Tyres and rain showers
Discussion
Well, having now bought (or awaiting the final check but x'ing my fingers) a 1.8 Sport there are a couple of things I need to ask:-
1. Needs 2 new tyres, currently has 2 new (5 month old) Falkens on the rear and some very old ones on the front. Should I replace with Falkens or put some more decent rubber on there, and recommendations? I might have to do the 2 fronts first as its been an expensive month already!
2. As there will be days when the car is not used and it might be sitting outside, does anyone sell a rain hood or similar (I know you can get them for Elises, VX220's etc) which would just keep the elements off the hood (which doesn't leaks, test drove it last night and the carpets were as dry as a bone after all this rain!)
Thanks
1. Needs 2 new tyres, currently has 2 new (5 month old) Falkens on the rear and some very old ones on the front. Should I replace with Falkens or put some more decent rubber on there, and recommendations? I might have to do the 2 fronts first as its been an expensive month already!
2. As there will be days when the car is not used and it might be sitting outside, does anyone sell a rain hood or similar (I know you can get them for Elises, VX220's etc) which would just keep the elements off the hood (which doesn't leaks, test drove it last night and the carpets were as dry as a bone after all this rain!)
Thanks
Get some better tyres. Go for Goodyear F1 as they are about as good as it gets on an MX-5. If the budget is really tight you could get Toyo T1S or T1R but for the price difference I'd still recommend the F1s.
Fit them on the rear. You always want the tyres with the best grip (especially wet grip) on the rear.
Personally I'd want to replace the Falkens too - they really aren't very good.
Fit them on the rear. You always want the tyres with the best grip (especially wet grip) on the rear.
Personally I'd want to replace the Falkens too - they really aren't very good.
MX-5 Lazza said:
Get some better tyres. Go for Goodyear F1 as they are about as good as it gets on an MX-5. If the budget is really tight you could get Toyo T1S or T1R but for the price difference I'd still recommend the F1s.
Fit them on the rear. You always want the tyres with the best grip (especially wet grip) on the rear.
Personally I'd want to replace the Falkens too - they really aren't very good.
Just out of interest does anyone have any experience of Avon ZZ3 or Bridgestone S02 on an MX-5?Fit them on the rear. You always want the tyres with the best grip (especially wet grip) on the rear.
Personally I'd want to replace the Falkens too - they really aren't very good.
How does their wet and dry performance compare to Goodyear F1?
Evil Edna said:
MX-5 Lazza said:
Get some better tyres. Go for Goodyear F1 as they are about as good as it gets on an MX-5. If the budget is really tight you could get Toyo T1S or T1R but for the price difference I'd still recommend the F1s.
Fit them on the rear. You always want the tyres with the best grip (especially wet grip) on the rear.
Personally I'd want to replace the Falkens too - they really aren't very good.
Just out of interest does anyone have any experience of Avon ZZ3 or Bridgestone S02 on an MX-5?Fit them on the rear. You always want the tyres with the best grip (especially wet grip) on the rear.
Personally I'd want to replace the Falkens too - they really aren't very good.
How does their wet and dry performance compare to Goodyear F1?
As for the Avons - no, don't do it. I have no personal experience of them but I know people who have used them and they hated them - they have poor grip wet or dry, just like most Dunlops.
MX-5 Lazza said:
Evil Edna said:
MX-5 Lazza said:
Get some better tyres. Go for Goodyear F1 as they are about as good as it gets on an MX-5. If the budget is really tight you could get Toyo T1S or T1R but for the price difference I'd still recommend the F1s.
Fit them on the rear. You always want the tyres with the best grip (especially wet grip) on the rear.
Personally I'd want to replace the Falkens too - they really aren't very good.
Just out of interest does anyone have any experience of Avon ZZ3 or Bridgestone S02 on an MX-5?Fit them on the rear. You always want the tyres with the best grip (especially wet grip) on the rear.
Personally I'd want to replace the Falkens too - they really aren't very good.
How does their wet and dry performance compare to Goodyear F1?
As for the Avons - no, don't do it. I have no personal experience of them but I know people who have used them and they hated them - they have poor grip wet or dry, just like most Dunlops.
