Best Tyres for the Honda 1.6 I DTEC

Happy new year peeps!

Below are my initial ownership impressions of C3 in 225/45/17 size used on my Honda Civic 2019, 1.6 diesel, 120hp/300nm.

It is early days with C3, but since there are not too many opinions of these, quite new design, tires I thought I will give you my impressions. I have done maybe 2.5-3k km on them so far and also since it is winter here with temps mostly in 0 to 7'C range I am not getting them in their temperature sweet spot.

They seem to shift their behaviour into something very promising in 5+ Celsius (which is expected). Pzero Nero (original version of PZ Nero, so UHP vs touring) were waking up around 14+'C.

So in this limited running in less than optimal temperatures I can tell you the following:

1. These are the first tires I used that are that eager to turn in (yes, even more so than original PZero Nero). All other tries I used on any car in the past felt like understeering on turn-in (they did not, but that is how eager these C3 are to turn-in in compare). I actually had to adjust a bit how I drive as after all these past tries these feel so neutral on entry that in compare to usual tries they feel like they are going to oversteer on initial turn-in.

2. Sidewall is stiffer than Bridgstone Turanza R33 (OE tire for my Civic) I had on Honda, and probably not too far off from PZero Nero.

3. Wife says these are quieter than ER33. For me they are similar.

4. They dampen road chatter better than ER33 (so small imperfection of asphalt, like stones etc, joints) but due to stiffer sidewall they are more jarring and harsher on bigger road defects (like pot holes). I mean with pot holes the initial thump is softened due to softer rubber but then stiffer sidewall takes over and makes for harsher jolt action.

5. Breaking grip is night and day but that is expected when moving from worn to brand new (and more advanced) rubber.

6. You can feel what each tire is doing independently from others. The communication is very good (for touring tire).

7. I ran ER33 2.2bar all corners. These seem to like 2.5F 2.4R (ER33 were normal load vs extra load (XL) for C3, so the need for higher pressure is expected). For reference real life weight of my Civic, with full tank and no occupants is 1450kg.

In general so far I like them very much, and cannot wait for warmer temperatures to kick-in so I can truly get to know them.

But they do not feel like any tire that I had before due to turn-in (I like it about them but it requires some adjustment).

These are certainly built to be sportier of touring tires, with all the blessings of heightened communication and responsiveness but also with drawbacks of a tad harsher ride on bigger impacts or more uneven tarmac (jolting).

It is very early into the ownership, but so far, based on initial characteristics, I would probably buy them again.

If you want to know anything else, let me know and I will try to reply.

ohh, yes, almost forgot, I enjoy spirited driving and 99% of the time I drive on deserted b-road / country side roads.

EDIT: One extra note. 225/45/17 is one of the "sportiest" sizes in the range. To the extent that they are even rated 1db lauder than rest of the popular sizes. So keep it in mind, as my remarks about sidewall stiffness and turn-in characteristics might be muted in compare in versions with proportionally taller sidewall.

The Goodyear came with my car. I always have proper winter and summer tire sets, but these were less than 2 years old so I kept them. I knew they are all-season and didn't count too much on snow performance, but we don't get much snow anymore and I decided to give it a go for a couple of winters. I was amazed at how much traction these get on snow and ice. I drove in a blizzard more than once and had zero issues (AWD SUV), either with fluffy powder or with compacted hard snow. I did experience some lateral instability when it's extremely slippery, and also over frozen tire tracks, but I take into account they aren't a proper winter tire, I always adjusted to the conditions and never pushed hard. With thoughtful driving I never felt unsafe. I am very happy with how they perform in wet and dry, again zero issues even at 40C heat on the highway or during massive rain. I am now changing them due to tread wear and because they started to dry rot to the point one tire is leaking air through the side wall. It was surprising because they are dot 21 and started leaking in 24, so basically 3 years were enough to degrade the side wall. Now it's end of 25 and the other 3 tires still don't leak, but there's visible dry rot and cracks on all of them. But for something I got basically for free - what an excellent performance and balance in all driving conditions! Now I got my favorite snow powerhouse Kleber Krisalp HP3 and I will miss not having to swap and store tires.

