Tyre Tyres Tyres - Add your tyre reviews to the ROC database

Started by Anonymous, March 26, 2004, 13:49

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Anonymous

New to the forum, and have been reading everyone's reviews with interest....thought I'd add my feelings about my MR2.

Front wheels: Standard 15's
Front tyres: TOYO Proxes T1-R - 205/50/15
Rear wheels: Standard 16's
Rear tyres: TOYO Proxes T1-R - 225/45/16

Bought my 53 plate SMT MR2 at the end of January, didn't start driving until after all the snow that stopped the UK. The front set of tyres I haven't changed yet, and there is a great deal of driving still left in them. However, the rear tyres are another matter.

When I purchased the car there were a set of Nexen's on the back, and with a great deal of tread in them I had no idea how they'd perform (I didn't have to change the tyres on my old car once...having had it 2 years, good little Renault). So, to set the scene, I commute to work everyday, and soak up 60 miles of A-road driving. After 2k the Nexens were virtually bare! To tell the truth, I had to wait for a few days for my new rear set of Toyo's to be ordered, and driving in the rain with legal limit tyres was an experience I don't want to relive! (I even got my wheel alignment checked because of the wear, think I'll certainly be getting all alignments checked before the next set)

So, now it's 2.5k later since my Toyo's and they're already down to 3mm. Although the majority of that has been excellent driving compared to the Nexen's. The car has been more responsive through cornering, and the noise was considerably reduced along the dual carriageways. However, the wear issue is one that I can't overlook, even with my regular pressure checks the tyres are not lasting. I definately understand that they are just to soft for all the regular driving I do.

Considering at the moment whether to fork out for a set of RE040's, or get a pair of KU31's.

Anyone else had such dire wear on their tyres?

t-bone

Quote from: "rinoa000"New to the forum, and have been reading everyone's reviews with interest....thought I'd add my feelings about my MR2.

Front wheels: Standard 15's
Front tyres: TOYO Proxes T1-R - 205/50/15
Rear wheels: Standard 16's
Rear tyres: TOYO Proxes T1-R - 225/45/16

 After 2k the Nexens were virtually bare!

So, now it's 2.5k later since my Toyo's and they're already down to 3mm.

Anyone else had such dire wear on their tyres?

This is not a tire (sorry tyre) issue it is an alignment suspension issue. I currently have a set of T1-Rs (185-55-15/215-40-16) that are near 20K with as much wear as you speak of. what you are seeing is not normal and suggests other troubles.
2004 Red MT. JDM badging, Door Inserts, Dev\'s Keyhole covers, Goof-off visor airbag sticker removal, TRD quick-shift, Speed Source shift bushing, Speed Source shift knob (190g red), Corky\'s breast plate, Che FSTB. Thus far.

Anonymous

Year of Roadster: 2006 TF300

Front Wheels: 6J x 15" (OEM Toyota)
Front Tyres: Stock Yokohama Advan A043 185/55/15
Rear wheels: 7J x16" (OEM Toyota)
Rear Tyres: Stock Yokohama Advan A043 215/45/16

Supplier: Supplied with car from new
Cost: n/a

Suspension mods: None  

I've been looking into which tyres to replace my worn out stock Yoko's. The rear tyres have worn evenly down to the legal limit in just under 23k miles, but the fronts have worn excessively on the inner shoulders   s:shock: :shock: s:shock:   The cause of this is the excessive out-of spec toe in conjunction with the negative in-spec camber on the front. I've therefore agreed for my local dealer to pick up the bill for four wheel aligment ajustment once I've replaced the rubber all round. Reading the various posts it would seem the TOYO T1-Rs are the all round tyre to go for. The Hankooks RS-2s also come highly recommended, albeit more expensive than the TOYOs, so I'm stuck between the two. It seems the wear rates are about the same so the TOYOs win outright on price. My biggest concern though is the lateral stiffness of the sidewall and this is where the Hankook RS-2s come into their own. I'm very much into high corner speed and quick turn in capability which are synonimous with the MR2 which I don't want to compromise. The style of the T1-Rs is sporty and the tread pattern is reminiscent of the Uniroyal rain sport 2 tyre, which if the reviews are anything to go by are the best tyre in the wet. The Uniroyals were my tyre of choice based on the rave reviews, but apparently they're not a good combination with the MR2. I'll update my post with a verdict once I've decided on which tyres and done some mileage on them   s:? :? s:?  

