Best tyres to fit?

Need help again as i'm clueless! Front tyres are pretty worn... (Might even be illegal)

The front drivers side tyre is more worn than the otherwise. I think this maybe something to do as one of my wishbones needs replacing soon? Though I do think I have a very flow flat as the tyre does seem to go down after sometime.

The rear ones are new on and are called "Super Steel" or something which i've never heard off?

Fronts ones are 205/50/R15. I got lost in all prices and names to fit.

Can anyone reccomend some good ones to fit?

I dont want budget/value tyres but then again i dont want to pay through the nose for them as I dont throw the car about enough to justify them.

Any good sites where they can come and fit them at the house is welcome

Oops, wrong section! Thanks for moving. Forgot to add it's a VIS.... If that helps

I have falcon 541's on mine. Pretty good all round I'd say.

Ps tyres are prob one of the best upgrades you can make on a car! Stay away from budget ones!

Take a look on camskill, very competitive prices, albeit the dont include fitting.
I have toyo proxies t1r's on mine and find them really good, wet and dry. The only thing i can fault them on is the noise levels.

I'd go for Toyo T1's or Falken FK452's.

Having both, I would recommend Toyo's if money isn't tight.

Much more "stable" in the wet and give real confidence.

Ross

I didn't find that much difference apart from the Toyo's don't last as long.

Ah I need it to be stable in the wet and to last long!

How long would you say in terms of miles?

Ross

The Falken's lasted some miles, the Toyo's lasted less

I've got Falken 452's on my VIS, perfect IMO.

Sounds like you have Federal Super steels on the rear. I'd put the new pair on the rear and move those to the front. You don't want that back end stepping out

Best tyre overall that I've ever had is the Continental SportContact2.

Best for balance between price and performance is the FK452. However it is a bit noisy on motorways to be considered equal to the Conti.

Interestingly I have some new input on the old tyre argument....

Earlier this year I had to get three new tyres for my daily driver and did some research. I discovered that Nexen had decided on a very aggressive policy whereby they poached a whole pile of technical staff from some of the top European/Japanese tyre manufacturers in their bid to become the world leaders in tyres by the end of the decade.

After talking with several people who were running them I decided to risk the whole fifty pounds per corner (205/55/16 tyres) which included balancing, valves, fitting etc.

Just like the Falken FK452 tyres these, like a lot of modern tyres, took a hundred plus miles or so to burn off the releasing agent and then they bedded in nicely. They are a lot quieter and smoother than the Vredesteins that I'd always used in the past.

Now the story takes a twist here: I'd gone for Nexen CP641 tyres, asymmetrical types, with a fairly bog standard tread pattern.

Mrs Stan, who drives a Leon and does like to explore the limits of grip, even in the wet, eventually took my advice and went for a pair of Nexens when she needed new tyres, *but* she went for their F1 tyre.

WOW!! I swear the tread pattern is a direct copy of the Goodyear F1 tyre and boy do they grip in the wet or the dry!

Even better: she has 15" wheels, so ended up paying the grand old sum of £44 fitted, balanced, valved and VAT!!

The taxi drivers are using them around here and I'm hearing reports of 55,000 MILES of life from sets of these tyres (Nexen in general, not just the two tyres above).

Therefore, if you fancied saving some money and can find them locally and are looking for good wet/dry grip and long life tyres, I'd strongly recommend the Nexen. If they keep up this sort of standard then I can seriously see them giving the "big" tyre companies a very tight run by the end of the decade, trust me!

Roadstone = Nexen = Michelin? That's what a guy at the local tyre shop said when I stopped by for some prices. "It's the same" he said. I think it's not really the same but they share a couple of factories or so?

Good story. Waiting for more reviews. And for it to arrive in our country. They only have the Nexen N3000 here.

Stan - how many miles has Mrs Stan done on the "f1" replica's?

Reason I ask is because alot of budget type tyres are good for say 2-3mm then are really bad when they wear. The better brands seem to offer consistant handling as they wear.

Ross

Used Bridgestone previously for some years, wet and dry = superb, but too much road noise

Recommended > Toyo T1R - as above but a lot less noisy
(I use only Toyo and have done so for last few changes)

Configuration was 225/45/16

She only got them two/three months ago so has only covered maybe 4k miles. I'll keep the forum updated on performance but the tales I'm hearing from other users is that these ones seem to be a cut above the rest of the budget brands.

If I've got this wrong, you lot are the least of my worries, Mrs Stan likes to push her cars as hard as her men.....

I've got Nexen N3000 on the front at the moment.

My take - good road noise, decent enough straight line braking in the dry. Poor in the wet all round. Squeal like a movie-tyre around the corners when you push on. Would I buy again - no chance.

From here in its top quality tyres only for me. 452s were OK, but a bit noisy. I kind of feel that I should give the Toyos a roll, but fear that it will just be delaying the inevitable conclusion by a year or so that Contis are the best.

Kumho ecsta's are not too bad either, probably not as good as the toyo or falken 452's but not bad at all - survived lots of abuse at both Spa and Donington

I've got ecstas on my Impreza, they are bloody awful in the wet!

