving a
BMW 320D
(225/45 R17)
on a combination of roads
for 40,000 average miles
If you're on a budget you'll struggle to get much better than these. I had 255/35/18 on rear e46 320d coupe, with 225/40/18. Rears lasted c20k miles (had two sets) and fronts lasted 35k, so no real worries about wear.
Yes they are not great in the wet but you soon adjust your driving to suit; don't enter roundabouts at speed, keep a little more distance from car in front in heavy rain. In the dry, however, they perform well and don't do anything unexpected.
Now that I can afford a better tire, I pay for it, but if I was strapped for cash then I would go and buy these again, at easily less than half the price of premium tires.
Yes they are not great in the wet but you soon adjust your driving to suit; don't enter roundabouts at speed, keep a little more distance from car in front in heavy rain. In the dry, however, they perform well and don't do anything unexpected.
Now that I can afford a better tire, I pay for it, but if I was strapped for cash then I would go and buy these again, at easily less than half the price of premium tires.
Given 64%
while driving a
Ford Mondeo 130 TDCi Zetec
(235/45 R18 W)
on a combination of roads
for 9,800 average miles
Fitted to Mondeo 2.0 TDCi at Front and they were BAD maybe because I oversized them to 235/45 instead of standard 225/40. Fitted them at rear and they are perfect now but front must be made with PREMIUM brand for perfect handling.
Given 46%
while driving a
Vauxhall INSIGNIA 1.8 PETROL
(225/45 R17 W)
on a combination of roads
for 30,000 average miles
I had a brand new pair of these on the front of my insignia when I purchased it and have managed to get 30k out of them which is not too bad for a budget tire.
What is bad is the road noise, the total lack of feedback, and the appalling vibration at moderate and high speed, it was so bad that I thought the wheels had not been balanced correctly, but the maindealer tested this and suggested that the tires had gone "out of round'' after just 5k miles!
Just ordered some Dunlop sp sportmaxx gt 's to replace these awful tires.
Do yourselves a favour, and pay the extra for a brand you can trust.
What is bad is the road noise, the total lack of feedback, and the appalling vibration at moderate and high speed, it was so bad that I thought the wheels had not been balanced correctly, but the maindealer tested this and suggested that the tires had gone "out of round'' after just 5k miles!
Just ordered some Dunlop sp sportmaxx gt 's to replace these awful tires.
Do yourselves a favour, and pay the extra for a brand you can trust.
Given 46%
while driving a
Chrysler Crossfire
(225/45 R17)
on mostly town
for 500 easy going miles
Recently bought a Crossfire with a new pair of these tires on the rear (very little wear, in good condition). First few weeks of driving was in the dry and everything seemed fine. The first morning in the wet however, the rear of the car felt like it was on ice! I appreciate they are no doubt a budget tire but the absolute lack of grip in the wet in inexcusable (5mph power-slides on an urban roundabout should not be possible!). Think long and hard before purchasing these tires unless you are a crab and prefer to travel sideways everywhere....
Given 81%
while driving a
Audi A4 Quattro 220 bhp TFSI
(255/35 R19)
on a combination of roads
for 10,000 average miles
I'm on my 2nd A4 quattro since 2006 and have always had Continental tires fitted. When I was ready for a new set last year I went to a local fitter who spent 30 minutes convincing me that I was wasting my money and that I should get the Accelera's fitted for half the price. He was so convinced that he said if I wasn't happy after a month then I could go back and get the Conti's fitted for no extra charge! I've had the tires on for 12 months now, through winter and summer and I have to say he was right. I'm not an expert by any means but all I can say is that in my opinion these tires have been fantastic. I have no hesitation in putting my foot down hard coming off a roundabout, even in wet conditions. When I had the Conti's fitted the previous winter I had to drive round with 40kg of sandbags in the boot to try and stop the back end slipping, not with the Accelera's, they were faultless all the way through. Will definately be getting them fitted in future....
Given 53%
while driving a
BMW Alpina B3
(255/35 R18 W)
on a combination of roads
for 1,000 average miles
*PLEASE DO NOT FIT THESE TYRES TO THE REAR OF YOUR CAR OR AT ALL IF YOU CAN HELP IT*
Spun out on damp roundabout at 5-10mph.
Below average in the dry and lethal in the wet.
There is a reason these are the cheapest tires in this size.
Spun out on damp roundabout at 5-10mph.
Below average in the dry and lethal in the wet.
There is a reason these are the cheapest tires in this size.
Given 80%
while driving a
BMW 320D M Sport
(255/35 R18 W)
on mostly town
for 4,000 average miles
Not sure what all the fuss is about these tires - I've had them fitted by my dealer on an Alfa 159 previously and they were great so when needed new tires on my 320d I looked into the options and these were so much better value than RF tires I thought they'd be worth a try.
The tire pattern is very similar to the Bridgestone Rf's so they look great - much better than other budget brands.
Ive had them on 4000 miles now and no real issues - yes its a RWD car so if you boot it in the damp coming out of a roundabout it will light up the traction control but hey we all know what BMW are like on slippery surfaces so drive accordingly??
In the dry no issues at all - nice and quiet and more comfortable than RF's. Good levels of grip but again I'm not on a race track I'm driving to work and back and taxiing the kids around.
Braking I've not had any moments wet or dry.
Give them a try honestly great value - all four tires similar cost to one OE RF tire!!
The tire pattern is very similar to the Bridgestone Rf's so they look great - much better than other budget brands.
Ive had them on 4000 miles now and no real issues - yes its a RWD car so if you boot it in the damp coming out of a roundabout it will light up the traction control but hey we all know what BMW are like on slippery surfaces so drive accordingly??