Something I've noticed from reading the posts due to tyre size availability and in some instances price, there's been a need to change tyre sizes. Although I'm sure the majority of cases people are aware of the implications and considerations required with tyre sizing, for those of you who are new to it, here are some tips I've been given by a wheels & tyres tech specialist:

1) Check the tyre size is compatible with the wheel rim size, e.g. 185/55/15 will fit wheel sizes 5J:5.5J:6J:6.5J
2) Check the tyre load rating (numerical index) and speed rating (alphabetical index) is equivalent or higher than the stock tyre, e.g. 81V
3) Check the rolling circumference is within 4% of the stock wheel & tyre combination otherwise the speedometer will be out of calibration. This is done by a theoretical calculation using the tyre overall design diameter. For example 185/55/15 tyre is 585 dia x 3.05 = 1784.25. The 195/50/15 is 577 x 3.05 = 1759.85. Therefore the difference in rolling circumference is -1.39% meaning rolling circumference on the wider lower profile tyre is less than the stock wheel & tyre.

I would suggest any reputable tyre fitting outfit will be able to advise on this. Alternatively I have the wheel & tyres specs if anybody has any special requests.

I decided on the Toyo T1R's in the end and I've run a few miles on new front tyres only, with the original Yoko's on the rear (LHR only on the legal limit) and so far so good. I'm running the extra 4 psi as recommended with the Toyo's and the wet & dry grip is superior. I'm not seeing any adverse effect with different tyres front to rear, as many have suggested is a concern on the MR2. Turn in is only very slightly blunted equating to a slight increase in understeer when cornering at speed, but overall the tyre is well matched to the much more expensive Yoko's. Both this and the neglible difference in turn in/understeer maybe down to having the later spec MR2 with the bigger wheels and wider tyres on the rear and revised steering with needle roller bearings. So for £52 each all incl for the fronts compared to £86 for the Yoko ADVANS I'm very happy   s:bounce: :bounce: s:bounce:

P.S. Getting four wheel alignment and adjustment done this afternoon, so might see improvment over this.  s:) :) s:)

ChrisGB

Year of Roadster: 2003

Wheels stock 2003 15/16"

Front: Toyo R888 195/50R15 Compound GG (Medium Hard)

Rear Toyo R888 225/45R16 Compound GG (Medium Hard)

Price £370+ shipping and fitting (Camskill)

Suspension:

Front: BC Racing coilovers, spring rate 4Kg/mm (just over twice as stiff as stock)

Rear: BC Racing coilovers, spring rate 6Kg/mm (just over twice as stiff as stock)

Front toe 0 deg

Rear toe 0 deg

Front camber –1.5 deg

Rear camber –2 deg

ARBs / droplinks stock.

Chassis Corky stage 3 minus the rear strut brace.

Pressures (cold for road use):

Front 24.5 psi

Rear 29.5 psi.

Comments:

Fitting showed these to have stiff sidewalls, even though they were stored in the warm ( a precaution advised by Toyo) before fitting. Front N/S showed a little lift on fitting. Will check to see if it settles down with use.

First impressions: Sidewall is very stiff and low speed ride is quite jiggly. On the other hand, the stiff construction means less bounce, so these actually give the damping less work in secondary ride terms and although firmer than the RS-2, the ride is preferable in conjunction with the BC coilovers. The tyres seem to pick up every particle of grit and spit it at the wheel arch liners. Mould release takes a short while to wear off but grip is very good from new.

Bedded in:

Steering accuracy is extremely high. The cars response to steering input has never been as immediate as it is on these tyres. Also, there is absolutely no need to "over input and settle back" to get a hard turn in. Similarly at the rear end, the tyres settle into the required slip angle instantly, no slop, no delays. Throttle input is met with instant and consistent change in the cars attitude.

These tyres seem to work at a quite shallow slip angle, feels less than 5 deg. Turning in and getting back on the power, it seems that they can be pushed out to a certain angle, then they seem to dig in really hard and all throttle is translated to forward motion from here inward. Interestingly, roll seems to be reduced, possibly because of the narrow slip angle. On the downside, this translates to less tolerance to lifting off mid corner where the fronts dig in much harder. I feel that roll induced oversteer would be inevitable in this situation if going very quickly.

Communication is very strong and very tidy. With no soft sidewall to corrupt the information through the wheel and the seat of the pants, it is very easy to feel exactly how the cars balance is responding to the inputs being made. Push really hard and you seem to come up against a wall of grip. Being stiff in the construction, there is no rolling of the sidewalls to warn of imminent slip, but when they do let go, there is a manageable loss of grip which is not too tricky to catch if you are quick with the correction. I would say recovery of a small slide is easier than on the stock 040s, the breakaway being less snappy (with them at warm road temperature anyway, maybe more tricky at track temperature levels).

