Hello all,
I've been looking at reviews on the Yokohama ad08 tyres to be put on my pre facelift standard 15" rims. The reviews look good for dry/wet and braking.
Has anybody on here had any experience with these tyres on a mr2 roadster mk3?
I've always had Yokohama tyres. I know they aren't cheap but I shall continue to use them. I've not had any problems so far. Will need to get some rears soon.
Cool, thanks for the reply!
Are you using the ad08 model, or a different model for the road in all conditions?
A043's Yokohama Chilli has and they've behaved upto now EXCEPT you can forget driving in the snow as they are cr-p but of course, rear wheel drive doesn't help in those conditions OR perhaps it's the driver! lol s:lol: :lol: s:lol:
Cheers for that!
I was referring to the driver as me not you, sorry lol s:D :D s:D
lol.... no need to apologise and thanks for your help :-) :-) :-)
+1 about the A043's.
I've not long brought some AD08's after some careful consideration. I've not actually put the on the car yet as I'm waiting to see if the weather ever warms up above freezing s:roll: :roll: s:roll: be happy to report back when I've scrubbed them in
Ideal thanks for your replies everyone, look forward to your report on them! :-) :-) :-)
I fitted some AD08's back in November 2011, only now just needing to replace after around 20K miles.
They were excellent, was very snowy that Christmas and I had no problem getting around. Definitely recommend..
Quote from: "pyrobri"I fitted some AD08's back in November 2011, only now just needing to replace after around 20K miles. They were excellent, was very snowy that Christmas and I had no problem getting around. Definitely recommend..
From what you are saying (about the only person I can find on the web to report on driving AD08s in the snow and by luck also in an MR2 Roadster) they really behaved quite ok in the snow as long as one is careful just like with the Toyo T1R. No reason they shouldn't of course as they use a completely different rubber and a completely different tread pattern from the now very antiquated Yoko A043s.
In any event it now turns out the AD08 has just been replaced by the AD08R (only available since about August but the one now stocked by most dealers as the old AD08 has been phased out) with the same tread pattern but a newer more grippy compound. Hopefully as the tread pattern has not changed but the compound is more sticky its handling in snow should not change and if anything can only be slightly better.
I'm no tyre expert but given the nature of the tread pattern in the AD08's they do not look like they disburse water in the same way as a lot of other tyres. They are almost semi slicks. I have found them to be outstanding in the dry and far better than my toyos. However I'll be switching back to my old wheels with T1R's probably next weekend as I've heard the weather is going to be taking a turn for the worse. I have never driven these tyres in the snow but I can imagine the tread getting jammed up with snow pretty quickly. Personally I wouldn't run them in that kind of weather. Whilst I don't track my car they are known as a track/fast road tyre. They are not known as a winter tyre but then neither are the T1R's but I would expect the tread pattern to cope better.
If you are worried about the safety of tyres in adverse weather then get the tyres which are suited to the job. Thankfully I don't usually have to go far in my car during the bad weather so I don't mind running the T1R's but i know from other people's reports that winter tyres are far better suited for....well winter.
Quote from: "nathanMR2"Personally I wouldn't run them in that kind of weather. Whilst I don't track my car they are known as a track/fast road tyre. They are not known as a winter tyre but then neither are the T1R's but I would expect the tread pattern to cope better.
I suppose that you are aware that in some sizes such as the rear Pre Facelift 205/50 r15 86v the Toyo T1-R has an EU wet weather rating of only E (even though it curiously has a C rating in the 185/55 r15 82v size probably due to recent re-certification as it used to have ratings of F for wet and H for fuel economy in the 205/50r15 86v size a year ago) whereas by contrast the Advan Neo AD08 has a wet weather rating of B in both front and rear pre facelift sizes and an E rather than F rating on fuel economy in both pre facelift sizes? This says that independent testers rate the AD08 as a better tyre for wet weather than the T1-R. ]
In fact it now turns out that the AD08 had just been replaced by the AD08R (as of August 2013) with the same carcass and tread pattern but a new more grippy compound. I would have thought that this, if anything, means that its rain performance will be slightly improved. In fact the B rain rating is for the AD08R so I suppose its possible that the AD08 had a slightly worse C rating for instance?
Interesting to know. I'm pretty sure Yokohama's website lists them as a summer tyre so I surprises me they are suggested to be better in the wet than T1R's
I have no doubt winter tyres are better suited to cold weather and the AD08's can be interesting in the wet until you have a little bit of warmth in them. But I believe a lot depends on driving style. You can have the worst types in the world but if you drive everywhere at 2mph then it's likely you are ever going to become unstuck.
Quote from: "nathanMR2"Interesting to know. I'm pretty sure Yokohama's website lists them as a summer tyre so I surprises me they are suggested to be better in the wet than T1R's
But Toyo T1Rs are also very clearly summer (or at least not winter) tyres. They are just less oriented towards top end performance cars than the Yoko AD08R (the R1R fills this niche for Toyo but has less tread while the Toyo R888 can probably be seen as only track oriented due to its faster treadwear rate and much lower initial tread depth than a normal road tyre unlike the AD08R) and also have a considerably worse EU rating in the wet than Yoko Advan Neo AD08Rs (in any case neither of these two Toyo tyres is available in the sizes required for the original wheels on a Pre Facelift MR2 Roadster). If you live in say Scotland or indeed probably much north of Birmingham or Leicester you would clearly be quite well advised to consider changing either a Toyo T1 or a Yoko AD08R to a winter tyre between mid November and mid March if you drive a lot during the winter or need to go out in all weather conditions as they both suffer from the same inability to deal with very serious accumulations of compacted snow and ice of any summer performance tyre.
However the south east of England is a marginal case as there are surprisingly few winter nights where temperatures are far below 0C and usually none where temperatures fall as low as -10C (the minimum recommended operating temperature for the AD08R). As a more extreme case If you live in most of the Mediterranean sea board area whilst there clearly still is a winter season (one during which there are no beach tourists for six months and most tourist shops close down) there is clearly no case at all for the fitment or use of winter tyres. If you live in the Scottish highlands you would be positively certifiable not to fit them during the winter.
