Grip in the dry is phenomenal. Eagle F1 levels of dry grip and for such an affordable price too. Bang average in the wet, but it's a UHP summer tyre!! Absolutely nothing else can beat it at this price point.
Best Tyres for the Renault Clio 172
Renault Clio 172 drivers have left 38 tyre reviews on Tyre Reviews, covering 236,780 miles of real world driving. Every tyre they rated is ranked below, so you can see what actually works on this car. The numbers include 1 Clio 172 variants, listed further down.
- 38owner reviews
- 236,780 milescovered on them
- 28different tyres rated
- 68%average tyre score
The quick answer
| Season | Owners' pick | Owner rating | Our category test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Uniroyal RainSport 2 8.8 Current version: Uniroyal RainSport 5 | 94% from 3 reviews | Best Summer Tyres |
Highest weighted owner score from Renault Clio 172 drivers. Full rankings and the evidence behind them below.
The best rated tyres for the Renault Clio 172
Rated only by drivers of this car. Each tyre needs at least 3 reviews from the Renault Clio 172 to be ranked; the order weights a tyre's score by how many reviews back it, so one glowing review cannot top a table.
Summer tyres
The highest rated tyre in the Summer category for the Renault Clio 172 is the Uniroyal RainSport 2 - 94% from 3 owner reviews across 25,100 miles. The current tyre in that line is now the Uniroyal RainSport 5.
| # | Tyre | Owner rating | Reviews | Distance reviewed | TR Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Uniroyal RainSport 2
Replaced by Uniroyal RainSport 5
|
94% | 3 | 25,100 miles | 8.8 |
| 2 |
Toyo T1R
Replaced by Toyo Proxes T1 Sport+
|
52% | 3 | 22,000 miles | 7.6 |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best Summer Tyres →
TR Score is the tyre's overall Tyre Reviews rating out of 10, built from independent test results and every owner review of that tyre - not just the reviews from this car. The owner rating column is this car only.
The best rated tyres that fit the Renault Clio 172
The rankings above can only speak for tyres a Renault Clio 172 driver has already reviewed. These are the highest rated tyres we hold that are actually manufactured in the sizes these drivers run - 195/45 R16, 195/50 R15, 205/45 R16 and 225/45 R17 - 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 tyre.
Summer tyres
Our highest rated tyre in the Summer category, in this car's sizes, is the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6, at 9.7 out of 10.
| # | Tyre | TR Score | Made in | Renault Clio 172 reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6
|
9.7 | 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 2 |
Continental PremiumContact 7
|
9.5 | 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 3 |
Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo
|
9.5 | 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 4 |
Falken ZIEX ZE320
|
9.4 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 5 |
Michelin Pilot Sport 5
|
9.4 | 195/45 R16, 205/45 R16, 225/45 R17 | 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 Tyres →
All Season tyres
No Renault Clio 172 driver has reviewed a tyre 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.
| # | Tyre | TR Score | Made in | Renault Clio 172 reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3
|
9.6 | 195/45 R16, 205/45 R16, 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 2 |
Vredestein Quatrac
|
9.5 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 3 |
BFGoodrich Advantage All Season
|
9.5 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 4 |
Continental AllSeasonContact 2
|
9.5 | 195/45 R16, 205/45 R16, 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 5 |
Michelin CrossClimate 3
|
9.5 | 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 6 |
Kleber Quadraxer 3
|
9.4 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best All Season Tyres → Test winner: Goodyear Vector All Season 4
Winter tyres
No Renault Clio 172 driver has reviewed a tyre 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.
| # | Tyre | TR Score | Made in | Renault Clio 172 reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
|
9.5 | 205/45 R16, 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 2 |
Michelin Alpin 7
|
9.5 | 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 3 |
Bridgestone Blizzak 6
|
9.4 | 195/45 R16, 205/45 R16, 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 4 |
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
|
9.4 | 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 5 |
Nokian Snowproof 3P
|
9.4 | 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 6 |
Kumho WinterCraft WP52+
|
9.3 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best Winter Tyres → Test winner: Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
Fitment comes from each tyre'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.
Every tyre reviewed on the Renault Clio 172
The complete record, including discontinued tyres and tyres with too few reviews to rank, ordered by the amount of evidence. A further 20 tyres have a single review each; they count toward the totals but are not listed.
| Tyre | Season | Owner rating | Reviews | Distance reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uniroyal RainSport 2 Replaced by Uniroyal RainSport 5 | Summer | 94% | 3 | 25,100 miles |
| Toyo T1R Replaced by Toyo Proxes T1 Sport+ | Summer | 52% | 3 | 22,000 miles |
| Yokohama S Drive | Summer | 85% | 2 | 18,000 miles |
| Yokohama Parada Spec 2 | Summer | 81% | 2 | 15,000 miles |
| Pirelli PZero Nero | Summer | 77% | 2 | 24,000 miles |
| Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3 Replaced by Michelin Pilot Sport 5 | Summer | 74% | 2 | 6,700 miles |
| Toyo Proxes 4 Replaced by Toyo Proxes 4 Plus | Summer | 72% | 2 | 8,750 miles |
| Bridgestone Adrenalin RE003 Replaced by Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE005 | Summer | 65% | 2 | 17,000 miles |
Tyre sizes Renault Clio 172 drivers run
The sizes fitted in the reviews on this page. Each one links to the top rated tyres in that size, across every car.
Renault Clio 172 variants, reviewed separately
These trims and body styles have pages of their own. Their reviews are already counted in the rankings above.
What Renault Clio 172 drivers say
The most recent owner reviews from this car, in their own words.
Conclusion: If you have a hot hatch and enjoy spirited driving, avoid these like the plague!
Probably ok for a Sunday driver with a car that won't exceed 30mph anywhere.