Getting them hot takes some pretty committed driving. I have driven them at 12 deg C and 15 deg C ambient temperatures and they are fine cold. Once pushed for a few minutes, they seem to develop very strong grip. They cool off quite quickly too, but grip does not suffer to an unacceptable degree for road use.

So grip then? Bonkers. Corner speed is up a long way on the Hankook RS-2 which where a fair bit quicker than the 040. I would say that the RS-2 allowed maybe a 5% improvement over the 040. The R888 offers something near to a 15 – 20% improvement over the RS-2. Part of this is from raw grip, part of it from the level of feedback and security the R888 produces, part from the lower slip angle feeling like it is creating less roll at the rear. Braking is something else. I am just starting to explore these tyres, but I am aware that I need to re calibrate my expectations when it comes to driving quickly on them.

I have only tried them once on a wet road (12 deg C) and they gave very positive feel with strong grip and pretty easy to manage breakaway. Standing water is an issue for these tyres even when new though. It is OK, but where the puddles are, take it slowly.

Would I recommend them? Well, for the experienced driver, I think they are good tyres. However, for the less experienced there are caveats. The increased grip level is nice, but it takes the car into MUCH bigger cornering forces than road tyres. Because of this, for example, I find that if I go into a bend quickly enough, roll builds up and the rear of the car seems to need throttle commitment to flatten the rear springs a little to avoid a spin, almost early 911 like. So more demanding of the driver, with much more requirement for planning if you are going to use the grip properly. Also, you don't get a warning of them letting go. You know when you have overstepped the mark because you feel the grip drop off and the scenery rotates more quickly  s:shock: :shock: s:shock:  

Remember all comments above relate to my stiffly shelled and sprung car. Stock or softer setups will behave differently.

Pros:

Huge grip

Very consistent / accurate / fast response to inputs

Very good feel / feedback / communication

Cons:

Stiff ride

Tyre noise / drone at cruising speeds

Poor standing water performance

Complete removal of the understeer safety net

Not easy to read near limit

High wear rate

A feeling that you could use an extra 100bhp

EDIT: That last line meant going out and getting turbo'd. With the new power lever circa 200bhp and lb/ft at the wheels, the car was very throttle steerable but also very easy to get sideways. In an attempt to make this behaviour exploitable and make things more stable under power in bends, I have added 10 minutes of toe in each side (total 20 mins) at the rear. This makes it easier to get heat into the rears and also keeps it well tied down under power. On the downside, the car feels a little less eager to turn in and rear tyre wear may be much more of an issue. Will update if I change things again.

Chris
Ex 2GR-FE roadster. Sold it. Idiot.  Now Jaguar XE-S 380. Officially over by the bins.

Jaik

Year of Roadster: 2000

Rear wheels: 7"x16" (OEM Toyota MY03 Offset +45mm)
Rear Tyres: Marangoni Zeta Linea 225/45R16
Front Wheels: 6"x15" (OEM Toyota Offset +45mm)
Front Tyres: Marangoni Zeta Linea 195/50R15

Supplier: mytyres.co.uk
Cost: £172.40

Suspension mods: BC Racing coilovers (4kg/mm front, 6kg/mm rear springs), Che anti-roll bars, Corky breast plate
Comments:

Initial impressions: Running at stock pressures (26/32 PSI), the cold weather grip seems better than the Hankook RS-2s even with 0 miles on them, they feel very planted. The front sidewalls seem quite soft so they will probably need higher pressures, the rears might be fine as they are, they are rated for higher loads and speeds (89W) than the fronts (82V) and the sidewalls felt noticeably stiffer when off the car. Hopefully this will bring back some of the pointiness that is missing compared to the Bridgestones and RS-2s.

I'll wait until they've got some more miles on them and I've tested them properly before I say much more.

Update 20th Nov '09: I've not played with the pressures yet and the front's are still feeling a little soft, but I've had a chance to take the car for a proper run. The grip from cold is fantastic in both wet and dry conditions, and stays around the same level as the tyres warm up. They can't match the RS-2's warm grip, but they're more consistent. Whatever the weather, when the grip does start to run out there's a lot of notice give and plenty of progression, but it does vary somewhat depending on how much heat the tyres have in. So far I'd say these are great all-weather tyres and they seem to be eating up whatever I throw at them.

