Handling? What handling?

[Two's Company]

These cars are now so cheap that people can afford them who are on very limited budgets and as such will run them on the cheap, including buying cheap crappy tyres that most "experienced" owners wouldn't even consider.

The price entry point of our little cars is now banger territory and if you want to put tyres on it that you'd put on banger then feel free to do so but don't expect it to handle like it could do with decent tyres.

[Anonymous]

When I got Slapa 1 in 2003 it had Yoko's all round so when time came to replace I got Yoko's again, the first time out I was ready to take the car back and get another make because it wallowed like a pig and was scary in a straight line, it was only later I found out you need to scrub the tyres in for about 500 miles before they settle down. I have used this advice every time new tyres are fitted and still run Yoko's to this day   s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

[Steve Green]

When I got Slapa 1 in 2003 it had Yoko's all round so when time came to replace I got Yoko's again, the first time out I was ready to take the car back and get another make because it wallowed like a pig and was scary in a straight line, it was only later I found out you need to scrub the tyres in for about 500 miles before they settle down. I have used this advice every time new tyres are fitted and still run Yoko's to this day   s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

And that's the same problem if you simply do geo adjustment, without new tyres. The old tyres will have part worn to suit the old settings and will need time to settle down.

[Anonymous]

And that's the same problem if you simply do geo adjustment, without new tyres. The old tyres will have part worn to suit the old settings and will need time to settle down.

Good point Steve.

Fred, where are you in chilly Jockland please? Id love to have a go in it, you have a go in mine. Im no expert, but have driven a few.

[calaerial]

Not taking the tyres seriously is what caused me to go screeching across three lanes of a city center trunk road last year, before settling gently with a 50mph thud against the kerb.

Had it not been for Dick2Ski having the parts i need on the cheap, the '2 would have probably been an economic right off.

And that was a car i'd been driving on those tyres for a year almost.

Getting the tyres right is absolutely critical, because i dont care if it takes a week, a month, a year or 3 years, eventually they're going to bite you. And you'll regret it.

[K T M Rider]

reading the advice on here you would think that if your tyres don't say Toyo on them or they are 1psi out from advised then the car will fire you off into the undergrowth at the first bend you come upon............. My 2 has Bridgestones fitted to it and they look pretty old at that..............I found the pressures all over the place, nsr 36, osr 24, nsf 26, ofs 32................. I changed all the pressures, did I notice a difference....not really?

Now maybe my bum dyno isn't as sensitive as others or maybe i'm not driving my 2 near enough to the limit of the tyres to tell the difference..............

Perhaps if you were running Toyos your bum dyno might gain some sensitivity - apparently they have fairly soft sidewalls which would surely make a change in inflation pressure more noticeable (assuming the sidewalls on your current tyres are stiffer)

I am actually surprised that one can't ''just as well put anything on'', as most vehicles seem to happily tolerate this

And tolerate is the key word.  Well almost, tolerance is more the word.

Having lost the back end on my Octavia a couple of years ago while running mixed tyres (two michelins on the front   s:) s:)  one yoko and one pirelli on the back   s:oops: :oops: s:oops:  ) I would argue that the key word is SEEM as in seem happily to tolerate this right up to the point that they seem to no longer !

Oddly enough it always felt like it was on rails with either four NCTs or four Avon Zv5s fitted   s:roll: :roll: s:roll:


I just can't help but think that Toyota gave a WHOPPING clue about the importance of tyres on the Roadie - the back ones are  wider than the front ones (as are the wheels) if tyres were no more important than on yer average humdrum tinbox, then it'd come with tyres all the same width just like on yer average .............   s:roll: :roll: s:roll:  

Of course the other consideration is around how you wish to use the car. I'm pretty sure some owners just tootle two miles to work at 27mph, I suppose even a Crapola Ditchfinder can manage that in reasonable safety   s:) s:)

[filcee]

I can't imagine this same conversation taking place on say a Ferrari 360 forum and yet the dynamics of the two cars are essentially the same?

Having been lucky enough to drive an MR2 (mine) and a 360 back-to-back, you would be surprised how "essentially the same" they are.  The main impression I came away with was how on this earth did Toyota manage to do that and charge so little money for the end result.

[Anonymous]

I suppose even a Crapola Ditchfinder can manage that in reasonable safety  

You could argue that tyres are inanimate objects. Its therefore the driver who is the ditchfinder! (Where is the fisherman smily?  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  )

All tyres sold in this country must meet basic standards. Its also probable that, as the front tyres do a different job to the rears, that the perfect setup for the car would be a mixed set, with differing tread paterns/compounds. (How to prove or disprove that may be impossible though.)

Back on topic, any news at all Fred?

[markiii]

seeing as the pratt responsible for mixed tyres would be the owner, I sort of agree with you Dick, its the owners fault when it ends up in a ditch

[K T M Rider]

I suppose even a Crapola Ditchfinder can manage that in reasonable safety  

You could argue that tyres are inanimate objects. Its therefore the driver who is the ditchfinder! (Where is the fisherman smily?  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  )

All tyres sold in this country must meet basic standards. Its also probable that, as the front tyres do a different job to the rears, that the perfect setup for the car would be a mixed set, with differing tread paterns/compounds. (How to prove or disprove that may be impossible though.)

Back on topic, any news at all Fred?

Indeed you have a point about the driver (something about workmen and tools springs to mind here) although a bit of driver assistance from tyres that give predictable and repeatable behaviour across all road conditions certainly wouldn't go amiss. Going back to my tools analogy, four tyres comprise a rather more complex ''tool'' than a e.g. a hammer   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:    

Basic standards indeed. If all cars were lightweight and mid engined, those standards would be higher !!

I agree that you could probably optimise the tread patterns for steering at the front and traction at the rear, changing the compounds though sounds riskier, in terms of constantly changing the grip differential front to rear as road temperature & surface changes - hmm back to mixed tyres here   s:) s:)  

Not sure where we wandered off topic - I thought the topic was handling what handling? and the suspected issue was tyre related   s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

[Steve Green]

I suppose even a Crapola Ditchfinder can manage that in reasonable safety  

You could argue that tyres are inanimate objects. Its therefore the driver who is the ditchfinder! (Where is the fisherman smily?  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  )

All tyres sold in this country must meet basic standards. Its also probable that, as the front tyres do a different job to the rears, that the perfect setup for the car would be a mixed set, with differing tread paterns/compounds. (How to prove or disprove that may be impossible though.)

Back on topic, any news at all Fred?

I think we may have frighted Fred off.

Tyres all meet a minimum standard, but that does not stop some from being designed to higher standards. You generally get what you pay for.

[Wabbitkilla]

[MOD] I really hope we haven't frightened Fred off, either way we're not really improving matters by regurgitating the same old argument. I'll lock this now as it's really not helping at all. If fred wishes to update us with how he is doing I'm happy to unlock this if he wishes. Good luck Fred   s:D s:D   [/MOD]