Tyre wear records
Discussion
Had new rear Bridgestones put on my S2 the weekend before Stelvio last year. Two weeks and very nearly 5000 miles later they were shot to hell.
4000 on my first set of rear A048s, hoping the second set will last me until the end of this year's Stelvio. Chances are good as it's shorter 2-2.5K miles and without the extra rough Spanish tarmac of last year.
>> Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 5th September 16:00
4000 on my first set of rear A048s, hoping the second set will last me until the end of this year's Stelvio. Chances are good as it's shorter 2-2.5K miles and without the extra rough Spanish tarmac of last year.
>> Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 5th September 16:00
A048s are a mare as you only start with 5mm of tread (rather than approx 8mm that you do with 'normal' tyres) and then of course they are super sticky ....2 or 3 trackdays and fast road use and I reckon 3K miles for rears and 6K miles for fronts is about it....mmmm...I was doing 20K miles a year so thats a £3000 a year tyre bill....Im glad I bought an old Volvo for the daily commute now ! 
I made my first set of Bridgestone's last 16K on my S2!! Well.. Managed to wear my Toyo T1R's to slicks in about 8000 miles.. 
Top 2 were mine..
Piccie was taken in a tyre shop in Rovaniemi, Finland near the arctic circle where I was on holiday with the Elise and a mate in his Speedster. We were just on the way back from the North Cape.
Many thanks to the guys there at Lapin Kumi for getting me shod with some new rubber.
Had to source 2 new rear tyres in a hurry there as unfortunately it poured with rain a lot of the time and rear slicks made the handling somewhat... 'interesting'..
Now on Pirelli Pzero Rosso rear tyres. Not bad actually!
Bye, Arno.
Top 2 were mine..
Piccie was taken in a tyre shop in Rovaniemi, Finland near the arctic circle where I was on holiday with the Elise and a mate in his Speedster. We were just on the way back from the North Cape.
Many thanks to the guys there at Lapin Kumi for getting me shod with some new rubber.
Had to source 2 new rear tyres in a hurry there as unfortunately it poured with rain a lot of the time and rear slicks made the handling somewhat... 'interesting'..
Now on Pirelli Pzero Rosso rear tyres. Not bad actually!
Bye, Arno.
Cheers Tim - I guess I am also a fairy - 14000 miles and still on the 1st set bridgestones on 111s S2. Lots of tread still left. 
However, also have a set of 048's on OZ's which I use for airfield / track. Will probably burn those in under 1000 miles. Though little of that will be road. I figured I couldn't afford to spend £600 on tyres 3 times a year so opted for standard road tyres for general commuting etc - especially in winter! Hassle changing wheels though, but the cornering difference is astounding especially on a track.
Will this make me eligable for fairy as well as
status?
However, also have a set of 048's on OZ's which I use for airfield / track. Will probably burn those in under 1000 miles. Though little of that will be road. I figured I couldn't afford to spend £600 on tyres 3 times a year so opted for standard road tyres for general commuting etc - especially in winter! Hassle changing wheels though, but the cornering difference is astounding especially on a track.
Will this make me eligable for fairy as well as
status?
shangani said:
Cheers Tim - I guess I am also a fairy - 14000 miles and still on the 1st set bridgestones on 111s S2. Lots of tread still left.
However, also have a set of 048's on OZ's which I use for airfield / track. Will probably burn those in under 1000 miles. Though little of that will be road. I figured I couldn't afford to spend £600 on tyres 3 times a year so opted for standard road tyres for general commuting etc - especially in winter! Hassle changing wheels though, but the cornering difference is astounding especially on a track.
Will this make me eligable for fairy as well as
*cough* 18K miles on first set of Potenzas. Included 3 track days - one where they overheated and suffered near-horrendous squirm plus became so sticky that they picked up everything on the road for the last 4K miles. Plus did a 2K mile stelvio trip, over 10 mountain passes with about 2.5mm tread. I do tend to favour a smooth driving style...
Fronts are still going strong, BTW
How do you get on with 2 sets of wheels - I always thought that each wheel type suited a different suspension setup as most owners go for standard or 48s but rarely both?
>> Edited by kevin ritson on Wednesday 7th September 20:55
Kevin in reply to your question.
Yes it is an unusual setup - I called lotus sport about a year ago to enquire as to how to reduce understeer on a track. I wanted better turn-in on the tight corners. They advised to start with the OZ wheels and look later at a suspension upgrade - they did not feel the 048's would initially be incompatible with the S2 suspension and also said that the toelinks did not need replacing on an S2 whereas on an S1 where they could be a problem with sticky tyres. I said I would be driving the car with the standard wheels most of the time.
Forgive the thread drift: Re the suspension - I had heard mixed reports on the LSS suspension and decided to wait. Naturally the lotus guys were anti nitrons and finally suggested I get ohlins, but they are seriously pricey and not that great apparently on bumpy b-roads I hear. I need to make the decision sooner or later, but the summer is coming to an end and I may not track the car till next year. Overall the turn-in is much better even on standard suspension when using the OZ's with A048's, though I am no Schumacher on a track! I am just a bit nervous of tyre wear and wet grip as a daily tyre.
Cheers
Andrew
Glad to hear I am not the only one stretching the life of my Bridgestones - Clearly I am not having enough fun in the car.
Yes it is an unusual setup - I called lotus sport about a year ago to enquire as to how to reduce understeer on a track. I wanted better turn-in on the tight corners. They advised to start with the OZ wheels and look later at a suspension upgrade - they did not feel the 048's would initially be incompatible with the S2 suspension and also said that the toelinks did not need replacing on an S2 whereas on an S1 where they could be a problem with sticky tyres. I said I would be driving the car with the standard wheels most of the time.
Forgive the thread drift: Re the suspension - I had heard mixed reports on the LSS suspension and decided to wait. Naturally the lotus guys were anti nitrons and finally suggested I get ohlins, but they are seriously pricey and not that great apparently on bumpy b-roads I hear. I need to make the decision sooner or later, but the summer is coming to an end and I may not track the car till next year. Overall the turn-in is much better even on standard suspension when using the OZ's with A048's, though I am no Schumacher on a track! I am just a bit nervous of tyre wear and wet grip as a daily tyre.
Cheers
Andrew
Glad to hear I am not the only one stretching the life of my Bridgestones - Clearly I am not having enough fun in the car.
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