QuoteI have no doubt at all that in the great scheme of things winter tyres are better suited to cold weather and the AD08's can be interesting in the wet until you have a little bit of warmth in them. But I believe a lot depends on driving style. You can have the worst types in the world but if you drive everywhere at 2mph then it's likely you are ever going to become unstuck.
I don't recall ever mentioning driving around everywhere at 2mph. s:shock: :shock: s:shock:
I merely had an interest in what levels of fuel economy can be achieved at different levels of constant speed in top gear in the motorway on pre and post facelift models.
So in summary the AD08R is a better summer tyre in the wet than the Toyo T1R and also provides much better handling and road holding. However it may be noisier in general and in particular not as comfortable over road humps or manhole covers etc as the T1R (but if that was your concern you would probably be better off with the Falken ZE914) However the AD08R does have a stiff side wall, something which the Toyo T1R most notoriously lacks (along with the Hankook V12 Evo) and which forum members seem to try to compensate for with increased tyre pressures from those recommended by Toyota for the OEM supplied tyres.
Oh no I agree the toyos are by far a winter tyre. They just look, to me, like they would disburse water better and would be less prone to aquaplaning. I do not hold any evidence to support this it's just my opinion
My comment about driving at 2mph was by in no means directed at you. It was just an exaggerated suggestion that people are often far more to blame than the tyre. It's very easy to get over confident in wet weather and push the car a little more. I know I've done it. And whilst this is not always a bad thing as it's good to learn what the car/tyres are capable of, it can become pretty messy should you go that little too far.
As you said its hard to find reports of people running ad08's in snow/winter and I'm guessing the reason being that people don't generally do it. Ad08's to me and I think many others are the road legal side of semi slicks so they wouldn't usually be supportive of a lot of water and/or snow.
Quote from: "nathanMR2"Oh no I agree the toyos are by far a winter tyre. They just look, to me, like they would disburse water better and would be less prone to aquaplaning. I do not hold any evidence to support this it's just my opinion
I think you are really being almost entirely subjective and basing your opinion on an aggressive looking tread pattern probably largely created at the behest of Toyo marketing people because they thought it was what drivers of a sports tyre wanted to see as a tread pattern. The Hankook V12 Evo tread pattern looks considerably less exciting but it is definitely a better tyre in a significant number of respects than the T1R (but costs almost exactly the same amount of money). Then comes the Yoko AD08 and now the ADO8R which both have identical tread patterns that look really unexciting and unaggressive and were clearly not designed at all to try and sell the tyre as this was instead left to its specification and objective testing.
Its not like I'm anti Toyo in a big way as I started running the T1S back in 1998 on an MGF and then moved on to the T1R when it replaced it (or as I now discover the T1S was replaced with the T1 Sport and for some reason not made available in the United Kingdom so the T1R was actually a retrograde step so far as I can see). And its not like I'm a Yokohama lover as I think the A043 that all Pre Facelift cars were equipped with was a very inferior tyre (especially in winter conditions) to the Toyo T1R. Its just that I think the T1R has now had its day but unfortunately Toyo seem to be very slow in coming up with a modern up to date replacement, especially in Pre Facelift model sizes.
I am actually basing my opinions of the Yoko ADO8 in wet conditions on reading of a lot of reviews and all of these reviews consistently say how impressed the tyres users are with the wet performance even though does it not reach quite the same totally unsurpassed standards as in the dry. I am also basing it on the objective B level EU wet weather rating that puts it behind only the new Uniroyal Rainsport 3 tyre.
Because the Toyo's only cost 68% or so of the price of really top end tyres like the Yoko AD08 or the Michelin Pilot Exalto something of a myth has grown up about them amongst MR2 Roadster owners and I strongly suspect that your own opinion may be somewhat informed by the fact that you run them on your own MR2s and so do not want to see a tyre you have on your vehicle knocked? I note that all the MR2 Roadster owners in the forum who have splashed out another £130 or so on a set compared to the T1R and actually tried the AD08 seem to have almost nothing but unremitting praise for it. By contrast opinions on the T1R are far more mixed, especially regarding its soft sidewalls, but so many MR2 Roadster owners use them (partly because of budget and partly due to restricted tyre choice in the sizes concerned) that few of them seem want to admit that there could be better options out there. In short something of a cult and a myth about the use of the T1R seems to have grown up in relation to our favourite vehicle.
Quote from: "Capvermell"Quote from: "nathanMR2"Oh no I agree the toyos are by far a winter tyre. They just look, to me, like they would disburse water better and would be less prone to aquaplaning. I do not hold any evidence to support this it's just my opinion
I think you are really being almost entirely subjective and basing your opinion on an aggressive looking tread pattern...
...I am actually basing my opinions of the Yoko ADO8 in wet conditions on reading of a lot of reviews
You are championing the AD08 strongly considering you haven't tried it yourself.
I would rather hear a subjective opinion from someone who has actually tried the tyre rather than an analysis of the EU ratings.
Just saying...
Quote from: "Two's Company"I would rather hear a subjective opinion from someone who has actually tried the tyre rather than an analysis of the EU ratings.
Just saying...
I have read almost every possible review on the internet of people who have used the Yoko AD08, including a large number of two seat sports cars (obviously most of are the AD08 and not the very recently launched ADO8R with a new grippier still compound but same tyre pattern but there is now one for that tyre on tyreview.co.uk too) as well as the reviews of the main forum member on this forum who has used it a lot. They are all overwhelmingly favourable.
Given the very good deal available at blackcircules.com (2.62% cashback through m http://www.topcashback.co.uk (http://www.topcashback.co.uk) m and Triple Tesco Clubcard points that can then be tripled again in value to an effective 9% rate if redeemed as Clubcard Deals) I now intend to fit them to my car, although given the small number of miles I will be completing in the winter months and their likely somewhat more modest performance in these months it may be a little while before I come back to the forum with a full blown review on them.
I have been driving Toyo's with soft sidewalls for far too long and I think it is time to see how the car handles with a proper performance tyre with a hard side wall.
Note that this is not the forum Tyre Review thread but a thread about possible use of the Yoko AD08 on MR2 Roadsters so I do not feel that any of my posts here have been Off Topic.
