Toyo R1R on Estoril

[James-Westfield]

Hi all,

I've had Toyo R1R tyres on previous lightweight cars and loved them, they don't make the sizes that are currently (both old Bridgestones I think) on my Griff 500 Estorils:

225/50/15 Front
245/45/16 Rear

Based on the wheels being 15x7 and 16x7.5 I should be able to run a number of the Toyo R1R tyres based on the table on the Toyo website:
https://tiresize.com/tires/Toyo/Proxes-R1R.htm

I'm thinking about the following sizes which according to the table will fit the rim widths:
225/45/15 and 225/50/16 ( both W speed rated)

The speedo sensor is on the rear so to check if my speedo will be affected I've looked at an online calculator with the following results:
Current 245/45/16 = 819 revs/mile
Proposed 225/50/16 = 844 revs/mile
So only a 3% difference in terms of circumference and effect on speedo, I'm ok with that, especially as it is an increase in indicated speed.

Has anyone run R1R tyres on their Griff, and has anyone run the same width front & back?

Any other comments/observations welcome, or even a link to other amazing tyres available to fit all 4 standard wheels for under £150/tyre.

Thanks

[Mr.Grooler]

You might be ok with the speedo calibration but I’d be more wary of the likely effect on front to rear balance, whether that be an increased tendency to oversteer in corners or reduced stability under braking (and reduced traction for acceleration of course!).

We don’t have ESP to worry about (or to help you!); inevitably there are plenty of TVRs out there with different aged, condition or type of front and rear tyres which will result in all sorts of different characteristics, but I wouldn’t set out to achieve that with nice new tyres all round.

I’m sure you will get plenty of alternative tyre recommendations, it’s a popular subject

[griffdude]

Can you still get R1Rs?

[STattam]

I wish you could! Only 195s seem to be available other than in the US.

[900T-R]

I would go for 205/50/15 front and 225/50/16 rear.

[edit]The 205/50 fronts will be V-rated rather than W tho' so speak to your insurers first

[QBee]

To answer a couple of your questions:

I have run a full set of R1Rs, but on a 300+ bhp Chimaera.
Mine were in 17 inch fronts and 18 inch rears, wider at the rear than the front, and to be honest I wasn't impressed.
The grip was only moderate and I lost the back end a number of times, which is not usual for me on the road.

I regularly run the same width on fronts and rears with no problems - I can adjust the ride height at the rear to get the TVR rake, if the aspect ratio and diameter are the same. I have even done a number of track days on a set of 215/45 17 Toyo R888Rs all round, we just raised the rear a little by adjusting the spring bases with G spanners

For road use I prefer Uniroyal Rainsports - great grip in the wet, and you never know when you are going to get caught in a downpour, even in summer. They also grip well in the dry, and are around £70 a corner.

Sorry, I don't know what is available in standard TVR sizes.

[James-Westfield]

Thanks for the responses thus far.

I see it might be a little difficult to even get hold of the tyres I'm looking for!

The thing with the balance issue is that it's so hard to find the same tyres front and rear, the R888s and A048R are too track focussed for me and I do occasionally need to some longer motorway journeys in the Griff so want to be confident in pouring rain. Having different brands and patterns front and rear is going to upset the balance just as different sizes will.

Do I really need to get new wheels to solve the tyre problem?!

[QBee]

Where are you based James?
You can try my car on Uniroyals if you like.
I am in the East Midlands.

I did manage to find:

205/55 15 for the front Rainsport 3s
225/50 16 for the rear Rainsport 5s

on Ebay - that gives you the correct diameter difference front to rear

I understand that the Rainsport 5s are a direct replacement for the Rainsport 3s, and are an almost identical tread pattern too.
However, Rainsport 5s do not come in wider than 195 in 15 inch

[e42]

Hi, Demon Tweeks are listing RS5s in 205/55/15 (v rated) at £72 each, 5 day dispatch

[lancepar]

Earlier in the year.





205/55/R15 V rated.Rainsport 5.

[QBee]

Well done guys - good info

[Stever]

James-Westfield said:

Thanks for the responses thus far.

Do I really need to get new wheels to solve the tyre problem?!

I did this and went up an inch front and back to 16" / 17" gives a better look (if set up properly) and greater Tyre choice and my insurers were fine with it

[QBee]

Plenty of people go to Silverstone SP12s, which are 17 inch front and 18 inch rears and the right offsets for the car.

Look like this:



I run 215/45/17 front and 235/40/ 18 rears on these


I also bought a set of cheap 17 inch wheels when I got a set of Rainsports for very little money - they look like this:




I am running 215/45 17 fronts and 235/45 17 rears on these.

You do get a much better choice of tyre widths if you go up a size.
It just depends if you can get the suspension to your liking - I just run my adjustable dampers on a softer setting for the road

[900T-R]

I´m eschewing the larger wheels and tyres route (for both technical and aesthetic reasons) and will probably go for Hankook Ventus evo 2 (K 120) in 205/50/15 W and 225/50/16 W - the latter on slightly widened OZ split rims (new, 0.5" wider outer lips custom made for me) in a bid to get a little more connection from the rear end, a better fill of the rear arches and a more square, less pinched sidewall look similar to the 50 profile tyres on the front wheels (still within rim/tyre width guidelines from the tyre manufacturer).

[Whitty]

Been having the same debate myself. From the research I have done the only W rated front I have found is a Vredstein Sprint + (205 55 15) they don't do a matching rear but do have the Ultra Satin in 225 50 16 W. Which I believe are the correct sizes for a non pas 500, could be wrong though. They are quite a bit more expensive than RS5's though. Planning to swap mine ready for spring along with refurbing the alloys. If anyone has any experience of the Vredstiens I'd be interested to hear it.