What tyres do you recommend?

[dumpycorsa]

Hi.I've been putting it off for a while but the time has now come to purchase a set of tyres for my nova. I'm using 195/45/15's for the road so i know some tyres won't be available. I use Toyo proxes R888's 195/50/15's for drag/track days but these rub on the back so 45 profile is a must for my road tyres. These tyres will be used just for road use, all seasons. I've heard good things about a couple of tyres. The toyo proxes T1s and the Yokohama AS01 both get good feedback and are evenly priced. What would you recommend. What do you use? My local car club forum had a "local business plug" page in which I got a response from a local tyre trader when I asked for a quote for 4 Toyo proxes T1S's.

This was his reply -

"Let me set the record straight here once and for all. http://209.85.12.227/html/emoticons/smile.gif

I will start by saying that Toyo's are very over rated , now you will struggle to find better for the money on that I would agree, but lets not get them confused with decent tyres. http://209.85.12.227/html/emoticons/unsure.gif

Unfortunately their ill founded reputation is in most part down to sh1t magazines who get paid sh1t loads to advertise them, you know, the sort you have under your coffee table Dave http://209.85.12.227/html/emoticons/huh.gif

The end result is.......... sh1t car owners who believe everything these rediculous magazines print, along with people who generally cant afford proper tyres (Yokohama's, Michelin's PHP's or Pirelli P zero's) feel the need to ring me week in week out sprouting some load of old bollox about how great they are and why dont we stock them, then get all upset when I send them to away. :haha:

In closing, if you want sh1t tyres for no money then go where ever you can get them, when you want to spend good money on good tyres at the best price give me a ring and I will beat any quote and thats a cast iron guarantee you have my word http://209.85.12.227/html/emoticons/wink.gif "

Do you agree with this or do you think toyo are good tyres? Let me know what you guys think. Cheers:thumb:

[Paul16v]

lmao! imo toyos proxxes are decent tyres! far better than a539's or parada spec 2's, dunlop sp sports 9000's are a very good tyre,

[dumpycorsa]

lmao! imo toyos proxxes are decent tyres! far better than a539's or parada spec 2's, dunlop sp sports 9000's are a very good tyre,

So you wouldn't agree with what my local tyre dealer wrote then? I've used yokohama A539's and A048's. I can honestly say that the proxes grip better off the mark. I was surprised at the reply I got but then he doesn't stock Toyo tyres.

[GDN16v]

I have toyo's on my cars and cant recommend them enough! Wear well, grip well, and work in the wet and the dry, and arent over priced unlike Michelin and Pirelli tyres!:thumb:;):)

You tend to find when local garages and tyre dealers dont like certain tyres its because they coudlnt get a deal to sell them cheap enough to maximise profits!!lol lol lol lol

[Rexy]

what is that guy offering as a replacement? Nakanyaknag ditchfinder? or colway's or somthing like that?

I've had GSD's for a while now and i love them, Rainsports are also a good tyre remeber you live in the uk ;) riggy hated his P-zero's at £130 a tyre :O

[dumpycorsa]

I have toyo's on my cars and cant recommend them enough! Wear well, grip well, and work in the wet and the dry, and arent over priced unlike Michelin and Pirelli tyres!:thumb:;):)

You tend to find when local garages and tyre dealers dont like certain tyres its because they coudlnt get a deal to sell them cheap enough to maximise profits!!lol lol lol lol

What Toyo's do you use? T1s's, T1R's? something else?

He probably won't like this but this is a Kwik-fit manager! I agree with you. Have had lots of different tyres some good some not so good.

I've replied saying surely if people with sh1t cars (as he put it) are out there wearing their Toyo's out surely it would be good business sense to sell the customers what they want (whether you like the tyres or not).

Last time I asked for quote on some tyres he recommended GTradials!

[Gunzi]

Toyo T-1R's have excellent all round grip. Goodyear Eagle F1 GDS3's also good hard to separate from the Toyos. I've heard good things about the Falken 452's although I've never used them. A

These tyres get good reviews from nova owners to skyline owners. Vast experience speaks not someone trying to put you off tyres just because they don't stock them.

