tyres for Type-R

[munky]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I searched and didn't find anything!

The girlfriend's Type-R needs some new fronts - currently has the standard tyres (RE040?), which I believe are great in the dry but not so great in the wet. Is it essential to stick with these or is there a respected alternative? I see Toyo proxes are available in the right size, anyone tried these or anything else?

She drives in all weathers and doesn't hammer it so I'd say that safety in the wet is more a priority than outright grip in the dry

cheers!

[Revs_Addiction]

toyos or goodyear eagle are good in the wet, but you will lose a little initial 'bite' on turn-in, as the sidewalls are a bit softer than the bridgestones.

Once the first few mm of tread had worn off the re040 i found them horrid in the wet...

[vtec_addict]

goodyear eagle f1 assymetrics. I just put those on the front of my ATR. Very secure in the wet, and pretty fab in the dry too.

[havoc]

Asymmetrics apparently have stiffer sidewalls, and won most tests this year, so I'd second that...shame they don't do them in 15" or 16"...

Oh...and please say WHICH Type-R - there are 7 different variants across 4 different 'names' of car!

[munky]

havoc said:

Asymmetrics apparently have stiffer sidewalls, and won most tests this year, so I'd second that...shame they don't do them in 15" or 16"...

Oh...and please say WHICH Type-R - there are 7 different variants across 4 different 'names' of car!

Ah yes, sorry - a Civic. Not the current one but the one before - an 04 plate.

Thanks for the advice!

[10 Pence Short]

Pirelli P Zero Rossos were a reasonable compromise when I had kine.

[munky]

vtec_addict said:

goodyear eagle f1 assymetrics. I just put those on the front of my ATR. Very secure in the wet, and pretty fab in the dry too.

Can't find those in 205/45/17 unfortunately. Well, not on mytyres or blackcircles.

[havoc]

munky said:

vtec_addict said:

goodyear eagle f1 assymetrics. I just put those on the front of my ATR. Very secure in the wet, and pretty fab in the dry too.

Can't find those in 205/45/17 unfortunately. Well, not on mytyres or blackcircles.

In which case I quite rate the T1-R's on my S2000...but they do have a softer sidewall, which will 'soften' both turn-in and ride quality, and will give you a different break-away at the limit - the car will roll on it's tyres more, THEN lose grip. So it'll feel different...not sure if it'll be any more or less predictable. That said, overpressuring by 2-4psi vs stock pressures takes a lot of that difference away.

[vtec_addict]

Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta have good reviews for wet weather grip for a performance tyre. Have a google, and available in your size too!

[CarsOrBikes]

Stick with the RE040 they are a very good tyre as it is, and a soft compound, general driving will be hindered by fitting a variety of tyres out there, and if it isn't you behind the wheel, leave her with the best in most conditions - what she's used to - what she has now.

They will give a gentle warning when pushed too far, and recover quickly. Honda had the RE010 just for the Integra, there wasn't a better tyre for that car on it's original rims.

Chances are Civic R may be the same for all round use.

[munky]

CarsOrBikes said:

Stick with the RE040 they are a very good tyre as it is, and a soft compound, general driving will be hindered by fitting a variety of tyres out there, and if it isn't you behind the wheel, leave her with the best in most conditions - what she's used to - what she has now.

They will give a gentle warning when pushed too far, and recover quickly. Honda had the RE010 just for the Integra, there wasn't a better tyre for that car on it's original rims.

Chances are Civic R may be the same for all round use.

Well, I've driven it a lot in the wet with the RE040s, it doesn't feel stable through standing water and it really struggles to grip pulling away. Maybe that's true of any tyre given its almost 200bhp via the front wheels, but the tyre tests don't rate it for wet grip: http://www.reifendirekt.de/review/110/Bridgestone_...

whereas the RE050A rates a lot better, as do vredestein
http://www.reifendirekt.de/review/110/Vredestein_U...
http://www.reifendirekt.de/review/110/Bridgestone_...

[havoc]

I'd suggest there are better wet-weather tyres than the 040's, certainly by reputation, and certainly if they take after the RE010's (I've switched to a set of GSD-2's for the winter and the difference is marked, even though the sidewalls are squishy).

I'd still suggest T1-R's or GSD-3's.

[munky]

In case it's of use to anyone else, I thought I'd report back that I went with the Toyo T-1Rs and they are very good indeed. Did an unscientific test on day of purchase - first with the old Bridgestones, damp road surface on a hill, put it into 2nd gear and put the power on, lots of wheelspin. Got new Toyos put on, back to the same hill, still damp from constant drizzle, same test and it just gripped. No spin at all - and brand new tyres can often be a bit slippery.

Edited to add - 10 months later and the Toyos are still great.

Edited by munky on Thursday 15th October 00:08

[sevros1981]

Toyo Proxes have been great on mine. Less tramlining too.

[otolith]

Personally, although I like T1-Rs, I wouldn't use them on a car that takes RE040s as OEM - too different in sidewall stiffness. RE050As have better wet performance and feel fairly similar to RE040s, so that's what I would go for.

[Martin_Hx]

Even with winter around the corner i will be replacing all 4 of mine with pots in a month or so.

[EvoBarry]

I've got Hankook RS2s on my 16" wheels (for my DC2) and have been more than happy with their dry and wet weather performance, it might be worth a check on the EP3 forums to see what the consensus is though?

I'll be putting my 16s/Hankooks on the g/fs EP3 for a trackday next month, I'll report back then