I don't really understand why Nathan is switching to T1Rs for the winter unless he lives in a part of the UK where winter temperatures of -10C or lower are a regular and normal occurrence (the T1Rs clearly do not have a minimum quoted operating temperature but will simply not perform that well in snow, ice or the cold). Even if that is the case he surely ought to be switching to a proper winter tyre and not to T1Rs (which are just another less sophisticated summer tyre).
I look forward to YOUR review of the AD08. I have considered them myself. They are a more performance orientated road tyre to the T1R which is why I'm considering either T1R for winter or Mitchelin Alpin.
Quote from: "Two's Company"I look forward to YOUR review of the AD08. I have considered them myself. They are a more performance orientated road tyre to the T1R which is why I'm considering either T1R for winter or Mitchelin Alpin.
Personally I feel that the Toyo T1R was good when it was launched but has long since been overtaken. However it has acquired an odd kind of mythical status here because its birth was at around the same time as the MR2 Roadster. People choose it simply because lots of people have already used it and nothing really bad happened even though nothing really good generally did either. Also its one of the cheaper performance tyres from a known brand.
The Hankook V12 Evo is around the same price as the T1R but a considerably more modern tyre with better grip and water clearance whilst if avoiding a really hard tyre but still having good roadholding is a priority then the Falken ZE914 seems to also be a much more recent tyre available in pre facelift sizes that has received very favourable reviews.
I have to disagree with a lot you have just said. Firstly your statements almost contradict them selves and seem to suggest in one breath that I have never used ad08's but then you go on to say that you don't know why I'm going back to my toyos s:? :? s:?
Secondly, your suggestion of the ad08's tread pattern is certainly subjective as I and I think many others feel the tyre has a far better stance/aggressive look. I much prefer them to pretty much all road legal tyres.
Thirdly, I have used t1r's for some time and whilst they are not the best tyre they are relatively cheap and seem to do a good job in most conditions. I have used t1r's through the winter/snow and have got on with them well. Quite rightly I haven't run ad08's in particularly bad weather however given I have experience of toyos in these kind of conditions and I have another set of different size wheels (to what my ad08's are on) then should I come unstuck the damage is likely to be a lot cheaper should I clip a kerb or the likes. My set of ad08's were over £450 so with the wheels they a big chunk of money.
Fourthly, as i understand how tread pattern works is that the grooves within the tyres are there to help get the water out and to help reduce aquaplaning. As I mentioned before the ad08's are closer to semi slicks which are not well known for disbursing water on road tyres.
Finally I have driven ad08's in the wet and have been able to spin the back wheels fairly easy and I think easier than the t1r's. Now whilst this probably down to be being turbo'd, having a bit of a heavy foot at times and not having enough warmth in them, I feel the toyos are a better option in the winter weather.
Don't get me wrong I'm all for ad08's. They are one of the best tyres I've used in the dry and I haven't got them to let go yet despite some spirited driving. I'd be interested to see how you get on with them in the winter, especially the snow.
Quote from: "nathanMR2"Don't get me wrong I'm all for ad08's. They are one of the best tyres I've used in the dry and I haven't got them to let go yet despite some spirited driving. I'd be interested to see how you get on with them in the winter, especially the snow.
Well its a difficult decision really. Clearly it would be better to run true winter tyres in the winter in an ideal world but I note that you aren't doing that and nor do most people in the South East of England. You are just running another set of summer tyres that you will be less upset about damaging (the AD08Rs are now a lot cheaper than the AD08s once were so they only cost 40% more than a T1R does in the same size, although I accept you already have them with tread left on them so in a way might as well wear them out). Regarding water clearance I find it hard to believe the AD08R would get a B rating if it didn't do a good job here. Also Yokohama's blurb quotes a several % increase in water clearance performance for the AD08R over the AD08.
I am still considering all the options. The other option is the Uniroyal Rainsport 3, which seems to be a huge jump forward in the wet but its still a summer tyre and its non wet performance will be vastly inferior to the AD08R. If anyone has a spare set of wheels with winter tyres on for the pre facelift car with some tread depth left and wants to sell them then let me know as I might buy those for now and buy the AD08Rs in the spring.
Regarding driving in the snow I have done it but I have to say its honestly not worth it and basically a total crap shoot on summer tyres and I would go out of my way to avoid it in the future. I live in the countryside just outside a village but I'm only 0.75 of a mile from a railway station and if the service to that also gives up in the snow then nobody is going to expect me to be driving instead. Yokohama seemed to be saying don't expose the tyre to -10C or lower for the old AD08 but I can't seem to find that quoted for the AD08R anywhere so perhaps they have also managed to deal with that issue?
Im lucky as i dont have far to get to a main road. If you live rural it would seem even more sensible to get winter tyres now and swap to summer tyres for the spring. Having said this if you are not going to be using the car in particularly bad weather or you dont see a lot of ice/snow then you could get away with summer tyre all year round and save yourself some money.
Another thing to consider would be Goodyear F1's. They seem to get very good reviews in most conditions. However im not sure you'll get the sizes you want.
Ive said this before but I believe that tyres are probably one of the most important things on the car. Its the key thing that keeps the car and the road in contact with each other. I dont feel the need for winter tyres personally a. because i dont have far to drive to get to work/train station so ive been know to walk if the snow is very bad b. when i have used the toyos in the snow they have acted alright for me
I seem to remember reading that someone destroyed their engine after fitting track tyres to their MR2. The sticky tyres allow you to generate significant lateral G which caused oil starvation and the engine seized (this was on track). The fix is to fit a baffled sump.
Just something to bear in mind!
Quote from: "james_gt3rs"I seem to remember reading that someone destroyed their engine after fitting track tyres to their MR2. The sticky tyres allow you to generate significant lateral G which caused oil starvation and the engine seized (this was on track). The fix is to fit a baffled sump.
These are not track tyres. They are high end performance summer tyres fully legal on the roads and perfectly suitable on the road in summer use. They can also be used for low end track use by those who do not have the money to take their car to the track on a trailer.
