Semi slick tyre question

[Ratty]

Hi everyone...only my second post (after the new members one).
Having a real problem trying to find semi slicks for the roadster.
Been in the impreza world for the last 10 years so am used to matching wheel sizes lol
Have read a lot of the threads on tyres and tyre reviews on here but think this may be a new one for you.
So being a 2004 it has 185/55/15 on front and 215/45/16 on rear.
Have managed to find the 888's in 195/55/15 (asume these would fit on the rims without arch rub?)
But they dont do anywhere near the correct size for rears.
The closest ive found is the Federal  595 RSR-R which gives me 195/50/15 for front and 205/45/16 at the rear.
But by going up a width size at the front and down a width size at the rear,it going to give it too much oversteer (fun,but not fastest way round a corner lol)
Am hell bent on having semi slicks rather than a good all rounder like the Toyo t1R's i see people mention on here.
The reasons being..........
1) Found on the impreza's about a 40% grip increase over standard road tyres.
2) Only drive the car on sunny days
3) Will only be doing around 2000-3000 miles a year.

So long life is not important,max grip is.
If it comes to it,i dont mind having a different brand of semi slicks for each axel.
So i guess its will the 195's fit on the front without arch rub?......... and does anyone know of semi slicks for the rears please?....and will the rear arch's handle a 225 if thats the only option?
Have searched camskill,google etc for 2 hours but no luck yet
Has anyone any ideas please?

Many thanks  guys   s:) s:)

[ChrisGB]

I've run R888 GG compound for years, 195/50R15 front, 225/45R16 rear, never had any clearance issues, balance is good.

[shnazzle]

Lots of people will have been expecting this post from me but....

Have you looked into the Yokohama AD08Rs?  s:) s:)   They're not quite semi-slick just yet, but they're a lot more semi-slick than "normal" road tyre.
They're also often-used on tracked cars and available in good sizes for the facelift setup. I'm running slightly wider on both front and back on the AD08s and if you really only drive the car on sunny days, you really can't get much better of a compromise for size, cost and sheer grip.

[Jrichards20]

Both posts above completely agree with.
I was using AD08 for a while, and absolutely loved them, raved about them constantly. Then I tried the R888s, omg, a totally different tyre.

In the wet, I wouldn't touch R888, they take a long time to get some warmth into them, but when you do, the grip like  sshit shit sshit  on carpet.  But water isn't particularly helpful with them.

While the AD08rs I trust a lot more in the rain, and very grippy compared to another other road tyre. A lot more useable all round.    

Ive currently got RR888s because mine will only be used hard in the summer, but if you want a car that can go well in the rain of England, especially with winter coming up, AD08rs are a good shout.

[jonty]

I wouldn't worry about maintaining the stagger; I ran 195 front and rear and for fast driving I prefer that balance, so don't worry that it'll turn into an oversteer monster if you drop 10-20mm from the rear width!

[shnazzle]

I wouldn't worry about maintaining the stagger; I ran 195 front and rear and for fast driving I prefer that balance, so don't worry that it'll turn into an oversteer monster if you drop 10-20mm from the rear width!

I'd be careful and judge that yourself. A lot of people have gotten into some sticky situations by ignoring the stagger that is designed into the car.
Do as you please, but be mindful of what the car was setup to be like.

[tatieu]

Nankang NS-2R, low price  s;) s;)

[shnazzle]

To be fair I read up on the NS-2Rs and they get pretty darn good reviews from track people

[PET77]

This has been discussed just recently. No issue with staggered tire sizes. In fact, thats the way the car is set up, so you will only support the proper balance...
I run 205 all round and the car feels lacking balance in the rear. I am yet to find out the best way arund this = either geo change or wider tire rear (which is a bit of pain with AD08 - R888 seems to have a better size offer).

[Sadlebag]

Ad08rs might be another option, I'm about to try them out on Bedford Autodrome on Monday!

[Ratty]

Thank you for all the information and comments guys...most helpfull    s:bowdown: :bowdown: s:bowdown:  

ChrisGB,can i ask where you get those size 888's from please?
And gg compound...is that soft or medium?

