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Best Tires for the Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp

Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp drivers have left 13 tire reviews on Tire Reviews, covering 226,271 miles of real world driving. Every tire they rated is ranked below, so you can see what actually works on this car.

This page covers the Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp specifically. For the full picture, the Volkswagen Golf mk5 page combines 87 reviews from every variant. All Volkswagen Golf mk5 reviews →

  • 13owner reviews
  • 226,271 milescovered on them
  • 13different tires rated
  • 74%average tire score
Most fitted size - 8 reviews 225/45 R17 To scale, mm
Ø 634 225 101 17" 101 All 225/45 R17 data →

The best rated tires that fit the Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp

The rankings above can only speak for tires a Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp driver has already reviewed. These are the highest rated tires we hold that are actually manufactured in the sizes these drivers run - 225/45 R17 and 205/55 R16 - whether or not anyone here has fitted them yet. They are ranked on the TR Score, which is built from independent test results and every owner review of that tire.

Summer tires

No Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp driver has reviewed a tire in the Summer category yet. Of the ones made in this car's sizes, the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 is our highest rated, at 9.7 out of 10.

Highest rated Summer tires made in Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp sizes
# Tire TR Score Made in Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp reviews
1 Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 9.7 225/45 R17 Be the first →
2 Continental PremiumContact 7 9.5 All your sizes Be the first →
3 Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo 9.5 All your sizes Be the first →
4 Pirelli Cinturato C3 9.4 All your sizes Be the first →
5 Falken ZIEX ZE320 9.4 All your sizes Be the first →
6 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S 9.4 225/45 R17 Be the first →

Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best Summer Tires →

All Season tires

No Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp driver has reviewed a tire in the All Season category yet. Of the ones made in this car's sizes, the Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 is our highest rated, at 9.6 out of 10.

Highest rated All Season tires made in Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp sizes
# Tire TR Score Made in Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp reviews
1 Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 9.6 All your sizes Be the first →
2 Continental AllSeasonContact 2 9.5 All your sizes Be the first →
3 Michelin CrossClimate 3 9.5 All your sizes Be the first →
4 BFGoodrich Advantage All Season 9.5 All your sizes Be the first →
5 Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen 3 9.4 All your sizes Be the first →
6 Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6 9.4 All your sizes Be the first →

Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best All Season Tires → Test winner: Goodyear Vector All Season 4

All Weather tires

No Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp driver has reviewed a tire in the All Weather category yet. Of the ones made in this car's sizes, the Vredestein Quatrac is our highest rated, at 9.5 out of 10.

Highest rated All Weather tires made in Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp sizes
# Tire TR Score Made in Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp reviews
1 Vredestein Quatrac 9.5 All your sizes Be the first →
2 Vredestein Quatrac Pro EV 8.3 225/45 R17 Be the first →
3 Vredestein Quatrac Pro+ 8.1 225/45 R17 Be the first →

Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best All Weather Tires →

Winter tires

No Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp driver has reviewed a tire in the Winter category yet. Of the ones made in this car's sizes, the Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 is our highest rated, at 9.5 out of 10.

Highest rated Winter tires made in Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp sizes
# Tire TR Score Made in Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp reviews
1 Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 9.5 All your sizes Be the first →
2 Michelin Alpin 7 9.5 All your sizes Be the first →
3 Bridgestone Blizzak 6 9.4 All your sizes Be the first →
4 Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 9.4 All your sizes Be the first →
5 Goodyear UltraGrip 9+ 9.4 205/55 R16 Be the first →
6 Nokian Snowproof 3P 9.4 225/45 R17 Be the first →

Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best Winter Tires → Test winner: Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3

Fitment comes from each tire's manufactured size list, and the sizes are the ones drivers reported when they reviewed. Check the size, load index and speed rating on your own doorplate before buying - a size a previous owner ran is not always the size your car left the factory on.

Tire sizes Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp drivers run

The sizes fitted in the reviews on this page. Each one links to the top rated tires in that size, across every car.

What Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp drivers say

The most recent owner reviews from this car, in their own words.

86%
Laufenn I Fit Ice 205-55-16- Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp 4,000 miles August 17, 2024
This tires is on snow/ice road the best for price.
If you have mudy, ice road, they good. When start heat days you should take it off.
49%
Michelin Primacy HP 205-55-16- Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp 20,000 miles December 10, 2014
I had 4 new tires fitted to my wife's car which tied in with a fuel voucher offer.... If she was a high mileage driver they might have been good value for money as they did wear reasonably well. However, after 25,000 miles and only 4 years on the car the tires failed the MOT due to the tires perishing. Not impressed when they were £116 each!
33%
Nankang NS2 225-45-17- Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp 1,250 miles August 28, 2013
Absolute rubbish.

These tires were on a set of wheels I bought. I had ordered some Vredestein Sessantas for them however I was awaiting them to come back in stock.

I've never ever ever put budget tires on a car for good reason - they're dangerous.
In the dry, they are about 70% as good as a premium tire. In the wet, they are bad to the point of being dangerous. Grip fades in and out seemingly randomly and they provide virtually no steering feedback whatsoever. It's like driving on wood wrapped in wool.

Wet braking is an absolute no-no with maximum grip being reached with ease which would not bode well for a pedestrian if they wandered out infront of you while driving.

Anyone who says these tires are good, or better than premium brands, clearly struggle to understand the dynamics of driving.