Starvation of oil to the engine on the MR2 Roadster in track competition use is a known problem due to the shallow oil sump and regular racers of the car fit a different deeper sump to overcome this. I am quite sure the person who seized their engine rinning the AD08s did so in racing track use and not when using the tyres ordinarily on the road. I do not intend any track use with my tyres or car. I merely want a very high performance summer tyre and I will not be generating the kind of sustained G forces you mention in ordinary road use.
I am beginning to feel that Toyo's marketing department must have some staff members on this forum determined to prop up sales of their now totally outdated tyre design (T1R) against newer and much better designed competition such as the brand new Uniroyal Rainsport 3.
Quote from: "Capvermell"Quote from: "james_gt3rs"I seem to remember reading that someone destroyed their engine after fitting track tyres to their MR2. The sticky tyres allow you to generate significant lateral G which caused oil starvation and the engine seized (this was on track). The fix is to fit a baffled sump.
I am quite sure the person who seized their engine rinning the AD08s did so in racing track use and not when using the tyres ordinarily on the road.
I am beginning to feel that Toyo's marketing department must have some staff members on this forum determined to prop up sales of their now totally outdated tyre design (T1R) against newer and much better designed competition such as the brand new Uniroyal Rainsport 3.
James said it was on track. s:wink: :wink: s:wink:
Ok we get that you don't like Toyos and want to try something else. Tyres feel different depending on the car they are on so the opinion of someone such as nathan who has run them on an MR2 is more relevant than others car you have read about on the internet.
Your posts read like you have decided the buy them and are justifying using them in winter. Buy them and tell us what you think. Every MR2 owner with them seems to love them.
For the record I run the T1R because they are a) cheap b) have soft side walls when the suspension/ARBs/droplinks have all been to replaced to stiffer items. The soft sidewalls therfore offer some comfort on an everyday car. There aren't many options in facelift sizes although when I looked on mytyres I was pleasantly surprised that there are a lot more options than there used to be.
Quote from: "Two's Company"James said it was on track. s:wink: :wink: s:wink:
Ok we get that you don't like Toyos and want to try something else. Tyres feel different depending on the car they are on so the opinion of someone such as nathan who has run them on an MR2 is more relevant than others car you have read about on the internet.
Your posts read like you have decided the buy them and are justifying using them in winter. Buy them and tell us what you think. Every MR2 owner with them seems to love them.
For the record I run the T1R because they are a) cheap b) have soft side walls when the suspension/ARBs/droplinks have all been to replaced to stiffer items. The soft sidewalls therfore offer some comfort on an everyday car. There aren't many options in facelift sizes although when I looked on mytyres I was pleasantly surprised that there are a lot more options than there used to be.
Well said.
Yes, really not much to add until personal experience is gained of them and not just internet gleaned information. I am intrigued to see more experiences of these tyres. I know they are fantastic when warm, as i have driven nathan's car with them on, but the standing water issue would be one that I would be interested to hear about. ( My experience of the T1R was that they dealt with that pretty well, though Rainsport 2s were better)
Don't for one moment think that they are a winter tyre though. They are very different in terms of compound and construction.
Quote from: "Two's Company"Your posts read like you have decided the buy them and are justifying using them in winter. Buy them and tell us what you think. Every MR2 owner with them seems to love them.
Wrong. I am trying to decide which tyre to buy but unable to obtain many objective facts to assist me. For instance Uniroyal does not even publish a specification sheet for the new Rainsport 3 anywhere even though they are shipping and distributing the tyres in several sizes. Also I would love to hear how Nathan found the Yoko A048s to drive on. Unfortunately all I know so far is that he does not like driving on them in the winter because he has a spare set of T1Rs around he needs to wear around and thinks they will probably come to less harm in winter road conditions where any car could easily slide in to a kerb while parking on a day when snow/ice is hard packed on the ground. So far he has not given me any useful opinion of how they perform as a summer tyres in summer conditions compared to other lesser summer tyres.
QuoteFor the record I run the T1R because they are a) cheap b) have soft side walls when the suspension/ARBs/droplinks have all been to replaced to stiffer items. The soft sidewalls therfore offer some comfort on an everyday car. There aren't many options in facelift sizes although when I looked on mytyres I was pleasantly surprised that there are a lot more options than there used to be.
I don't call £68 per tyre fitted net very cheap compare to the £90 or so Net (after all the TopCashback and Tesco Cashback etc) fitted I can get the AD08Rs for. I'm surprised you don't run Runway tyres or similar if cheapness is your main priority.
People are running T1Rs because they were a jolly good tyre relatively 10 years ago and people are stick in the muds and like to then stick with what they know and only having to keep changing one tyre at a time on an existing set. On any objective assessment for a T1R type tyre the Falken ZE914 is a significantly better and much newer tyre but its recent launch means no one much yet has tried it.
All this baloney about well you have to try and drive it yourself to know and no one else can actually give you a usefuk opinion is rubbish because by then you already have the tyre and it is too late. If we took the approach of the doomsayers here then it is apparently pointless to read reviews on a widescreen television before you buy because only you in your own living room can possibly make any useful assessment. Unfortunately by then you have spent your £1,000 and can't get your money back.
Basically there appears to be a large amount of jealousy in this forum so if people have Toyo T1Rs and it would cost them a lot to change all four in one hit (allowing for the fact that the MR2 Roadster is now an old car rub by many less well off people on tight budgets) they want to nay say anything newer so that they don't then have to feel they are running an old outdated and behind the times tyre model.
Capvermell, you seem conflicted.
On one had you seem to be actively trying to discuss tyre choice and gather help/opinion to help make your purchase choice, on the other you are derisively passing judgement on other people who have been there, made their own choice, actually bought the tyres and are happy with them.
It's counterproductive and comes across slightly rude if I'm honest.
If you want to base your decision on tyre reviews and spec sheets then read up and go for it (you said yourself 'I have read almost every possible review on the internet of people who have used the Yoko AD08' so you should be well informed). However, you have to be aware that the press can show bias and the performance of a certain tyre on say a big saloon will be very different from a sub-ton sports car. Read the information, use your judgement, make your choice (and then ideally put together some considered thoughts of your experience to help other members in the future).