[dumpycorsa]

what is that guy offering as a replacement? Nakanyaknag ditchfinder? or colway's or somthing like that?

I've had GSD's for a while now and i love them, Rainsports are also a good tyre remeber you live in the uk ;) riggy hated his P-zero's at £130 a tyre :O

Haven't got that far yet. I think he's quite taken by pzero's. Trouble is there's so many places you can mail order tyres now I doubt he'd be able to match their prices. I'd be fitting the tyres myself as I don't want a YTS lad jacking my nova up on the sills with one of those car eating trolley jacks.

£130 a tyre is silly money surely the price of the tyre doesn't replicate it's effectiveness. I mean Toyo's can't be bad just because they aren't the most expensive. All the reviews I've read have rated them highly

[dumpycorsa]

This is the cheapest place I've found for Toyo T1 R's - http://www.fasttyres.co.uk/results2.php

Toyo T1 S's don't seem to be as common but tweeks list them at £47.25

[Welsh Dan]

I've found Goodyear Eagle F1's and Goodyear Exclellences's to be, well, excellent.

try www.camskill.co.uk for tyres aswell.

[dumpycorsa]

I've found Goodyear Eagle F1's and Goodyear Exclellences's to be, well, excellent.

try www.camskill.co.uk (http://www.camskill.co.uk) for tyres aswell.

Just had a look on that website. They're slightly more expensive than fasttyres. Did notice though that it says the T1R is a replacement for the T1S yet the T1S is a bit more even though the T1R is 25% better than the T1S in the dry. Why would you pay more for a tyre which aparently isn't as good?:wtf:

[dumpycorsa]

Anyone tried the Yokohama AS01? Good price but is it because they aren't very good?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170204660837

[Jack]

If you want Yokohama, speak to the user Skittle on here. She can get Yokos at good prices and will advise whats best for your usage. Bear in mind, if you speak to her on the phone you'll be there for ages as she does tend to yak on a bit lol :p

I like Goodyears, I had some eagle F1s on the celica - good tyres, but grip shot off rapidly once they neared replacement time. Had Falken FK451 and 452, both very good for the money. Currently on Kumho Ecsta Sport tyres - awful, avoid like the plague. Only reason the car goes round corners is 4wd at the moment lol

I was under the impression T1-R is a harder compound than T1-S, so lasts longer but retains almost the same level of grip.

[dumpycorsa]

If you want Yokohama, speak to the user Skittle on here. She can get Yokos at good prices and will advise whats best for your usage. Bear in mind, if you speak to her on the phone you'll be there for ages as she does tend to yak on a bit lol :p

I like Goodyears, I had some eagle F1s on the celica - good tyres, but grip shot off rapidly once they neared replacement time. Had Falken FK451 and 452, both very good for the money. Currently on Kumho Ecsta Sport tyres - awful, avoid like the plague. Only reason the car goes round corners is 4wd at the moment lol

I was under the impression T1-R is a harder compound than T1-S, so lasts longer but retains almost the same level of grip.

It looks to me that the T1R is the replacement for the T1S. Its aparently 25% better in the dry and it's cheaper. Not sure how that works

I've found the AS01 yoko for £39.13 each.
May price up some Falken FK 451/452 as a few people have mentioned these now. Cheers for feed back

[dumpycorsa]

I've had a quick scan around and I can't find the falken FK451 or 452 in a 195/45/15. Not sure if they do that size in that tyre

[NovaGuy1400SRi]

i dont think i'd bother with the goodyear eagle f1's, didnt grip too well on my dads accord tourer, didnt last too long either, now running Falken ze912's and they grip a hell of alot better, dont know how long they'll last though but thats what i'll be putting on the MO's, i can get 195/45/15 Falken ze912's at £40 a tyre without fitting.

[dumpycorsa]

I think the £40 to £50 mark is what I'm looking to spend TBH. There seems to be alot of different opinions out there as to what is a good all round tyre.

