Discussion
Just thought I'd let you folks know that having phoned numerous companies obtaining tyre prices (205/60 15's),
Roadrunner Tyres offered the best all in prices on named makes. The one I went to was in Harold Wood, Essex, but I think they are part of a chain. Good service, good tyres, good prices. And they don't sing arm in arm whilst doing a dodgy riverdance impersonation!!
Roadrunner Tyres offered the best all in prices on named makes. The one I went to was in Harold Wood, Essex, but I think they are part of a chain. Good service, good tyres, good prices. And they don't sing arm in arm whilst doing a dodgy riverdance impersonation!!
quote:
Just thought I'd let you folks know that having phoned numerous companies obtaining tyre prices (205/60 15's),
Roadrunner Tyres offered the best all in prices on named makes. The one I went to was in Harold Wood, Essex, but I think they are part of a chain. Good service, good tyres, good prices. And they don't sing arm in arm whilst doing a dodgy riverdance impersonation!!
What you putting on the S then Nick ??
Did you read the EVO tyre test report ??
What brand did you get fitted then? and what was the price? if you don't mind me asking.
I'm still looking at the moment, reckon I've only got a couple more hundred miles left in mine, now down to about 3/4mm. This was reaffirmed on Sunday when driving on a dual carriageway in the v heavy rain I experienced two separate fish-tailings cruising at sub 50mph
You get complacent with the traction control light flashing at you in the every day car, it's easy to forget how difficult (and rewarding) "real" driving can be 
.
The best prices I can get locally at the moment are £300 for 4 x RE71's and £380 for 4 X SO3's (55 profile though), both prices are 'all in' btw.
I lean towards the RE71's as the original spec and at 60 profile they fill the arches more fully, but they are a 10 year old design, whereas the SO3's are the latest from Bridgestone. I am a bit concerned though that SO3 are still getting a mixed response, does anyone have them fitted to their 'S' and if so what do ya think?
Harry
I'm still looking at the moment, reckon I've only got a couple more hundred miles left in mine, now down to about 3/4mm. This was reaffirmed on Sunday when driving on a dual carriageway in the v heavy rain I experienced two separate fish-tailings cruising at sub 50mph
You get complacent with the traction control light flashing at you in the every day car, it's easy to forget how difficult (and rewarding) "real" driving can be . The best prices I can get locally at the moment are £300 for 4 x RE71's and £380 for 4 X SO3's (55 profile though), both prices are 'all in' btw.
I lean towards the RE71's as the original spec and at 60 profile they fill the arches more fully, but they are a 10 year old design, whereas the SO3's are the latest from Bridgestone. I am a bit concerned though that SO3 are still getting a mixed response, does anyone have them fitted to their 'S' and if so what do ya think?
Harry
I bought two tyres for the rear.
They had a large choice and in the end I bought Uniroyal 205/60 15 directional tyres speed rated at 130mph. They cost £100 the pair inclusive of everything and they sure look good. They had Goodyear and others which had higher ratings but compared to other places I had tried, even these tyres were cheaper by far.
As I do not sprint my car and can't think of the last time I hit 130mph I decided on the Uniroyals. I know some of you guys use your cars under differing circumstances so would undoubtedly opt for the 'faster' tyres but for everyday motoring with the odd blast to scare the twats outside Macdonalds in their sooped up s**t wagons, the Uniroyals seem fine.
They had a large choice and in the end I bought Uniroyal 205/60 15 directional tyres speed rated at 130mph. They cost £100 the pair inclusive of everything and they sure look good. They had Goodyear and others which had higher ratings but compared to other places I had tried, even these tyres were cheaper by far.
As I do not sprint my car and can't think of the last time I hit 130mph I decided on the Uniroyals. I know some of you guys use your cars under differing circumstances so would undoubtedly opt for the 'faster' tyres but for everyday motoring with the odd blast to scare the twats outside Macdonalds in their sooped up s**t wagons, the Uniroyals seem fine.
Just a casual observation from a former S3 owner;
I can spot S's a mile off that have 55 or 50 profile tyres, because the wheels look too small in the arches.
www.geocities.com/peter.nixon
I can spot S's a mile off that have 55 or 50 profile tyres, because the wheels look too small in the arches.
www.geocities.com/peter.nixon
quote:
I bought two tyres for the rear.
They had a large choice and in the end I bought Uniroyal 205/60 15 directional tyres speed rated at 130mph. They cost £100 the pair inclusive of everything and they sure look good. They had Goodyear and others which had higher ratings but compared to other places I had tried, even these tyres were cheaper by far.