However, if you what you are seeking is actual user/owner opinion then lighten up a bit, real life experience doesn't always mirror what you've read. Nathan for example has run both the AD08 and the T1Rs so knows first hand how they feel and offered some useful comments, however you seem to be going out of your way to disregard his (and other peoples) input to the discussion.
Regarding T1Rs... if you don't like them, thats fine, don't buy them. Others do and are happy with that decision and I don't see what your pointed comments are adding to the debate.
Andy
Quote from: "Capvermell"I do not intend any track use with my tyres or car.
You should do, they're awesome s:D :D s:D
Thread locked as this will only become repetetive and the OP seems to have the information they were after. By all means anyone, enter reviews of tyres actually used in the correct section, as this will assist members in the future. MOD
I think you'll find I did give my opinion on AD08's in the dry s:roll: :roll: s:roll:
Quote from: "nathanMR2"I have found them to be outstanding in the dry and far better than my toyos.
Quote from: "nathanMR2"Finally I have driven ad08's in the wet and have been able to spin the back wheels fairly easy and I think easier than the t1r's. Now whilst this probably down to be being turbo'd, having a bit of a heavy foot at times and not having enough warmth in them, I feel the toyos are a better option in the winter weather.
Don't get me wrong I'm all for ad08's. They are one of the best tyres I've used in the dry and I haven't got them to let go yet despite some spirited driving.
I do not really think you are particularly interested in any ones opinion on things despite actively seeking it. You seem compelled to argue/dispute anything you can. Although I get the impression this is just in your nature and that you possibly get some kind of satisfaction from it.
T1R's are tried, tested and are respected by many as a good low priced gripy tyre that suits the car. That's not to say there aren't better out there however like you say it boils down to a number of people taking the plunge buying sets of tyres and giving them a try. This gives people the opportunity to base their decision on what others have said. It needs to be considered that general tyre reviews are done on different types of vehicle and this can have a significant affect on way they handle.
Yokohama's own website rates the AD08's as a 1/10 for a winter tyre which is another reason why I personally have decided I wont be using them in the winter. As far as I can tell people don't generally use them in the winter so its safe to say there must be a reason for this. Furthermore their very own brochure confirms the following;
Important Care And Usage Instructions:
The ADVAN Neova AD08 was developed using high performance compounds which become brittle at low temperatures, and therefore should not be used in certain conditions. ADVAN Neova AD08 tires thus must be stored or used only at temperatures at or above 14°F (-10°C) to maintain performance characteristics and to avoid any damage to the tire or injury to persons or property.
Whilst I accept we are unlikely to see temperatures this low, we probably wont be far off that the way things are going with our weather. I havent been able to find any kind of similar statement regarding T1R's although they could have issues at such low temperatures.
Yokohama confirms AD08's are
'built for speed from the inside out to outperform its legendary predecessor, the ADVAN Neova AD07, known since 2006 as the "fastest street tire in the world."
Being built for speed is great but not so much in the winter.
[MOD] thread re opened as per discussions elsewhere.
Personal experience goes a long way since we all have different driving styles and demands.
I like the T1-R,s I've found them about the most dependable and predictable with my suspension setup.
However I'm open to hearing opinions about other tyres and may well select those other tyres next time around sinct the Toyo supply has become so darned unreliable. s:wink: :wink: s:wink:
I suppose I'll have to start researching now, it could even end up being something stupidly expensive like Continentals.
Out of all the tyres i've used on the 2, T1R, Marangoni, Goodyear GSD3, RE040, the Toyo has just been great and they're so good at cutting through standing water. They may be an old design, but sometimes companies just get something right and it lasts a long time.
Quote from: "Capvermell"QuoteFor the record I run the T1R because they are a) cheap b) have soft side walls when the suspension/ARBs/droplinks have all been to replaced to stiffer items. The soft sidewalls therfore offer some comfort on an everyday car. There aren't many options in facelift sizes although when I looked on mytyres I was pleasantly surprised that there are a lot more options than there used to be.
I don't call £68 per tyre fitted net very cheap compare to the £90 or so Net (after all the TopCashback and Tesco Cashback etc) fitted I can get the AD08Rs for. I'm surprised you don't run Runway tyres or similar if cheapness is your main priority.
People are running T1Rs because they were a jolly good tyre relatively 10 years ago and people are stick in the muds and like to then stick with what they know and only having to keep changing one tyre at a time on an existing set. On any objective assessment for a T1R type tyre the Falken ZE914 is a significantly better and much newer tyre but its recent launch means no one much yet has tried it.
All this baloney about well you have to try and drive it yourself to know and no one else can actually give you a usefuk opinion is rubbish because by then you already have the tyre and it is too late. If we took the approach of the doomsayers here then it is apparently pointless to read reviews on a widescreen television before you buy because only you in your own living room can possibly make any useful assessment. Unfortunately by then you have spent your £1,000 and can't get your money back.
Basically there appears to be a large amount of jealousy in this forum so if people have Toyo T1Rs and it would cost them a lot to change all four in one hit (allowing for the fact that the MR2 Roadster is now an old car rub by many less well off people on tight budgets) they want to nay say anything newer so that they don't then have to feel they are running an old outdated and behind the times tyre model.
For me personally, I go off what I have personally tried on my car over the last 10 years I have owned the car. The Toyo offers value and predictable handling for the driving I do in my car in all sorts of conditions rain, shine, on ice or on snow. I know for a fact there are better tyres out there it's just that, like you, I don't want to shell out £400 on a set of tyres to find out I don't like how they perform on my car.
The Toyo costs £200 per set fitted and for the driving that I do, they offer value for money and I'm happy with that.
My personal financial position or jealously has nothing to do with it. I run the old MR2 not because of a tight budget but because it still puts a smile on my face more than cars worth 10-20 times more than my car that I have driven and considered replacing it with.
The purchase of a TV to buying tyres is comparable because there are too many variables when buying tyres. If we both buy the same TV and use exactly the same settings, at the same viewing distance, using exactly the same input then we both get the same picture. Contrast (pun intended s:wink: :wink: s:wink: ) that to a tyre review where in all likelihood the car it has been tested on will be a different model, the tyre is likely to be a different size, at different pressures, on different roads, with a different driver in variable weather conditions etc etc etc.