I've used these tires on four different cars / four different sizes in the span of 9 years. These are a powerhouse in the snow, I've never had any problem or wheel spin no matter 4x4 or FWD. They are excellent in the wet and I've never felt unsafe. Very good comfort and good wear. The reason I always buy again is because of safety - they are #1 on snow in pretty much every test, beating Michelin and Continental over and over again; they are always #1 or #2 in aquaplaning; they are always in the top for low noise, which matters to me. In the dry almost all tires perform adequate, but the hidden dangers lurk on snow and wet roads. So I don't need it to be top on dry, but I appreciate being safe when the risks are highest. Also, the compound is a bit softer than the rest, so if you store them correctly it will remain soft for many winters, it will take more seasons to have to replace them. Now the negative - the sidewall is rather thin and flexible, so with a higher tire you will eventually get some roll when hard cornering. My SUV's top speed is 165km/h so it doesn't matter to me, but if you drive sporty, look at low tires or at another model like Hankook icept evo 3, as this will inevitably affect handling precision and overall feel.

70000km at front axle and 95000km (rest+front) assembled in a 2013 honda civic Hatchback, which now has 230K.
My next choice is primacy 5, Michelin is always a good bet.

I bought these tires hoping they would be quieter than the OEM Hankook's. They do seem to be a little quieter and way smoother. The Accord is just a loud car at highway speeds. I'm not a spirited driver so the tires perform fine for me. We rarely get snow so I can't comment on snow handling. At 6500 miles I can't see any wear. I did lose 4 MPG with the Pirellis. I think for the price they are very good tires.

I fitted these to my Honda Civic and at first they were wonderful, but they wear BADLY. About a year of use, very little long distance driving, and they've had it. Full disclosure - Cornwall's roads SUCK so that is definitely a big part of the issue but I have never had tyres wear so badly. Part of the tread is peeling from the tyre body, side wall cracking after a moderate bump with a kerb, but honestly these things SUCK. I'm not a slow driver but not a hoonigan either and compared to the rear tyres you'd swear I'd been burning them out. Absolute crap, having to replace all four because I don't trust them. Avoid.

My car came with Cup 2s in 245/30/20 but living in a place where maximum day time temps in winter can be as low as 10 deg C I wanted something that would work a bit better all year round. No track work, daily driving or rain, just mountain twisties in the dry at a fast pace but not pushing it to the limits. Was using PS4S on a set of 19" wheels that were great but the price had jumped to $550AUD each.

As expected the SC7 don't have the same direct or sporty feel as the Cup 2s and most likely the Potenza Sport that I also considered. Subjectively they still feel very fast and balanced for my chassis which is fair stiffly sprung from the factory. While I don't push them extremely hard, they feel like they are fairly progressive and wouldn't bite you as you approached their limits.

When warm they also have a ton of dry grip and unlike the PS4S don't engage the traction control under full acceleration. In my size they also weigh over 1kg less than the PS4S so the unsprung mass is a lot closer to the factory forged wheels and Cup 2s. Compared to both the PS4S and the older SC6 that I drove on a 2018 FK8 Civic Type R the SC7 overall just feels more balanced (grown up?) with decent feedback but without compromising outright grip. As I'm not chasing laps times it means I can focus on driving the car for enjoyment and be less concerned about what the tyres are doing. Plus if I want outright steering feel, grip and an edgier ride I can just throw the factory Cup 2s on!

So overall a great match for my car and while I would have gone with something different if I was doing track work, for my use case they are brilliant.

Grip on dry surface is excellent considering the price, on the wet pretty good also. I'm very satisfied with the comfort and noise, which are more than acceptable for this price range. I had a very hard braking and I can say that these tyres saved me from being involved in an accident and that's the reason number one why I would gladly buy them again. Since I've covered some 5k km with them, I couldn't say much about wear, but so far so good. These tyres are not for those drivers who prefer aggressive driving style and want to have perfect feedback and handling.

Good wear but little slippy on wet snow
As Michelin is closing factories in France, I'll not buy again.