NorthandSouth

Year of Roadster 2004

Under recommendation of Jaik I purchased

Rear Tyres: Marangoni Zeta Linea 225/45R16
Front Tyres: Marangoni Zeta Linea 195/50R15

Supplier: mytyres.co.uk
Price: £162.00 with 8% anniversary discount

Was not enjoying driving the car as the car did not feel like it was holding the road as it used to.

NOW....wow what a difference, like Jaik says above the car definitely feels more planted and I am so much more comfortable driving the car again even through I am still being careful as the tyres were only fitted last week so are still bedding in.

Definitely would recommend these.

Lynne
Lynne
2004 Sable Red Edition now sold :( and would so love another!

Anonymous

Year of Car:  56 plate Lotus Elise


Tyres: Yokahama AD07s
          Yokohama AD48s

Comments:

AD07s
Very good tyre, nice grip in the wet and excellent in the dry.  Only down side is they don't last long.  8k on a set of rears and its down to the wear bands.

AD48s,
 Amazing level of grip in the dry, they get a little bit lairy in the wet and in standing water they are totally pants.  Lasted about 5 -6K before being needed to be replaced.  

NOTE:  I have a very aggressive geo set up on mine so perhaps the wear is down to that rather than just the tyre wearing out quick.

Two's Company

Year of Roadster: 2003

Rear wheels: 6.5"x16" (OEM Toyota Offset +45mm)
Rear Tyres: Toyo T1-R 215/40/16
Front Wheels: 6" x 15" (OEM Toyota Offset +45mm)
Front Tyres: Toyo T1-R 195/50/15

Supplier: Camskill
Cost: £180
Suspension mods: Tein springs, corky, TRD front strut brace.
Comments:

Softer sidewalls than the stock RE040 brigestones the car came with which can be partially combatted by increasing the tyre pressures to 28/34 psi.  Better in the wet than the bridgestones.  They last well with my mainly motorway driving, I got 25k miles from my last set of rears and about 51k from the fronts   s:shock: :shock: s:shock:  .  They don't tramline as much as the Bridgies. Found out this winter that they are awful in the snow as they become slicks when the tread gets compacted with snow but sure this would be the same on any tyre.

Verdict:

Great value tyres unless you can justify more than double the cost for a set of Advan Neovas.  I would get the Advans if I did less motorway miles.

Anonymous

Quote from: "ChrisGB"
Quote from: "Tem"Anyone have anything to say about the Kumho KU31 or KU15 on the '2?

I have only run the KU31 on my tuition car, a Skoda Fabia vRS with a 190bhp / 280lb/ft remap. They were 205/45R16 87W with reinforced sidewalls.

Grip was good (as good, if not  a little better than the Toyo T1R I run now in the dry) but they were much less progressive once they let go. The Toyos are better for wet grip and traction.

I have only spoken to one guy who ran KU15s (on a front driver) and he reckoned not particularly good in the dry and very slippery in the wet.

Chris

Year of Roadster: 2004

Rear wheels: 7"x16" (OEM Toyota Offset +45mm)
Rear Tyres: KUMHO KU31 ECSTA SPORT KU 31 225/45R16
Front Wheels: 6"x15" (OEM Toyota Offset +45mm)
Front Tyres: KUMHO KU31 ECSTA SPORT KU 31 195/50R15

Supplier: Camskill
Cost: £188.20 (inc delivery)

I have literally just had a set of KUMHO KU31 ECSTA SPORT KU 31 fitted.

I'll add to the report as they bed in, but my first impressions upon receiving the tyres (and giving them a good feel) is that the side walls are pretty thin. Now they're on the car they flex quite a bit compared to RE040s and I can see them needing to be run about 3psi higher than stock.

I was going to get some Maragonis, but found out from Century Motorsport that they have discontinued the 225/45 R16 size (mytyres still have lots in stock, but none at Camskill and etyres). I didn't want to buy a tyre that might not be available in the future - hence the Khumos.

I've got a nasty feeling that these are going to be poor compared to the RE040s - which I would have bought if they weren't bloody discontinued as well!

Watch this space  s:) :) s:)

EDIT:
Quote from: "Twos Company"I would get the Advans if I did less motorway miles.

+1 !!!!!

Anonymous

KUMHO KU31 ECSTA SPORT Update:

I've put about 1000 miles on the tyres now - most of these hooning around on Cornwall's b roads whilst on holiday this week. I feel they're nicely bed in now and I've had the chance to drive in very heavy rain, wet, damp and dry roads at all speeds [<80mph]. I kept the pressures at 29/35psi, but I think the rears could take even more. Another observation is that the RR of the rears is ever so slightly bigger than stock (215/45 R16) which over-gears the car a touch more than it is already - 225/40 is probably the better size.

