Tyres (oh yes, yet again)

Gary Morrison · Post by **Gary Morrison** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 9:28 am

A quick survey if you all don't mind... I need tyres as 1 of my 4 has an
unrepairable nail hole, and they're all close to worn out anyway...

Looking back over the past 2 years the favoured options seem to be Bridgestone
Grid III and Yoko 539. Lou has a very nice looking Michelin, although probably
too pricey for me. Has anyone tried Dunlop 901s?

I'd appreciate it if you could all give me an indication of satisfaction on
the above listed tyres if you have them. What are they like when its wet?

Thanks

Gary

Kjellberg, Adrian · Post by **Kjellberg, Adrian** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 9:43 am

I have the 901's and they are fantastic esp.. in the wet. I have the
standard size on standard 14" rims.
The 901's are noisy in a low profile but on the MX5 they are fine. At 120
something a tyre they are also cheep. The 901's are being phased out. I
suggest F1 if you can't get them. I now have F1's on my Legacy GTB and they
are slightly better and not as noisy.
Adrian

Kjellberg, Adrian · Post by **Kjellberg, Adrian** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 9:43 am

I have the 901's and they are fantastic esp.. in the wet. I have the
standard size on standard 14" rims.
The 901's are noisy in a low profile but on the MX5 they are fine. At 120
something a tyre they are also cheep. The 901's are being phased out. I
suggest F1 if you can't get them. I now have F1's on my Legacy GTB and they
are slightly better and not as noisy.
Adrian

nmr · Post by **nmr** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 9:44 am

I'm very happy with my new G3s and they're fine in the wet.

nmr · Post by **nmr** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 9:44 am

I'm very happy with my new G3s and they're fine in the wet.

Ian Chapman · Post by **Ian Chapman** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 10:28 am

We put four 901's on last Xmas - standard 14" wheels. They are great
wet and dry. A bit noisy sometimes. They did start to go a bit
'marshmellowy' on the right side after six laps around Taupo at the
driver training day! Although I talked to a few guys with expensive
tyres and theirs were also starting to go off.

We have had various previous versions of these before on a BMW and two
Peugeots and apart from a bit of noise we've been very happy with the
balance between how they hold on in most conditions and the wear rate.

Ian

Ian Chapman · Post by **Ian Chapman** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 10:28 am

We put four 901's on last Xmas - standard 14" wheels. They are great
wet and dry. A bit noisy sometimes. They did start to go a bit
'marshmellowy' on the right side after six laps around Taupo at the
driver training day! Although I talked to a few guys with expensive
tyres and theirs were also starting to go off.

We have had various previous versions of these before on a BMW and two
Peugeots and apart from a bit of noise we've been very happy with the
balance between how they hold on in most conditions and the wear rate.

Ian

Colin · Post by **Colin** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 11:31 am

Hi Gary,

I have had two sets of 901's. Both were 205/60/15 on a Mazda 626 2.5 V6.
Found them to be quite predictable and easy to drive on. To get the best they
needed to be at 32 front and 30 rear (car specific to some degree)
Hot temperatures in the south Island hills got them very squirmy. Especially
downhill as the weight loading rises on the front outside wheel.
A very noisy tyre and a high wear rate. I can't think now why I bought the
second set. Sold the car with them on.
Both my work cars have 539's. 185/60/14 on the Nissan and 205/50/15 on the
Toyota
Very easy tyre to live with. Perhaps not as high performance as the 901. Has
in my opinion better ability to reacquire at the edge.
Seems less affected by temp extremes and have shown themselves to be good in
the ice as well as the rain. (they look slightly tractorish)
They are I think the best of the non strictly performance tyres.
I am still running the Kumho Ecsta 701 on the MX5 and think they are getting
better with age. I have recently gone away from the aggressive alignment specs
and this has allowed the tyres to work better I think.

Gary did you part with the Miller Cycle?
I had a passing thought that I may like it myself when I drove it.

