Pirellis & Style Bars

Archives of Posts to the NZ MX5 List back in 2003
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Simon Lord
See my 5 and raise you.
See my 5 and raise you.
Posts: 98
Joined: Fri Sep 22, 2006 1:09 pm
Location: Albany

Pirellis & Style Bars

Post by Simon Lord » Fri Feb 14, 2003 5:45 pm

On a more serious subject than locked-in keys, could I ask for some advice
please?

Tyres

Leon Marshall (great guy) also fitted Pirelli P6000 185/60's to mine a couple
of weeks ago, although I paid $755 for them (wonder why?). Also got the
alignment done at the same time.

Did 1000 kms and really wasn't very happy. The car just didn't seem to be
turning in as precisely as it did before, and from mild oversteer the tendency
became towards mild understeer. Previously the car had been on some very worn
Japanese brand I had never heard of before.

Took it back to Leon and he was amazed. He has increased the tyre pressures
from 32 to 36 and it is a bit better, but I have to say that I am still not as
confident going quickly into bends as I used to be on the old tyres.

I have absolutely standard suspension and wheels (no spacers, Lou) on a 97
model. Anybody else have experience with these tyres, and if so what pressure
are you running them at? I'll take it back to Leon after another 1000kms, but
it would be nice to have some pointers. Haven't had Pirelli's since the P6's
on my Fiesta XR2 back in 1984, but they were brilliant then.

Also - style bars

Went to look at a style bar being advertised by someone in Manukau last
weekend as I promised my wife I would add one. Really nice bar, looked great
on the car (M shape) and had diagonal rear struts which went back down to a
full width bar resting on the shelf. Not as good as a roll bar, I know, but a
neat solution and one that would at least spread the load a little.

However, I suddenly realised that having a bar gives you a problem with the
hood. I always unzip the window and lay it flat, but with any sort of diagonal
strut you can't do that. It seems that you either have to leave the window
zipped in or unzip it and rest it against the struts so that it will flap
madly.

Does anyone have any thoughts, suggestions, solutions to this problem? Or is a
strutless bar the only answer?

Thanks

Simon
Sparkle Green Jellybean
97 SR Ltd (sparkle green)
Email: simon@franchise.co.nz

Sean Craig

Pirellis & Style Bars

Post by Sean Craig » Fri Feb 14, 2003 6:20 pm

try lowering the tyre pressure
having driven two MX5's back to back one with P6000 and the other one
with Yokohama 509s the yoko fitted car did turn in faster ... but
niether car had 36psi in the tyres. in fact after trying several
different pressures in both cars over a long period of time 26-28 psi
was more like it. in fact the P6000 fitted car ended up running 24psi
(cold mind you ... not after driving to gas station) for the best
results. the yokos (we found) liked a bit more pressure than the 6000s
...

Sean


On Friday, Feb 14, 2003, at 17:45 Pacific/Auckland, Franchise New
Zealand magazine & website wrote:

[...]

Sean Craig

Pirellis & Style Bars

Post by Sean Craig » Fri Feb 14, 2003 6:20 pm

try lowering the tyre pressure
having driven two MX5's back to back one with P6000 and the other one
with Yokohama 509s the yoko fitted car did turn in faster ... but
niether car had 36psi in the tyres. in fact after trying several
different pressures in both cars over a long period of time 26-28 psi
was more like it. in fact the P6000 fitted car ended up running 24psi
(cold mind you ... not after driving to gas station) for the best
results. the yokos (we found) liked a bit more pressure than the 6000s
...

Sean


On Friday, Feb 14, 2003, at 17:45 Pacific/Auckland, Franchise New
Zealand magazine & website wrote:

[...]

jeff

Pirellis & Style Bars

Post by jeff » Fri Feb 14, 2003 6:39 pm

hi Simon,

did you get a before/after printout of the alignment
specs? He may have given you more toe-in, which would
produce those results. Or it could just be
'squirminess' of the new tyres' tread softening the
overall response.

All pure speculation of course.