I suppose what I want most from a road tyre is good wet weather performance and predictable & progressive break-away characteristics wet or dry. How do F1s perform in these areas?
Evil Edna said:
Too late! The car came with them fitted. I have not driven the car far enough or hard enough to draw a conclusion, yet. My my wife has been driving it since we bought it and she seems reluctant to relinquish the keys!
I suppose what I want most from a road tyre is good wet weather performance and predictable & progressive break-away characteristics wet or dry. How do F1s perform in these areas?
When I bought my latest MX-5 it had Toyo T1S but I hated them so I replaced the lot with F1's. The way I see it is that tyres are the cars only contact with the road. If the tyres are not up to scratch they shouldn't be on the car. You only get one life, it's a shame to waste it for the sake of £90 for a pair of tyres.I suppose what I want most from a road tyre is good wet weather performance and predictable & progressive break-away characteristics wet or dry. How do F1s perform in these areas?
F1s have about the best wet weather performance you will get as long as the temp is above about 4-5C. Below that, well just drive carefully. As for progressive breakaway - well there is enough grip for that not to be a problem. I have about 240bhp going through my 195/50/15s (track) or 205/40/17s (road) and I don't have any traction/grip problems at all and never have "tail-out" moments on the road unless I've deliberately provoked it.
I have Bridgestone Potenza RE070's on the back, which are very good but now discontinued, and some b
y awfull Pirelli's on the front !
Next time I shall be going for some nice, sticky Yokohama's all round.
I understand from most people (as already mentioned on here) that the Goodyears are very good too - I've just never got on with them.
y awfull Pirelli's on the front !Next time I shall be going for some nice, sticky Yokohama's all round.
I understand from most people (as already mentioned on here) that the Goodyears are very good too - I've just never got on with them.
No MX5 specific reviews on the site yet (anyone feel like adding one? 
) but this might be useful:
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Grid/
) but this might be useful:http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Grid/
Nothing wrong with Falkens - but which sort do you have? My gf's MX-5 has a newish set of 512s and I would rate them pretty highly. If you look at the tyrereviews website (and other tyre reviews on the web eg TVR forums) you will see that they are generally very well thought of. Quiet, grippy and good in the wet. Good in absolute terms and excellent value for money. Can't comment on how long they last as yet. The Falken 512s are a good tyre, the 452s are an excellent tyre.
Cambio said:
Nothing wrong with Falkens - but which sort do you have? My gf's MX-5 has a newish set of 512s and I would rate them pretty highly. If you look at the tyrereviews website (and other tyre reviews on the web eg TVR forums) you will see that they are generally very well thought of. Quiet, grippy and good in the wet. Good in absolute terms and excellent value for money. Can't comment on how long they last as yet. The Falken 512s are a good tyre, the 452s are an excellent tyre.
But not really made for MX-5's. Tyres that work well on heavier cars or on cars with more power/traction don't necessarily work well on an MX-5. The Goodyear F1 GSD3 is widely regarded as pretty much the best all-round tyre for MX-5's at the moment but most of the independent reviews don't rate them that highly as they are too soft so heavier/more powerful cars melt them too easily.This was what happened to Bridgestone Pole Position tyres too. The SO2 was great on an MX-5 but wasn't rated that highly by independent testers. When they replaced them with the SO3 they got rated much more highly but they were much worse on MX-5's as there isn't enough weight/power/traction to get enough heat into them to make them work, especially in the wet where the old SO2 were so good.
MX-5 Lazza said:
Get some better tyres. Go for Goodyear F1 as they are about as good as it gets on an MX-5. If the budget is really tight you could get Toyo T1S or T1R but for the price difference I'd still recommend the F1s.
Fit them on the rear. You always want the tyres with the best grip (especially wet grip) on the rear.
Personally I'd want to replace the Falkens too - they really aren't very good.
GAY!Fit them on the rear. You always want the tyres with the best grip (especially wet grip) on the rear.
Personally I'd want to replace the Falkens too - they really aren't very good.
Much more fun on regular tyres with lower limits.
You have to drive better as well to make progress.
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