Cheers

Colin

Colin · Post by **Colin** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 11:31 am

Hi Gary,

I have had two sets of 901's. Both were 205/60/15 on a Mazda 626 2.5 V6.
Found them to be quite predictable and easy to drive on. To get the best they
needed to be at 32 front and 30 rear (car specific to some degree)
Hot temperatures in the south Island hills got them very squirmy. Especially
downhill as the weight loading rises on the front outside wheel.
A very noisy tyre and a high wear rate. I can't think now why I bought the
second set. Sold the car with them on.
Both my work cars have 539's. 185/60/14 on the Nissan and 205/50/15 on the
Toyota
Very easy tyre to live with. Perhaps not as high performance as the 901. Has
in my opinion better ability to reacquire at the edge.
Seems less affected by temp extremes and have shown themselves to be good in
the ice as well as the rain. (they look slightly tractorish)
They are I think the best of the non strictly performance tyres.
I am still running the Kumho Ecsta 701 on the MX5 and think they are getting
better with age. I have recently gone away from the aggressive alignment specs
and this has allowed the tyres to work better I think.

Gary did you part with the Miller Cycle?
I had a passing thought that I may like it myself when I drove it.

Cheers

Colin

lou Girardin · Post by **lou Girardin** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 3:00 pm

From my experience of heavier cars, a Skyline and Mitsi V3000, I prefer

Barums to the A539, grippier, quieter, smoother and they're cheaper.

lou Girardin · Post by **lou Girardin** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 3:00 pm

From my experience of heavier cars, a Skyline and Mitsi V3000, I prefer

Barums to the A539, grippier, quieter, smoother and they're cheaper.

Chic & Morven · Post by **Chic & Morven** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 12:15 am

Looking back over the past 2 years the favoured options seem to be

Bridgestone Grid III and Yoko 539. I second Matt on the Toyo T1S's.
They're about $240 in a 205/50/15 and probably closer to $200 in the more
standard 195/50/15. I've been using them for a few years now on both our
MX5s. I've also driven on them at Donnington park race track in Mike
Saint's 220+Bhp Turbo Mx5, I highly recommend them... plus they look
ultra cool too..

Cheers Chic On Wed, 30 Jul 2003 09:28:01 +1200, Gary
Morrison wrote: >A quick survey if you all don't mind... I need tyres as
1 of my 4 >has an unrepairable nail hole, and they're all close to worn
out >anyway... > >Looking back over the past 2 years the favoured options
seem to be >Bridgestone Grid III and Yoko 539. Lou has a very nice
looking >Michelin, although probably too pricey for me. Has anyone tried

Dunlop 901s? > >I'd appreciate it if you could all give me an indication

of >satisfaction on the above listed tyres if you have them. What are

they like when its wet? > >Thanks > >Gary > > --

Chic & Morven, us@lynchz.com on 07/31/2003

Chic & Morven · Post by **Chic & Morven** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 12:15 am

Looking back over the past 2 years the favoured options seem to be

Bridgestone Grid III and Yoko 539. I second Matt on the Toyo T1S's.
They're about $240 in a 205/50/15 and probably closer to $200 in the more
standard 195/50/15. I've been using them for a few years now on both our
MX5s. I've also driven on them at Donnington park race track in Mike
Saint's 220+Bhp Turbo Mx5, I highly recommend them... plus they look
ultra cool too..