Shnazzle......thanks for that heads up on the AD08R's...will look into those......where do you get those from and rough price please?

Jrichards20....yep,had 888's on a scooby and was blown away by the grip (medium compound)..........unfortuatly killed them in 20 mins on a driver training day........they had lots of tread on them and within 20 minutes they were through beyond the canvas and into the wires. It was a concrete area we were training on and think with that surface plus spirited driving they met there maker.....heres a pic i took.............................



Thanks to every one else regarding the tyre sizes and stagger issue's...also usfull info...and will also look into those Nankang NS-2R a few of you recommended.
Was hoping to dial in 2 digree's negitive geo set up on the car as found this improved the scooby handleing a great deal but was told today at the tyre place that you cant do that to normal roadster suspension...it would have to be aftermarket.....and would upset the handling anyway.
Good stuff chaps...much appriciated   s:) s:)

[shnazzle]

AD08s in the sizes I run (225/45 rear and 195/50 front) on stock alloys, from Camskill.co.uk are about 320 delivered.

They're not the cheapest, but you certainly get your money's worth.

They're no 888s though, as they're not officially semi-slicks. But they're a tyre that mean you can drive "spirited" on the road while setting good lap times on track.
Road noise is nowhere near 888, nor are they are harsh. Granted, it wasn't an MR2 where I felt 888s. But the AD08s will last longer

A set of ad08s and a set of 888 for track and you're laughing haha

[Ratty]

AD08s in the sizes I run (225/45 rear and 195/50 front) on stock alloys, from Camskill.co.uk are about 320 delivered.

They're not the cheapest, but you certainly get your money's worth.

They're no 888s though, as they're not officially semi-slicks. But they're a tyre that mean you can drive "spirited" on the road while setting good lap times on track.
Road noise is nowhere near 888, nor are they are harsh. Granted, it wasn't an MR2 where I felt 888s. But the AD08s will last longer

A set of ad08s and a set of 888 for track and you're laughing haha

Great,thanks mate....its defently a toss up between these and 888's at the moment.
Have read lots of reviews since you recommended them and they certainly are well liked by spirited road users & track users.  s:) s:)  
So just to confirm..the full name is Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08R yeah?

[shnazzle]

Ja. They used to be AD08,but we're superceded by AD08R.
Yokohama Advan Neova.

As I've written here before, they do tramline a lot. But it's to be expected with metal-fortified sidewalls.
I don't even notice anymore though

[ChrisGB]

ChrisGB,can i ask where you get those size 888's from please?
And gg compound...is that soft or medium?

Used to get them from Camskill / EARS / Demon Tweeks / or my local tyre place orders them from Toyo Motorsport. Yes, GG is medium compound.

[Ratty]

ChrisGB,can i ask where you get those size 888's from please?
And gg compound...is that soft or medium?

Used to get them from Camskill / EARS / Demon Tweeks / or my local tyre place orders them from Toyo Motorsport. Yes, GG is medium compound.

Great stuff,cheers buddy    s:) s:)

[Ratty]

ChrisGB,can i ask where you get those size 888's from please?
And gg compound...is that soft or medium?

Used to get them from Camskill / EARS / Demon Tweeks / or my local tyre place orders them from Toyo Motorsport. Yes, GG is medium compound.

Couldnt get the rear size's required at camskill but as per your recommendation i have found them on demon tweeks.  s:) s:)  
I noticed they do the fronts on both 195/50/15 and 195/55/15.............is there any  particular reason you went for the 50 rather than the standard 55 Roadster size apart from them being about £6 a tyre cheaper?
Also see that they are the new and improved R888R tyre....but was a bit concerned by this warning at the bottom..............

''IMPORTANT: Caution is required in extreme wet conditions due to limited anti-aquaplaning capabilities. These tyres are not intended to be used as regular road driving tyres, and should not be used in any sort of cold/winter conditions.''