My overall rating so far is 3/5.

The one thing these tyres do not lack in any road condition is grip - so do not let any rumours to the contrary put you off buying.
They inspire a lot of confidence. In fact I prefer them in the wet to the dry.
Road noise is low.
They traimline a fair bit.
They deal with standing water very well.
The side walls are too soft - this softens turn-in due to the rear of the car not reacting as quickly as with RE040s. Also, there is a delay to the front sidewalls loading up which causes a strange springy feel from the steering when cornering fast on dry roads.

These tyres are a good budget option, with excellent grip in wet and dry, but their soft side walls do not suit the MR2's chassis nearly as well as RE040s (or other stiff alternatives).

Anonymous

Front:
Team Dynamics ProRace 1.2 17" x 7
Toyo Proxes 205/40

Rear
Team Dynamics ProRace 1.2 17" x 8
Toyo Proxes 245/35

Eibach  Pro Lowering Springs previously installed

Fitted by Demon Tweeks 2 days ago.
Cost - under £1000, just.

Not had much chance to push them yet, but feels much steadier; especially around bends and pulling out of junctions.

anthony82

Year of Roadster; 2001

Tyres; Toyo Proxes T1-R

Rear; 205/50/15 (6.5"x15" - OEM alloy wheels)
Front; 185/55/15 (6.0"x15" - OEM alloy wheels)

Supplier; Blackcicrles

Cost £248.60 fitted and balanced for all 4 corners

Suspension modifications; None

Comments

Had the car just over a year, it was fitted with Michelin Energy on the front and some low cost Admiral tyre on rear (dealer fitted to pass MOT). I had a lot of fun in the wet and dry and put my skid pan training day experience to good use with these tyres, but when I nearly aquaplaned into a hedge at low speed I decided that it was time to get some decent tyres.

The toyo's seemed to get good general feedback and were in my budget so ordered via Blackcircles - all fitted etc ok, but my only feedback is that blackcircles usually partner with an independant garage who are ok but twice now I have had to return to get the balancing re done on two seperate vehicles. I would prefer to use a dedicated local tyre fitter as they have better equipment for checking wheel balancing and alignment - but on this occassion they couldn't source the rear Toyo's for 3 months!

The car feels much more planted to the road, but I do miss the squeals through the bends when giving it some gas in 2nd! Not driven in the wet yet, but hope they provide much more confidence.

cclarke99

Year of Roadster: 2002

Rear wheels: Standard
Rear Tyres: Toyo TR-1 205/50/15
Front Wheels: Standard
Front Tyres: Standard Bridgestone Potenza RE040 185/55/15 (fairly worn)

Supplier: Blackcircles via Lepsons when i had my wheels done
Cost: very approx £100 for two

Comment
Firstly apologies for running mixed front/rear tyres, but i couldn't bear to throw away the fronts with 9 months life in them. I wasn't very happy with the TR-1s, which i only bought because the RE040s were discontinued. They had plenty of grip both wet and dry (more then the RE040s) but there seemed too much "flex" either in the sidewall or the tread. Once the tyre was loaded, it was fine so it didn't notice on tight corners, but on long sweeping bends the car never settled properly. Playing with the pressures didn't seem to make much difference. By contrast someone with a Ford Puma said exactly the opposite after fitting TR-1s, much more direct feel with less slack on turn-in. As said elsewhere, things got better over the first 500 miles and either I've got used to it or it's better again now they're nearly worn out. And wear is the main problem - although they're not down to the limit theres so little tread left after less than 5k miles that now the front RE-040s are finished, i might as well try 4 of the same, will go for Continental Premium Contact 2 this time based on good reports here and in the Evo tyre test. Although the Toyos are half the price of the RE040s, they actually cost me 50% more per mile.

Verdict
Good grip, but too much "flex" (or is it just me or the front/rear mixture), and extremely very poor wear rate

ChrisGB

[MOD]Split off the discussion on tyre prices and size recommendations as this is a tyre review thread. Posts are now in performance related forum under the title "Tyre question"[MOD]
Ex 2GR-FE roadster. Sold it. Idiot.  Now Jaguar XE-S 380. Officially over by the bins.

scipio

Quote from: "mattcambs"KUMHO KU31 ECSTA SPORT Update:
The side walls are too soft - this softens turn-in due to the rear of the car not reacting as quickly as with RE040s. Also, there is a delay to the front sidewalls loading up which causes a strange springy feel from the steering when cornering fast on dry roads.
These tyres are a good budget option, with excellent grip in wet and dry, but their soft side walls do not suit the MR2's chassis nearly as well as RE040s (or other stiff alternatives).