Cheers Chic On Wed, 30 Jul 2003 09:28:01 +1200, Gary
Morrison wrote: >A quick survey if you all don't mind... I need tyres as
1 of my 4 >has an unrepairable nail hole, and they're all close to worn
out >anyway... > >Looking back over the past 2 years the favoured options
seem to be >Bridgestone Grid III and Yoko 539. Lou has a very nice
looking >Michelin, although probably too pricey for me. Has anyone tried

Dunlop 901s? > >I'd appreciate it if you could all give me an indication

of >satisfaction on the above listed tyres if you have them. What are

they like when its wet? > >Thanks > >Gary > > --

Chic & Morven, us@lynchz.com on 07/31/2003

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 9:31 pm

After driving my honda with Bridgestone Re711's on it
and comparing them to a mates car with 901's. the
901's had more ultimate grip but were very soft on the
turn in and dulled the steering response quite a bit
compared to the Bridgestones. The TOYO T1 s tyres have
the same problem from reports.
If you want a super sticky tyre with a solid turn in
response then go for the falken Azenis or even try a
set of Yokohama Advan Neovas. i recently nearly picked
up a set of Neovas for $200 second hand with about
2/3rds tread from a tyre importer. if you want a tyre
with a "normal" amount of life then the grid 3's seem to be a popular choice.
Glenn "SLYDIT" (On hankook Optimos.)

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 9:31 pm

After driving my honda with Bridgestone Re711's on it
and comparing them to a mates car with 901's. the
901's had more ultimate grip but were very soft on the
turn in and dulled the steering response quite a bit
compared to the Bridgestones. The TOYO T1 s tyres have
the same problem from reports.
If you want a super sticky tyre with a solid turn in
response then go for the falken Azenis or even try a
set of Yokohama Advan Neovas. i recently nearly picked
up a set of Neovas for $200 second hand with about
2/3rds tread from a tyre importer. if you want a tyre
with a "normal" amount of life then the grid 3's seem to be a popular choice.
Glenn "SLYDIT" (On hankook Optimos.)

jeff · Post by **jeff** » Fri Aug 01, 2003 9:19 am

FWIW, the latest candidate in the 12 month search for
RE-71 replacements is ... Kumho Ecsta MX ! Grippy
with stiff sidewalls

Toyo T1-S sounds grippy but mushy.
Bridgestone S-03 is pretty expensive.
Falken Azenis are outrageously expensive (4x US
price). But they seem to have the stiff sidewalls to
give the instant turn in that I like.
Neovas sound great but are only available secondhand.
Maybe there's someone who imports tyres to order ??

--- glenn roberts <supasparky@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
[...]

jeff · Post by **jeff** » Fri Aug 01, 2003 9:19 am

FWIW, the latest candidate in the 12 month search for
RE-71 replacements is ... Kumho Ecsta MX ! Grippy
with stiff sidewalls

Toyo T1-S sounds grippy but mushy.
Bridgestone S-03 is pretty expensive.
Falken Azenis are outrageously expensive (4x US
price). But they seem to have the stiff sidewalls to
give the instant turn in that I like.
Neovas sound great but are only available secondhand.
Maybe there's someone who imports tyres to order ??

--- glenn roberts <supasparky@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
[...]

Gary Morrison · Post by **Gary Morrison** » Fri Aug 01, 2003 10:05 am

Thanks Chic,

My accident was on Toyo T1 Plus... serious loss of grip on a damp surface, so
I'm a little reluctant to go there again, even on the newer T1S, but I know
they are highly regarded, particularly in the USA.

Gary

On Thu, 31 Jul 2003 00:15:33 +1200, Chic & Morven wrote:

Looking back over the past 2 years the favoured options seem to be

Bridgestone Grid III and Yoko 539.

I second Matt on the Toyo T1S's. They're about $240 in a 205/50/15 and
probably closer to $200 in the more standard 195/50/15.

I've been using them for a few years now on both our MX5s. I've also driven on
them at Donnington park race track in Mike Saint's 220+Bhp Turbo Mx5, I
highly recommend them... plus they look ultra cool too..

Cheers
Chic

On Wed, 30 Jul 2003 09:28:01 +1200, Gary Morrison wrote:

A quick survey if you all don't mind... I need tyres as 1 of my 4
has an unrepairable nail hole, and they're all close to worn out
anyway...

Looking back over the past 2 years the favoured options seem to be
Bridgestone Grid III and Yoko 539. Lou has a very nice looking
Michelin, although probably too pricey for me. Has anyone tried
Dunlop 901s?

