Conti MC5 Tyres on a Jetta

[Bennybrus]

Hi everyone,

Before I start just thought I'd say sorry if this post is in the wrong section

I've posted/whinged about the tyres on my Jetta before and how insanely noisy they were due to the scalloping/cupping/feathering but I decided that they were still relatively new and held off from buying a new set. Until now i've managed to go for another 10,000km's with them and they've still got plenty of life left by the looks of them but the now the noise is literally unbearable (well for me anyways ).

My car is a 2012 Jetta TDI with the sportspack and the tyres (from factory) are Bridgestone Potenza RE050 (225/45/17).

I've researched the previous recommendations from others such as the Michelin PS3's and Conti CS3's and they all look great and while I was doing this I stumbled upon the Continental ContiMaxContact MC5 which also looks good and supposedly reduces road noise (smaller tread blocks on the inner edge). Also, they're going for a price of $169 each at Jax and also at a 4 for 3 deal, so it looks like a pretty decent deal overall.

Basically just wanting to know what other experience with this tyre is or if there is anything else I should know or take into consideration?

Any info would be really appreciated!

[ope126]

Yes, the OEM Potenza's are crap! I have had two Jetta's (both with Sports Pack) and both have had the same noisy symptoms that you are describing. I even lodged a complaint to Bridgestone that fell on deaf ears. Anyway I have just put on (4) Michelin Primacy 3 ST and the difference is amazing! The cost was not much more than what you are paying for the entry level Conti's.

I have ContiSportContact 5's on my Mondeo and they are great too!

[Melts75]

Yeah, I've heard lots of complaints about the Potenza's also. I had the Conti SportContacts 3 on my Passat from new. I did 5 wheel rotations from new and got 50,000km. They had the 'conti seal' and the tyre fitter reckons he saw at least 2 nails when I put the new ones on. Amazing tyres, but not the quietest!
Replaced with Dunlop Sport Maxx rt's. Great soft quiet tyres, but less than 40,000km on them. Replaced with Yokohama A drives. I would say these are the quietest of the lot. Only downfall (not for me) they are directionals.
Those MC5's sound like a good buy, but they are 'entry level' for Conti's, you may gain some understeer and a little more wheel spin on takeoff.



2011 B7 Passat TDI highline wagon. I tinted the windows

[Melts75]

Just on another note. Bob Jane usually do a good deal (buy 3 get one free) on the Yoki's and sometimes the Conti's..


2011 B7 Passat TDI highline wagon. I tinted the windows

[Bennybrus]

Yes, the OEM Potenza's are crap! I have had two Jetta's (both with Sports Pack) and both have had the same noisy symptoms that you are describing. I even lodged a complaint to Bridgestone that fell on deaf ears. Anyway I have just put on (4) Michelin Primacy 3 ST and the difference is amazing! The cost was not much more than what you are paying for the entry level Conti's.

They're absolutely horrible, i've never ever experienced a tyre that is so noisy! I also lodged a complaint to Bridgestone and like you nobody wanted to know until I mentioned the ACCC and consumers rights under it, but even after that they insisted that it was no fault of theirs but actually do to my 'driving style' (which by no means is spirited) and that they're not suited to the car. I have heard great things about the Primacy 3 ST so they're definitely a good option for me. If you don't mind me asking, how much did you pay or what is a decent price for them?

I had the Conti SportContacts 3 on my Passat from new. I did 5 wheel rotations from new and got 50,000km. They had the 'conti seal' and the tyre fitter reckons he saw at least 2 nails when I put the new ones on. Amazing tyres, but not the quietest!
Replaced with Dunlop Sport Maxx rt's. Great soft quiet tyres, but less than 40,000km on them. Replaced with Yokohama A drives. I would say these are the quietest of the lot. Only downfall (not for me) they are directionals.
Those MC5's sound like a good buy, but they are 'entry level' for Conti's, you may gain some understeer and a little more wheel spin on takeoff.

THe CS3's are also an amazing tyre, I have a lot of extended family in Germany and they always say that they're one of the most highly regarded types of tyres on the market their, but like you said they can be a little noisy. A mate of my has the MC5's on his Merc CLK280 and whilst I realise that its a significantly different car, they seem like a pretty decent tyre for the price but have heard that they're unusually prone to blowouts.
Jax and Bob Jane are basically doing the same deals at the moment so will have to keep a lookout or maybe check out the local shops.