I'm looking for something that grips well as nova xe's have a bad habbit of smokin the inside tyre alot, especially when wet I find

[Will F]

OMG! Just buy some tyres FFS! lol

Unless you are tracking it, dont worry. I just get the cheapest I can get for the XE corsa and XE combo, they are usually Falken or Khumo, which are fine.

;)

[adam c]

as GND16v said he probably doesnt like them because he hasnt got a deal with them to get them cheap(and make more profit) and will try to sell you something he has got a deal with.ive had both toyo t1-s and t1-r on my cars and i think they grip very well for the money but alot of people on here highly rate the goodyear eagle f1 GSD3's so i'll be trying a set of them out once these are worn down.

[twistysnovagte]

i worked in a wholesale tyre buissness dealing with thousands of tyres per day(glad i got away from that sh1telol)anyhows i would recomend,HANKOOK,AVON.these two are very good brand tyres and both do track tyres etc with HANKOOK(ventus range)AVON(zzr range).

[Dar]

I have these on my 6 at the mo and they are great!
http://www.camskill.co.uk/products.php?plid=m4b0s92p7556
Better than the falken's I ran before. Well worth a try. Plus they look great as well. They also seem to be wearing very well.

[twistysnovagte]

nice choice dar,and a very good price aswell,they used to be called "stunner"but was bought out and recieved the name marangoni(pretty sure there from the same factory as continentil.:)

[Welsh Dan]

as GND16v said he probably doesnt like them because he hasnt got a deal with them to get them cheap(and make more profit) and will try to sell you something he has got a deal with.ive had both toyo t1-s and t1-r on my cars and i think they grip very well for the money but alot of people on here highly rate the goodyear eagle f1 GSD3's so i'll be trying a set of them out once these are worn down.

GSD2 > GSD3

[Sturge]

nice choice dar,and a very good price aswell,they used to be called "stunner"but was bought out and recieved the name marangoni(pretty sure there from the same factory as continentil.:)

Correct :thumb:


I have to agree with your tyre dealer, yes the toyo is very good, for the money, but there are far better tyres out there. If he has more experience with bigger more powerful cars then his words ring even more true.

The toyo's work well on small cars but the construction isn't great for bigger ones, the T1-R has a stiffer sidewall than the S, and a slightly harder compound (trying to overcome the problems on bigger cars), grip levels aren't much different but i find the S more progressive and predictable. Ran the R's on a vts for a while with no problems though.

P zero nero's have much better dry grip than the toyo's but about the same in the wet. feel like they're sliding a lot in the wet but they do grip well. Again seem to work better on smaller cars

Uniroyal rainsports are cracking tyres, only complaint is they're a little on the soft side, don't wear out that quickly though

Had continental sport contact 2's on the P1 and was hugely impressed, seemed to wear pretty well too but they are designed for heavier and very high performance cars.

falken's are ok for what they are, hankook ventus i actually got the place that sold me them to take off and replace as they were lethal in the wet, that was 8 years ago though, may have changed since then

[dumpycorsa]

Ok thanks guys for all your opinions. I think I have narrowed it down to 2 tyres now. Ive rung around today to see what kind of prices I can get them for. Alot of places say they cant really beat what I can get them for on line but a couple said they can do a "cash deal" as I'm fitting them myself. My final two choices are - Dunlop SP sport 9000 or the Goodyear eagle F1 which are both around the £55 mark which I can stretch to. I've viewed some on line surveys and heard mostly good feedback about them both. I think if they both turn out to be the same price I'll go for the Dunlop.

[Adam]

I have these on my 6 at the mo and they are great!
http://www.camskill.co.uk/products.php?plid=m4b0s92p7556
Better than the falken's I ran before. Well worth a try. Plus they look great as well. They also seem to be wearing very well.
Which falkens did you have?

[Dar]

FK451 I think.

[Adam]

Ahh right.
Think im going try the new ZE912 Falkens, only £38 a corner delivered too.
Apparently there good in all conditions

[nathan.]

I was impressed with my toyo t1s last night at donington circuit in the wet and dry.