I'd appreciate it if you could all give me an indication of
satisfaction on the above listed tyres if you have them. What are
they like when its wet?

Thanks

Gary

--
Chic & Morven, us@lynchz.com on 07/31/2003

lou Girardin · Post by **lou Girardin** » Fri Aug 01, 2003 1:23 pm

On the subject of 2nd hand tyres, I have to say that, from a safety point of
view, you may as well drive with cardboard brake pads. Tyres can suffer
internal damage to the casing that is not apparent even on close inspection.
Damage can be caused by hitting a kerb or pothole heavily. The first warning
you get is when it goes pop. If you have no knowledge of the tyres previous
history, you're endangering yourself and any one near you.
It's also significant that everyone discusses Japanese tyres, yet the best
tyres are European.
Lou

lou Girardin · Post by **lou Girardin** » Fri Aug 01, 2003 1:23 pm

On the subject of 2nd hand tyres, I have to say that, from a safety point of
view, you may as well drive with cardboard brake pads. Tyres can suffer
internal damage to the casing that is not apparent even on close inspection.
Damage can be caused by hitting a kerb or pothole heavily. The first warning
you get is when it goes pop. If you have no knowledge of the tyres previous
history, you're endangering yourself and any one near you.
It's also significant that everyone discusses Japanese tyres, yet the best
tyres are European.
Lou

Craig Jones · Post by **Craig Jones** » Fri Aug 01, 2003 4:56 pm

Lou,
can you tell us some more about those Barums you referred to earlier please?
I seem to remember them from long-ago biking days,
cheap and pretty reasonable wear/grip compromise but
as you say, completely out of the picture these days

--- lou Girardin <lou@mongoose.co.nz> wrote: > On the
subject of 2nd hand tyres, I have to say
[...]

Craig Jones · Post by **Craig Jones** » Fri Aug 01, 2003 4:56 pm

Lou,
can you tell us some more about those Barums you referred to earlier please?
I seem to remember them from long-ago biking days,
cheap and pretty reasonable wear/grip compromise but
as you say, completely out of the picture these days

--- lou Girardin <lou@mongoose.co.nz> wrote: > On the
subject of 2nd hand tyres, I have to say
[...]

Calder, Malcolm (NZ - ... · Post by **Calder, Malcolm (NZ - ...** » Fri Aug 01, 2003 5:47 pm

Couldn't agree more with regards to the safety or lack thereof with second
hand or even new budget tyres; lets not even get started on the dangers of
driving on the snow tyres that some imports are shod in. European tyres are
undoubtedly the best and their price reflects that. Given the average price
of the MX has got to be dropping close to $10k these days it doesn't make
sense to load it up with 2 grand's worth of European tyres. Cheaper euro
tyres don't offer nearly the performance nor value of jap tyres so the
earlier discussions seem to make sense to me. I can't make any
recommendations but June's Wheels mag had a fairly extensive tyre test.

Calder, Malcolm (NZ - ... · Post by **Calder, Malcolm (NZ - ...** » Fri Aug 01, 2003 5:47 pm

Couldn't agree more with regards to the safety or lack thereof with second
hand or even new budget tyres; lets not even get started on the dangers of
driving on the snow tyres that some imports are shod in. European tyres are
undoubtedly the best and their price reflects that. Given the average price
of the MX has got to be dropping close to $10k these days it doesn't make
sense to load it up with 2 grand's worth of European tyres. Cheaper euro
tyres don't offer nearly the performance nor value of jap tyres so the
earlier discussions seem to make sense to me. I can't make any
recommendations but June's Wheels mag had a fairly extensive tyre test.

Janet & Jeff Curtin · Post by **Janet & Jeff Curtin** » Fri Aug 01, 2003 9:22 pm

If you have some knowledge of good, reasonbly priced Euro tyres i'm a starter, please supply info Lou .
Thanks Jeff

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