Tyres. In need of up to date information.

[Dev]

My apologies. They are Falken ZIEX ZE310 ECORUN. £282 fitted

Front Tyres 185/55/R15 82V XL
Rear  Tyres 215/45/R16 90V XL

XL chosen after a bit of digging and advice from a qualified mechanic.
Protyre's website made he choice for me:

'These (XL) tyres are considered to have greater grip and better traction. Because they are more rigid, they will corner better and maintain stability. They also transmit power from the engine to the road more quickly, which may be an important feature in performance cars. In addition, XL tyres can provide better resistance to the extra load from acceleration and braking, and the centrifugal force from cornering. On the other hand, these tyres are usually slightly noisier than standard load tyres.'

I always drive top down when we are out in the summer so the noise issue is not a problem. But you do need to have the correct tyre pressures.

Not necessarily true and it depends on the application. XL tires are generally weaker for the same load rating and therefore they are reinforced to to handle more air pressure by about 4-5 PSI to support the load. Air pressure is what holds the weight not the tire.
Generally XL tires are found on plus sized tires which have shorter sidewalls and therefore weaker by nature. A SL tire in many cases with a lower load rating  will be able to handle the load better at a given tire pressure. As far as grip and other attributes it's not true either. Actually if you are lookin for grip these are not good tires for that.

  Having said that I think there is something wrong with the tire ratings you may have given.

For example
185/55/R15 82V XL
  In order to match the SL tires load that came with the car it will have to be filled to 29PSI .

I looked up these tires and I cant find a listing for that load rating of 82 XL
However there is a 185/55/R15 86V XL
  https://www.mytyres.co.uk/rshop/tyre/Falken/ZIEX-ZE310-ECORUN/185-55-R15-86V-XL/R-364733

If this is the tire then you will need to add at minimum 26PSI to support the weight which is the same as the SL tire.
 For the rear you would need at least 34-35psi for the XL load rating. 

@Ardent this is a very good example of the discussions we had before on the subject where it might come up in a real world scenario. This could be very dangerous and that is why some countries have laws where they have to follow correct load ratings for XL. In my country they use a computer to flag the selection.

 

[Joesson]

Well worth spending a bit of time cross referencing standard vs XL tyre pressures.

Might well work out to be the same. But worth checking.

Just remember you need both tables to make the comparison.

In here somewhere.

Here it is:

https://www.mr2roc.org/forum/index.php?msg=845620

[Gaz mr-s]

My apologies. They are Falken ZIEX ZE310 ECORUN. £282 fitted

Front Tyres 185/55/R15 82V XL
Rear  Tyres 215/45/R16 90V XL

That clarifies things....... see they used to make the 914 in FL sizes, then when they brought out the 310 they dropped one of the sizes from the 914' range.

Quite a few on here have used both.

[luggsonofmyll]

Thank you Dev & Ardent. I'll try a run on a familiar stretch of road and see how the handling compares.
I'll try 26/34,  cool them off and then 29/34. From what you've said and looking at the chart I am not running at the correct pressure for XL tyres. The Falkens are a noisier tyre and you do 'feel' the road through them but even running them at 26/32 they perform well (for me), but the adjustment to the pressures could make a lot of difference and take the the handling to another level.
I'll report back as soon as I've done the test and any other suggestions would be most welcome.

[Ardent]

That's the beauty of these cars. You can feel the changes. Good or bad.

But it's enjoyable finding out and gives a warm fuzzy feeling inside knowing you are getting the best out of the setup you have.

[Erudite]

Falken Ziex ZE-914 Ecorun all round both sizes £282 fitted. Great tyres wet and dry.

Where did you get them for this price? I'm shopping round for new tyres and the only economical options I can find are the Nankangs or Avon ZV7s.

[Gaz mr-s]

Falken Ziex ZE-914 Ecorun all round both sizes £282 fitted. Great tyres wet and dry.

Where did you get them for this price? I'm shopping round for new tyres and the only economical options I can find are the Nankangs or Avon ZV7s.

If you re-read the thread, he made a mistake, it was ZE310's he got.  From what I've seen the Falken are now dearer than the Hankook.
On ebay just now Hankook can be had in pfl sizes for £286.  I haven't checked FL.

[Erudite]

Falken Ziex ZE-914 Ecorun all round both sizes £282 fitted. Great tyres wet and dry.

Where did you get them for this price? I'm shopping round for new tyres and the only economical options I can find are the Nankangs or Avon ZV7s.

If you re-read the thread, he made a mistake, it was ZE310's he got.  From what I've seen the Falken are now dearer than the Hankook.
On ebay just now Hankook can be had in pfl sizes for £286.  I haven't checked FL.

Thanks.

I think I'm going to go for the Nankangs.

The fronts are available in 195-55-15 or 195-50-15, would either one be a better option? If not I'll go for the 50's as they're a bit cheaper. They don't do 185's unfortunately.

[Carolyn]

Falken Ziex ZE-914 Ecorun all round both sizes £282 fitted. Great tyres wet and dry.

Where did you get them for this price? I'm shopping round for new tyres and the only economical options I can find are the Nankangs or Avon ZV7s.

If you re-read the thread, he made a mistake, it was ZE310's he got.  From what I've seen the Falken are now dearer than the Hankook.
On ebay just now Hankook can be had in pfl sizes for £286.  I haven't checked FL.

Thanks.

I think I'm going to go for the Nankangs.

The fronts are available in 195-55-15 or 195-50-15, would either one be a better option? If not I'll go for the 50's as they're a bit cheaper. They don't do 185's unfortunately.

I'm running 215 45 R16 rear and 195 50 R15 front. (Nankangs NS20).  Works well.

[Erudite]

Falken Ziex ZE-914 Ecorun all round both sizes £282 fitted. Great tyres wet and dry.

Where did you get them for this price? I'm shopping round for new tyres and the only economical options I can find are the Nankangs or Avon ZV7s.

If you re-read the thread, he made a mistake, it was ZE310's he got.  From what I've seen the Falken are now dearer than the Hankook.
On ebay just now Hankook can be had in pfl sizes for £286.  I haven't checked FL.

Thanks.

I think I'm going to go for the Nankangs.

The fronts are available in 195-55-15 or 195-50-15, would either one be a better option? If not I'll go for the 50's as they're a bit cheaper. They don't do 185's unfortunately.

I'm running 215 45 R16 rear and 195 50 R15 front. (Nankangs NS20).  Works well.

Thanks, just got this combo! I'd put off the purchase long enough.

[Zspeed]

Has anyone run 205 on facelift rears with success?