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
Probably the worst tires I have ever had on a car!
They were brand new fitted by the dealer before I purchased the car, first time out I instantly noticed the very very loud road noise....
But the worst thing with these tires is though the wet grip - well complete lack of it... They are laughably dangerous in even slightly damp weather...
I have been looking for an excuse to get rid of them, this came along in a recent MOT - all 4 failed due to delamination (massive cracks in the side wall) 2 year old tires with less than 15k miles on them!!
Had three of these on the car since I bought it. It is a heavy Citroen C5 2.2 turbo diesel. Absolutely no problems. Don't buy a budget tire then drive like a nutcase. They do the job fairly well. 12,000 miles mixed urban and motorway. Not the quietest tires around, but by no means the noisiest. The other tire on my car when I bought it is a Falken, and it is just barely legal now, whereas the Federals have 5 mm minimum on them. Progressiveness is pretty good do, but I tend to drive to suit the weather and my abilities, so the boy racers and "expert" drivers might disagree. (I have my ROSPA advanced drivers qualification) Have a look at Tiff Needhams trials with premium and budget tires if you think premium will always stop you quicker.
Check out how the BEST all seasons tires perform against premium summer and winter tires!
These were fitted to my DC2 when I bought it and I hated them. The grip is just about OK in the dry but they are not progressive at all, they just suddenly let go. They are absolutely hopeless in the wet. The DC2 isn't renowned for its torque but it would spin the wheels in third. I have an aftermarket diff fitted and it was terrible in the wet with these tires. When I replaced the Federals with Avon's the car was so much better in the wet. I would never buy these tires again! You have been warned!
These are horrible tires!! I bought my fabia vrs with these tires on the back. Iv got rainsport 2`s on the front and never had the front slide on me but iv had the back slide out on roundabouts several times in the wet,but the worst thing is the horrendous droning noise that comes off them. I have bought a new pair of rear wheel bearings thinking that was the problem but have been told by garage that the bearings are fine and the source of the horrible warbling drone is these crappy tires.
AVOID AT ALL COST!!!!!
I fit those tires on a Peugeot 106 Gti almost a month ago and since then I did with them 4000 km (summer vacation season). Half of the kilometers were held on highway and the rest on "B roads" and very twisty mountain roads. The km driven in dry roads, so I do not rate those tires in wet grip (anyway in wet condition we should be more careful and furthermore I have winter tires for the heavy winter). I did not rate the tires in wear also because I have them for only 4000 km.
The dry grip is very good with great amount of grip in any kind of roads even if the asphalt is very worn or the road is like a "mirror". The braking is also good. The feedback is stiff and you know all the time what is the traction of each tire. The steering is directly proportional the the steering wheel angle and this makes them very progressine.
The comfort is the only drawback of these tires. Not so much their comfort on the bumps and holes where they are very good and above average for their small profile but the noise they produce especially on bad roads at speeds above 100-110 kph. I knew that before I purchaced them, but 90 percent of the usage is on B roads and less on highway and since it is a rotational agressive tire giving good feedback and g-forces , I installed them.
Generally I recomend these tires for those who want a good priced tire with very good dynamic characteristics but do not travel a lot or travel with speeds of up to 100 kph.
I do not recomend the tires for those who want travel a lot at high speeds since it gives a headache for the passengers as a result of the directional pattern of the large blocks.
The noisiest tire I have ever experienced in 40 years of driving. At low speeds a roar akin to a 747 taking off. At 50 mph the stepped wear ( yes stepped wear even after 6k miles ! ) produces a whining like the diff has packed up...at 70 - 80 they sound like all 4 wheel bearings have disintegrated...Terrible tires. If you fit these prepare to have your stereo turned up to maximum.!
As an avid car enthusiast with decent competency in performance cars, I can honestly say that these tires are just scary in the wet.
Entering, mid, and exiting corners, your ass pinches up because of the terrible handling the tires offer. Makes you look like you're driving like a tool, even when you're driving like, Miss Daisy. Unpredictable is how I'd describe them.
Shocking in the wet. The tires were mounted on the wheels just prior to me purchasing the car. As they were new, I kept them on the car. Budget permitting - I'll change them at first opportunity.
Fine on dry straight conditions but the lateral grip on corners is shocking. At 25kph on a slightly damp roundabout they loose all lateral grip. Defintely not suited to wet climates or twisty roads at all. Will never ever buy again
These tires were on the rear of my current car when I bought it, I'm not sure of the tread depth then but they certainly weren't new. I've had no problems with them in the dry and the wear rate is great having done 20,000 miles not from new.
Last weekend though, in mildly wet conditions at 2.5mm tread depth I experienced a sudden loss of traction with absolutely no warning on a roundabout resulting in an oversteer spin leaving me facing the oncoming traffic. Continental PremiumContact2's (5-6mm) on the front had no problem.
Have ordered a set of DunlopSport BluResponse to replace the SS-595's and will not use them again!
