Bigger Yokos or proper Toyos?

[chieflief]

I don't have a lot of good choices for the Elise (1996 S1) here on Vancouver Island, but have narrowed it down to two:


Toyo Proxes R1-R (195/50/R15 and 225/45/R16) for $904.37

Yokohama Advan Nevoa AD08R (205/50/R15 and 225/50/R16 - yep, both tyres a bit bigger) for $824.12


What would you choose?

Mainly the Elise is used for spirited summer driving - with the chance of getting caught in the rain. I'm running old Toyo Proxes 4 at the moment with 225/50 on the rear, so no problem there if you were wondering. Not sure about putting 205/50 on the front instead of the 195/50 I have on now. I have a friend who has an S1 who doesn't seem to have a problem with the 205/50 on the front of his... but still not sure about it though, since I last year I did a suspension refresh and lowered the car a bit.

The other option is to pick some AD08RSs when I'm next in the UK and stuff the set in my luggage... but who knows when that will be!

[nfcf]

When I purchased my S1 it had 225/50/R16 on the back and rubbed when going quickly on bumpy roads. The car was lower than the standard 140mm (around 115-120mm from memory) so you may get away with it with the standard ride height. Lots of owners loved the R1R and the ones I talk to rated them better than the AD08R which they switched to when the R1R was discontinued in the UK.

I'm running R888r's (195/50/R15 and 225/45/R16) now after being told the AD08RS are crap and tbh they are better in the wet than I expected.

[chieflief]

nfcf said:

When I purchased my S1 it had 225/50/R16 on the back and rubbed when going quickly on bumpy roads. The car was lower than the standard 140mm (around 115-120mm from memory) so you may get away with it with the standard ride height. Lots of owners loved the R1R and the ones I talk to rated them better than the AD08R which they switched to when the R1R was discontinued in the UK.

I'm running R888r's (195/50/R15 and 225/45/R16) now after being told the AD08RS are crap and tbh they are better in the wet than I expected.

Awesome. Thanks for that info. I already have 225/50/16 with no rubbing on the rear (stiffer spring settings I guess, even though I'm about 115mm too), so although I'm slightly concerned whether or not the the larger tyres will fit on the front, I'm more concerned about potential oversteer with 205/50/15 (Yoko AD08R) on the front vs. 195/50/15 (Toyo R1R) - I have 195s on the front at the moment. I'm not a great driver so am just want to address any potential hedge-kissing. Will I even notice a difference?

And it's super interesting how in your experience the R1Rs have rated better than AD08R. My 'research' has found the opposite (R1R 'unpredictable'). It's amazing how subjective these things can be! But, like you say, there does seem to be some consensus on the AD08RS

[nfcf]

Yup tyres are a very subjective when it comes to feel and the style of driving you do. DIfficult to know whether the wider front tyre will noticably upset the handling or cause clearnace issues without trying it out. The other thing worth double checking is if the rim is wide enough for the tyre as the AWI wheel is a 5.5j on the front which is proably too narrow.

Quick look on the SELOC wiki shows that the rear wheel offset differs between ET9 to ET16 depending on which alloy is used which may be why I experienced rubbing but you haven't.

[Mutley00]

I had the same decision to make a couple of months ago, as both were on sale at Black Circles. I quick check on the forums and it was a no brainer for me - I couldn't find much that was complimentary about the Toyos. The Yokohamas are marketed as a Summer Tyre which should be right up your street.

[chieflief]

Mutley00 said:

I had the same decision to make a couple of months ago, as both were on sale at Black Circles. I quick check on the forums and it was a no brainer for me - I couldn't find much that was complimentary about the Toyos. The Yokohamas are marketed as a Summer Tyre which should be right up your street.

Thanks for that! I'm still waffling... just need to be sure the bigger Yokos will fit on my rims and that there won't be any tyre-body contact. I'll be refurbishing the wheels yet so I have some time to stew over a decision haha.

[Zoobeef]

AD08 are crap and R1-R stopped being made years ago so what stock is available could well be pretty old.

[chieflief]

Zoobeef said:

AD08 are crap and R1-R stopped being made years ago so what stock is available could well be pretty old.

Um, yeah I was wondering about that. I'm in Canada and it seems availability for the Yokos (except the size I want) or Toyos isn't too much a problem... but like you say, maybe old stock? I will definitely check before I part with any dosh.

People's comments on the forums I've read indicate they REALLY like the AD08R... what don't you like about them? What would you recommend in their stead? And yes, agree that AD08 isn't as good as AD08R. I can't find the AD08 anywhere anyways.

Edited by chieflief on Thursday 21st January 01:26

[nfcf]

Zoobeef said:

AD08 are crap and R1-R stopped being made years ago so what stock is available could well be pretty old.

The stock chieflief would be buying should be relatively new as the R1R is still manufactured for the US market. The R1R was discounitued in the EU due to it not meeting the minimum efficiency rating (same with the AD08R).

[chieflief]

nfcf said:

Zoobeef said:

AD08 are crap and R1-R stopped being made years ago so what stock is available could well be pretty old.

The stock chieflief would be buying should be relatively new as the R1R is still manufactured for the US market. The R1R was discounitued in the EU due to it not meeting the minimum efficiency rating (same with the AD08R).

Yep, that makes sense. BTW I'm leaning towards the R1-R. The bigger Yokos on another Elise I'm familiar with bulge out on the sides (fronts)... doesn't seem right to me. Although I'm assuming we both have the 5.5j rim, which I will be checking. I suppose the bulge helps with curb rash!

[Zoobeef]

chieflief said:

Yep, that makes sense. BTW I'm leaning towards the R1-R. The bigger Yokos on another Elise I'm familiar with bulge out on the sides (fronts)... doesn't seem right to me. Although I'm assuming we both have the 5.5j rim, which I will be checking. I suppose the bulge helps with curb rash!

I would get the R1-R out of those 2 then.
Very expensive in your neck of the woods though!
Do you have Federal 595 RSR at a reasonable price there? I've run them on track before on the VX220 and have them on the Noble.

[chieflief]

Zoobeef said:

I would get the R1-R out of those 2 then.
Very expensive in your neck of the woods though!
Do you have Federal 595 RSR at a reasonable price there? I've run them on track before on the VX220 and have them on the Noble.

OK sweet. The Toyos will be £500 (equivalent) pretty much even, delivered, taxes all in. No mounting or balancing though. It's pretty much my only option here (the only other option in those sizes are R888 which are a bit too sticky for me and also more expensive). I'll try to get the newest ones I can. They will age out before they wear out as I do less than 2000 miles per year, with not too much hard driving. How much is a set of R1-Rs going for in the U.K.?

Love the Noble... it's on my wish list