Having used the old 888's medium compound on the scooby im well awear of the aquaplaning issue but never found cold winter weather a problem......infact found them better than any other tyre on hot days,cold days,damp days,even wet days if no standing water.
Do you think this is just a general disclaimer or a new issue with the new R888R tyre?

[Ratty]

Pretty awesome looking tyre    s:D s:D  

[Ratty]

Ja. They used to be AD08,but we're superceded by AD08R.
Yokohama Advan Neova.

As I've written here before, they do tramline a lot. But it's to be expected with metal-fortified sidewalls.
I don't even notice anymore though

Great,thanks mate,the £320 you mentioned is certainly a lot cheaper than the £592 for the 888's!!!!!!  s:shock: :shock: s:shock:  
Not worried about tramlining as got so used to it on the 888's it became second nature   s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

[Ratty]

What a dilemma.......am crap at making decisions at the best of times lol
R888R awsome grip but expensive and worried about the new ones not warming up in the winter.
Nankang NS-2R and the Federal 595's both better value but both would mean only a 1 size difference between front and rear (195/205)
Or the safest option but less ultimate dry grip of the AD08R's,which also have the perfect sizes of 185/55/15 & 215/45/16
Hmmmmmmmmm ponder,ponder,and ponder some more!   s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

[Ratty]

I'm running slightly wider on both front and back on the AD08s .

Can i ask please mate why you went up a size at the front and rear when the standard sizes are available?
Was reading in this article.................  m http://blog.tirerack.com/blog/roll-on/i ... mr2-spyder m

..............that .................''Tires have enough bead and sidewall flexibility to allow the same rim width to accommodate a variety of tire widths. All other things being equal, wider tires on the same rim width diminish steering response but help protect the rim from curb scratches.''

Did you notice a reduction in steering response?

[shnazzle]

Yup. As I said on here before, I might try stock front size next time.

BUT... That was before I put my BC coilovers on. Whatever I lost in response with tyres (almost not noticeable) I gained 3-fold by putting on the BCs. So all in all its a compromise I'm happy with for increased dry grip.
The only thing I would say is a downside of going wider is that it seems ever so slightly (almost unnoticeably) snappier when the tyres run out of talent. Still plenty of communication for you to anticipate and correct, but when driving the limit it takes a pinch more focus

[Ratty]

Yup. As I said on here before, I might try stock front size next time.

BUT... That was before I put my BC coilovers on. Whatever I lost in response with tyres (almost not noticeable) I gained 3-fold by putting on the BCs. So all in all its a compromise I'm happy with for increased dry grip.
The only thing I would say is a downside of going wider is that it seems ever so slightly (almost unnoticeably) snappier when the tyres run out of talent. Still plenty of communication for you to anticipate and correct, but when driving the limit it takes a pinch more focus

Gotcha.....many thanks for info   s:) s:)  
Please...dont mention BC's!!!!!!!.....trying not to catch the modding bug this time around lol    s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  
Okey dokey,so with my standard set up it makes sense to prob go for standard front and either standard rear or one up to 225.
Must admit to be edging towards wanting these now.....they tick so many boxes,and score 9 out of 10 in each from what ive read.

[shnazzle]

To be fair I ranted about them before I had BCs haha. So whichever way you go it'll be great.

Mind, if you do track it you may miss the characteristics of 888s. It's whatever you use them for most

[Ratty]

To be fair I ranted about them before I had BCs haha. So whichever way you go it'll be great.

Mind, if you do track it you may miss the characteristics of 888s. It's whatever you use them for most

LOL,the love affair goes way back hey?   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:    s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  
Track days will be few and far between bud.  s:( s:(  
Well,have spent a whole afternoon on tyre reviews and elimination's..............
Verdict.....
The 888's are just to much dosh!
NS2R......good reviews,very cheap,and pretty good wet grip but a very heavy tyre and extreamly noisy for road use.
Federal 595....similar to NS2R  in most areas but poorer wet grip and more drop off.
Your rubber lover...  s:mrgreen: :mrgreen: s:mrgreen:  ......the AD08R.......  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  ........think she's the one ....  s:bounce: :bounce: s:bounce: