Firestone tyres for MK.1 - opinions please
Discussion
Hello all
Since I bought her over 3 years ago, my Mk.1 has run on Firestone tyres, and currently sports a set of TZ200s (195/50 15 R82V). I have always been happy with their performance and have never had any problems with grip in all but the iciest of conditions.
Now, my tyres are looking a little thin on tread and I am thinking of replacing them. I have read through this forum and am considering going with the Goodyear EAGLE F1 GSD3. How much difference am I really going to notice over the Firestones? Are they really worth the extra cash? I don't do any track days, just normal road useage, but I do enjoy throwing the car through the twisties!
Also, I have read a couple of good reviews of etyres.com. Can anyone else add their views on them?
Thanks!
AshG
Since I bought her over 3 years ago, my Mk.1 has run on Firestone tyres, and currently sports a set of TZ200s (195/50 15 R82V). I have always been happy with their performance and have never had any problems with grip in all but the iciest of conditions.
Now, my tyres are looking a little thin on tread and I am thinking of replacing them. I have read through this forum and am considering going with the Goodyear EAGLE F1 GSD3. How much difference am I really going to notice over the Firestones? Are they really worth the extra cash? I don't do any track days, just normal road useage, but I do enjoy throwing the car through the twisties!
Also, I have read a couple of good reviews of etyres.com. Can anyone else add their views on them?
Thanks!
AshG
In my humble opinion the F1 is an excellent tyre at its price point. I used these for 3.5 yrs on the R33 (255x40x17),OK it's a given that a skyline is a completely different & larger/weightier beast.
But the tyres give excellent grip for fast road & track days and wern't bad in the wet either.
My only complaint would be that you need to pay carefull attention to tyre pressures or fast shoulder wear would ensure el quicko.
But the tyres give excellent grip for fast road & track days and wern't bad in the wet either.
My only complaint would be that you need to pay carefull attention to tyre pressures or fast shoulder wear would ensure el quicko.
An MX-5 isn't as hard on the tyres as an R33 but it is very sensitive to tyre choice.
Personally I wouldn't touch Firestone tyres with a very long sterilised barge-pole.
The best choices are Toyo T1S, T1R if you want a good ride quality (they have soft sidewalls) or Goodyear F1 GSD3 for better wet grip and steering response (much stiffer sidewalls).
Both will be a big improvement on dry roads and a very big improvement in the wet! Don't expect either to be any good on snow/ice or even on roads when the temp goes below about 5C. That's not all that common in this country (in most places) so the trade-off is worth it.
You might have trouble finding F1 GSD3 in 195/50/15 though. They are being replaced with the new F1 Asymmetric which look like they might be even better than the old GSD3. Not sure when these will be available though.
Personally I wouldn't touch Firestone tyres with a very long sterilised barge-pole.
The best choices are Toyo T1S, T1R if you want a good ride quality (they have soft sidewalls) or Goodyear F1 GSD3 for better wet grip and steering response (much stiffer sidewalls).
Both will be a big improvement on dry roads and a very big improvement in the wet! Don't expect either to be any good on snow/ice or even on roads when the temp goes below about 5C. That's not all that common in this country (in most places) so the trade-off is worth it.
You might have trouble finding F1 GSD3 in 195/50/15 though. They are being replaced with the new F1 Asymmetric which look like they might be even better than the old GSD3. Not sure when these will be available though.
Just had 195/50 R15 F1 GSD3s fitted on my '5.
They're brilliant. Nice and grippy, but you can still provoke the back end and very progressive.
It was tough getting hold of them - Etyres had to source 4 tyres from 3 different places! Worth the wait though. I heard that the Asymmetrics were only replacing the larger sizes, but the GSD3s are clearly hard to find.
How much would you save by going for cheap tyres? 50 quid? Not worth the bother IMHO - 200 quid for 4 tyres fully fitted from etyres.
If you can't get them that I have found Toyo T1-Rs very good on my other car, they come well recommended on MX-5s too.
They're brilliant. Nice and grippy, but you can still provoke the back end and very progressive.
It was tough getting hold of them - Etyres had to source 4 tyres from 3 different places! Worth the wait though. I heard that the Asymmetrics were only replacing the larger sizes, but the GSD3s are clearly hard to find.
How much would you save by going for cheap tyres? 50 quid? Not worth the bother IMHO - 200 quid for 4 tyres fully fitted from etyres.
If you can't get them that I have found Toyo T1-Rs very good on my other car, they come well recommended on MX-5s too.
AshG said:
Many thanks to all who have responded so far. As I have only ever experienced my car on the Firestones without complaint, I have nothing to compare them to. But seeing as how many people seem to recommend the Eagle F1s, I am sure I shall go for these in the not so distant future!
You won't regret it - it's like a new car! You might want to get a full 4 wheel alignment too...My F1's in 195/50/15 cost me a smidge under £180 (fitted & balanced) from Bracknell Tyre & Battery.
For anyone who is local enough these are the best people to get tyres from. They have always given me a first (and only) quote that is lower than everyone else, including all the online dealers. I tried to barter with them once by lying saying that I could get them cheaper elsewhere and they just said I should go with whoever they were because they couldn't supply any cheaper than their first quote.
Looking at the Goodyear website they will only be doing the Asymmetric in +17" and not in 205/40/17 so no good for my 17" wheels either
For anyone who is local enough these are the best people to get tyres from. They have always given me a first (and only) quote that is lower than everyone else, including all the online dealers. I tried to barter with them once by lying saying that I could get them cheaper elsewhere and they just said I should go with whoever they were because they couldn't supply any cheaper than their first quote.
Looking at the Goodyear website they will only be doing the Asymmetric in +17" and not in 205/40/17 so no good for my 17" wheels either
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