Whether a tyre is good or bad is subjective - what I like, you might hate and vice versa. This is despite whatever the specification sheets or internet reviews say.
P.s. do you have a link for these £90 AD08R? Thanks
AD08 kick arse, best tyre for the MR2. I shall be using the new AD08Rs at Castle Combe on Saturday. :-) :-) :-)
Thought I'd drop in an on-topic note:
My pre-FL has Toyo proxies. Plenty tread, few months old.
My FL has yoko AD08.
After driving around in the monsoon today on the full mixture of road types I can say the AD08s absolutely destroy the Toyos on wet performance.
Very wet roundabouts at 30mph, dual carriageway at 70mph and all of a sudden hitting a fully waterlogged section...not a hint of lightness detected. So hope that settles any wonders about how the tread deals with water.
Acceleration from start in the wet, had to rev to about 4k and pull up hard for the tyres to spin. (at this point I was trying to find out how to get the Yokos to lose grip).
Negative point; VERY bad tramlining. Absolutely horrible. Even when no trace of tramlines can be seen on the road, it'll all of an sudden "catch a rail".
Looking forward to their snow performance.
The ride feels more planted in the Yokos. Harder sidewalls for ya. Compromised comfort?...hardly.
In the dry, the Toyos with the softer walls (even when slightly over inflated) made coming out of corners a bit iffy at times. The Yokos create far less imbalance out of corners. Granted some of that had to do with the pre-fl vs fl setup.
All in all...Yokos for me
Does the R in AD08R stand for race and is more track orientated compared to the AD08?
It's good that they come in correct OE FL sizes do that you don't have to move away from 215/45/16 on the back.
I've been reading this thread with interest but it doesn't help those of us new to MR2 ownership. I found choosing tyres bad enough on my other cars but I think the MR2 is going to take it to a whole other level. s:lol: :lol: s:lol:
Quote from: "Nunfa1"I've been reading this thread with interest but it doesn't help those of us new to MR2 ownership. I found choosing tyres bad enough on my other cars but I think the MR2 is going to take it to a whole other level. s:lol: :lol: s:lol:
No need to worry too much the MR2 Roadster is hardly a Ferrari, whenever I read threads like these I mentally reject them as they are so convoluted in opinion. s:) :) s:)
Quote from: "Nunfa1"I've been reading this thread with interest but it doesn't help those of us new to MR2 ownership. I found choosing tyres bad enough on my other cars but I think the MR2 is going to take it to a whole other level. s:lol: :lol: s:lol:
The more you drive the car, the more you will build up your own preference in tyre. The MR2 is very different from a "normal" car in that it communicates a lot more with the driver.
But as I have said before; when I got the car I had 4 very cheap tyres, different makes on each corner and the rears being the wrong size...and I had a hell of a run through the Yorkshire moors without getting in trouble once. So....take from that what you will.
Quote from: "shnazzle"The ride feels more planted in the Yokos. Harder sidewalls for ya. Compromised comfort?...hardly.
In the dry, the Toyos with the softer walls (even when slightly over inflated) made coming out of corners a bit iffy at times. The Yokos create far less imbalance out of corners. Granted some of that had to do with the pre-fl vs fl setup.
All in all...Yokos for me
Shnazzle,
Many thanks for your very helpful review on the AD08.
I have to say that I find the whole T1R owners club love affair for life thing fairly ridiculous. I have run Toyo T1Rs and before that T1Ss for many years and was happy with them but I am not happy with them now as they have clearly fallen behind compared to the opposition. In my opinion there clearly is a successor to the T1R for those who want a reasonably priced, safeish tyre in all conditions without risk of cracking in cold weather - it is the Hankook V12 Evo. I only had them on the front for 3 months (awaits immediate lambasting by rigid purists claiming this is outrageously dangerous but I was going to replace the T1Rs at the back) and the handling of the car improved dramatically (unsurprisingly the front is the end where tyre choice makes the most difference in cornering and general handling on winding interesting roads) and its cost is identical more or less to the T1R for the budget conscious MR2 Roadster owner. There may also be another very suitable and budget priced successor to the T1R in the shape of the brand new Uniroyal Rainsport 3 but unfortunately so far neither I or anyone else has managed to try them out.
However the AD08R is a whole other thing. About the very best road tyre there is for really demanding press on driving in sports cars on most accounts and yet miraculously available in the sizes required for the pre facelift MR2 Roadster without the need to have lots of stressful and expensive discussions with the insurance company or the need to move to the Adrian Flux insurance brokerage. The only question mark to me is how they handle the colder months of the year.
So noting that you are in Northumberland (whereas I am down in Surrey) do you intend to keep these tyres on the car throughout the winter and if so will this be the first winter where you have done so? If that is the case surely in Northumberland you must be at least somewhat worried about the warnings not to either even store the tyres or use them at -10C or below by Toyota. Or do you have a heated garage or something to overcome this and during the winter only take the car out on days when temperatures are well above -10C?
Quote from: "Starfish"Quote from: "Nunfa1"I've been reading this thread with interest but it doesn't help those of us new to MR2 ownership. I found choosing tyres bad enough on my other cars but I think the MR2 is going to take it to a whole other level. s:lol: :lol: s:lol:
No need to worry too much the MR2 Roadster is hardly a Ferrari, whenever I read threads like these I mentally reject them as they are so convoluted in opinion. s:) :) s:)
I am not sure that the brand of the car should determine whether one takes time to research and choose tyres, surely its the usage?
Luckily we have another car we intend to use for when it's horrible weather. We do want some snow tyres though. The biggest deterrent at the moment is the price of snow tyres s:) :) s:)
To be fair, the weather is usually better here than it is down south s:) :) s:) Newcastle/Blyth is in a nice little pocket of weather compared to the weather just around us.
So we never get hit with the -10, torrential rain etc.
...famous last words...
