The tyre thread

[rayray086]

Guys, just thought I'd start this up. Can be a good thread for all of us to discuss tyres, tyre sizes, stretching etc etc.

Being a P-plate driver, I haven't had a lot of time behind the wheel testing out what tyres are good and what are not. For about half a year I was able to drive around on some awesome Goodyear F1 Eagles GSD3 and I was blown away but how good these tyres were compared to the Bridgestone G-Grids on my stock 14's. I now believe that spending some extra dollars for good tyres can be in some cases a life-saving decision.

So, I'm in the market for tyres and am currently researching on the internet. I figured once I gathered up and armed myself with enough information I'll be able to start going to tyre shops and asking quotes.

Here is what I've found from looking up as many tyre brands as I know and searching their products for a specific size.

Toyo Proxes T1R (~$165/each)
- 195/45R16 80V
Yokohama S-Drive AS01 (~$225/each)
- 195/45R16 84W
Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 (~$300/each)
- 195/45R16 94V
Goodyear Eagle LS2000
- 195/45ZR16 80ZR
Dunlop SP Sport 9000 (~$350/each)
- 195/45R16 80V
Falken ZE329 (~$179/each)
- 195/45R16 84W XL
- 195/45R16 80W
Continental SportContact
- 195/45R16 84V XL
Event WL905 (from Continental website)
- 195/45R16 84W XL
Hankook Ventus K102
- 195/45R16 84V XL
Michelin Pilot Primacy
- 195/45R16 80V
Nankang NS-2 (~$139/each)
- 195/45R16 84V XL
Pirelli PZero Nero
- 195/45R16 84V
- 195/45ZR16 84W

They're in no particular order. My first initial choice were the Toyos as I've heard some good things about them and there are an abundant number of sizes that the T1R comes in (they even have a 185 width low profile tyre in 16"). I'm not too worried about the load/speed figures as even the lowest (80V) satisfies my requirements (450kg/corner at max of 240km/h).

I'm wondering, has anyone have any experiences with any of these tyres? I'd like to know your general opinion and if you remember/know, how much did they cost and in what size?

[rayray086]

BTW, check out CarBible's Wheel and Tyre Guide too. Learnt a whole lot of **** there.

[antinora]

i just got some og steelies for my mk2... just wondering about tyre sizes for my og weels... i dont want a thick side wall so what tyres are out there for me ?

[rayray086]

Mk2 steelies are 14x6 is that right? If you're looking for tiny tyres you'd have to understand that it'll change the overall rolling diameter and will cause incorrect speedo readings! So with a smaller rolling diameter, you could be travelling 50km/h when your speedo reads 60km/h (extreme case).

That said, if you want a thinner side wall, Toyo makes the T1R in a 195/45 size. If you want stretch like what WABIT did on his Cabrio, Toyo also makes 165/55 and 155/55 sizes on their TEO Plus tyre. If you want to retain the 185 tyre, Kumho makes one with a 55 profile on their Ecsta SPT (KU31) tyre.

All those tyres are not very common at all, and you'd need to ask some tyre dealers whether they bring them in, let alone stock them. Some could probably order them in for you though if you really want those tyre sizes.

Note: I found those tyres and their sizes through 1010tires - they're American-based hence my questioning on their availability in Australia.

[FarQ]

more tyres

you might want to add the following:

Pirelli PZero Dragon 195/45ZR16 80W
Hankook Ventus K105 195/45R16 84V ~$140

Falken ZE329 195/46R16 80W ~$150

My SEAT came originally with 185/60R14 82H. so i am stuck with 82H or better load/speed rating for my 195/45R16 tyres as i have the 16" cupra rims......

[rayray086]

Cheers for that! Hankooks seem to be a good choice too with their Ventus tyres. Had a test drive in a VR6 with Ventus tyres and they were great, though the suspension set up helped quite a bit there.

[KI11Z]

I didnt think toyo produce their T1R's anymore?! Not in Aus anyway The T1R's had the sizing i was after for the stretch but since i couldnt get'em i opted for the goodyear eagle F1's, wicked tyre and not noisy imo . . . .

[rayray086]

Toyos still make the T1R. It's the Proxes 4 I think that has ceased production.

Yeah the GSD3 is awesome. However I'd like to try out a different tyre this time!

Anyone with experiences using any of the other tyres? Not necessarily the same size!

[The_Hawk]

I haven't had to buy tyres in a while...3 cars ago in fact... it's been a long year where I have bought and sold a few vehicles to end up here

Anyway, I have been using Silverstone tyres as recommended by the local tyre place. The ones I got were a very nice directional tyre with loads of grip and much less road noise than the Goodyears I was running before that.

Chances are they will be the tyres I get when I replace whats currently on the car.

[rayray086]

Did some tyre shopping today. I forgot to raise an issue - stretching! Few shops were willing to stretch 195's on an 8" for me. I came across one that did and were fine with fitting them on with my adapters and doing alignment for me, and they were offering 195/45R16 Nankang NS-2 tyres for $139/each, by far the cheapest quote I've got. Has anyone have experience with the NS-2? I've heard a lot of **** about Nankangs but I'm after feedback on the NS-2! They look to be a good tyre!

[peedman]

Where abouts was this place? I will need to visit em later on too

Read this: http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/archive/...p/t-34528.html

But personally i would fork out the extra money for good tyres. Ive seen how u drive ur car u need em!!!

[MattyT]

Had Nankang Tyres.. Ended up in hospital for 3 weeks.. Ofcourse not 100% the tyres fault but they didnt help.

Says a bit doesnt it!

[rayray086]

Hmm... the Nankangs seem to be the ideal (i.e. cheap) tyre for just "getting the job done". Just rang up the guys from Blair's Tyres and they have Toyo T1R tyres for $165 in my size. I'll probably go with those...

[ausgolfer]

Quote:
Had Nankang Tyres.. Ended up in hospital for 3 weeks.. Ofcourse not 100% the tyres fault but they didnt help.

Says a bit doesnt it!

I also had some Nankang tyres on some 17's I used to have(sig pic), they had really poor grip, especially in the wet.



I'm needing some new tyres for my original rims which I'm using at the moment(14x6 bottlecap rims), thinking of going for some lower profile slightly stretched toyos simliar to wabbits.

[rayray086]

I went for the Nankangs. Not in the best financial situation and I guess it'll be the only time I'll skimp on tyres. I keep hearing they're the "best cheap" tyre and they grip lots in the dry, just not so great in the wet. Also heard they can get pretty noisy as well...

I'll be giving everyone my opinion of the Nankangs in the near future.