85 replies to this topic

[Damo]

Hi Jon, thanks for mentioning the Sport Maxx GT - I'll add it to the poll

EDIT:

Just checked and it was already in the poll for Summer & Winter but not for Track - I've added it to the track section now

[perr_mike]

Further (Again) to my posts above it seems I got to speak to a Jobsworth at Micheldever Tyres about 452's who it seems was just trying to sell me another tyre as the correct ones were out of stock. Falken 452's have not been discontinued - YAY!! Had 2 fitted today.

[Paul_S]

perr_mike, on 29 Jan 2009, 22:07, said:

Further (Again) to my posts above it seems I got to speak to a Jobsworth at Micheldever Tyres about 452's who it seems was just trying to sell me another tyre as the correct ones were out of stock. Falken 452's have not been discontinued - YAY!! Had 2 fitted today.

Cool - I ordered 4 of them from Camskill today too

[PaulW]

Found another good point for Kumho, they are ace in snow and ice. I got off my estate this morning, my neighbours with and RS6 did not

[Paul_S]

Paul_S, on 18 Jan 2009, 10:36, said:

I was wondering how much tyres differ in weight - although I guess it can't be too much.

Anyway, for reference, I weighed my Rays that are currently shod in (barely legal) Bridgestone Potenza RE040's and this was the result:

Front: 19.9 KG
Rear: 21.9 KG

Just to complete the story, I just had some Falken FK-452's fitted and the weights are now (this time with full tread, air, valves, and balancing weights):

Front: 20.3 KG
Rear: 21.8 KG

Edit: and for completeness, here are the weights for Nismo LMGT4's with Toyo tyres (good front, barely legal rears):

Front: 20.4 KG
Rear: 21.3 KG

Edited by Paul_S, 07 February 2009 - 02:16 PM.
Paul's being boring weighing more wheels again :lol:

[Damo]

Thank you for those weights Paul, I'll go weigh some standard 6 spokes with B/S on and post the results.

Thank you to everyone that has voted thus far, I'll be tidying the list soon so please speak now if you would like another tyre added etc.

No votes for 'Continental Sport Contact 3' - I'll remove them then...........?

[jon-]

Damo, on 29 Jan 2009, 16:59, said:

Hi Jon, thanks for mentioning the Sport Maxx GT - I'll add it to the poll

EDIT:

Just checked and it was already in the poll for Summer & Winter but not for Track - I've added it to the track section now

The Sport Maxx GT are very different from the normal Sport Maxx (which have been replaced by the Sport Maxx TT).

If you check the link, the Gt's are a half road, half trackday type tyre.

I've got them on my Z and after testing a number of other tyres I can tell you nothing grips like them.

Note for the post above - the sport contact 3's were OEM on 997 911's, no votes doesn't mean a bad tyre

[dools350z]

Toyo T1R's always for me, fantastic grip, £90ish on blackcircles.com and around 10k of use before it's goosed!

[Rubber]

Not sure about £90?!!! I paid £330 for two rear tyres (Toyos) 245/45/R18 and that was on Blackcircles. They were the cheapest I could find on the net but my fitting centre suggested that they could match the price if not better it.

[dools350z]

Rubber, on 20 Feb 2009, 12:27, said:

Not sure about £90?!!! I paid £330 for two rear tyres (Toyos) 245/45/R18 and that was on Blackcircles. They were the cheapest I could find on the net but my fitting centre suggested that they could match the price if not better it.

£330???? When was that mate? Got 2 new rears for mine in summer last year for £180 odd, they have gone up a bit now to around £125 each now though on mytyres.com

[Damo]

Good to see some more votes

Interesting to see Michelin Pilot SPORT '2' climbing up the list too

More votes please, it would be good to get to 100 votes

[merdock2]

Hi,
My car is on verdestien 235/35/20 on the front and Dunlop 9000 285/30/20 on the rear don't seam to have any traction control problems at all,the dunlops arn't the best tyres but seem to be capable all rounders.
Mark

[Damo]

Thanks again to all that have voted

112 votes is excellent. Good to see that we have a clear favourite in the Toyo.

Just out of interest I thought I'd see if I could find the best online price for a rear Toyo T1-R........

£134.80 delivered, from Camskill Performance

Can anyone find a better price?

[jon-]

Damo, on 18 May 2009, 11:46, said:

Thanks again to all that have voted

112 votes is excellent. Good to see that we have a clear favourite in the Toyo.

Just out of interest I thought I'd see if I could find the best online price for a rear Toyo T1-R........

£134.80 delivered, from Camskill Performance

Can anyone find a better price?

Playing devils advocate (but having some basis for my comments) the most voted for tyre doesn't always mean the "best", it's just the tyre with the best press and a reasonable price point.

I know for a fact many of the tyres listed suit the 350z better than the soft-sidewalled Toyo, but also cost a lot more so their use, and there for their coverage isn't as great.

[Puddenchucker]

jon-, on 19 May 2009, 17:56, said:

I know for a fact many of the tyres listed suit the 350z better than the soft-sidewalled Toyo

That's probably the only criticism I've got against the Toyo T1-R. compared to the OEM Bridgestone RE040.
It's quieter and has a more compliant ride, but it's less sharp on turn-in, taking a fraction of a second while the tyres squidge before the car settles into the turn, which removes a tiny bit of the confidence I used to have in the car when pressing on. Although ultimate grip levels are probably about the same in the dry.

[jon-]

Puddenchucker, on 19 May 2009, 17:35, said:

That's probably the only criticism I've got against the Toyo T1-R. compared to the OEM Bridgestone RE040.
It's quieter and has a more compliant ride, but it's less sharp on turn-in, taking a fraction of a second while the tyres squidge before the car settles into the turn, which removes a tiny bit of the confidence I used to have in the car when pressing on. Although ultimate grip levels are probably about the same in the dry.

The 040 isn't really a fair comparison though, I've not come across a tyre with a stiffer sidewall! Even the replacement 050 is much more complaint.

[Kano]

Does anyone know how long it takes to run in Toyo Proxes? Just had some rears fitted today and the back end seems floaty and not as grippy as before. I've read that Toyo use a lot of mold release lubricant in the manufacturing process which I'm guessing is the cause. How long before I can change lanes on the motorway in confidence!?

[jon-]

No one really uses a mould release, it's just the way the top layer of rubber sets from the curing.

I think you might be experience the wonderfully soft sidewalls on the T1rs, compared to the awesome hard sidewalls on the OE Bridgestones.

Try a few more PSI.

[Damo]

Good advice from jon there, check your pressures yourself don't rely on the tyre fitters, but I would still recommend 'running the tyre in' for about 100 miles to get them "scrubbed in"

[Kano]

Cheers I'll try a few more PSI to see if that makes a difference. Very odd driving experience, weaving from side to side at about 50mph on the motorway feels like you're about to oversteer and spin. Backend feels like its on one of those skid pan rigs, reminds me of driving on icy roads. Awful. Hope it settles down!

Edited by Kano, 17 August 2009 - 09:12 PM.