[deano163]

I've had Conti MC5s on my Mk6 GTi since last October (so 13 months, 14,000km) - bought when a similar 4 for the price of 3 offer was on last year. I'd highly recommend them to you - great grip especially in the wet, very progressive if you force them past the limit, fairly quiet and ride well (less choppy than the previous GoodYear F1 Asyms). Treadwear looks set to be in the 30-40,000km region.

Yes they are made in Malaysia rather than Europe (at a former Sime factory but with Conti design & specs) but I haven't encountered any quality issues. At normal pricing they are a decent tyre but the 4 for 3 offer makes them a dead set bargain, for a set they end up being nearly the same price as 4 no-name Chinese ditchfinders.

[brad]

If you are getting inner edge sawtoothing on the rear you have an alignment problem which is fixable

Do you have the RE050 (directional) or the RE050a (assymetric). I currently have the RE050a on the Octavia (it's basically a hatchback Jetta). Octavias are notorious for inner edge scalloping of the rear tyres but I don't have this problem.

1) get the alignment sorted. The rears need to be set up with a full tank of fuel & any garbage you usually hump around in the boot. Rear camber needs to be reduced from -1.5 (it will be near that) to around -0.5 to -1.0 (degrees, not minutes). Toe should be 1-2mm inwards.
Here's the factory specs but on the rear you need to set it up very conservatively
Volkswagen Golf Mark V & VI GTI, R32 and Bluemotion Wheel Alignment Specifications | my-gti.com

2) Cross rotate the tyres every 7500-10,000km

The reason the tyres are noisy is because the edges are fubar & the tread blocks have a trailing edge feather on them. If you reverse the direction of rotation it will wear off some of the feather. Unfortunatel it will never be "as new" again though.

Toyo Teo & Yokohama Db are both very quiet tyres but they don't have the same performance as RE050a , PS3 or Goodyear F1A2. Sometimes you have to compromise.

[Bennybrus]

Thanks for the info everyone.

Brad, I had the RE050 Directionals and I cant stress how horrible they were in terms of both noise and comfort, however as you mentioned they were pretty good as far as performance was concerned.
With my Jetta, the scalloping was happening more with the inner edge of the fronts which was causing the 'rumbling' sound, whereas the rears were producing more of a 'howling' sound.
I also rotated them after (15,000kms for new, obviously too late) and they only went for another 4-5000kms before they started scalloping again.
I have since changed over to the Michelin Primacy 3 ST which I realise are more of a 'comfort' style tyre but are unbelievably good and for the price I payed, were hard to turn down (including alignment too)

Thanks for the recommendation Ope!

[ope126]

Thanks for the info everyone.

Brad, I had the RE050 Directionals and I cant stress how horrible they were in terms of both noise and comfort, however as you mentioned they were pretty good as far as performance was concerned.
With my Jetta, the scalloping was happening more with the inner edge of the fronts which was causing the 'rumbling' sound, whereas the rears were producing more of a 'howling' sound.
I also rotated them after (15,000kms for new, obviously too late) and they only went for another 4-5000kms before they started scalloping again.
I have since changed over to the Michelin Primacy 3 ST which I realise are more of a 'comfort' style tyre but are unbelievably good and for the price I payed, were hard to turn down (including alignment too)

Thanks for the recommendation Ope!

No problems! The Michelins are great!

[brad]

Thanks for the info everyone.

Brad, I had the RE050 Directionals and I cant stress how horrible they were in terms of both noise and comfort, however as you mentioned they were pretty good as far as performance was concerned.
With my Jetta, the scalloping was happening more with the inner edge of the fronts which was causing the 'rumbling' sound, whereas the rears were producing more of a 'howling' sound.
I also rotated them after (15,000kms for new, obviously too late) and they only went for another 4-5000kms before they started scalloping again.
I have since changed over to the Michelin Primacy 3 ST which I realise are more of a 'comfort' style tyre but are unbelievably good and for the price I payed, were hard to turn down (including alignment too)

Thanks for the recommendation Ope!

I think the RE050 are a pain of a tyre. OTOH, I'm really a fan of the Assymetric model which doesn't seem to have the issues of the directional version plus they can have a proper X-rotation.

I had Primacy HP on the car before the Btdgestones & they did 95% of what I needed them to (thye'd give up on corners & the wet grip wasn't as good) but they lasted 75,000km so you can't have everything. The RE050A look like they'll be done by 35,000km. I'll probably go to PS3 after that.