As I do not sprint my car and can't think of the last time I hit 130mph I decided on the Uniroyals. I know some of you guys use your cars under differing circumstances so would undoubtedly opt for the 'faster' tyres but for everyday motoring with the odd blast to scare the twats outside Macdonalds in their sooped up s**t wagons, the Uniroyals seem fine.
-don't forget the acceleration forces when considering tyres! Recently fitted V-rated on my S for just this reason
quote:
Too true, but as I do not use the car for sprinting etc I am sure that the tyres are well able to handle the occassional blast as expected in everyday motoring. If I was going to use the car on the track, I would consider the other options.
Nick,
The V rating does not only refer to top speed capacity, it is to do with accelerating, braking and cornering forces that would be exerted on the tyre by the car they are fitted on. It is a fit for purpose standard if you like.
I personally would not fit an under rated tyre on any TVR because of the above. I will be putting mine on the track for the first time this year and considered long and hard as to whether to put higher rated tyres onto it to be certain of no issues. I have not due to having spoken with a man sprinting his S using the same tyres as me and having no issues.
Even under road going conditions you will exert these tyres to forces greater than they are designed for. In your case it is marginal, but it is a reality.
Cheers
Mark
quote:
I had SO2's on my S2 and they were the best tyres I have ever used on it by a long way. When I finish the rebuid, I will give SO3's a go as I have heard they are better still. Anyone tried them yet?
Jas.
Yes, I've got a set on the V8S. They do seem quite different to the S02pp in terms of stiffness and handling. If anything they give more grip than the S02 (which is the best tyre I've tried so far other than the S03), haven't done proper back-to-back comparisions but I was surprised to get over 1G lateral on a cold day. They're stiffer, which affects the handling and makes them slightly less forgiving than the S02, which some may not like. I find they work better at slightly lower pressures, and now I've got used to them I like them a lot.
>> Edited by GreenV8S on Tuesday 11th June 14:05
Nick,
The V rating does not only refer to top speed capacity, it is to do with accelerating, braking and cornering forces that would be exerted on the tyre by the car they are fitted on. It is a fit for purpose standard if you like.
I personally would not fit an under rated tyre on any TVR because of the above. I will be putting mine on the track for the first time this year and considered long and hard as to whether to put higher rated tyres onto it to be certain of no issues. I have not due to having spoken with a man sprinting his S using the same tyres as me and having no issues.
Even under road going conditions you will exert these tyres to forces greater than they are designed for. In your case it is marginal, but it is a reality.
Cheers
Mark
Not strictly true, what you are talking about is the load rating, this will be a number next to the speed rating, that is more about the forces on the tyre.
My suggestion to all would be to read the tyre test in EVO this month. It will tell you all you need to know about tyres and their ratings and what tyres were considered the best out of 8 selected. The SO3's were one of the 8 and did well in the dry, but no so well in the wet, in summary.
Although the tests were conducted on a Ford Focus and therefor direct comparison is not truly possibly they went to extreme lengths to get good results. Makes for very interesting reading. Nearly bought the tyres that won it but opted for Bridgestones instead before I knew the results.
Cheers
Mark
>> Edited by johno on Tuesday 11th June 14:41
Although the tests were conducted on a Ford Focus and therefor direct comparison is not truly possibly they went to extreme lengths to get good results. Makes for very interesting reading. Nearly bought the tyres that won it but opted for Bridgestones instead before I knew the results.
Cheers
Mark
>> Edited by johno on Tuesday 11th June 14:41
quote:
The best prices I can get locally at the moment are £300 for 4 x RE71's and £380 for 4 X SO3's (55 profile though), both prices are 'all in' btw.
I lean towards the RE71's as the original spec and at 60 profile they fill the arches more fully, but they are a 10 year old design, whereas the SO3's are the latest from Bridgestone. I am a bit concerned though that SO3 are still getting a mixed response, does anyone have them fitted to their 'S' and if so what do ya think?
Harry
Try www.mytyres.net
4 X Bridgestone RE720 205x60x15 for £257.60 inc delivery. You should be able to get a local tyre & batery place to fit and balance them for about £20
It seems to me that these are the natural sucessor to RE71's which where the original tyre.
Test results are as follows :-
Average of 14 completed tests
Score: 1-best 6-worst Ø1.8
Grip in dry conditions 1.4
Braking in dry condtions 1.3
Grip in wet conditions 2.1
Braking in wet condition 1.9
Grip in snow 5.4
Comfort 2.2
Tyre noise (in car) 2.4
Tyre noise (external) 2.2
Tyre wear 2.0
Kilometers driven 227.500
I use RE720's on my car. I had RE71's previously and the RE720's are a massive improvement especially in the wet where the car is pushable now where it previously was unnerving.