In the dry no issues at all - nice and quiet and more comfortable than RF's. Good levels of grip but again I'm not on a race track I'm driving to work and back and taxiing the kids around.
Braking I've not had any moments wet or dry.
Give them a try honestly great value - all four tires similar cost to one OE RF tire!!
Given 81%
while driving a
Land Rover Range Rover Vogue Westminster
(225/60 R18 V)
on a combination of roads
for 20,000 average miles
Had accelera tires fitted to my Range Rover Vogue because it was all the tire depot had got in stock and at £100 fitted and balanced with new valves it was a good deal. They replaced Goodyear Wranglers and although not quite as good represent really good value and as the Goodyear tires were no longer produced I thought I would give these a try. Up to now I am very pleased
Given 37%
while driving a
Honda Civic Type R
(225/40 R18 W)
on mostly motorways
for 2,000 average miles
I recently bought a Civic Type R GT FN2 model with these fitted by the previous owner. While dry grip is satisfactory, wet grip is pretty bad. I say this coming from a Seat Ibiza Formula Sport fitted with Rainsport2s which were fantastic in wet conditions.
A Civic Type R is meant to be driven in a spirited manner but these tires do not inspire any confidence whatsoever to do so. Under harsh acceleration the front end feels directionless and even at medium speed in bends feels like it can give way at any second.
Given how these are the only things keeping you on the road, I would implore you not to buy these. I'm currently weighing up a set of OEM Bridgestones or some Rainsport3s just to get this rubbish off my car.
A Civic Type R is meant to be driven in a spirited manner but these tires do not inspire any confidence whatsoever to do so. Under harsh acceleration the front end feels directionless and even at medium speed in bends feels like it can give way at any second.
Given how these are the only things keeping you on the road, I would implore you not to buy these. I'm currently weighing up a set of OEM Bridgestones or some Rainsport3s just to get this rubbish off my car.
Given 80%
while driving a
BMW e90 M3
(225/45 R17)
on mostly country roads
for 3,000 spirited miles
Follow on to my review from December 2013. I have now had these on the rear of the car for over 3,000 miles. I've driven a complete mix of weather conditions from torrential rain with standing water, very cold, wet, salty roads, dry sunny roads etc. The tires have given me no moments at all. Yes you can provoke the back end of the car by stabbing the throttle when applying some steering lock but all very predictable. I have driven the car in every mode of the traction control from fully on, M-Dynamic mode through to fully disengaged and the car does what you expect it to. I've come out of junctions in 1st and 2nd gear with a heavy right foot and the M-diff just hooks up and the car fires down the road. If the tires were as lethal as some of the scaremongers on here they wouldn't be able to sell them.
Reading comments like I lost control at 20mph or at 74mph on a motorway makes me wonder what kind of drivers are out there on our roads. If you can totally lose control of a car in those situations perhaps it's time to hand back your driving license?
As I previously stated when these wear out which seems like it's going to be ages as they show no signs of any wear yet, I will go for a premium brand to see the difference. I will report back in another couple of months now that the better weather is arriving.
Reading comments like I lost control at 20mph or at 74mph on a motorway makes me wonder what kind of drivers are out there on our roads. If you can totally lose control of a car in those situations perhaps it's time to hand back your driving license?
As I previously stated when these wear out which seems like it's going to be ages as they show no signs of any wear yet, I will go for a premium brand to see the difference. I will report back in another couple of months now that the better weather is arriving.
Given 39%
while driving a
Alfa Romeo 159
(225/45 R17)
on a combination of roads
for 12 spirited miles
I am "high-performance driver" no question I push the car to the limit when the opportunity presents itself. It often sees the red-line taking off whenever there are no cars in front of me. I enjoy seeing how hard it can be pushed through corners wet or dry.
For a BUDGET tire they are ok. But these are not performance tires. I had these on all four wheels when I bought the car (I actually negotiated a thousand dollars off the price because of these tires being on them). When the tires were new the wet grip was ok, as they got past 50% wear the wet grip practically disappeared - I mean practically zero grip in the wet. Dry grip was surprisingly ok for a budget tire all the way down to the min tread depth (but not at the level of "real" high performance tires). Noise was high though throughout the life of the tire. Tread life was good, not great - but these are NOT long life tires. They are "budget high performance" so for high performance tires the tread wear is ok.
I replaced these tires with Michelin Pilot Sport 3's - OMG what a difference - like night and day. The Michelin's had soooo much grip (WET and dry) it was exciting to drive the car again. Worth every cent - besides just the safety margin in the wet makes them certainly worth it.
If you are driving a cheap car, want to save money on tires and don't need wet grip for the life of the tire, then this could save you some dollars and be an ok tire. On all other counts do not consider these at all.
For a BUDGET tire they are ok. But these are not performance tires. I had these on all four wheels when I bought the car (I actually negotiated a thousand dollars off the price because of these tires being on them). When the tires were new the wet grip was ok, as they got past 50% wear the wet grip practically disappeared - I mean practically zero grip in the wet. Dry grip was surprisingly ok for a budget tire all the way down to the min tread depth (but not at the level of "real" high performance tires). Noise was high though throughout the life of the tire. Tread life was good, not great - but these are NOT long life tires. They are "budget high performance" so for high performance tires the tread wear is ok.
I replaced these tires with Michelin Pilot Sport 3's - OMG what a difference - like night and day. The Michelin's had soooo much grip (WET and dry) it was exciting to drive the car again. Worth every cent - besides just the safety margin in the wet makes them certainly worth it.
If you are driving a cheap car, want to save money on tires and don't need wet grip for the life of the tire, then this could save you some dollars and be an ok tire. On all other counts do not consider these at all.