They create terrible road noise and are so hard they noticeably reduced the ride quality of the car.

Please please please if you value your life or the lifes of the people you'd crash into then
100%
Uniroyal RainSport 2 225-45-18-W Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp October 2, 2012
Just got these fitted on to golf mkvi gttdi. The previous tires Goodyear egale f1's had been on for two years. They were good for grip etc espcially as I live in a area in the north west that has very fluctuating weather and a mixture of road types. Anyway the rain sport 2's are on and I'm very impressed. The grip is very good and actually improved all round performance. The weather is as per but behind the wheel is one reassured driver.
80%
Dunlop SportMaxx RT 225-45-17-W Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp April 26, 2012
My initial feelings are that these tires offer very good levels of grip in the dry, the initial turn in is not that sharp (I went for the 91Y the 94Y may be slightly better) but once turning there is better feel and more communicative adjustability. In the wet, again there are high levels of grip and a relatively better feel, they have slightly higher tendancy to aquaplane than I was expecting but overall a very safe and grippy tire. One big bonus is that they are very comfortable although this is usually low on my priorities. They are soft so I am not expecting a long life from them.
90%
Kumho Ecsta KU39 225-45-17-W Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp 4,000 miles October 6, 2011
great in wet or dry conditions - haven't experienced winter conditions with them so can't comment on that i'm afraid. good feedback, comfortable and reassuring. they perform just as good as tires that are twice the price. highly recommended. i've done a smidge under 4000 miles and they haven't lost even a millimeter of tread depth yet so if that's anything to go by, then they should last a fair while...
86%
Toyo T1R 225-45-17- Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp 45,000 miles May 26, 2011
Having used michelin ps2's and conti sport 3's for many years the recent economic downturn has forced me to look at some mid priced tires.
I was so impressed I have just fitted a new set to my MK5 Golf TDI 170.
I agree that they are great in the dry, progressiveness is not as good as the PS2's or conti sports but what do you expect for the money.
Wet grip is good and have only ever had aquaplaning when they were down to 2-3mm of tread like most tires to be fair.
Road noise is a litte more than other tires I have used.
Wear rate is as good as the michelins and conti's with a mix of motorway and spitited A/B roads at the weekends roughly 25,000 fronts, I've not replaced the rears yet but I would say between 45-50,000 on a front wheel drive.
A few of my friends also now use them and swear by them on his 370Z.
I would, and have bought these tires again.
A good alternative would be the cooper zeon at this price.
96%
Goodyear Excellence 225-45-17- Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp 100,000 miles December 6, 2010
Just replaced my Goodyear tires with the new excellence ones. Last Goodyears excellent - did 99000 miles on my rear set before needed changing, and get approx 40000 out of front tires- v v impressed with them!
70%
Vredestein Snowtrac 2 205-55-16- Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp 18,000 miles September 8, 2010
I live in Braemar, so I see plenty or real winter weather. On my Mk5 Golf these tires were great. The golf itself is a fantastic car in the snow and the vredestein tire didn't let that down. It ploughs in deep snow even up to bonnet depth, and I found myself getting more places than expected too, and have never once been stuck, even when drift bashing. They even give me confidence when overtaking the summer tire brigade in snow / slush.

Downsides, they are a harder tire and you feel the bad bits of the road more. When you start to slip in the snow, you really lose it, but those are both characteristics of winter tires and snow driving in general, so wouldnt fault the tire I dont think.

All in all you are if you buy these they will be about as good as you can get, but i've opted not to go back to them. Not because of anything wrong with the tire, just fancy a change and thought the Avon Ice Tourer ST looked pretty good and about ?20 cheaper a tire - I run summer Avons with much enjoyment.

The Snowtrac 3 is out now and looks slightly better.

I got 18,000 miles from these tires - winter only use on 60% country / 30 % Motorway / 10% Dirt track.

80%
Avon ZZ3 205-55-16- Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TDi 170bhp 20,000 miles September 7, 2010
It's hard to tell what your getting with a review but as a, fast bust sensible driver (60-80 mph)in rural Scotland I really like these tires.

I drive a Golf Mk5 and they really suit this car, the ride is quite and smooth and the steering is great. There is a big difference in noise with these tires compared with my winter tires - no surprises - they are way better.

In the wet I find them very good, but I do ease off a little, i've never had them let go on me. They will aquaplane in deep water at high speed, but only slightly - no tire can disperse the deep stuff quick enough.

Looks shouldn't count but inevitably they do. Tire looks great on an alloy and has rim protectors which is amazing for one of the cheapest mid range tires - even the vredesteins cant do this, nor do they look good.

Only downside, I've had them on for 3 summer seasons switching front to back and they are finally done now after about 20,000 miles. Maybe I would have liked more.

I use Vredestien snow tracs in the winter, but I have just bought a new set of ZZ3 - ?54 each - What a buy when you know what you are getting.

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Every rating on this page was submitted by a driver through the review form on this site, naming the car, the tire, the size and the distance covered. Reviews are checked by hand before publication, and the page rebuilds automatically as new ones arrive.

About the TR Score

The Tire Reviews Score rates each tire out of 10 using independent test results and the full body of owner reviews, so you can check a car-specific ranking against the wider evidence.

Who does the testing

Every test published as a Tire Reviews test is run by Jonathan Benson, who has been testing tires independently since 2007.

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