As for RE720's for a V8S then again I would refer to the ratings which I believe for a V8S state 'Z' rating. The RE720's are not available (or weren't) with a 'Z' rating, only 'V' rating.
I'm not certain about the book saying 'Z' for a V8S although I wouldn't use anything less for that car. I did however see a guy at the Goodwood sprint recently running a V8S on RE720's .... He seemed to be doing alright.
JSG runs his V8S on RE71's and loves 'em. Personal preferences etc etc
Cheers
Mark
As for RE720's for a V8S then again I would refer to the ratings which I believe for a V8S state 'Z' rating. The RE720's are not available (or weren't) with a 'Z' rating, only 'V' rating.
I'm not certain about the book saying 'Z' for a V8S although I wouldn't use anything less for that car. I did however see a guy at the Goodwood sprint recently running a V8S on RE720's .... He seemed to be doing alright.
JSG runs his V8S on RE71's and loves 'em. Personal preferences etc etc
Cheers
Mark
According to the bridgestone site :-
Tyre Range
ASPECT RATIO TYRE SIZE LOAD INDEX SPEED SYMBOL
60 series 175/60R13 77 H
185/60R13 80 H
185/60R14 82 H
195/60R14 86 V/H
195/60R15 88 V/H
205/60R15 91 V/H
55 series 185/55R14 80 H
185/55R15 82 V
195/55R15 85 V
205/55R15 88 V
205/55R16 91 V/W
50 series 175/50R13 72 V
195/50R15 82 V/H
205/50R15 86 V/H
205/50R16 87 V
225/50R16 92 V
45 series 195/45R15 78 V
205/45R16 83 V
40 series 215/40R16 82 V
Tyre Range
ASPECT RATIO TYRE SIZE LOAD INDEX SPEED SYMBOL
60 series 175/60R13 77 H
185/60R13 80 H
185/60R14 82 H
195/60R14 86 V/H
195/60R15 88 V/H
205/60R15 91 V/H
55 series 185/55R14 80 H
185/55R15 82 V
195/55R15 85 V
205/55R15 88 V
205/55R16 91 V/W
50 series 175/50R13 72 V
195/50R15 82 V/H
205/50R15 86 V/H
205/50R16 87 V
225/50R16 92 V
45 series 195/45R15 78 V
205/45R16 83 V
40 series 215/40R16 82 V
quote:
I'd like to echo the point someone else has made here, EVO did the article on a Ford Focus, i.e. Front wheel drive town car with squidgy suspension.
It is highly possible that if they had used a TVR 'S' series they would have come to a different conclusion.
Jas.
It was me although I would add that the Focvus they used is far from the shopping trolley Focus you would imagine. Its their new sporty thingy doobrey and therefor demands a lot from its tyres.
If however if they had used an 'S' they would have found that they were intoxicatingly attracted to the sexy nuances of a performance car with such wonderful lines and abilities. The fact they wouldn't have made it through the wet chicane above walking pace would become secondary to the sheer adolation they would be heaping on the vehicle they were pivileged enough to drive.
In fact I imagine they would have deserted the test track and headed for the hills never to be seen again in a Focus, IMHO.
>> Edited by johno on Tuesday 11th June 16:35
quote:
I'm not certain about the book saying 'Z' for a V8S although I wouldn't use anything less for that car. I did however see a guy at the Goodwood sprint recently running a V8S on RE720's .... He seemed to be doing alright.
JSG runs his V8S on RE71's and loves 'em. Personal preferences etc etc
Cheers
Mark
Johno
Spoke to same guy as you, about exactly the same thing, i.e. V rated on a V8S particularly during a sprint at a fast circuit like Goodwood
To be fair to the guy I'm not so sure that a garage 'talked' him to fitting 720's as a successor to the 71's, he did seem a bit surprised that they were only V rated
Like me, he wanted to keep the same 'look' the 60 profile gave him. All that aside he did say that they were worth 2 seconds a lap to him against the 71's that came off, which apparently weren't particularly worn but 'old' though. I think I need to see an S again with the 55 profile to make my final decision on the tyres though.
Harry
quote:
JSG runs his V8S on RE71's and loves 'em. Personal preferences etc etc
I've been v pleased with the RE71s - I've had them on both my cars and they've performed great. I wanted to keep the original profile and stay with OEM as the V8S is fully original - although I have itchy palms for suspension upgrades at the moment.
I've not tried SO2s or SO3s, although I may do in the future as they seem to perform better according to those who have them. I wouldn't put cheaper tyres on though - I don't go everywhere at 130 mph but I feel happier with a good quality tyre.
One additional point on the rating issue is that a car must have the recommended rated tyres whatever use it is put to. Fitting V rated instead of Z rated etc could result in points if plod was picky and also your insurance being invalid in the event of a claim.
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