2001 Model - standard rims all round
Rear - KUMHO ECSTA 225/50/15
Front - Bridgestone Touranza 185/50/15
interestingly, front and rear rims are the same size - size 6. Widest tyre it'll take is a 225.
Cost per tyre R960.00 approx BPS80?

Had Bridgestone Potenza's on the rear (205/45/15 - unbelievable handling and roadholding) but they did not last 15k km's.
Decided to go wider and bigger for more rubber, to get some proper mileage - FAIL!
The car handles exactly as mattcambs describes - does not instill a lot of confidence!
I realise that part of my problem is the non-matching set of tyres but the rears definitely feel too soft and I've got them at 2.5 bar (36,25 psi)....going into a corner you first have to sort of throw the weight over and then start cornering...the arse feels woozy.  s:shock: :shock: s:shock:

UPDATE
I have, in time, got used to the setup...that was 40k km's ago and there are still many thousands left in those tyres...on the one hand not the best set-up but on the other, I have achieved what I wanted...higher mileage from my tires   s:D :D s:D  . I think 40k is pretty good considering one tends to DRIVE it more than the average car.
Next time -  215 rear 195 front - Kumho's all round.
Scipio



[size=85]Getaway - 2001 Silver H/Top - TRD  Twin Exhaust - TRD Chip - Gutted Pre-cats - Red Calipers - J-Spec badge[/size]

[size=85]Breakaway - 2008 Silver Hilux 3.0 D4-D Raider Double Cab[/size]

cclarke99

Rear wheels: Standard
Rear Tyres: Conti Sport Contact 2 205/50/15
Front Wheels: Standard
Front Tyres: Conti Sport Contact 2 185/55/15

Cost about £350 from local guy who does all my work

In my previous post I praised the Bridgestones and if they were still available I would have bought the same. But I have to say, these are a much better all round tyre. Not quite as sharp in the turn-in, but in all other respects better, more grip, more progressive and much more stable on poor road surfaces or at high speeds. Not cheap, but deserve the good reviews they receive and a significant improvement over the Bridgestones.

Wabbitkilla

Year of Roadster: 2003

Rear wheels: 7"x17" ET37 Oz Ultraleggera SR
Rear Tyres: Marangoni Zeta Linea 215x40x17 26psi
Front Wheels: 7"x16" ET37 Oz Ultraleggera SR
Front Tyres: Marangoni Zeta Linea 195x40x16 34psi

Supplier: MyTyres (I know I said I'd never use them again but their service these days is excellent)
Cost: £240ish (sorry it's been a while)
Suspension mods: BC Racing Coilovers, Megan Racing rear Arms, Whiteling Droplinks, Cusco Uprated ARBs, Strut Tower braces from Cusco (Front), and C-One (Rear), TRD Copy front Member Brace, Corky Breastplate.

Comments:
I've had these on for about 5 months so I can now give some opinions based on miles covered while the car has worn them. They appear quite different to anything else you've seen with the tread extending part the way up the sidewall. Kind of like the car wearing Nikes   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  The tread is made up of wide "sweeps" running across the width of the tyre which are pushed forwards towards the centre of the tyre. This results in a large contiguous contact area which should be excellent in dry warm conditions. I am very happy with them and will likely replace like for like if they're available. In these sizes they are XL tyres meaning the side walls are reinforced and therefore nice and stiff. The sizes give a slightly larger rolling diameter on the rear, around 3%, compared to the standard 215x45x16 sized Potenzas. The sizes are also the narrowest and widest recommended for 7" rims by all the manufacturers specs and look a little stretched on the front ... but it's nothing serious to worry about. ET37 isn't a problem and fills out the arches nicely, the car handles as if it is a little wider (which it will be relative to the standard ET45 offset). So it feels a bit more stable in side-side action ... in my opinion obviously. However ET37 makes U-turns a little more demanding, you need a bigger turning circle ever-so-slightly, so beware, if that matters.

Dry weather : Warm up nicely quick and then stick to the road by suction, you get a large amount of contact area due to the chunky tread. You can drop gear into a corner and drive through it feeling the tyres pulling you into the bend. They handle fast driving very well without fade or slippage and seem to shed heat well. Stopping is equally impressive and controllable.

