Tyres - Confused on Toyos

[aluk49]

HELP

Need to replace my tyres all round on my 2003 Facelift.

I can either stick with the standard Bridgestone Rear - 215/45R/16W & Fronts - 185/55R/15V

or

TOYO T1-R
but...

T1-Rs come in various sizes ie;
REAR:
225/45R16W non or reinforced?
225/40R16W
215/40R16W non or reinforced?

FRONT:
195/50R15V
185/50R15V

Been reading up, and am now even more confused.... could be an age thing!! I drive all year, Wet & Dry + Occasional track day

What combination TOYOs are the best to get?   I think Rears - 225/45R16W & Fronts - 195/50R15V

Al

[Anonymous]

Get toyos but go for standard sizes.
And no need for reinforced, as the MR2 doesn't carry much weight

The wider the back wheels the more easier it will lose it in the wet.

[SimonC_Here]

Personally I'm running
195/50/15 fronts
225/40/16 rears.

Fine for me.

I didn't know they came in reinforced or not!

Simon

[roger]

As you can see from  here various people have taken various options.

1 x 205/45, 225/40
2 x 195/50, 225/40
3 x 195/50, 225/45

I don't think there is a right or wrong answer, so long as you stay within the correct "ballpark"

[aluk49]

Get toyos but go for standard sizes.
And no need for reinforced, as the MR2 doesn't carry much weight

The wider the back wheels the more easier it will lose it in the wet.

Speak for yourself, mine carries a lot of extra weight    s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

[markiii]

disagree

reinforced on Proxies is ideal as the tyres are sloppier sidewalls than ideal anyway.

for an 03 setup get

195/50/15 front
205/40/16 rear

remember your trying to acheive teh following

1. As close to stock rolling radius as possible, to ensure speedo is accurate and acceleration isn;t changed
2. No higher sidewall as this will compromise handling
3. The same stagger front to rear interms of width (unless you have a specific reason to deviate from this)

[roger]

for an 03 setup get

195/50/15 front
205/40/16 rear

OK if another make, but unfortunately TR1 don't come in 205/40/16

[Anonymous]

if you go 195/50-15 and 205/40-16 then you could get Yokohama Parada Spec 2's

[markiii]

for an 03 setup get

195/50/15 front
205/40/16 rear

OK if another make, but unfortunately TR1 don't come in 205/40/16

sorry I meant 225/40/16 was a typo

[VVT-i]

Yokohama Parada Spec 2's are a summer tyre.. they are not very good in very cold conditions and it's adviseable to to use them in near freezing conditions or in snow and ice. This info is actually stamped into the sidewall of the tyre.

Having said that I had them on my own car for a little while and I found the levels of grip very good, however I never pushed the car at all during that time (it was pre turbo day's too) Persoally I have gone with Toyo T1-r's (front = 205/45x17---- rear = 214/45x17) Id I had the standard wheels on I would opt for 195/50x15 front and  225/45x16 as these are closest to the standard setup.

As for reinforced tyres... these have stronger sidewalls (obviously) now, whether or not you need them.. the answer is probably not, due to the weight of the car.. but if you do track driving then the can be beneficial as the sidewall has less flex thus keeping the tread flat on the tarmac. Anyone who has used both Goodyear F1 GSD2'S and Goodyear F1 GSD3's will know the difference it can make.

[enid_b]

i went from bridgestone to proxes and it scared the life out of me for the first couple of hundred miles. the softwalls are awful

boost up the pressure and once you get a feel for them they are great, and have tons more grip that the bstones.

E

[Two's Company]

Are the reinforced sidewalls a new model of T1R's?  The soft walls is one of the few downsides with the T1R's on there at the moment.

The tyres I have on now seem to have lasted ages due to my mainly motorway trips.  I also got 44mpg last week!   s:shock: :shock: s:shock:

[Tem]

reinforced on Proxies is ideal as the tyres are sloppier sidewalls than ideal anyway.

Have to agree with mark here.  s8) s8)

The reinforcement isn't just for carrying weight..

[Silverman]

The wider the back wheels the more easier it will lose it in the wet.

IS THIS TRUE?  I very much doubt it??     s:? :? s:?

[Wabbitkilla]

The wider the back wheels the more easier it will lose it in the wet.

IS THIS TRUE?  I very much doubt it??     s:? :? s:?

That'll be why Toyota put wider tyres on the back than on the front!

Just to clarify, I and others are running 195x50x15 on the fronts and 225x40x16 on the rears - no problems and grip is great once they're scrubbed in. The front-rear width differential discussion has been entered into so many times, it's unbelievable.

So i think you can read it as said that the backs being wider than the fronts is important, and well - keeps you on the road.
It is interesting that you've found reinforced T1Rs, i wasn't aware they did them - but it may also be size dependant.
Would be good to have a go with them - but they are usually a premium cost in other makes.

I'm just waiting for the R1Rs to become available over here - something new to try out.

[StuM]

reinforced on Proxies is ideal as the tyres are sloppier sidewalls than ideal anyway.

Have to agree with mark here.  s8) s8)

The reinforcement isn't just for carrying weight..

I'd have thought that lateral forces through cornering are just as likely, if not more so, to cause side wall deformation as purely weight of the vehicle.  For example, a stiffly sprung, low slung sport car that develops high cornering 'G' is more likely to put strain on the side wall than a wallowy old heavy barge...

[aluk49]

The wider the back wheels the more easier it will lose it in the wet.

IS THIS TRUE?  I very much doubt it??     s:? :? s:?

