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my evolving BFG Comp2 A/S 205/45 17 review

Messages
202
Likes
35
Location
Long Island
#1
I feel like the worst part of the fiesta is the stock tire size that Ford chose. and the reason, barely no options when it comes to replacing the tires in the stock size.

I have owned many cars and trucks in the past and always liked BFGoodrich tires, so naturally, when I was replacing the tires on the FIST I wanted to try out BFG's.

a little about me, I am 33 I am married with 2 kids (no car seats in the fiesta), I drive 1 1/5 miles each way to work and sit in no traffic each way. this car is my commuter, I dont auto-x it, drag race, light race, etc. just trying to make my short commute something I look forward to each day. I do have a winter vehicle (Jeep Grand Cherokee) that I will use when the snow gets deep, but the more time I can spend behind the wheel of the fiesta the better.

I know an all season tire is not the best anywhere and its a compromise everywhere, but I really did not want to buy and store another set of wheels and tires depending on the season so an all season was my answer.

I know in the stock size I could have gotten Michelin A/S's but I just wanted to go BFG's.

Monday 12/5/2016 I had costco mount and balance BFGoodrich g-Force Comp2 A/S tires in the 205/45 17 variation. It was 40 degrees and raining. when I pulled away I noticed the ride was smoother (wasnt trying to get a smooth ride) and I had more grip on acceleration than with the stock summer tires. the tires are taller than the stock tires and seem slightly wider, like I wouldnt have an issue in a car wash with them.

In the dry (I know this is not a good comparison because of the weather) yesterday it was in the 30's and I can give the car full throttle and the tires squeal but dont actually break loose (with the stock summer tires they spun in 1st and second). This is an evolving review because I want to update it when the weather changes.





12/17/2016 update. We got 4 inches of snow overnight. Woke up a little late for work. Didn't have time to shovel and only cleared off the car. Backed down driveway, over the little snow damn the plow truck left at the bottom of the driveway, put the car in 1st and drove off. Now we got about 4" of slushy wet heavy snow. The car did what I told it to when I told it to do it. I did see the limit of the tires grip more than 1 time but I made it to work no problem.

Then I got an e-mail from someone I made a low offer on a set of 15" wheels and blizzak ws80 tires a long time ago, he had no luck selling them and accepted my offer. I ran and picked them up right after work and put them on my car unfortunately the snow is gone and I immediately noticed a decrease in traction from the BFG's to the Blizzaks but it's 40 at the moment and the roads are clear. This thread just evolved into a multi tire review. Photos to follow in the day time

 


Messages
109
Likes
20
Location
Seattle
#2
Will be watching this one, I am probably going to get a set of these as winter tires in 205/45R16 for my daily driver. It just doesn't get cold enough for long enough, nor does it snow much in Seattle to justify a snow/ice or winter performance tire.

Similar to you, I have a Tacoma with a fresh set of BFG A/T K02s on it for the mountains and snow, so I am thinking an A/S tire will be fine for my winter setup on the FiST.

Surprised you are getting better traction with that tire vs. the OEM summer tires, do you have a lot of miles on them, or is it too cold for that tire in NY right now? It is in the 30s here at the moment and traction fell off for me in a big way.
 


JasonHaven

Active member
Messages
525
Likes
120
Location
Washington
#3
I've been on 205-45-16s for a little over a year now. I'm mid 30s, don't race or anything, but enjoy a mountain road here and there. I have yet to have any grip issues in dry or wet weather so far, and it handled last year's winter alright during the times I drove in the snow (if it's more than a couple inches, I take public transportation or work from home). All in all, for me, it's a much better tire than the stock tires. But again, I'm not a weekend racer, street racer, 10/10, etc guy. I just like getting on the car on onramps, and taking winding roads in spirited fashion sometimes.
 


Zormecteon

Active member
Messages
567
Likes
361
Location
Kelso
#4
I'm curious.. .Has anyone run 201/45/17s with mountune lowering springs? .. ? I have always loved BFG tires but they're just not available in stock size.
 


Waterfan

Active member
Messages
565
Likes
171
Location
SoCal
#5
Surprised you are getting better traction with that tire vs. the OEM summer tires, do you have a lot of miles on them, or is it too cold for that tire in NY right now? It is in the 30s here at the moment and traction fell off for me in a big way.
Makes sense to me. In my experience, "summer" tires actually do very well in the rain, but at or below 40F they lose a TON of grip (until they warm up, which sometimes is never)
 


Messages
58
Likes
20
Location
Blacklick
#6
I had the same size put on the stock wheels about 3 weeks ago. Looks like there is snow in the forecast next week, so we'll see how they do.


