Given
86%
while driving a
Vauxhall Astra GTC
(245/40 R20 W) on
mostly country roads
for 12,000
spirited miles
These Nexen N'fera SU1 tires initially replaced Continental Sport Contact tires on the front of the car.
These tires are half the price of the Continentals, so how would they stack up against the standard OEM equipment? 245 40 R20 tires offer a fair bit of grip and contact patch for a sports coupe/hatchback, but care must be taken if there is surface water with tires this wide.
My first thoughts were how good these Nexens felt, even from new. New tires normally start to feel better after they've had a chance to be scrubbed.
A good percentage of my driving takes place on winding country roads in the middle of nowhere, so the tires get pushed to their limits. If I'm perfectly honest, I immediately preferred these SU1's over the Conti's, in just about every way.
The grip in both wet and dry conditions is very good, reassuringly so on twisty country roads. The noise levels from the tires are acceptable but get louder once the tread wears below 4mm - this is more appreciable on motorway journeys.
Progressive feel as the tires reach and exceed their limits can only be described as first rate. These tires are very nicely mannered and give me very little cause for concern, even when I'm in a hurry.
During a particularly severe deluge on the M4 near Newport, the Motorway basically became a lake. Aquaplaning was the biggest concern, purely due to the shear volume of water. Reducing the speed, the tires held their own whilst we witnessed 3 Aquaplaning related accidents within a 10 mile stretch! This was when the tires were around 5mm.
These tires seem to give decent enough fuel economy, similar to the Conti's, but with better grip levels.
Wear rates are acceptable considering the grip performance, though the Conti's had longer life.
We now have the Nexen N'fera SU1's on all 4 corners of the car and it feels planted and safe. Steering is responsive, braking is good and both cornering and acceleration are exactly what you'd want for the GTC.
All with a tire costing 50% less.
Now with Nexen RU1's being OE on Porsche Cayenne and Macan models, it's even harder not to take these tires seriously.