Winter Tyre Recommendations?

[Johnny5]

Bridgestone Potenza RE040 rear, and Tigar Prima front.  Ironically, it was the back of the car that was moving around a bit before.  The budget fronts actually gripped OK; they were just a bit short on feel

[1979scotte]

Bridgestone Potenza RE040 rear, and Tigar Prima front.  Ironically, it was the back of the car that was moving around a bit before.  The budget fronts actually gripped OK; they were just a bit short on feel

Anything would feel good after that mismatch IMHO.
Glad you're happy with your new boots.

[james_ly]

Bridgestone Potenza RE040 rear, and Tigar Prima front.  Ironically, it was the back of the car that was moving around a bit before.  The budget fronts actually gripped OK; they were just a bit short on feel

I've come to the conclusion that the Bridgestones aren't very good anymore. On my old wheels I had Bridgestone rear and Firestone something front, and it was quite tail happy (in a good way)

[Treboeth]

Bridgestone Potenza RE040 rear, and Tigar Prima front.  Ironically, it was the back of the car that was moving around a bit before.  The budget fronts actually gripped OK; they were just a bit short on feel

I've come to the conclusion that the Bridgestones aren't very good anymore. On my old wheels I had Bridgestone rear and Firestone something front, and it was quite tail happy (in a good way)

Mixing brands front and rear [emoji848]



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[BahnStormer]

Bridgestone Potenza RE040 rear, and Tigar Prima front.  Ironically, it was the back of the car that was moving around a bit before.  The budget fronts actually gripped OK; they were just a bit short on feel

I've come to the conclusion that the Bridgestones aren't very good anymore. On my old wheels I had Bridgestone rear and Firestone something front, and it was quite tail happy (in a good way)

Mixing brands front and rear [emoji848]

Avoid any tyre mismatches in a '2 at all costs.

When I got my '2, it had mixed tyres: BF Goodrich on the front, Bridgestones on the rear and they were all a little old and a little ratty looking... plenty of tread, but somehow zero consistency in the grip.... it would understeer on one corner and oversteer on the next.... sometimes the same corner, same approach would be ploughing on one day and tail out the next... it wasn't nice.

I'll hold my hands up as being "guilty" of being a bit of a tyre snob... but not necessarily brand snobbery and certainly not price/ premium snobbery... I need to trust my tyres.... and in a car like the MR2, where you can play around on the limit so easily, this becomes even more of an issue....

Ever since I switched to the Yoko's the car was transformed: bags more grip and really predictable too, when it eventually starts to go.

The Continental winter tyres are still too new to give a meaningful review on them: they're the "XL - reinforced" variant and surprisingly firm, but the real test will be when I start leaning on the outer edges as it is a soft rubber and I can see that the grooves are a lot wider, so there is a LOT less rubber to lean on ... the Yokos have hard sidewalls AND almost completely solid tread-blocks around the outer 25% of the tyre, hence the extra-solid feel.... so they will be v different.

[BahnStormer]

Top tip for people needing to get tyres swapped over professionally: it IS possible to fit 4 FL wheels into an MR2.

It is best describes as a game of pre-planned Tetris, but it is possible.

PFL's are probably fine - smaller wheels and your Reverse isn't all the way over to the left (literally - it is that close!)

Assumptions / pre-conditions:
#1 you remove the biscuit out the frunk first (hell, you'll be carrying FOUR spares!!).
#2 the new wheels are all standard sizes - honestly, even profile difference of 5 would probably not work.
#3 the new tyres are waiting at the garage.
#4 you'll need a towel / thick rag to stop them scraping each other to pieces.

1x 16" HAS to go in the frunk
1x 15" wheel in the footwell - needs to be angled in quite far - to miss the door handle later.
1x 15" in the passenger seat against the back-rest
Then open the passenger's window and do up the seatbelt.
1x 16" slides under the seatbelt, between the two 15" wheels.
Now start to close the door, lean in and gently lift the two wheels on the seat and ease the door shut - checking that you're not striking the wheel in the footwell.
Place the towel between the rubber of the footwell wheel and the metal of the middle wheel - otherwise is will squeak and scrape.

If you can't get the car into reverse, then you put a 16" in the footwell.

This is probably not too much of crazy proposition with the roof off, but I was working with the roof on, in the pouring rain....

[1979scotte]

Nutter

[Call the midlife!]

Top tip for people needing to get tyres swapped over professionally: it IS possible to fit 4 FL wheels into an MR2.

It is best describes as a game of pre-planned Tetris, but it is possible.

PFL's are probably fine - smaller wheels and your Reverse isn't all the way over to the left (literally - it is that close!)

Assumptions / pre-conditions:
#1 you remove the biscuit out the frunk first (hell, you'll be carrying FOUR spares!!).
#2 the new wheels are all standard sizes - honestly, even profile difference of 5 would probably not work.
#3 the new tyres are waiting at the garage.
#4 you'll need a towel / thick rag to stop them scraping each other to pieces.

1x 16" HAS to go in the frunk
1x 15" wheel in the footwell - needs to be angled in quite far - to miss the door handle later.
1x 15" in the passenger seat against the back-rest
Then open the passenger's window and do up the seatbelt.
1x 16" slides under the seatbelt, between the two 15" wheels.
Now start to close the door, lean in and gently lift the two wheels on the seat and ease the door shut - checking that you're not striking the wheel in the footwell.
Place the towel between the rubber of the footwell wheel and the metal of the middle wheel - otherwise is will squeak and scrape.

If you can't get the car into reverse, then you put a 16" in the footwell.

This is probably not too much of crazy proposition with the roof off, but I was working with the roof on, in the pouring rain....

Or just spend 10 minutes taking the passenger seat out first before you set off for said tyres...


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[tricky1138]

Top tip for people needing to get tyres swapped over professionally: it IS possible to fit 4 FL wheels into an MR2.

It is best describes as a game of pre-planned Tetris, but it is possible.

PFL's are probably fine - smaller wheels and your Reverse isn't all the way over to the left (literally - it is that close!)

Assumptions / pre-conditions:
#1 you remove the biscuit out the frunk first (hell, you'll be carrying FOUR spares!!).
#2 the new wheels are all standard sizes - honestly, even profile difference of 5 would probably not work.
#3 the new tyres are waiting at the garage.
#4 you'll need a towel / thick rag to stop them scraping each other to pieces.

1x 16" HAS to go in the frunk
1x 15" wheel in the footwell - needs to be angled in quite far - to miss the door handle later.
1x 15" in the passenger seat against the back-rest
Then open the passenger's window and do up the seatbelt.
1x 16" slides under the seatbelt, between the two 15" wheels.
Now start to close the door, lean in and gently lift the two wheels on the seat and ease the door shut - checking that you're not striking the wheel in the footwell.
Place the towel between the rubber of the footwell wheel and the metal of the middle wheel - otherwise is will squeak and scrape.

If you can't get the car into reverse, then you put a 16" in the footwell.

This is probably not too much of crazy proposition with the roof off, but I was working with the roof on, in the pouring rain....

Or just spend 10 minutes taking the passenger seat out first before you set off for said tyres...


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This^^^^^^

[BahnStormer]

Well my option of tyre delivery + fitting the winter wheels inside the car seemed less nuts than this one....

(RIP MrT's Sable, BTW  )

And if that wasn't enough, I needed to play switcheroo with the 2's winter tyres, so how to transport 3 sets of wheels in a roadster? One set on the car (cheating already), 6 in the car and 2 on the back. Dakar rally anyone?







Oh and then I was returning with 2 full sets and a split set, rims and tyres separate...