[murphwiz]

Right... now that I'm 'forced' into a pair of boots for the 9-5 (see camber post)
What do I go for!??

Currently got Avon zz3's on there all round... not unhappy with them at all, very good value for money, and not apparent handling problems

Do I go better?

Size 225/45R17
Short list:
Goodyear F1
Bridgestone S-03
Toyo something (trent mentioned these?? )

Anything else I should be considering?
These will be a pair on the front, I'll put current fronts to back...

 

[Julian]

No complaints with my Dunlop SP9000 Sports so far. Great grip in wet or dry conditions.

Have had Toyos on my 99 Turbo and they seem to be pretty good for the money.

 

[sgould]

I've recently posted elsewhere that I've put Bridgestone S-03's on all four wheels. Grip is a great improvement over the Michelin Primacy's, I'm on 215/55 16. Noise is different from the Primacy. A little bit of rumble all the time but nothing like as loud as the Michelins on the rough stuff. Seem good in wet and OK in mud.

I'm pleased so far, only been on 2 weeks. Will see how they wear. Could be a bit soft with a TWI of 220.

 

[wrighar]

Could be a bit soft with a TWI of 220.[/b]

soft?? 220 is over the average of 200.

I've not had any tyres over 140 TWI for ages.

Goodyear NCT - 140
Pirelli P-Zero - 140
Michelin SX - 140
Yokohama A008 - 80 !!!

I've had a few at 180 too

Michelin MXV 170/180
Pirelli P7 and P700 180
Michelin HX 180 (I think)

Andrew

 

[Eric van Spelde]

Toyo something (trent mentioned these??  )[/b]

Proxes T-1S. I'll be going for those as feedback from Trent as well as other tuners, users and magazine tests about those seems to be quite consistent in its approval, they are one of few tyres that come in 195/50/16 so I can swap two at a time (I also like the slightly more playful balance andkeener turn in of the slightly narrower size versus 205's) and lets face it - if they keep a Tuscan S on the road with some kind of tenacity they can't be half bad...

 

[wrighar]

they are one of few tyres that come in 195/50/16  [/b]

I used to use that size on the rear of my 900 Carlsson (Pirelli p700) and 205/50*16 on the front (Pirelli P-zero).

Gave a lovly balance.

 

[Mark P]

I've recently put a full set of Yokohamas 205/50/16 on my 900 and they seem to be much grippier than the P6000s that they replaced... but they were getting a tad close to the legal limit

The local independent tyre place gave me a good deal on a full set

 

[billj]

Originally posted by Mark P:
[qb]I've recently put a full set of Yokohamas 205/50/16 on my 900 and they seem to be much grippier than the P6000s that they replaced... but they were getting a tad close to the legal limit     [/qb][/b]

Mark, I noticed the P6000s do "go off" when they're worn down a bit. A friend with a 9000 auto who does loads of miles and goes through a lot of tyres (and brake pads, since it's an auto) has used many sets of P6000s and swears they "go off" at about 2/3 worn. That might have had something to do with the comparison. Yokos (I used to use S1-Z on the Aero) seem to give a lot of performance for the price, perhaps at the expense of noise and comfort.

 

[billj]

Leon, what's your priority? Performance, presumably, with that shortlist?

I've heard great things about the F1s recently. A colleague has put them on his 205 GTI and is very pleased. The S-03s are, I think, still the ultimate all-weather performance tyre. They are a bit soft, though, although improved over the S-02. I think my best effort managed to wear out a set of fronts in 6000 miles, but they seem to last a lot longer if you keep all four tyres on the ground around roundabouts, etc.

I know very little about the ZZ3, except that it is quite a new tyre. I had ZZ1s on the front of my Aero for a while and couldn't wait to wear them out because they didn't grip brilliantly and when they started to let go (as they did quite often), they tended to squeal like a pig, which was rather embarrassing...

One thing to bear in mind is that putting the grippier stuff on the front and less grippy stuff on the rear is that it will increase the danger of the back end slipping out first, giving oversteer. If you're happy you can handle this in an emergency, then that's OK.

One good thing about an auto is that you're probably less likely to suffer lift-off oversteer (or is that true if you have converter lock-up in 3rd and 4th?)