That'll be why Toyota put wider tyres on the back than on the front!

Just to clarify, I and others are running 195x50x15 on the fronts and 225x40x16 on the rears - no problems and grip is great once they're scrubbed in. The front-rear width differential discussion has been entered into so many times, it's unbelievable.

So i think you can read it as said that the backs being wider than the fronts is important, and well - keeps you on the road.
It is interesting that you've found reinforced T1Rs, i wasn't aware they did them - but it may also be size dependant.
Would be good to have a go with them - but they are usually a premium cost in other makes.


I'm just waiting for the R1Rs to become available over here - something new to try out.

The only reinforced TOYOs that etyres are quoting are for the 225/45R16W and 215/40R16W, they dont list reinforced fronts. So its probably not wise to mix them.  Cost is advertised the same for wether std or reinforced!

I spoke to technical Engineer Alan Meaker at TOYO UK, he reckoned that 225/45/R16 for rear and 195/50/R15 for the fronts was the best equivalent for the standard Bridgestones RE040s

[markiii]

225/40/16 at the back is a better rolling radius match and if you go for 225/45 your having even more squidgy sidewalls

edited for stupdity

[Tem]

335/40/16

That must require a widebody?  s;) s;)

[Silverman]

The wider the back wheels the more easier it will lose it in the wet.

IS THIS TRUE?  I very much doubt it??     s:? :? s:?

That'll be why Toyota put wider tyres on the back than on the front!

Just to clarify, I and others are running 195x50x15 on the fronts and 225x40x16 on the rears - no problems and grip is great once they're scrubbed in. The front-rear width differential discussion has been entered into so many times, it's unbelievable.

So i think you can read it as said that the backs being wider than the fronts is important, and well - keeps you on the road.

Thank heaven - the voice of calm and reason..   I was beginning to thing this club really has gone doolally!!     s:) s:)

[VVT-i]

225/40/16 at the back is a better rolling radius match and if you go for 225/45 your having even more squidgy sidewalls

edited for stupdity

Sorry Mark but 225/45x16 is closer match to the standard 215/45x16 than 225/40x16's...

215/45x16

Rolling Raduis = 299.95
Circumferance = 1884.64

225/40/16

Rolling Radius = 293.2
Circumference = 1842.23

Difference in circumference: -42.41mm or 2.25% (this is slightly lower than the standard tyre)


225/45x16

Rolling Radius = 304.45
Circumference = 1912.91

Difference in circumference: 28.27 mm or +1.5% (this is slightly taller than the standard tyre)


So the 225/45x16's are closer to the standard, although there isn't much between all three sizes.

[Wabbitkilla]

I got the 40's because, well to be honest, they're cheaper than the 45's, and basically you notice very little difference in the rolling circumference on the road - it's not that bad really! Well - ok, i get to accelerate a tiny but noticeable bit quicker.

Either way i'm happy with them, and the Toyos are far grippier than the Bridgestones, especially in the wet.  s:D s:D

[ChrisGB]

225/40R16 is recommended for rims 7.5" to 9.0". IIRC the stock 16s are 7". The very slightly higher profile of the 225/45 seems to allow it to be mounted on a 7" rim.

As for reinforced sidewalls, I would say that they would be a good idea on the rear. I know the fronts wont be reinforced, but the rear is where the Toyos squidginess really shows up.

Chris

[aluk49]

225/40R16 is recommended for rims 7.5" to 9.0". IIRC the stock 16s are 7". The very slightly higher profile of the 225/45 seems to allow it to be mounted on a 7" rim.

As for reinforced sidewalls, I would say that they would be a good idea on the rear. I know the fronts wont be reinforced, but the rear is where the Toyos squidginess really shows up.

Chris

Found this very usefull site that confirms what Chris states ( m http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html m  )

225 tyres should have 7.5" to 9" rims, and 7" rims should have 215 tyres.

But, as T1-Rs are only available in 40 & 55 aspect ratios,these give an error from stock of -3.58% and +7.18% (and as said before 55s would be over squidgy)

So, as all you folks have no probs with 225s on 7" rims I guess they must be ok.  so 40 or 45 ratio?  error on a 40 is -2.25% and the 45 is +1.5%.  But as the 45 is available reinforced, I think i'll go with them for the rear and the 195/50R15s for the front. (oh, thats what the guy at TOYO recomended in the first place   s:bowdown: :bowdown: s:bowdown:  

All I gotta do now is find a supplier and the money!  Camskill looks the cheapest at £195ish, but are supply only.

Was actually at a track day yesterday at Donington Park with Lotus and MG, a few there had T1-Rs (45 reinforced) and thought that they were good.

[fstsven]

I run T1-R's on stock wheels in 205/50/15 and 225/45/16.
The best match for the rear IS 225/45/16. No probs with the 7" wheels.
For the front, the best match to stock rolling radius is 205/50/15: <1% (though in the front, this is less important: no speedo to worry about and no gearing to be altered). Front and rear tyres are reinforced (in those two sizes, they are per definition), giving a stiffer sidewall, which is very welcome on T1-R's.
Which are great tyres! I'm on my fourth set and can't fault them. Good dry grip, great wet grip, decent wear resistance, not expensive. Only downsides are fairly soft sidewalls and a tendency to overheat after 5-6 laps on a trackday. If you're looking for a very good all-round high performance tyre, search no more. No, I'm not getting paid by Toyo!    s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  
Next will be either a new set of these or the new R1-R, provided they turn out to be decent in the wet.