Does anyone have an opinion on avons zz3? I've had them on my car always (since I ditched the budgets it came with) I find them well sticky enough in the dry, couldn't really say in the wet.
From other reviews they seem to get very similar performance to the T1R's but with slower wear, but I have nothing to compare them to.
Any thoughts?

I had them on my first coupe and thought they were good, so fitted them to my 2nd coupe when the Federal's that were on it wore out, quickly realised that the ZZ3 were in fact awful!
Understeer came much much quicker and confidence vastly reduced, wouldn't reccomend them in the slightest

zz3 are awfull......falken 452 all day long.

hmm ok, to the Ebay with the zz3's then!

And at £330 for a set of 4 fk452 in 18" I cant really say no!

Where are you getting 330 for 4 fk452's in 18's?!

Good question!

For 18s you should be looking at a ton a corner, at least.

Ebay £319 + 10 postage, unless Im going mental . .quite possible.


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150659423774?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

That's a good price!

You don't find the 40 profile rubs? I run 35 on mine.

They did but I "rolled" the arches, I say "rolled" as it involved a scaffold pole and the weight of the car.
A professional rolling company wouldn't touch it because of the straight line running through the arch. My way worked a treat though

It was that or run 215's but I'm really not a fan of the stretched look.

I think tyres are a very personal choice when it comes to feel.


And personally I hate Toyo T1Rs I do not like the feel of them what so ever and cant wait to remove the set that are on my Coupe at present

I agree though with Mr Cooper Continental Sport contacts are superb tyres and are well worth the price IMO I am also a fan of the Pirelli Pzero and Pzero Nero range I've tried them before not on the coupe though and seen as there Italian I wouldn't mind putting them on my coupe as my next set I'll let you know how I get on.

The Bridgestone Potenza range of tyres are what I used to run on my last car before the coupe I also loved these dependant on what model you go for RE040's and RE010's are what I used to use RE050A's are good too but I dont know what sizes they have them available in to suit the coupe.

As premium brands go I really dont rate Michelins either there very expensive and go off from new quite fast and wear rapidly in my experience so have stayed away since they were Pilot Sport's.

I have heard good things about the Falken FK452's though although I've never used them myself. But even though they are reasonably priced when buying 4 if there not my cup of tea thats a lot of money to waste so I think I'll stick to what I know works well for me

My tupence Bradders

In my opinion the FK452 are only ok - I have them on my Coupe and had them on my 330D - plus points there quiet and seem to last long on wear - negatives not great in the wet dont think they grip that well. Go for Conti`s or Pilot Sports - have these on other cars I have there both great

You pay for what you get at the end of the day

Ahhh I'm so confused! On the tyre reviews.co.uk
website the zz3 is one of the top midrange scorer's along with the fk452 and the toyo's with pilots at the very top, and conti sport2 score not so well?!?

As bradthe16vt said maybe it's a lot down to preference, and as I said before, I've never had a problem with the zz3 as it was a vast step up from the plastic squeelers that were on there.

The other thing to remember is that one type of tyre might suit a certain car but be utter drivel on another make/model.

Just a quick example: we heard people raving about Avon tyres, can't recall the name/model number and had them fitted to a Skoda vRS and a Volvo T5 (works cars )......and they were utter crap on the Skoda vRS! They were replaced due to being "downright dangerous", and yet in the Volvo they seemed to suit the suspension set-up and felt great!

Ergo, go for what other people on the forum use on a 20vt rather than, for example, what I've recommended which are fitted to different types of cars and may not suit the coupé at all....!

Yes spot on Stan a tyre will behave totally different in various sizes aswell. Tyres in smaller sizes like 16 inch and under tend to show there flaws much more than in the larger 17 inch+ sizes.

Luckily albeit costly lol my previous experience is mainly in the smaller 16 inch and 15 inch sizes so I've been able to work out what I like that should suit the coupes chassis with its standard wheels on.

Paying out that bit extra for proper premium tyres can work out okay with mileage anyway as they tend to last very well bar track biased tyres like the expensive Advan AD08 etc which can be used pretty quickly. But yes agreed also you do get all round what you pay for. But because they are consumable some people just cant justify paying that bit extra for them which I also understand

Its an expensive game though finding what suits the car combined with your driving style but when you hit the nail on the head it can really make the car. I tend to go for tyres that give great response and feedback rather than super soft grippy jobbies.

It's this which is precisely why I dont like the T1R's I can feel their squidgeyness even with extra psi. I can tell their softness just by rocking against the bonnet of my coupe you can see quite a bit of flex in the sidewalls the Michelin Pilot Sports I had on my old 16vt were also like this but they were 15 inch size. I upgraded to 16 inch 20vt wheels and put the Conti Sports on and they were great was a couple of years back now made a real difference even with worn bushes etc on my old one. So though the T1R's grip levels are probably up to the task they dont feel me with the confidence I like to enjoy the car. But thats just me other people they suit down to the ground.

Bradders

If funds allow I think the best solution is to buy another set of rims and fit winter tyres to them. In extreme cold/wet/snow/ice they'll wipe the floor with standard tyres. Can then fit no compromise summer tyres for normal use and you have the best setup all year round.