Quote from: "Nunfa1"I've been reading this thread with interest but it doesn't help those of us new to MR2 ownership. I found choosing tyres bad enough on my other cars but I think the MR2 is going to take it to a whole other level. s:lol: :lol: s:lol:
Don't worry there is another thread on tyres and opinions on them elsewhere so worth a read
As a general rule buy the best you afford and don't mix types front to back keep them the same
Toyo's are a compromise on cost v performance
I had Dunlop Fast Response all round on my previous 2 and they were excellent in the wet and Toyo Proxes later on as a cheaper option at first were horrendous but they settled down after 600 miles but as I said are a compromise and have to be run at a higher pressure because of the soft sidewalls
My current 2 has Goodyear Eagle F1 and they are the best tyre I have ever run on a 2 in my experience
Quote from: "shnazzle"To be fair, the weather is usually better here than it is down south s:) :) s:) Newcastle/Blyth is in a nice little pocket of weather compared to the weather just around us.
So we never get hit with the -10, torrential rain etc.
...famous last words...
In Surrey the lowest ever record temperature in the last 20 years or so was -10C. In the other winter months the lowest was -8C
I think its clear one should not drive a car with AD08Rs in very cold weather, although the position on a car just sitting there not moving when parked is less clear. The guys at m http://www.camskill.co.uk (http://www.camskill.co.uk) m are claiming that driving the AD08R below +10C not only might be less safe than a standard summer tyre (eg Toyo T1R) driven in the winter, due to the rubber hardening much more in low temps than a normal summer tyre, but that the tyre might end up cracking if used below +10C regularly. But then they don't supply the Yokohama AD08R at a competitive price, even though they have the best prices in the country on the Uniroyal Rainsport 3, so are probably trying to avoid having to refund my order.
My problem now is I was actually going to go for the brand new Uniroyal Rainsport 3 due to all the blandishments I have received here about the AD08R and cold weather but now Continental (Uniroyal is a mere subbrand of Continental) have turned round and said they are not going to honour their previous firm order commitment to deliver two 185/50R15 82V Rainsport 3s to Camskill tomorrow and they may not be available till mid Decemeber, which could easily become mid January.
So now my choice is between an AD08R and probably the Hankook V12 Evo if I decide I cannot run AD08Rs during the winter months. The V12 Evo is a much better and newer tyre than the T1R that costs the same as it (and has very similar characteristics of the kind of car it is meant to be used by and conditions it is meant to be used in) and there is no way I am going to be bludgeoned in to reverting to the T1R just because some forum members quite clearly never like to move away from something they have already used in favour of something new.
Oh and for Nathan and other's benefits I don't actually enjoy arguing for its own sake but I am inherently not a pack animal unlike many members of the population (which is almost certainly why I detest both football and rugby as games but love watching tennis and F1) so when I am told that I should be using T1Rs just because lots of other people in the forum know people using them who like them this unfortunately cuts no ice (something which can probably also be said of the T1R s:twisted: :twisted: s:twisted: ) at all with me as to why I should now be using this very old tyre design with very poor results in the EU letter rating system tests on both wet weather handling and rolling resistance/fuel economy.
I am starting to think loadsawine was right. s:roll: :roll: s:roll:
Good look with whatever you decide to buy. I look forward to reading your opinion based on your experience.
Quote from: "Two's Company"I am starting to think loadsawine was right. s:roll: :roll: s:roll:
You need to remember that my car is sitting in a road near Crawley with four deflated tyres and a cracked window and at any moment some other nutcase down there might very well decide to torch it or kick in all its windows and body panels. So rather understandably I am in an upset and emotional state. Some of you seem to have forgotten that this is actually why I am extremely distressed about the matter as I also have no car to get around in and am forced to use a very inadequate rural transport network.
I cannot move it elsewhere because no garage wants it until it is mobile and can be moved around their workshop. And I have waited this long for Rainsport 3s that were meant to be coming in tomorrow with Camskill but Uniroyal/Continental have literally just reneged yesterday on the delivery date they committed to with Camskill as they have decided to make some more winter tyres for the German market instead of the Rainsport 3s. My questions about the AD08R were because they are available right now in the right sizes and I was already fearful that Uniroyal/Continental would let me down on delivery as they have now done. I wasn't definitely going to get the AD08Rs regardless of any comments here (as others have tried to suggest). I was actually having the argument with myself and others about whether I could run the AD08R all year round down here in Surrey.
Now the situation has gone from bad to worse as the Rainsport 3s in 205/50R15 86V might not turn up till January even though Continental have given a worthless promise they hope they will be here on the 8th December having already reneged on delivery.
Right now my only options are as follows:-
1. Fit Yokohama AD08Rs all round in pre facelift sizes as they are available.
2. Fit Hankook V12 Evos all round in pre facelift sizes as I was already happy with the improvement at the front end this tyre gave over the T1R but it won't be as as good as a Rainsport 3.
3. Fit winter tyres all round but at an extra cost of around £300 and then switch to AD08Rs in the spring at a further cost of £350.
4. Fit Uniroyal Rainsport 3s at the front and get some part used 205/50r15 86v tyres at the back at £25 each fitted and then replace them with teh Rainsport 3s when they finally turn up
5. Leave my car sitting in the road near Crawley waiting to be torched or further seriously damaged for a minimum of another 3 weeks.
Surely if you were in my situation you might also by now be extremely stressed and likely to respond over emotionally to apparently unsympathetic comments.
Although I haven't tried them on any vehicle, Vredestein Sportrac 5 get excellent reviews (slightly higher than Rainsport 2, which are excellent and I have used on a number of vehicles). No idea how Rainsport 3 will fare but Vredestein make a very good range of tyres and might be worth it for a very balanced tyre - good in the wet, good in the dry, quiet, decent fuel efficiency rating.
Take a chill pill!! You have asked for our opinion and that's that we've given! You just don't seem to want to listen!buy what ever tyres you think are gonna suit your needs and budget - then get behind the wheel and drive the car which will hopefully put a smile on your face again
I have had two sets on ad08s over 50000 miles of motorway and enthusiastic use, also in the snow, and there is not another tyre I have had that is close to them. I have had bridgestones t1r ku31s and these on my roadster, and all are noticably worse in the dry wet and snow for me. I expected to pay for this in wear but I have not. They are the best thing I have done to any car and will be trying the ad08r's next year for sure.