Wet Weather: They don't feel quite as sure footed as the Toyo T1R's in the wet, I thing the Toyo is better designed for dispersing water in the way it ploughs through with the sharp pattern. However if it's just damp once warmed a little they grip very well, it's only in the really wet conditions they show up any weakness. In my opinion they fall above the potenzas but below the Toyos and GSD3's I've had on the same car with same suspension. I feel that it's very livable with and the dry grip is so far ahead of the others they're well worth the money as an alternative.
Cute & fluffy animals were definitely hurt during the production of this post, there're plenty more where they came from
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Campovolo Grey Abarth 595 Competizione

Anonymous

Rear Tyres: Toyo Proxes T1-R 225/40/16
Front Tyres: Toyo Proxes T1-R 195/50/15

Yep Toyo's for me too,I put facelift 16" rear rear wheels on mine and covered them with these at a cost of around £250 fitted.I think I got the fronts from Camskill and rears from Mytyres and a local fitter to fit them,I have them at 26 psi fronts and 36psi rears and they have performed faultlessly in the couple of years they have been on.Wet weather driving was my worry and with these I can't even get the back to step out properly even when I try,in dry weather running it sticks really well and they perform beyond what I would expect from a budget priced tyre.

Spudulike

Year of Roadster: 2002

Tyres: Toyo Proxes T1-R

Rear: 205/50/15 (6.5"x15" - OEM alloy wheels)
Front: 185/55/15 (6.0"x15" - OEM alloy wheels)

Supplier; Blackcicrles

Cost £290 fitted and balanced for all 4 corners

Suspension modifications; None

Comments:
Another set of Toyo's on mine. Utterly confidence inspiring in wet and dry, they're a soft tyre so they function well even on a frosty morning. 28psi front and 36psi rear seems perfect for me. They do squirm a bit due to the softer sidewalls but once you get used to the feeling of the car settling into a corner then you don't even notice it.
Way more performance than you ought to expect given the price and having read other's reviews they seem like a perfect match for the MR2.

Lippy

I have Toyo T1R's all round, they were on the car when I got it with plenty of tread, I have OEM wheels for facelift car but I find them pretty poor tbh asides from what everyone else says.

I have 225/45/16 on rear and
195/50/15 on the front

Underbody brace is fitted and TTE lowering springs

I really want some 17" rears which can have 245 width tyres on and 15" on the front with some 205's really in Parada spec 2's rubber, Im sure this will cause rubbing issues without changing the ET or adding spacers though  s:( :( s:(
Ex SP240 Owner, looking for another boosted '2

ChrisGB

Well another set of R888 just went on (195/50R15 F 225/45R16 R). The last set proved themselves to be excellent in most conditions, I only drove them in snow once, for a laugh, and it was funny, but not the sort of thing you would do if you had a journey you actually had to complete. In standing water, the usual caveats apply, especially when the tread is down near 3mm. As the tyres wore down, the grip level reduced a little, they stayed spectacularly good to the end though. Common web myths about them not working in low temperatures are just wrong. Running at 3 figure speeds through shallow melt water, running quickly where snow still inhabited the middle of the lane, running quickly in near freezing wet conditions generally proved  that they still grip at least as hard as normal tyres when the weather is poor.

A change in geometry increased wear a fair bit (as did adding a turbo and 10psi of boost  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  ) so this time I have gone for a slightly increased toe. Current setup is 10 Minutes toe in on the front and 24 Minutes toe in on the rear. This seems to offer quicker turn in and holds on well mid corner, allowing early throttle. On the downside, the front toe in seems to have introduced a little high speed bump steer.

See previous review for more details.

Fookin expensive this time out though. Over £600 including fitting  s:shock: :shock: s:shock:   But worth it for the fun they allow.

Chris
Ex 2GR-FE roadster. Sold it. Idiot.  Now Jaguar XE-S 380. Officially over by the bins.

Emleytvr

#46
2003 (53) Roadster, standard

Front Tyres: Toyo Proxy 195/50/15
RearTyres: Toyo Proxy 225/45/16

Supplier: Camskill (superb service)

Not had the car very long.
It was on mixed tyres, Infinity on rear, Hero Millanza on the front.
Despite it handling really well, they did not inspire confidence in the wet.
Everyone on here suggests mixed tyres might be a sure way to end up in a ditch, so I ditched the tyres.

Went for Toyo's after reading the mostly good reviews on here and other forums, helped by the incredible value...
Well I have to say I am extremely disappointed, they have destroyed the handling.
Tried all the pressures suggested, but the roll, and lack of feel compared to the ridiculed Millanza's is chronic.
Yes they have more grip, especially in the wet, but completely sacrificing precision.