Well, even though I started this thread I didnt really read and just bought what was cheap, on offer but still premium! I got a pair of the following...

Hankook Ventus Prime K105 205/50 R15 V (86)!

Reviews seemed pretty good and it's all I can afford without having budget. Being fitted tomorrow and then driving to seaside on them so we'll soon see how they are

what are bridgestone poztenzas like?

Being poor peasant, I've always gone for Khumo's, which have been pretty reasonable. But a few months back I decided to 'splash out' and buy some Toyo T1R's and, although the Khumos are okay, T1R's beat them hands down. They're like Pritt Stik for wheels!

I had T1-Rs on for a year (16") and took them off with less than 1mm used to put hankook ventus rs2's on and the difference in grip was instantly visible, they just don't let go where t1-r's would 4 wheel slide.

Having done a track day on them I found them to squeal like a pig but not move around or suddenly lose traction.

Not sure what T1-Rs are, or even what the hankooks were, but I know they were cheaper than either the advans which were out of stock at the time or the uhp michelins or continentals which they don't do in 16".

The hankooks will wear faster, having a 200 treadware, and only starting at 6mm tread. I'm not convinced they will be great in winter either but as I have a set of wheels with winter tyres this wasn't a consideration

Curious how things are! I have RS2s on my 20vt and bought them expecting huge amounts of grip over T1Rs (which I never tried), but I'm having mixed feelings.

On one hand I don't think they grip so well for a trackday tire (running with Osrav/Eibach springs/ARBs/Powerflex), and I do get a lot of 4 wheel slides (check one of my older posts on that matter).

On the other hand I have a friend who has T1Rs on his Beemer M3 E30 and they stick really well! So well that he finds it difficult to start a doughnut on his 220HP rear wheel car!

I'd not say they were a track day tyre, they aren't an R888 or even an Advan AD08 for that matter.

Given the same roundabouts I can exit faster with no sliding than with T1-Rs, maybe next year I'll get some extra wheels to put the T1-Rs on (kept them as they had nearly full tread left) so I can compare them side by side on the track.

I wasn't saying that you stated the RS2s as a track day tyre, but nonetheless they are advertised as so on Camskill webpage and that's why I bought them expecting track day tyre grip.

Cool if you can do that side-by-side comparison. Share the results if you do.

Sorry for hijacking - I've just put 2 new tyres on the back of my car and will need 2 more around February. Bearing in mind i'm tracking it at Spa in April, i'm thinking of getting some track & Road tyres combined - anybody get any feedback on the Toyo R1R (replacement for R888's?) ???

I use r1rs as my summer tyres, no track use. Great for that but from everything I've read they would be a poor choice for winter/sub zero temperatures. I've already taken them off till next year.

Get some federal 595-rsr's. Save 50% on the toyos at £85 a corner and really good in wet and dry, as tested by yours truly

Good call Dan, cheers

Dan are these tyres road legal?

Yes Steve

Cheers Matey

I had yoko parada spec 2,s on my escort cosworth and they looked and performed great, now I know its a completely different beast but has anyone tried them on the coupe in 16s as im seriously considering it

I used them at Oulton twice and Rockingham but found them to be really poor? If you press hard they let go with out notice I did the Sighting laps with them and nearly had a spin then.
Then one of the chief instructors took the coupe out and discribed the tyres as exciting and not in a good way
My advice would be get two sets of wheels one with a set of 888's and the others some cheap road tyres. If you want to come and take a passanger in mine your more than welcome, think i even have some good part worns if your near Manchester?

Well i've taken all the advice on here and spoken to my mate in the industry, and i'm buying some Continental Sports Contact2 or whatever they are. Good price too

That's what I want to get next, but the latest ones, being the number 5

Yeah my mate is a director at Conti and he says they're good (he would though wouldn't he) but not available for 16" wheels

Director of conti?

Group Buy?

i could ask him later if he or i are sober - dunno what the response might be from people on here though, do people buy tyres when they may not need them?

yep Steve. I'm trying to finish off two neros on the front so I can match up with my two new contis.
So I'd be up for two.
Can you get him VERY drunk and tell him tomorrow he promised them for £80........a pair ?

Tim nobody gets that drunk

Yoko paradas not tried ny anyone then?

Oh contraire !!

I am THAT light weight = =

Haven't read many good reviews about them.

there pretty rubbish in the wet, my mate had them on the back of his integrale and they gave him loads of oversteer in the wet. fun, but not desirable if unintended.

Anyone had luck finding these elusive Nexen F1 tyre? cannot find anything in south london??

Ive just gone for proxes and im impressed

Are you looking for the correct model number? It is Nexen N2000.

By pure irony I've just been on the phone to order a pair of these for Mrs Stan's car (puncture yesterday, in fact two punctures simultaneously!) and 3mm of tread on both rear tyres, so time to change, but they no longer do the N2000

I've had to go for the design that is fitted to my car, which is asymmetrical tread, with the designation CP641. I rate them highly but I'll stress here and now that I haven't used them on the coupé, only on my daily driver. For the coupé I use Falken FK452s