New tyres, new pants ?
New tyres, new pants ?
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Discussion

Tegriffic

Original Poster:

1,596 posts

280 months

Thursday 1st September 2005
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I have just replaced the rear tyres on the Griff with the same, that is, Bridgestone S02. The previous had about 1mm tread at the centre a bit less at the edges but it handled well (even in the wet).

I have changed nothing bar the tyres (at 23psi – hard walled) and the car is handling like a bugger. Camber grab is understandably more so but the car now feels like it wants to wander at anything over 60 and feels very light at the front end. Fast curves and the car feels very unstable, like the rear end isn’t following a clean line through. It’s a battle to keep it straight under hard acceleration.

Leven checked the alignment, rims, types etc. the car is generally Ok at slower pace.

Very strange – anyone else had this ?

The Surveyor

7,624 posts

266 months

Thursday 1st September 2005
quotequote all
I've heard that some tyres (Toyo') can often take a lot of bedding-in, and upto 500 miles to scrub-off the release agent. Not sure if this is the case for the SO-2's.

The other thought would be with the age of the new tyres. SO-2's have been discontinued for a good few years (replaced by SO-3's which are also now discontinued) so have these new old-stock tyres gone hard in storage?

All seams strange if nothing else has been changed.

Paul

tvrbob

11,197 posts

284 months

Thursday 1st September 2005
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Sounds like you've fitted SO2's instead of SO2pp's. If so you'll be suffering from harder compound and harder walls.

chim666

2,337 posts

294 months

Thursday 1st September 2005
quotequote all
The Surveyor said:
I've heard that some tyres (Toyo') can often take a lot of bedding-in, and upto 500 miles to scrub-off the release agent. Not sure if this is the case for the SO-2's.

The other thought would be with the age of the new tyres. SO-2's have been discontinued for a good few years (replaced by SO-3's which are also now discontinued) so have these new old-stock tyres gone hard in storage?

All seams strange if nothing else has been changed.

Paul
I had this with my new Toyo's - a good 3-400 miles before I felt happy, but that was in the winter - I expect it will be sooner this time of the year. They needed 'curing' before they felt ok.
Steve Heath describes the process in the latest 'Bible'. It entails making them work a bit (just by a bit of 'spirited' driving until they get warm), then letting them cool down, repeating the exercise a few times.

tvrbob

11,197 posts

284 months

Thursday 1st September 2005
quotequote all
chim666 said:
Steve Heath describes the process in the latest 'Bible'. It entails making them work a bit (just by a bit of 'spirited' driving until they get warm), then letting them cool down, repeating the exercise a few times.
Toyo say you should avoid getting them warm because this will drive the slip agent in as well as out. Their advice is to take the tyres out of their rapping and stack them on their sides in a warm room for a month. I did this and found my Toyo T1-S’s were superb needing only a couple of hundred miles to scrub in. I know one example isn't statistically proven but it worked for me.

Podie

46,649 posts

304 months

Thursday 1st September 2005
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I assume you got the Pole Positions..? Make sure they're the correct speed rating..

Could just be a case of the fact they need to bed in a bit first.

else

795 posts

267 months

Thursday 1st September 2005
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Are they fitted the right way round, i think they are directional. Look for an arrow on the sidewall.

chim666

2,337 posts

294 months

Friday 2nd September 2005
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tvrbob said:

chim666 said:
Steve Heath describes the process in the latest 'Bible'. It entails making them work a bit (just by a bit of 'spirited' driving until they get warm), then letting them cool down, repeating the exercise a few times.

Toyo say you should avoid getting them warm because this will drive the slip agent in as well as out. Their advice is to take the tyres out of their rapping and stack them on their sides in a warm room for a month. I did this and found my Toyo T1-S’s were superb needing only a couple of hundred miles to scrub in. I know one example isn't statistically proven but it worked for me.
Not sure that buying tyres a month in advance and storing them before use is that practical for many Bob.
I contacted Toyo myself whilst I was experiencing this phenomenon and they were (understandably) reluctant to acknowledge that this problem existed. However, after a few hundred miles like you have said, all's well!

groucho

12,134 posts

275 months

Friday 2nd September 2005
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The Surveyor said:

(replaced by SO-3's which are also now discontinued)


Can't get them either now? So, what now SO-4s?

Bob the Planner

4,695 posts

298 months

Friday 2nd September 2005
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I have gone for Eagle F1s on both cars - work OK for me

rooster

2,241 posts

266 months

Friday 2nd September 2005
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I had this with the toyos, but it was all down to the air pressures.

V8 Archie

4,703 posts

277 months

Friday 2nd September 2005
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Call me daft, but surely renewing the rears is always going to make a difference anyway. When I got my new rears earlier this year it took a short while to learn how the car behaved (in fact the back-end is much less likely to break away - I'm more likely to be drifting all four tyres).

The Surveyor

7,624 posts

266 months

Saturday 3rd September 2005
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Groucho,

Needed some fronts for mine, and couldn't get hold of the SO-3's anywhere, they are still listed on their website, but the list is over 12 months old. Every supplier i spoke to said they were discontinued?

Heard mixed reports about the Toyo's, so put some F1's on and they feel great.

Paul