Talk to me about tyres.......

[FELIX_5]

I've just purchased some new 16" alloys for my MK1, I now need to find some top quality tyres for it, but have some questions:

I currently have 205/45/16 tyres, can I go wider, and lower on the profile with the new tyres without adversly affecting the handling? i.e 215/40/16

I'm considering going for either Toyo R888 or Toyo TR-1. My car is a weekend car used all year round with the odd track day, I want the best grip possible, but, a) are the R888's suitable for road use, in particular during winter months? b) How much would I expect to pay for 16" R888's?

Your responses/advice are much appreciated. I'm not too worried about comfort levels, jsut went excellent grip.....!!

[OnlyMX5ives]

Wider tyres don't neccessarily give more grip.

215's on the front tramline a fair bit.

[MX-5 Lazza]

I'd agree with that. I have 2 sets of wheels; my road wheels are 17" OZ SuperTs with 205/40/17 Goodyear F1s and my track wheels are 15" Rota C10s with 195/50/15 Hankook RS2s. I never have any problem with grip with the 15s at all and on the road they feel much grippier than the 17s partly due to the compound but mostly due to the more suitable width/profile.

[FELIX_5]

Fair points. So on that basis, would you fit R888's? and what profile/width would you go for bearing in mind they're 16" wheels? Cheers

[MX-5 Lazza]

I'd fit R888s on a track car but not on a road/track car that's going to be used in all weathers. Track tyres just don't work at all on cold roads. RS2s are a bit more usable than R888s as they have proper grooves so still work in standing water and aren't terrible on cold roads (bad but not terrible) but all track tyres require heat in the tyre to make them work and there is no way you will get them warm on a cold wet road. You'll find people in 1.0 Pandas passing you because you are scared of touching the throttle!

Stick with standard profiles i.e.
195/50/15
205/45/16
205/40/17
unless you find a size that's close in which you can get the same tyres much cheaper

[maz8062]

MX-5 Lazza said:

I'd fit R888s on a track car but not on a road/track car that's going to be used in all weathers. Track tyres just don't work at all on cold roads. RS2s are a bit more usable than R888s as they have proper grooves so still work in standing water and aren't terrible on cold roads (bad but not terrible) but all track tyres require heat in the tyre to make them work and there is no way you will get them warm on a cold wet road. You'll find people in 1.0 Pandas passing you because you are scared of touching the throttle!

Stick with standard profiles i.e.
195/50/15
205/45/16
205/40/17
unless you find a size that's close in which you can get the same tyres much cheaper

What he said.

[MX-5 Lazza]

Just to add... If it's mostly a road car with occasional track visits then stick to the general tyre favourites of Toyo T1R (cheap but very good) or Goodyear F1 GSD3 (Not quite as cheap but better, especially on wet roads). Neither of these are great on cold roads either - they are classed as "Summer/Performance" tyres so will start getting losing grip around 6C or colder.

[FELIX_5]

All very helpful comments, cheers!

[MX-5 Lazza]

Even better - get a spare set of 15" wheels and stick R888s on them and normal road tyres on your road wheels (like what I done)

Edited by MX-5 Lazza on Monday 21st September 15:10

[FELIX_5]

MX-5 Lazza said:

Even better - get a spare set of 15" wheels and stick R888s on them and normal road tyres on your road wheels (like what I done)

Edited by MX-5 Lazza on Monday 21st September 15:10

Yeah did consider that actually.

[phil_cardiff]

Anyone else experiencing alarming wear on the outside edge of the nearside front T1-R? Geo's been checked by the way.

[MX-5 Lazza]

What geo settings did you go for? The WiM fast road settings can cause wear on the outside edges of the tyres...

[phil_cardiff]

Within Mazda tolerances. It could be something to do with the way I drive around roundabouts and the fact the Toyo's have soft sidewalls? The other tyres are worn around the edges too, just not as much as the front left.

[MX-5 Lazza]

Mazda tolerances are pretty wide. if you are on the edges of the tolerances you might still have geo issues causing tyre wear problems. that's why it's better to have your own settings and make sure they work to that.

What tyre pressures do you have? Recommended pressure is 26psi but as Toyos have soft side-walls most people prefer to up this to 28-30psi. More pressure should stop them rolling onto the edges if that's what is happening.

[phil_cardiff]

28psi.

I'll have a look, if I get time, and post up what my geometry settings were when I had it checked.

[Firefox1]

Do you drive in Milton Keynes? Mine is showing signs wear on the shoulder of the left front but I put it down to living is roundabout city.

[phil_cardiff]

No, Cardiff, but there's plenty of roundabouts here. Most of my driving (95%) is urban. Which sucks.