Some tyre questions

I have Clio 197 with standard alloys have 2 new 215/45/17 Goodyear f1 tyres and the 2 tyres needing replaced.

I usually always use pilot sports on my cars when i buy tyres but I have been offered 2 brand new Bridgestone potenazs for 60 quid fitted they are 225/45/17.

I dont mind buying 2 brand new tyres but a bargain is a bargain.

My question is are they any good? I never used them before but unless they are close to the f1s on the car or pilot sports then I'd rather just pay the extra for them,

If I was to get them as they are 225 would I put the thicker tyres on front or back axle I can't from searching get a proper anwser, when the other two tyres are due I was planning to go up to 225 mainly for the looks as from.searching I seen alot of people on here used 225 with no I'll effects.

If not going for the bridgestone should I stick 2 more f1 tyres on so they match or go for the pilot sports I always use and if doing this should I go for 225 or stick with 215 since the other tyres are 215.

Handling is the most important thing for me as that's why I have renualt sports cars so in people's anwser they can consider that..

Thanks
 
The car came as standard with 215 45 17 tyres. The main reason people fit 225 45 17 is that they are generally cheaper. The tyres themselves will have very little physical size difference, infact the 215s will have a slightly lower profile over the 225s. I doubt very much that any of us on here will notice any great difference on handling between the two sizes. That said the brands and tyre models all behave differently under different conditions.

I have always been a fan of Michelin Pilot Sport tyres in the past, but have recently bought four Uniroyal Rainsports as they were cheap and we are about to go through some wet conditions. I have to say I have been impressed so far but I have heard the wear is not up to that of other brands but time will tell.

Im sorry I have no experience of the Bridgestone Potenzas. I have Bridgestones on my X5, are they runflats?
 
I always buy pilot sports but it's 170 for 2 and the bridgestone are 60 for the 2 as they were bought online but we're wrong size so guy offered me them cheap,

Worried I won't like them and then it will be buy cheap pay twice situation.

I bought rainsports before they are brilliant tyres espically in the wet but they wear very quickly had mine 2 months then one track day finished them off.
In that 2 months couldnt fault them
 
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One of the issues about tyres is all manufactures, so the "brand" make numerous different tyres in the same size. So Bridgestone, make at least 27 different 225 45 17 tyres, Michelin at least 9 and Goodyear at least 7. Even in Potenza there at least 5 different RE50A's and 4 different S001's. They could even be RE40's or RE720's.
The point of this is you have to know what actual tyre you are talking about.
Assuming it is the RE50 then there is no great horror stories with them. They are OE on many cars. Personally however I think they age quickly and by that I mean if your car is not a regular use car the rubber will harden well before the tread has worn.
Regarding fitting, Michelin would advise always fitting new tyre to the rear, their reasoning being "the sharpness of response of new tyres may shock drivers" Basically they are wanting to ensure cars understeer as it is seen as safer. However, the usual way on a FWD car with staggered sizes would be the widest on the front as that is where you want the grip.
Regarding handling. new tyres and worn tyres, even of the same type will have differing ultimate grip levels and even response and so you are not necessarily compromised by having differing tyres front to rear, particularly in the dry providing you position them to suit your driving. Typically on track you would want the back looser than the front in slow and medium corners to neutralise understeer. Different rubber however shows up most as grip levels drop. Typically rain, so where grip my be pretty even in the dry, you may well find significant differences in the wet, it is then down to the driver is they like that or not.
RainSport 3, is a very good wet tyre, pretty much as the name suggests, and achieves this wet performance by both being a relatively soft rubber, but equally, if not more so, by having a high tread void ratio, basically less rubber touching the road, which increases both water clearance and pressure on the rubber touching the ground. Wet grip can be surprisingly good. The down size of course is that the wear rate is higher because there is less rubber and it is softer. You will also find if pushed in the dry they are quite wobbly and imprecise.
Bottom line, in most cases you are better off with matching rubber and equally worn.
 
The only issue you may or may not have but I have seen is putting the wrong size tyres on one axle only can cause grief with traction control/abs as the wheel speed will be thrown out ie in a straight line all wheel speeds should be identical, but with two different sized tyres they will be further out of tolerance than the abs ecu can potentially cope with...

All changing to 225/45R17 is ok as all wheel speeds will be identical
 
Thanks for detailed replys guys,

I just bought 2 pilot sports, and stuck them on the back,

I would much rather my car oversteered than under, it's harder to deal with,
I enjoy the lift off oversteer I get from my clios,

I dont think the difference in a 225 to a 215 would give the abs/traction much grief,
My 172 had a dodgy sensor at the back which read 2000mph and the the other sensors read the correct speed and then only a upset was the cruise wouldn't engage
 
if you want to oversteer you put the new tyres on the front not the rear :worried:

and a sensor reading 2000mph will make the abs and traction not work at all, not just cruise