[paulmanchester]

Ok the time has finally come for new tyres.....which?
S-03's are 1st choice...but cost is prohibitive I think. Others? Also where can i buy 'em cheap?
they are 205/55/16.
I believe the carly should have 205/50/16 ? Would this make a difference? Which rating as well? V or Z? (V is upto 149 mph....z is 145+mph?does it matter?) If I should have 205/50/16.....how stupid would it be to mix 205/50/16 on front and 205/55/16 on back? I cant afford 4 tyres...........
Also the back are still almost brand new (fitted when I bought car as part of deal....pirelli P6/7000-not sure which!)-should I get same on front?Again will it make a huge difference? I currentl have S-02's on front..........
Thansk in advance.

 

[1989agoodvintage]

Check these out, tyres are much discussed in this forum.


tyre thread 1

tyre thread 2

tyre thread 3

 

[paulmanchester]

Should have checked-lazy night!Sorry!

 

[cdcarlsson]

Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's have been nominated as the best by 'evo' magazine by a whisker from Continental SportContacts.
Neither excelled in one area, but were found to good all round tyres.
I have used Eagle F1's for a few years now, so I was pretty pleased with the result. They also happen to be cheaper than most, bonus!!

Nick.

 

[jeremyfrost]

I have read a variable review of Sports Contacts, though I had them on my '97 RS2000 and that car handled very well indeed. By all accounts, you will have problems bettering S02's as the Elise crowd favoured these to SO3's & really rated them. I assume Yokohamas are silly money as these seem to be where the Lotus boys are at.

 

[Aeroguy]

Don't know if it will help but I had pirelli P6000 on my old 92 Carlsson and they worked a treat. Also Pirelli recommend that the new tyres go on the rear (strange but it works) so if I were you I'd buy a pair of new tyres for the back right now and have the old ones put on the front. Also the mix of sizes you were sugesting is a define no-no as the rolling diameters will be different.

 

[ylee coyote]

Ihave found goodyear f1's to be the best all rounder
I have tried so2's..wore down to the wire in 12k's..good grip tho'
coniti sports lasted 7 k.

I am getting 30k plus from the f 1's..great in the wet/ dont go off when they wear/good milage/good price (I paid £99 for 235/40/17's last time...)

 

[Mark B]

Paul,

If you use tyres of a lower speed rating than that specified by the manufacturer, your insurance is null and void.

Personally, I like Michelin Pilots. I threw away a half worn set of P6000s when I got bored with terminal wheelspin and aquaplaning. Each to their own...

 

[haydon]

Originally posted by Aeroguy:
[qb]Pirelli recommend that the new tyres go on the rear (strange but it works) so if I were you I'd buy a pair of new tyres for the back right now and have the old ones put on the front.[/qb][/b]

Top Gear or Driven did a piece on this last year, it was a real eye opener. New tyres on the front with old ones on the back resulted in the back end breaking away.

It seems counter intuitive, but now I will always put new tyres on the back.
David

 

[paulmanchester]

Ok, still looking for tyres:

S-03's £175 for 2. Thats pretty impressive stuff!
company who sells these also rec. these:
tyres

Looking at the website, they are 205X55X16 WR MARANGONI VANTO TYRES. He can do these for £130 for 2. What do you think of them? Anyone have experience of them? Not lookimng to go cheap-but website looks impressive!
cheers

 

[jeremyfrost]

Paul, where on earth did you get a quote for S03's at £175 for 2? Kwik Fit sell the for £160 inc fitting - each! I want some!

 

[Paul D]

Top Gear or Driven did a piece on this last year, it was a real eye opener. New tyres on the front with old ones on the back resulted in the back end breaking away.  [/b]

This happens because there is less grip on the old tyres in the wet.

But it is more important that the front tyres do not loose grip when breaking hard in a dead straight line in the wet. Which is when better tread on the front tyres is more important than better tread on the rear tyres!

If I flogged it in the wet, to the limit of the tyres, I would go for new tyres on the rear (as per top gears findings).
But as the danger is more likely to be something causing me to stop fast in a straight line, I always put the new tyres on the front and take it steady until the thready bits have worn off.