I also like the Dunlop Sport 01s I fitted to the CSE recently. They grip very well in the wet and dry (much better than the Eagle NCT Touring that were on it, but they were worn down a bit). I imagine that in a lower profile, they would be a pretty good performance tyre. Mine are extremely quiet and comfy too, which is just what I was looking for for that car, and they were on special offer at Northway tyres just down the road from me. They don't list that tyre in any 17" size, but they probably only list the most common sizes.

I've heard a lot of good reports on the Toyo Proxes, but I've never had the chance to try them.

Some of the sportier Firestones (made by Bridgestone) have a good reputation and use similar technology to the S-03.

 

[sgould]

soft??  220 is over the average of 200.[/b]

Oops!

But the last lot of Michelins I had on my Rover were 300 I think and I'm sure i've seen / had some at 375

 

[mark e]

Had some good inside info the other day... although the latest Goodyear F1s came top in a recent mag test, the Bridgestone SO3's are better suited to heavier cars. (Sounds like EBC Greenstuff all over again

)

BIll and I both run SO3's and their grip levels and responsiveness are truly astounding. Resistance to aquaplaning is very good too- I couldn't unstick mine even doing 125mph through standing water at Goodwood

.Prior to them, I've used, in order of ascending performance, P6000's, SP Sport 9000, SO2's.

Plus, as an added benefit, their tread design will perform better on snow than something like the F1 or SP9000.

Abbott also recommend them.

They are quite hard for a performance tyre, but soft by general standards.

 

[john]

has used many sets of P6000s and swears they "go off" at about 2/3 worn.[/b]

I agree with this. I hate Pirellis on my Saabs Truly outstanding aquaplaning characteristics at 50mph with 3-4mm remaining tread.

They didn't even last very long. Avoid the Pirellis

 

[sgould]

They are quite hard for a performance tyre, but soft by general standards.[/b]

Phew! Thought I was dreaming there for a minute.

I'm new to this fast(ish) car thing. Must be a second childhood

 

[StanleyB]

Quote /John:

They didn't even last very long. Avoid the Pirellis  [/b]

I couldn't agree more. I tried them once and had to change them after just 8000 miles. I would be banned from this board if I truelly expressed what my real memory of them were.

 

[ylee coyote]

goodyear f1's ...
been using them for ages and they are the best tyre I have found for all round performance
I tried so2's and they were grrrreeaat... but only lasted 8k

Fi's are lasting 25 k ish
great in the wet, great in the dry and no tramlining oh and they are relatively cheep
(£105 for 235/40 x17")

 

[Eric van Spelde]

My 16" Aero's came with 195/50 P6000's. I swear I scrubbed about 1 mm of tread from the fronts in 600ish miles...
Still, I reckon -after the leaking Koni's were discoverd and replaced, that is- overall handling with the 16" combo has improved over the 205/55 SP9000's I was running on the original 15" 'Turbo '85' rims. And those were a very significant improvement over the Michelin MXV/ MXV2/ Classic 195/60/15s I was running prior to that...

I can't wait to experience what the sixteens will be like with real high performance rubber, but my wallet says it will have to wait, alas...

 

[murphwiz]

Right...

So plenty of choice...
Short list now appears to be Bridgestone S03, or goodyear F1's... or stick with the ZZ£...
Now I can get goodyears to within a couple of quid of the avons..
Whats the wear like on the S03's... certainly don't want to be replacing every 8k!

Haven't got a price for those yet....

 

[billj]

Treadwear on the S-03 is 220. You have to drive like an idiot to wear them out in 8K miles

Dunno about 225s, but this week I priced a set of 215/45/17s at £117 each inclusive.

 

[sgould]

I went to Northway tyres in Watford (as, I think did BillJ) They are a "nominated" fitter for myTyres.com. The S-03's I wanted were £103 + the web published fitting charge of around £9 with disposal. Found their own fitted price - incl valve and balancing - was a couple of quid cheaper!! So I saved myself the trouble of waiting at home for the delivery and went direct.

 

[billj]

And I've found that if you ask Northway for the inclusive price of four tyres, it's less than four times the inclusive price of one. Other dealers will do this too. On my current set of S-03s the dealer who supplied them knocked off the price of valves or balancing or something they would normally charge extra for since I was buying four at once. Saved me a few quid.