Noise and wet grip dominate criticism of the Federal SS595 SUPER STEEL, raised by roughly four in ten of 127 owners, and neutral ratings form the largest group. Dry grip is more often praised than criticised, though 20 drivers dislike it, so confidence is far from universal. Value and tread life are recurring positives, with several longer-use accounts describing substantial mileage despite a smaller group reporting rapid wear. Steering feedback is evenly split, and comfort complaints come from a smaller minority. Several later-use accounts describe noise increasing, but repeat reviewers show no shared decline: one becomes less satisfied while another stays positive.
What owners mention most counted across 127 reviews
These tires are incredibly noisy. I had Michelin Primacy on the front Federal on the rear...I swopped them for wear equalisation...and...wow..it was as if my wheel bearings were shot...unbearable road noise...swopped them back...and no problem.
Nice budget tire which is reasonable with grip level. Problem is I drive my car at weekends only; this tire lasted under 2000 miles, admittedly I drive with spirit, but not like a race driver.
Check out how the BEST all seasons tires perform against premium summer and winter tires!
These tires are incredbly noisy on my CTR, they make a loud hum and sound like a jet is taking off! They wear well but do not grip that well. I will not buy these again...
Which tires do you drive?
Researching the Federal SS595 SUPER STEEL? Rate the tires you actually drive - and help the next buyer choose.
Really good, I went up from 205/45 to 215/45 on 17 inch rims on my Grande Punto and found a massive improvement in ride comfort. I have read other reviews saying these tires are noisy, maybe but mine are much quieter than my previous Falkens, far far gripper be it wet or dry and really good value at only 45 pounds each.
OEM on my car is Potenza RE050A which is a really expensive tire and in my opinion average, noisy bumpy ride and grip poorly when only half worn, these Federals are way better, perhaps not so grippy when new but they last longer and grip consistently throught their lives. Also resistant to aquaplaning at high speed on the motorway and the car tracks straighter at speed too, highly recommended and will purchase again.
Pretty good all round tire especially given the cost but oh so noisy. Unlike other reviewers, mine rumble and graunch at speeds between about 10 to 25 mph and quiet down (a little) at higher speeds.
I thought they might become quieter as they worn down but seem to be getting worse.
They made such a rumbling noise I took the car to the garage thinking I had a broken wheel bearing.
Very all round average tire but so noisy, anything faster than 40 mph and the car sounds like it has a jet engine attached to it! Got plenty of grip left on the tire but going to have it replaced anyway due to the noise.
Would buy again. Above average.
Noisy but do seem to last well. Half worn now after 8k reckon 15-18k from 250 bhp fwd .
I will be trying a set of falken next.
Good year F1 was first set on this car and good feel and grip but poor wear and expensive.
Find budget performance tires give good balance of quality and cost.
57%
Anonymous
Ford
225/40 R18 W
20,000 miles
Mostly Country Roads
Average
Grip, progressiveness, wear and road feedback all pretty good. However, these are the noisiest tires I have ever used; a high pitched whine/hum resonated through the car at speeds over 50 mph, and it sounded like all the wheel bearings were shot. I replaced the tires before they were worn out just to protect my hearing (and my sanity). Horrible, would never buy again.
I bought these to replace my Bridgestone/Conti mix. I wasn't expecting that much as they are half the price of what they replaced. Initial thoughts were that I couldn't really tell much difference. Grip was actually a little better, noise slightly lower and ride not much different. I've done 14,500 on them and the rears have 3.5mm - 4mm left. The fronts are 5 in the center but the edges are gone (I'll run higher pressures next time and keep a better eye on the tracking). Overall, on a level playing field, they are easily able to take on the likes of Continental and Bridgestone. Factor in the price and it really is a no brainer.
I found these tires especially grippy when 'warmed' up a bit. In cold weather they tend to slip more readily. Wet weather grip is fairly reasonable. They provide a good level of feedback and progressively loose grip when pushed hard before finally breaking away. Even when fairly worn they still perform very well. The only downside of these tires is the road noise which is much higher than you might expect
