If you would like to accelerate your demise, then Accelera are the tyres for you!
Dry grip:
These tyres are acceptable for the price given they are extremely cheap compared to their competition. In the dry the tyres do have a tendency to under steer but feedback is alright, if perhaps a bit vague on uneven surfaces. The braking distance isn’t as good as the Michelin PS3s I had on a previous car, but this car is also significantly heavier (600kg), so it’s like comparing apples to oranges.
Wet grip:
If you do not value your life, the lives of your passengers or those in surrounding vehicles, go for a drive in the wet. These are LETHAL! My car is rear wheel drive and in the wet these tyres would regularly cause the car to spin out and oversteer. On one occasion I complained to my passenger that the wet grip was appalling and proved my point at the next roundabout by doing a three lap continued power slide! The other drivers waiting to join the roundabout must’ve been rather confused watching a 2 ton, 17 foot lump of long wheelbase Jaaaaag do what you’d expect to see Jeremy Clarkson do, but it did perfectly illustrate my point - these tyres have absolutely no grip in the wet! The aquaplaning resistance is non-existent and the tyres will lose traction in the smallest amount of standing water imaginable; on numerous occasions the rear end lost control and spun out when confronted with patches of standing water - as you can imagine, I drove home in silence afterwards with heavily soiled underpants! These were not at high speeds, but rather 40mph on the unlit A27 between Lewes and Brighton. If you are building a track / drift car, then ironically I’d recommend these tyres.
Road feedback:
You can definitely tell that these tyres are made from cheap, hard rubber (almost plastic like) as opposed to a soft compound. The result of this is that the road feedback is harsh, though this does provide a somewhat sporty feel. Unfortunately, the lack of grip means you don’t want to drive the car in a hard / spirited manner. When the vehicle is changing direction in the wet, or driving through standing water, it is not clear what the wheels are doing at all - you only know you’ve lost traction when the rear end slides out and you end up doing a 180 degree turn!
Handling:
In the dry these handle fine if all you’re doing is driving your typical family hatchback to the supermarket and back in slow, town-style surroundings. Once the car is on an A or B road, they start to feel a bit out of their depth - they don’t inspire a significant amount of confidence on bends and leave you wondering what the wheels are doing. The result of this is that in the dry they do what you’d expect for the money, ie the bare minimum, but in the wet they are terrifying. The car had a tendency to under steer in the dry and oversteer in the wet, so be prepared to wrestle with the steering wheel.
Wear:
I purchased the car used with these on the front and rear wheels with both axels having approximately 6mm of tread left after being put on a month before. In the 9 months of driving and covering approximately 9,000 miles of mixed A and B roads, the tread was down to 3mm on the rear and 4mm on the front. In contrast, my previous Peugeot 208 GTI had Michelin Pilot Sport 3 tyres all round and covered 44,000 miles before needing replacement! When considering these tyres are approximately £120 each for this size, if you’re only getting around 10,000-12,000 miles (assuming you change them at the 2.5mm-3mm mark), then you’d surely get better value for money by purchasing a set of Hankook / Falken / Yokohama for approximately £200 each and getting 25,000 - 30,000 miles of wear. The grip level drops dramatically at the 4mm mark so be warned.
Comfort:
Roar! Yes, these tyres roar! I will concede that the tyre noise is more pronounced on some road surfaces than others, but compared to the Michelin PS3, Michelin Cross Climate, Michelin Cross Climate 2, and Continental “ContieContact5” that I have had on previous vehicles, these really do drone on. I had the displeasure of driving along the concrete paved A12 on these and for the entire duration I felt as if my head was in a blender. The adaptive air suspension on the car does a good job when it comes to masking small imperfections in the road surface but it struggles with the larger potholes / dips in the road. If a long wheel base barge with air suspension has a dreadful ride when fitted with these, then I dread to think what a Nissan Micra that’s ran on a shoe string will ride like! The car also has a tendency to tramline on tarmac where layers have flaked away / degraded which can cause steering vibrations. The replacement Hankook Ventus S1 Evo3 tyres provide a much quieter and supple ride which is infinitely better than these.
Buy again:
No. Nein. Non. Nyet. Do you get the picture? These tyres are appalling death traps and you couldn’t pay me to drive on these tyres. Your tyres are the only thing holding you onto the road, so don’t risk your life and that of your passengers for the sake of saving a few quid. If you’re looking for a tyre that is an excellent all rounder and we’ll priced, then Hankook is a much better, albeit slightly more expensive alternative.
Summary:
As I purchased the car in February 2022, I thought I’d best eat through these in the spring and summer with the view of replacing them in the autumn - it seemed silly to waste what were effectively brand new tyres. As the tread depth diminished, however, it became apparent that they would need replacing and I am glad I did in December 2022. Yes, they did still have quite a bit of tread left on them, but if that tread wasn’t doing anything to make me feel confident in the car’s safety then what was the point?! The replacement Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3 tyres have a significantly shorter braking distance in both the dry and wet, they’re quieter and provide a softer ride, and don’t cause irritating under steer or terrifying oversteer! These tyres are well and truly awful and should be avoided at all costs.