Jeff


--- Franchise New Zealand magazine & website
<Simon@franchise.co.nz> wrote:
[...]

jeff

Pirellis & Style Bars

Post by jeff » Fri Feb 14, 2003 6:39 pm

hi Simon,

did you get a before/after printout of the alignment
specs? He may have given you more toe-in, which would
produce those results. Or it could just be
'squirminess' of the new tyres' tread softening the
overall response.

All pure speculation of course.

Jeff


--- Franchise New Zealand magazine & website
<Simon@franchise.co.nz> wrote:
[...]

Graeme Naisbitt

Pirellis & Style Bars

Post by Graeme Naisbitt » Sat Feb 15, 2003 3:32 pm

yeah a thought would be - don't bother unzipping the window. My partner
religiously unzips hers and it cracked about 6 months ago. I don't bother
with mine and its fine. My partners window is about 3 years old... don't
know how old mine is, I've only had it for about 18 months Look on it as
being a maintenance item, its so much more fun to drop/raise the lid at
traffic lights, install style bars etc...

Just on another matter... if you see two red jellybeans driving to/from AK
airport in the morning, give us a wave as we are going to pick my mum and
dad up (flown out from the camoflagued Heathrow airport today)... so you
will see two red jellybeans and a taxi (carrying the luggage) - if I was a
practical person I'd make sure my wife had a bigger car =P

G
D4NGER

Graeme Naisbitt

Pirellis & Style Bars

Post by Graeme Naisbitt » Sat Feb 15, 2003 3:32 pm

yeah a thought would be - don't bother unzipping the window. My partner
religiously unzips hers and it cracked about 6 months ago. I don't bother
with mine and its fine. My partners window is about 3 years old... don't
know how old mine is, I've only had it for about 18 months Look on it as
being a maintenance item, its so much more fun to drop/raise the lid at
traffic lights, install style bars etc...

Just on another matter... if you see two red jellybeans driving to/from AK
airport in the morning, give us a wave as we are going to pick my mum and
dad up (flown out from the camoflagued Heathrow airport today)... so you
will see two red jellybeans and a taxi (carrying the luggage) - if I was a
practical person I'd make sure my wife had a bigger car =P

G
D4NGER

Ian Chapman

Pirellis & Style Bars

Post by Ian Chapman » Mon Feb 17, 2003 8:33 am

Simon

We haven't unzipped our window for 3 years. The zip teeth pulled off in one small area so it doesn't work - we are being tight and getting the max life out of our top which is showing signs of age. All we do is put a rolled up towel on the outside of the window when we drop it so that the window folds around it in a nice curve - also make sure the window doesn't get any vertical kinks as it folds. Admitedly our window is in good condition even though it's probably 12 years old. I keep an eye on it and no noticeable deteriation to the window in this time - the car has been garaged since we bought it four years ago which helps.

Ian

Ian Chapman

Pirellis & Style Bars

Post by Ian Chapman » Mon Feb 17, 2003 8:33 am

Simon

We haven't unzipped our window for 3 years. The zip teeth pulled off in one small area so it doesn't work - we are being tight and getting the max life out of our top which is showing signs of age. All we do is put a rolled up towel on the outside of the window when we drop it so that the window folds around it in a nice curve - also make sure the window doesn't get any vertical kinks as it folds. Admitedly our window is in good condition even though it's probably 12 years old. I keep an eye on it and no noticeable deteriation to the window in this time - the car has been garaged since we bought it four years ago which helps.

Ian

lou Girardin

Pirellis & Style Bars

Post by lou Girardin » Tue Feb 18, 2003 8:21 am

Check with Pete as to what alignment specs he used. The P6000 isn't a
performance tyre as such so it may have a softer turn in. The Toyo T1S is
known for soft turn in compared to others too.
Some Jap brands deliberately design stiff sidewalls to give rapid turn
response in order to make an inferior tyre feel better.

lou Girardin

Pirellis & Style Bars

Post by lou Girardin » Tue Feb 18, 2003 8:21 am

Check with Pete as to what alignment specs he used. The P6000 isn't a
performance tyre as such so it may have a softer turn in. The Toyo T1S is
known for soft turn in compared to others too.
Some Jap brands deliberately design stiff sidewalls to give rapid turn
response in order to make an inferior tyre feel better.

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