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Messages
201
Likes
30
Location
Hudson
#7
I just bought the same tires in the same size. Snows were $250 more a set and my summers are bald so it's an experiment for me for sure. I'm hoping to get good light snow performance and cold weather dry performance out of these. I was told they will be here in a week and there is a lot of snow in the forecast here in Denver so I will make sure to give a good snow review if you guys want and compare it to my girlfriends S4 with Continental ExtremeContact DWS06s and my friends B5 A4 with dedicated snows which does extremely well. I've heard they do good in the snow so I hope they can compete with those other tires.


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Messages
201
Likes
30
Location
Hudson
#8
I just put on my Comp 2 A/S's and got some snow here. So far in the dry they hook first in 11 degree weather and they do good in light snow. I can brake decently hard and have a lot of control while steering in the snow but the grip while trying to accelerate is lacking. I think ideally WS80s in the front with these in the rear would be perfect. If you need only winter tires I would recommend WS80s but if you need to replace your summers too these are a great option.


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OP
R
Messages
202
Likes
35
Location
Long Island
Thread Starter #9
I really like the BFG Comp2 A/S tires. Nice well rounded tire. I feel like if I can barely spin them in the winter stage 3 stratified tuned then they will give me better grip than the stock summer tires in the summer.
 


BRGT350

1000 Post Club
Messages
1,075
Likes
762
Location
Grand Haven
#10
I assume that the traction of the A/S vs the summer tire was all due to temp. Below 45'F, a summer tire is too hard to get any decent traction. If there was moisture on the ground, it would be worse. Change that to a 75'F day and I am sure things will be different. Almost every summer tire I have had has suffered from traction issues in the damp and temps below 45'F. Thankfully, that is only for a few short mornings in the spring and fall when the summer tires are installed.
 


Messages
201
Likes
30
Location
Hudson
#11
I assume that the traction of the A/S vs the summer tire was all due to temp. Below 45'F, a summer tire is too hard to get any decent traction. If there was moisture on the ground, it would be worse. Change that to a 75'F day and I am sure things will be different. Almost every summer tire I have had has suffered from traction issues in the damp and temps below 45'F. Thankfully, that is only for a few short mornings in the spring and fall when the summer tires are installed.
I think the Potenzas will be slightly better in summer weather but I'm still extremely impressed by the comp 2s. They grip in the rain, they grip enough in the dry and they get me around in the snow. The potenzas are a ten year old design which is why I think they aren't that great. I'm sure the comp 2s wouldn't be even compare to something like Pilot Super Sports in the summer.
 


Messages
58
Likes
20
Location
Blacklick
#12
Had a 100 mile trip to my parents on Saturday. Woke up that morning to icy roads and sleet/freezing rain/rain. Was impressed the Comp2 A/S. It was a little sketchy on the untreated icy roads, but don't think even dedicated snows would have been any better.


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Messages
201
Likes
30
Location
Hudson
#13
Had a 100 mile trip to my parents on Saturday. Woke up that morning to icy roads and sleet/freezing rain/rain. Was impressed the Comp2 A/S. It was a little sketchy on the untreated icy roads, but don't think even dedicated snows would have been any better.


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I find that they did well in ice but really poorly in slush.
 


Messages
109
Likes
20
Location
Seattle
#14
Got a week on a set of 205/45R16, and first off the tire seems quite wide and chunky / meaty compared to the OEM tire. The tread pattern wraps around the sidewall and the tires have a little bit of a rugged look to them. I like the look, but could see how someone might not. I am not sure I would go any wider than 205 on a 7" wheel with this tire, I was really surprised how much more tire sticks out over the rim of the wheel compared to the OEM tire.

So far they give me a lot more grip in cold weather. The first day I had them it was 30 degrees and I could do a full throttle second gear pull with no wheel spin, which was not possible even at a warmer 40 degrees with the OEM tire.

This morning it was 40 degrees and raining, pretty much the normal weather around here for winter, and what I bought the tire for. There is pretty much no tire that is going to overcome the wheel spin from a FWD non-LSD launch, but the wheel spin was fairly manageable and they hooked up well with some throttle modulation. I have yet to push it thru a corner, I will update as I get more time on the tire.

Overall, this is looking like a great commuting tire for the Pacific Northwet, and the price can't be beat.
 


Messages
446
Likes
164
Location
Arlington, VA
#15
I find that they did well in ice but really poorly in slush.
No tire does well in slush. Even dedicated winter tires struggle in those conditions and would do better in colder, dryer snow.

I'd also add that I find winter tires struggle the most in 40+ degree wet weather, so if you are in a place that gets a lot of that (i.e. lower altitudes in the Pacific Northwest), I think an all-season would be a much better bet.
 




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