Best Tyres for the Saab Automobile 9 5 2.3T Estate

I review this tyre based on what it is and what it is meant to do, as well as how I drive my car. Which aside from the occasional pulls on the highway and red to green lights is just leisure driving focusing on quietness and driving comfort. To preface and to emphasise that I cannot comment on the sportiness of these tyres, my car is not set up for sportiness. It’s a big estate with a boaty suspension setup. These tyres were chosen by me based on the best statistics available for the lowest price. At 76 euros per tyre, with a noise rating of 66dB, B in fuel consumption and A in wet braking; this was the only tyre that compared to other tyres met these criteria. It’s quite hard to test tyres beforehand so these ratings were the only thing I could use as a basis along with reviews from other people, which for the average consumer were very good. I’ll being by saying these tyres are incredibly quiet. At speeds of up to 50km/h they are practically silent. Inside the car I can only hear the AC and music when I’m driving at these speeds. At speeds of 70km/h and above you do start hearing more road and wind noise and it really depends on the roads you’re driving on. If the roads are smooth, the tyres will perform more similarly at these speeds as they do while driving slower. But if the roads are a bit harsher then they do start to generate a bit more noise. I’ve tested the noise levels inside the cabin with my Apple Watch and generally they adhere or exceed their noise rating of 66dB or less. The max noise level I recorded was the official noise rating of my car inside the cabin at 72dB. As for handling, I want to preface this as well by saying that I do not have a lot to compare with. But I have tested these tyres with a variety of different pressures and compared the feel and handling. My car calls for 2,5bar at the front and 2,4bar in the rear. At these pressures the car feels very comfortable to drive, although steering takes a hit as it feels heavier and slower to respond and takes more steering input turn in. At about 15-20% higher pressures for both front and rear, 2,7bar at the front and 2,6 in the rear the handling becomes noticeably sharper and I would probably advise that do you run these tyres a bit higher than what the car calls for if you want a balanced set up of comfort and handling. At 3,0bar at the front and 2,9bar in the rear (which is still within specifications for my car, although intended for max load and max speed) the tyres to no surprise are at their most responsive state. However, this is where I thought comfort suffered the most. If you value comfort, I would not recommend these pressures. I will mention that I did do a long drive of around 11 hours with pauses with the car completely FILLED (as in stuff was literally falling off if you opened any door) with my stuff as I was moving back home after 2 years of studying at max recommended pressures. As you do, I got bored along the way and drove about 190km/h for a bit on a very wide and empty section of the highway (at night!). It felt great and I had no issues or gripes about the tyres at these speeds. Wet handling is something that I haven’t feared at all with these tyres. On rainy days I feel 100% safe going the speed limit (which in my country is generally a max of 110km/h) knowing that these tyres will keep me on the road. I also want to comment on the noise levels at higher pressures which I perceived to be lower. It might not be that surprising what with contact patches becoming smaller at higher pressures. People have commented on these tyres looking a bit deflated, which I have experienced as well. But I trust this is how they are supposed to look as I’m running the correct size for my wheel as well as the recommended pressure for my car. The sidewalls are soft as indicated by the touring focused nature of the tyre and perceived comfort. I cannot comment on wear as I’ve only had them for a couple of months (I do however drive a lot, but I haven’t noticed anything odd about wear.) All in all, for being my first brand new set of summer tyres I am totally satisfied with them. I would recommend them to people who prioritise low noise and comfort and I would definitely buy again.