Quote from: "Chris 180SX"I have had two sets on ad08s over 50000 miles of motorway and enthusiastic use, also in the snow, and there is not another tyre I have had that is close to them. I have had bridgestones t1r ku31s and these on my roadster, and all are noticably worse in the dry wet and snow for me. I expected to pay for this in wear but I have not. They are the best thing I have done to any car and will be trying the ad08r's next year for sure.
Hi Chris,
How long have you been using the ad08s exactly and also where abouts in the country do you live so therefore what is the worst level of night time winter temperature?
It sound like you don't worry about the claims of the doomsayers that the tyres should not be used below 10C and all their handling advantages vanish below this temp. Also presumably you have not yet had problems with any cracks in the tyres due to exposure of temperatures of -10C and below (the temp which Yokohama claims the ADO8s) should neither be used or stored - eg left outside on the vehicle in the cold in this temperature even though it is not being driven.
Sorry, I didn't realise your car was disabled in this way, what on earth have you been up to?
I think you have identified a bunch of tyres there that would all be suitable, OK you may need to be a little more careful through the winter but hey we all should anyway.
It's your personal preference really, people have had good experiences with all of the tyres listed, so pay your money and take your chance.
Any of them have to be better than where you find yourself at the moment s:wink: :wink: s:wink:
Oh, I wouldn't dump Rainsport 2's just because the 3's appear, just wear them out and then replace them.
If you're storing them...anywhere you store them in the UK that's indoors is not going to be -10...unless you're storing them in your garage cool box.
On top of that, even if they are outside on your car, it's never really -10 for longer than a few hours anywhere "normal".
There are plenty of reports online of them behaving very nicely in snow so... not really anything to worry about here. Unless you're moving to Aberdeen soon or getting a lodge in the Grampians.
Quote from: "is1"Although I haven't tried them on any vehicle, Vredestein Sportrac 5 get excellent reviews (slightly higher than Rainsport 2, which are excellent and I have used on a number of vehicles). No idea how Rainsport 3 will fare but Vredestein make a very good range of tyres and might be worth it for a very balanced tyre - good in the wet, good in the dry, quiet, decent fuel efficiency rating.
Thanks for the useful suggestion and also therefore guiding me to this Group tyre test that included the Vredstein at m http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessorie ... n-nblue-hd (http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/60115/nexen-nblue-hd) m
The only point that would concern me is that despite its otherwise good performance that its weak area is Aquaplaning, an area close to my heart and an area that the Uniroyal Rainsport 3 especially addresses. The Hankook V12 Evo is probably not as good in the dry but performs particularly well in avoiding aquaplaning.
Quote from: "Wabbitkilla"Oh, I wouldn't dump Rainsport 2's just because the 3's appear, just wear them out and then replace them.
Surely you aren't recommending I run with different tyres front and back though long term???????? And I wouldn't buy a set of Rainsport 2s either at all or especially at their current level of ripoff pricing. s:shock: :shock: s:shock:
Anyhow the Police have now just caught the guy who vandalised my car and then didn't show up for his court hearing (a warrant was then issued for his arrest and he was finally found this morning). They have just been round here to get two witness statements signed for his court appearance tomorrow.
I intend to go along to see what happens and especially to find out whether he is a serial vandal with numerous previous convictions (which will come out before the sentencing if they sentence him tomorrow) for damaging cars and other property or if something not obvious to me set him off. He does not live in the road but five miles away in Horsham so this can't be why he attacked my vehicle (parked there for some days whilst I was in Spain). Generally it should be hard to be jealous of an 11 year old low end sports car with a tatty soft top and badly corroded wheels unlike say some brand new Porsche or Ferrari.
I don't know whether to take offense but you very well I wouldn't suggest running mixed tyres.
I meant Rainsport2 all round unless you're purposely being obtuse.
Good luck with the court case and getting the scumbag dealt with, hopefully he can afford to make amends but they usually can't and don't.
Quote from: "Wabbitkilla"I don't know whether to take offense but you very well I wouldn't suggest running mixed tyres.
I meant Rainsport2 all round unless you're purposely being obtuse.
Why on earth would I fit Rainsport 2s? They are a 10 year old design that is completely over priced. Its only the brand new Rainsport 3, a completely different tyre but merely from the same company, with much lower prices and much better technology that I am interested in.
If I can't get the Rainsport 2s I will fit the next best most modern performance tyre. Unlike some of you I don't share this enthusiasm for shodding my vehicle with ancient antique tyre models that were once upon a time at the cutting edge. s:shock: :shock: s:shock:
Quote from: "s12vea"Take a chill pill!! You have asked for our opinion and that's that we've given! You just don't seem to want to listen!buy what ever tyres you think are gonna suit your needs and budget - then get behind the wheel and drive the car which will hopefully put a smile on your face again
I have reported this post to the mods as a deliberate attempt at flaming. So far they have failed to remove it.
I merely note that it is a deliberate attempt to flame and contributes absolutely nothing to the thread but I shall not be responding directly to the comments made in it by this poster.
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/21/da8ymary.jpg)
You know something, please take this constructively...
You have come on the forum again to ask for opinion and recommendations, and again choose to either ignore, shoot down, or cast I'll considered bad manners on those people who offer you their opinions in good faith. If you think so little of the people on this forum and their experience, then why do you bother coming back unless it's feeding some self gratifying justification of your superiority?
I've only been driving the MR2 roadster for nearly 7 years in all conditions and on various tyres and setups, I obviously can't try every single tyre on the market. Considering you wouldn't spend the money on fixing your wipers or horn, you're now saying you're happy to spend plenty on tyres. I applaud you trying to pick the best tyres and keeping them matched and staggered, but you're making it a bit of a mission of patience for the rest of us.
Go buy what you like, you really aren't interested in the opinions of anyone here so what ask?
And people wonder why this kind of thing and person gets locked?
MOD - never nice getting your vehicle damaged but there is certainly no need to take it out on people that are trying to help, share their experience and advice to help you make a decision.
Whilst the thread was reopened I think it's clear why it was locked in the first place.