Best Tires for the SEAT Leon Cupra ST 290 (FWD)

Initial thoughts on PZ5 compared to SportContact 7 which I had previously fitted on 235/35R19 size.

The PZ5 sits a lot more square on a 8.5 inch wheel on this size. Previous SportContact 7 almost had a slight stretched look while the PZ5 looks like it fits a wider rim more comfortably.

PZ5 is significantly more comfortable on small bumps and unevenness of the road and quieter and than SC7. There is a slight "howling" noise at around 80-90kmh on the PZ5 that I didn't notice on SC7 but they also were significantly louder all around.

Steering feel I find on the PZ5 to be a lot poorer on the initial input. The SC7 felt super sharp almost go-karty while the PZ5 feels you need to load the tire a lot more to get the same reaction. This feeling is amplified at highway speeds 120-140kmh where the PZ5 feels way more unstable on sharp direction changes compared to the SC7. Once the PZ5 is loaded to its side after the poorer initial reaction during cornering the grip feels to be the same.

Conclusions: If you want a tire that offers the best feel while sacrificing comfort and noise choose the SportContact7. If you want a more comfortable and quieter tire and you are willing to sacrifice initial steering feel go for the PZ5.

Well I've had these tire for around 14 months and covered almost 11,000 replacing them now for 2 reasons had a puncture in one and then inspecting all of them one of them it starting to break up on the inside shoulder looks like its delaminating so for peace of mind 2 needed to be done but done all four.

Before i go into it i had these tires fitted with the car brand new and had come from eagle f1's on my previous car. reading the reviews you have to treat them with respect in wet with braking distance in the 2021 Auto Bild UUHP Summer Tire Test the wet braking is over double the distance for braking so treat them like your standing behind a donkey.

Straight line traction - is quiet comical alot of power to a fwd car 2nd gear no chance 3rd gear even on a warm day it will still be spinning its quiet funny spin them up a few times and get some heat into them then start to hookup, in the wet forget it the tires can't cope even easing into it power is still cut.

I rotated them at 7000 miles Im sure they started out with around 7.5mm and had 4mm on the fronts rears had between 5.5-6mm so hoped for decent longevity.

Cornering dry conditions they are ok and can feel where the limit of the tire is nothing special but they didn't do anything you wouldn't expect

are they a bad tire no are they a good tire im going to say not bad but get what you pay for in the dry they are ok and had to do a couple of emergency stops in the dry and they was fairly decent with a boot full of kit.

They have a treadwear rating of 500 which sounds good but i was far from probably getting the theoretical milage I've gone to eagle f1 AS6, I got a good deal 4 fitted for £518 if i was to replace the landsails fitted it was £362.

If your in abit of a pinch and need tires and can't stretch to a midrange tire and willing to treat it with respect in the wet then its not bad i think there is probably worse tires out there but there could be better for similar money.

The SC6 came stock on my 2016 Leon ST Cupra and I was very pleased by its performance. Especially the wet grip was fabulous. Dry grip is fine as well but not as good as for example Michelin PS2 which I had on the car before. After 2 Laps on the Nordschleife the grip got noticeably weaker. The Conti shines with overall performance and comfort which is very quiet and subtle. Many people say the SC6 wears down very quick but I can't second that, they did 2 seasons of summer just like every other tire I had before and after.

Terrible quick wearing, factory fitted as standard on Cupra 290 brake FWD vehicle, down to under 2mm after just 6000 miles! Not hard driving, just standard journeys, quite a short commute with a lot of stopping and starting, but this is still pathetic!

My first impressions on this interesting tire, especially for us who choose to run 18” - kudos for GY for providing the 18” market. Also used on a powerful FWD hot hatch in estate form, with various chassis mods, lighter 18” wheels, rear arb, a few bushings and the odd spherical bearings. Compared to previous mounted Michelin Supersports (MPSS) 225/40R18 (235 not available). Before those, this car had two sets of Pilot Sport 4. All tires changed already at approx. 5-4mm left so not comparing completely worn to new.

Off the car impressions of the ‘F1SS' ('EF1SS' is bit too much to be short, not to mention the other versions…) in 235/40R18 95Y:
Thread depth new: 7mm. Weight 10,2kg. Sidewall is substantial, with more thickness than I've seen before even on trackday tires but without the cord, ‘meaty' is a good description. Nice protection for the rim. Thread pattern relatively open, both between the large thread blocks on the edges and circumferential channels that are wider than the MPSS, so expecting aquaplaning properties that are not much compromised.

On the car impressions. Tested at 2,3bar cold pressure.
Dry traction very similar. Side dry grip a bit more than the MPSS, with reservation for them being a little wider although that is marginal at best. Wouldn't want more grip in the dry, really. Tires very happy to be pushed to the limit, feels like they were made for this, feels very progressive and, indeed, ‘meaty' once they start sliding. Very confidence inspiring. The MPSS are a little lighter (225 MPSS is 1kg less) though and communicate more the surface condition. Definitely sportier than the PS4 that is relatively soft and safe in its limit behavior. The other side of the coin is that the F1SS are more comfortable than the MPSS, my subjective noise levels are down (we have some really rough roads due to studded tire use) and potholes are not as sharp compared to the MPSS. Subjectively I would say these sit halfway between the MPSS and the PS4 for comfort.

