Best Tires for the Ford Puma 1.7

tested on Ford Puma 1.7; 195/50/15: grip - taking corners at 110-120km/h speeds speaks for itself, on wet O.K., on snow going suicidal comfort - 0 noise, no objections wear - for the price reasonable, driven hard, lasting almost full 2 seasons if I was short on budget I would probably buy again, but I won't

Used to run Avon ZZR's on my car but fancied these to help give my wallet a break! Plus I'd heard good reviews, which seemed to be backed up online, so I had high expectations.

I had my Puma at a track day at Oulton Park and I was immediately impressed by the cold grip levels. As I got a few more laps under my belt it became obvious that the grip levels were increasing markedly and I could feel my lap times started tumbling (not that I was recording them). I noticed I could carry much more speed into the faster corners and had so much more traction out of the slower corners - the car's attitude through the chicane was transformed. I could keep the throttle in harder through the whole section instead of waiting for the grip before flooring it. After a day's hard lapping I didn't notice a drop-off in performance, either (although my brakes were screaming for mercy towards the end!), so these seem like a very durable tire.

I'll definitely be buying these again when the time comes to renew. Might have to look at my pad compound and some better brake fluid before the next track day, though!

Very pleased with this new tire. Budget tires don't offer as much as this... for long km drives over mixed surfaces and temperatures, they grip very good, sometimes ned perfect. Two minuses: no rim protection, and soft sidewalls that lean (although unnoticeable), but being a cheap tire, i don't blame it for this. i was expecting them to be durable in time and have minimum wear with they did, but for that i expected a compromise in handling or grip. It wasn't the case, even with spirited driving. So I highly recommend this tire for everyday use, i suspect a more expensive tire from the same brand will indeed outperform this economical level one. Good job from nokian on building not only good winter tires, but decent summer ones too!

Amazing in the snow and on ice. Not different than winter tires, more or less. On wet has solid aquaplaning abilities, but not perfect in emergency braking.
Quiet and refined on higher speeds. Solid on bumps, etc.. Wear is barely visible from 12k km.
But... not solid for aggressive driving (Rather soft board), can't replace a summer tire if you push the car to the limits on twisted roads, in hot summer days. Braking in summer is a bit worse that summer tires.

I found these tires shocking. My car slides when changing lanes on the motorway over the white lines. I found no grip when driving in the rain and absolutely no traction in snow.
When the weather is dry, it's not so hairy. The traction is better but living in Manchester, it's more wet than dry. I'm changing over to Uniroyal Rainsport 3. I need confidence in my tires & these just don't give it to me. They make my car feel dangerous. I drive a Ford Puma. They are a fun car to drive. It's not fun with these tires & I miss being able to corner safely at reasonable speeds. I definitely would not recommend them.

Would not recommend unless you live in a warm location where winter is very mild and only ever drive on slush. On snow they don't grip at all and let me down a lot, though i went for a very small tread intentionally so as to have more traction in snow. Would not recommend for snowy weather or sporty driving

I've got a old ford puma which handled like dream with the rainsport 2's putting many new cars to the sword on the twisty's!
The rainsport 3's are even better with less tire roll than the old RS2's which makes the puma stick to road even better with lots of feedback and control, grip in the wet gives you enough confidence to floor it as if it were dry. I do still think they compliment a medium/small car than a heavier model as you could experience tire roll the heavier you go, but for the sporty hatches they are a bargin found 195/50/15 V for £38.35 fitted!!

I bought the car on a warm dry day with Accelera Alphas at the front and BF Goodrich on the rear. A Ford Puma's handling is legendary and these tires seemed to do the job then... I took it out a wet day (it's a hobby car and I don't usually do this) I nearly killed myself at the first bend. I wasn't going fast but the tires simply failed to grip. There was massive understeer and I found myself on the wrong side of the road: fortunately there was nobody around.

After I had recovered myself, I tried a quick start: the things skidded like mad and the car shot off in zigzags.

Oh, they wear fairly well and are quiet, so if this is your priority and you don't mind dying early in a wet ditch or on the bumper of a lorry, these are for you.

Excellent tires, they grip hard in the dry practically eliminating the squealing understeer I get with lesser tires. the turn in is also a lot sharper due to the stiffer construction it makes the ride a little harder but its worth it. The wet grip is good showing good communication with progressive breakaway. however they do tend to aquaplane a little earlier in standing water than other not so extreme summer tires. conclusion if you want a tire for the road but also want some fun on the track these are up to the job!

these are a good tire for dry days but on a wet one be prepared to be upside down in a ditch