 

[paulmanchester]

Here is the email from the guy (2 of them now):

Stewart Moss" <[email protected]> | This is Spam | Add to Address Book
To: [email protected]
Subject: TYRES
Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2002 08:36:21 -0000

205X55X16 BRIDGESTONE S03 TYRES X 2.=£174.15 ALL IN DELIVERED.
205X55X16 WR MARANGONI VANTO TYRES=£134.20 ALL IN DELIVERD
MARANGONI TYRE KEY DEALER.#
THE TYRE WITH A LIFETIME GUARANTEE.

NOTE:ALL TYRES LISTED WILL INCLUDE VAT+DELIVERY.



MANY THANKS Stewart Moss

[email protected]

also he did quote initially on 4:

REF:205X55X16 TYRES.
PRICES FOR 4 TYRE PACKAGES AS FOLLOWS.
PIRELLI P6000 WR TYRES=£245.30 ALL IN DELIVERED.
BRIDGESTONE SO3 TYRES WR=£341.65 ALL IN DELIVERED.
MARANGONI VANTO WR TYRES=£259.40 ALL IN DELIVERED.WITH LIFETIME WARRANTY,OUR TOP SELLING TYRES BY FAR.
MARANGONI TYRE KEY DEALER.#
THE TYRE WITH A LIFETIME GUARANTEE.

NOTE:ALL TYRES LISTED WILL INCLUDE VAT+DELIVERY.



MANY THANKS Stewart Moss

[email protected]

 

[jeremyfrost]

That is so cheap - have you got the website url?

 

[cdcarlsson]

Just a small warning.

In the past I bought some tyres cheaply through a well known independant. It was only later that I realised they wern't 'E' marked. The tyre manufacturer confirmed they were made by them in a Far Eastern factory to a different specification (harder compound to cope with higher ambient temp).

Be careful out there!

 

[bill]

cdcarlsson is spot on on this.....there are some awful tyres around from eastern europe and the far east which are not uk spec. to decifer tyre sidewall info try: http://www.michelin.co.uk

billthetractordriver

 

[alan_b]

Well, this is their guarantee anyway:

http://www.4tyres.net/guarantee.html

Alanb

 

[bill]

Alan_b: sounds great, good deal, no worries . Pays to be careful .

billthetractordriver

 

[Paul Anderson]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Aeroguy:
Pirelli recommend that the new tyres go on the rear (strange but it works) so if I were you I'd buy a pair of new tyres for the back right now and have the old ones put on the front.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In addition, a talk I attended a few years ago given by a Guy from, I think, Michelin, recommended fitting new tyres to the rear initially to run then in for a couple of thousand miles. Then transfer them to the front ( same side ) and this gives increased total milage. It's something to do with them having an easier time on the rear while they settle in. In addition he recommended buying tyres at this time since the cooler roads have a similar effect. Apparently these are some of the 'techniques' used in tyre milage comparisons. [email protected]<br />
ps. EurocarParts do some great deals on tyres if you have the contacts to fit them. I've had fun with Falkens on both my 9ks.

 

[Oles]

Food for thought.
I too was looking for some really good tyres for dry and wet handling and found a real bargain!

Let me tell you the story:
I used to have the 15" Teardrop Aero wheels on my 9000 with Yokohama tyres (195/65/15). But noticed that the great performace came at a price - Tyre wear I'd gone from 7mm tread new to 3mm tread with in 6 months (8000 miles or so).

Then I changed my wheels for some proper 16" Super Aero obviously I needed new tyres too. As my wheels came from my dealer (I do not trust second hand alloys) I went with his recommendation of the Swedish brand of Gislaved, I bought four Speed 506 205/55/ ZR16 Directional 'summer' tyres for £300 approx. I thought what the hell just so I can have my 9000 on its proper wheels, if I don't like them I can always change them.

Let me tell you this I've had them for 2 years now ( 27,000 miles or so) and never looked back, just as good as my Yokohamas were and so much less wear. And at a much lower cost.

I spoke to my dealer and asked how can you sell such a good tyre for cheap tyre money. The answer I got was that Gislaved are an unknown Swedish brand in the UK (true I've never heard of them!)hence the price. Oh and that they are standard fit to Saabs in Sweden. Also upon my own investigation Gislaved also make some of the best winter tyres and have a world class reputation. I have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone who wants execptional value for money.