[Jack]

Ahh right.
Think im going try the new ZE912 Falkens, only £38 a corner delivered too.
Apparently there good in all conditions
FK > ZE afaik

[NovaGuy1400SRi]

Ahh right.
Think im going try the new ZE912 Falkens, only £38 a corner delivered too.
Apparently there good in all conditions

ze912 :thumb: thats what my dad has on the front of his accord tourer now, grip better than the goodyear eagle f1's in all weather.

[Stuart]

Jack what is the KU number on the Kumhos you have on?

Ive got KU31 Ecsta Sports and they are the mutts nuts!!!! They gripped like fook on my frist two wet laps of the 'ring, and when it dried out they were stunning in the dry too!!!


the hankook RS2's I have on the fronts were a little gash in the wet but after knocking some pressure out they started to perform well too.


I'mm with WillF though, just get el cheapos and se whats what (mind you KU31's are velly cheap and good lol) when abusing the car.

[Graeme]

I say fit Kwik fits very own Debica's they last forever and are s*&t in all conditions and when you get your car home at night you feel like you've achieved something by making it home in one piece.

[strcnova]

Well the best advice i can give you is buy the best you can afford and if you can spend that little bit extra do so.
Its those four little patches of rubber thats between you and the tarmac. Its what give you the grip to drive and the grip to stop aswell. so make your choice wisely.

With me doing competitive rallying tyres are a very critical choice. I started usin Colway and maxsport tyres which did the job they were asked to do but pushed they could not give the performance that i needed. These tyres are remoulds so they were road tyres once but have been then remoulded with a competition compond, but they have there limits

I then went onto Yokahama tyres which were excellant tyres for there price. Again they are tyres with a compitition compond added to the base tyre with varaying softness or hardness of compond. i used either 032r's or 048r's. The 32's were a good all round tyre and really good in the wet. the 48 are again good all round but do loose the edge in the wet.

i have now swiched to Hancook tyres and what a difference!! Now these tyre are getting serious. Yes these tyres can cost a £100 a corner!!! and may only last 200 miles!!! but the grip levels i can get from these are brilliant. I can choose soft or hard compond? intermidate or full wet cut? and another thing that many of you may not even think about is tyre pressure. a few pounds difference can change how the tyre will work. Tyre temp can tell how well a tyre is working. if its gets very hot the tyre will go off as its to hot to work and bending to much and if the tyre is to cold then the tyre will not flex under cornering allowing the tyre to place the biggest footprint it can.

Think very carfully about what tyres you place on your car. if you can get tyres for the road and on a spare set of wheels fit tyres that you can use on the track, do so becuse if you use your road tyres on the track and work them too hard you could loose all the grip on the road.

If you have the money to spend on tyres spend it!

[paul james]

Goodyear Eagle F1 have been absolutely superb for me in dry conditions, grip perfectly at high speeds. They possibly aren't the best tyres you can get for wet driving though, had a couple of spins in the rain, not terrible mind and perhaps I was just pushing too hard, they are so good in the dry you get a bit over confident with them!

[Stuart]

F1's were faultless in the wet on the back of my omega..

driving style/geometry makes a big deal in the wet, ie drive like a retard and spin lol

[strcnova]

Yes geometry has a big part too and more so in the wet. I change the front anti roll bar depending on the weather, from gte bar to sr bar to no anti roll bar at all.

[dumpycorsa]

Sound advise as ever there chaps. Aparently (a tyre dealer told me) that both the F1 and the Dunlop 9000 are both been replaced with new editions. He also said that the 195/45 profile is an old favorite you don't see around as much anymore. This is why most places I rang couldn't quote me for them. They'd have to speak to the main distributor to get prices as they weren't listed on the websites. Have to wait til tomorrow. looks like both the eagle f1 and the SP 9000 have equal amounts of positive feedback.

Couldn't agree more about "you get what you pay for" when it comes tyres. "So spend what you can stretch to". I had a blow out 2 years ago in my corsa xe and i rolled it at 70+mph. Scarey sh1t hence why I'm quite particular on what tyres i buy now.

[Brodie_Sri]

get the f1's