I've got Rainsport 5's fitted on my Clio 172 Turbo with Speedline 2118s so tyre size is 195-50-15's......I absolutely detest them
Bought these as a recommended replacement to some excellent Vetus Primes on my Renault Sport Clio 172.
I wish I hadn't!
Grip is sort of there, but the tyre walls are so flimsy that any aggressive corner results in: weave wobble boing boing "oh my god I'm gonna crash!!!!"
I genuinely thought something important on the suspension had broken, they're that bad.
They've been on around a month, and to be honest, I'm just about ready to take a financial hit and replace them with something (anything!) else with some actual handling characteristics.
In short: if you drive like Miss Daisy then they're not bad, but if you have a car with more than 60hp and you enjoy going round bends without worrying then I'd avoid these.
As others have said... Decent budget tyre and decent cornering... Until it rains or damp roads...
Even at sensible speeds it's like driving on ice.
I had 4 new on when I purchased the car.
These tyres never complain in the dry.. Good handling and traction.
But if the heavens open I recommend parking the car up...
I'm looking to change ASAP.
In the winter they're good, not excellent, but good. Enough grip in snow and rain. The performance reflects in the price, they not the best, but great value for money. The downside is in the dry or in the summer. There's no feedback, no grip and the tire simply melts if you want to take a corner faster. But ofcourse they're winter tires, so not meant to be used in hot conditions, and in the cold they're good. Probably I will buy them again because value for money and wear.
Bought Clio Cup in 2017 with 2 x Uniroyal rainsport 3 and 2 x Toyo T1R fitted - Then fitted new 4 x new Toyo T1R as they had been recommended by a hard core clio nut. I couldn't resist a bargain (having picked them up for £30 per corner).but was never happy with the performance. The dry grip was OK but in the wet they were lethal. Having already switched from T1Rs on my Accord Type R to Michelin Pilot Sport 4 I decided to bite the bullet and get Michelin Pilot Sport 3 for the Clio. Better grip in the dry and now pretty good in the wet too, a great all year round tyre. After 5000 miles the average usable tread depth remaining is 4.6mm (to the legal limit bars). My main criticism is that feedback from the tyre is a little numb. My next tyre upgrade (for summer and track use only) will be Dunlop DZ03G and reduction in wheel size to 15". Moral of the story, never scrimp on tyres, it only costs in the long run. Buy the best available regardless of cost otherwise you never reach your car's potential.
The huge plus points are wear rate & price.
Fitted as a set of 4, I rotated the tyres front to back at 15k miles, when the fronts had worn to 5mm of tread remaining, and the rears still had 7mm. I am expecting to get 30k miles out the set at £136 for all 4 tyres.
Dry and wet grip is very acceptable when you take the wear rate into consideration.
I have used Michelin PS3`s & Uniroyal Rainsport 3`s prior to the ZV7`s, and whilst the Avons do not match these for ultimate grip, left on the same axle, the front PS3`S are worn out at 8k miles, & the RS3`s at 5k miles.
Fitted as a set of 4, I rotated the tyres front to back at 15k miles, when the fronts had worn to 5mm of tread remaining, and the rears still had 7mm. I am expecting to get 30k miles out the set at £136 for all 4 tyres.
Dry and wet grip is very acceptable when you take the wear rate into consideration.
I have used Michelin PS3`s & Uniroyal Rainsport 3`s prior to the ZV7`s, and whilst the Avons do not match these for ultimate grip, left on the same axle, the front PS3`S are worn out at 8k miles, & the RS3`s at 5k miles.
It really slides if you try to steer in heavily and starts to roll. In wet it really starts losing grip easily. Not recommended to buy!!! I got them new on my 2nd hand clio rs from 2003. I guess the dealer just put them on as sales trick to look like new for cheap.
I bought a Clio 172 with RE003 fitted and thought I'd made a mistake buying the car in the first place. The steering wheel was always flighting my inputs, the car's ride was not great, and their outright grip was far lower than expected. Wet grip? Don't even try.
I have since fitted Pilot Sport 3s and they have transformed the car. Would never buy these Bridgestones
I have since fitted Pilot Sport 3s and they have transformed the car. Would never buy these Bridgestones
These came on my Clio when I bought the car. They are a great all round tyre.
They did not last a very long time however, around 9,000 miles on the front. However, they were very good up front, and gripped very well in the dry, with a good subjective feel. Clios don't tend to be great with steering communication and these Contis weren' too bad.
The wet performance was interesting. It felt like it wouldn't grip in the wet at all, especially when they wore close to the limit. However, push on with them and the tyres would surprisingly grip very well in the wet, alot better than the Toyo T1-Rs did with plenty of tread left.
195/45R16 is a size that has a limited choice for tyres, so for that reason, I'd buy these again. I would next try Uniroyal RainSport 3s in 195/50R15 guise and preferred the car on the Contis straight away.
They did not last a very long time however, around 9,000 miles on the front. However, they were very good up front, and gripped very well in the dry, with a good subjective feel. Clios don't tend to be great with steering communication and these Contis weren' too bad.
The wet performance was interesting. It felt like it wouldn't grip in the wet at all, especially when they wore close to the limit. However, push on with them and the tyres would surprisingly grip very well in the wet, alot better than the Toyo T1-Rs did with plenty of tread left.
195/45R16 is a size that has a limited choice for tyres, so for that reason, I'd buy these again. I would next try Uniroyal RainSport 3s in 195/50R15 guise and preferred the car on the Contis straight away.
Drive a Renault Clio 172?
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Where this data comes from
Every rating on this page was submitted by a driver through the review form on this site, naming the car, the tyre, 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 Tyre Reviews Score rates each tyre 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 Tyre Reviews test is run by Jonathan Benson, who has been testing tyres independently since 2007.