Is it me ???

Opinions welcome, will a set of RE040's restore my handling ?

If yes does anyone want to buy a set of hardly used "really really good" Toyo's...?  s:flame: :flame: s:flame:

Bernie

#47
Quote from: "Emleytvr"2003 (53) Roadster, standard

Front Tyres: Toyo Proxy 195/50/15
RearTyres: Toyo Proxy 225/45/16

Supplier: Camskill (superb service)

Not had the car very long.
It was on mixed tyres, Infinity on rear, Hero Millanza on the front.
Despite it handling really well, they did not inspire confidence in the wet.
Everyone on here suggests mixed tyres might be a sure way to end up in a ditch, so I ditched the tyres.

Went for Toyo's after reading the mostly good reviews on here and other forums, helped by the incredible value...
Well I have to say I am extremely disappointed, they have destroyed the handling.
Tried all the pressures suggested, but the roll, and lack of feel compared to the ridiculed Millanza's is chronic.
Yes they have more grip, especially in the wet, but completely sacrificing precision.

Is it me ???

Opinions welcome, will a set of RE040's restore my handling ?

If yes does anyone want to buy a set of hardly used "really really good" Toyo's...?  s:flame: :flame: s:flame:


You might want to try a nitrogen fill.

I had a full set put on last month & was told that a nitrogen fill would make a difference, running with 36 psi rear & 28 psi in the front and they are pretty good.
Black 2004  N/A  Many Mods = 171BHP 
2019 & 2021 MR2DC National Day Modified Best in Class
Readers Ride
https://www.mr2roc.org/index.php?topic=56481.0

steve b

Year of Roadster: 2002

Rear wheels: 7"x16" (OEM Toyota MY03 Offset +45mm)
Rear Tyres: Hankook RS-2 225/45R16
Front Wheels: 6"x15" (OEM Toyota Offset +45mm)
Front Tyres: Hankook RS-2 195/50R15

Supplier: ?
Cost: ?

Suspension mods: None
Comments:

On the car when i bought it, they were basically new done under 1000miles.  On road in the dry good grip and nicely progressive.  Poor in the wet.  On track with heat in them good and with heat ok in the wet as well.  I read these are a cheap tyre - I though them perfectly good.  Lasted me 5 track days and about 4000miles.

Year of Roadster: 2002

Rear wheels: 7"x16" (OEM Toyota MY03 Offset +45mm)
Rear Tyres: Yokohama Advan AD08 225/45R16
Front Wheels: 6"x15" (OEM Toyota Offset +45mm)
Front Tyres: Yokohama Advan AD08 195/50R15

Supplier: Black circles
Cost: £450

Suspension mods: None
Comments:

Did 170miles on track yesterday and initial impressions are miles better for track than the Hankook RS2, side wall is much stiffer, grip is higher in wet and dry sill nice and progressive .  Stiff side wall has ruined the ride on road though.  Great road and track tyre so far, please with the purchase.
2002 Face lifted 6 Speed UK 2ZZGE MR2 track car & 2.7T A6 Avant. CBR1000RR & CBR600F.

charl1ey

Year of Roadster: 2000

Rear wheels: 7"x17"
Rear Tyres: Wanli S1800 215/40/R17
Front Wheels: 7" x17"
Front Tyres: Wanli S1800 205/40/R17
Supplier: Easy fix Tyres
Cost: £160 rear pair fitted

Suspension mods: BC Coilovers
bracing Mods: FTSB, Mid Underbrace, Front underbrace

Comments:

After 8000k Front pair are like new and have hardly worn at all, Rear passenger side has worn down to advisory and has also developed a slow punture - so its time to replace. They have been a bit twitchy especially giving it some beans out of roundabouts with adverse cambers in a bit of drizzle, they snap back ok, but this was also prior to the bracing and suspension modes - think ive been riding them at too high a Psi anyway. Just want to get something better quality that look racy and serve me well through the winter aswell.

Looking to replace with either:
Falken 452s  Fr. 215/35 R17  Rear 225/35 R17
Toyo T1R's Front 205/40 R17  Rear 215/40 R17
Goodyear F1 GSD3 205/40 R17  Rear 215/40 R17

My query is do I go for a lower profile Falken's (I can deal with the hard ride) for better handling over what reviews suggest are better tyres ie Toyo's or Goodyear but with a higher tyre wall and less contact patch?

Thoughts welcomed

Cheers
Driving my 2 is the most fun you can have... with your pants on.
\'Giggity Giggity - allll right!\'

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