In the wet, the F1SS is on another level than the MPSS, and not far off the PS4. The PS4 is ultimately maybe a bit more tenacious and progressive on the limit in turns in the wet, but I could find surprising grip with the F1SS when the roads weren't greasy. This is progress in compound for sure. So this tire is much more a PS4S competitor than a Cup2 and for me a clear upgrade on the MPSS in the wet, they broke traction very easily when cold and only a bit greasy.
Not yet driven in downpours so no aquaplaning impressions yet.

Obviously cannot comment on wear yet, can't see though that the thread suffered anything from a few spirited drives on country roads. Hopefully these aren't too far off the excellent wear properties of the Asymmetric 5.
Will review these again before I change them, from what I've seen so far a definite recommendation, a very well rounded tire for enjoyable road performance driving. The price was good too. All of course my highly subjective findings, YMMV.

This is an excellent winter tire but... They are pretty much fabulous on every surface except... they don't last on B category roads and break easily. It's hard not to be dissapointed given the price you have to pay. I check my tire pressure every 2 weeks so it's not a matter of not taking care. I had no problems with my summer tires so far (Michelins) but I lost two winter Pirellis within 2 months so I'm questioning their endurance. I won't buy them again.

I thought this car would lunch front tires. I really did. 290hp through the front axle couldn't be sensible. 24,000 miles later the P-Zeros still have 1mm of tread spare. I haven't checked the rears yet but they were at 6mm after 17,000 miles.

I've maybe done 65% motorway driving and 35% country roads in what is always a heavily loaded daily driver and for me the Pirellis have always felt secure, maybe not as responsive or sharp in feedback, but a really solid drive. They do suffer in the wet but again no more than most. The feeling of grip didn't diminish until the last 20% of driving, but I have noticed a serious drop in grip since clearing 20,000 miles, so that's something to watch out for. I have also noticed a train-track effect in the last 4,000 miles too.

Sadly the main strength of these tires seems to also be their main weakness. They are so hard and and so loud to drive on. Admittedly 19 inch rims always suffer for ride, but these tires seem exceptionally hard. Road noise is a real terror. I think this may also hurt the ability to put the power down, as they feel so stiff. Bearing in mind getting off the line is the Achilles heel of a FWD car, I would really want the tire to help the car set off smoother.

Reading other people's reviews, it looks like you can solve the noise problem by going for Goodyear E1A3s, or you can solve the off-the-line issue by going to PS4s or PSSs. However, I haven't seen any reviews that have got the kind of mileage I've had with the P-Zeros.

On balance that's also a budget argument; E1A3s are cheaper and quieter but you may get through them quicker, P-Zeros are more hard wearing but more expensive and loud, PSSs and PS4s are the ultimate for performance but you're going to pay through the nose.

Personally with the amount of motorway miles I do I'm probably going to go for the E1A3s. It's the sensible move.

Now how do I tell my wife I've spent £340 on a pair of Michelin Super Sports? XD

This is a mid life review, as I change these to another set of PS4 mid-life as I like to have a lot of thread. This tire must be the best rain tire ever, I drive a very powerful FWD car on relatively skinny 235 section and, if it isn't greasy for other reasons, it is amazing how well these put down the power. It grips in the rain like many an average tire can't do in the dry. It is also comfortable, quiet and seems to last very well considering my driving style.
That said, I've you are a nerd driving enthusiast like me, the PS4 isn't the most dynamic sports tire in terms of feedback or dancing on the edge of grip. In that aspect, they remind me of the PS3, a friendly benign tire. They are very progressive, but don't give as much feedback like the Supersport. Which is the tire I changed to for that reason, sacrificing some wet grip and comfort in the process I suppose (not tested that bit yet). A question about priorities...

Initial review of an 'old' tire. Originally discounted the PSS as they don't win any tests anymore.

But with 18" downsized rims, which on the hot hatch MQB format is a great size on real roads, unfortunately there is no PilotSport 4S available. Which could be a reason to stay at 19". But I'm more of a back road handling driving enthusiast, and want the sidewall and the light weight of an 18". Anyhow, in 18" I have been using Pilot Sport 4 tires for two years, and objectively they are the best tires. They justs work in all conditions. But when I set out to make my hot hatch a bit more focused in the handling department, I realised the PS4 don't give that much feedback, and I was left wanting for more. With the TR youtube videos of the PPS vs SC6 and vs PS4, I started to realise I don't need to go all mental with a Cup2 or semi slick on a daily driven car, and that perhaps the PSS could be the solution. It is still delivered on quite a few good hot hatches: the 308 GTI, the new Fiesta ST, Mini JCW and I30N (18") amongst others. I got the HN spec for the latter on my car, and I have not regretted the change. This tire has loads of feedback and is a lot more dynamic in it's behavior than the otherwise excellent PS4. Dynamic in the sense that the whole car is just more eager to change direction. This is with running quite aggressive toe settings and more camber front than rear. Really makes the handling that much more enjoyable and that is the very reason to run this kind of car.

The catch is.. not the comfort, I don't notice a, well, noticeable reduction in road manners which I feared for. I've yet to have some rain, but I'm pretty sure they will be worse than the PS4 which are hard to beat for grip in the rain, they stick as good as the average tire on dry tarmac. Still, I think I'm sticking with the PSS anyhow, I can drive a bit more carefully in the rain, or make hard progress so they heat and grip there too, a bit of a challenge.

So initially, I'm happily surprised by this tire, and it is probably still the go to daily road driving enthusiast tire under 19". I understand now why the above hot hatches still use this 'old' tire...