Tyre ratings - surely I should go for the best grip?

[HFB]

Browsing around looking for tyres when I come to re shoe my MR2.

Reading here about T1R's, RE04's/002's, R888's AD08's etc all being ones that people chose from here.

Not having much knowledge of tyres and how they will perform in relation to my current Yokahama C-Drive fronts (185/55/15) and S-Drive rears (205/50/15) I have been looking at the ratings that seem to be attached to most sellers sites.

Surely, I should be looking for a tyre with 'A' ratings for grip (albeit it is for rain grip).

I've also found this site

 m http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre-Size/ ... -Tyres.htm m

which seems to give quite a comprehensive comparison of tyres and their performance in various conditions, so again, surely the highest scoring tyre should work, no?

Quite surprised that on the 205/50/15 sized tyre (don't seem to sell them in 185/55/15 size) that the fairly popular on here, R888's are scored quite averagely!

What other tyre sizes would work on my standard PFL wheels without me having to do any adjustments to the car?

HFB

[mrzwei]

To get good grip in the wet means that you need a tyre with a tread pattern that shifts the maximum amount of water quickly. Such a tyre may not work well in the dry where no tread (ie a slick) would give the best grip. Clearly, for road use an intermediate tread pattern is the best option.

I seem to remember that this EU regulation was criticized in some circles for that reason.

[Joesson]

I have been driving many miles over many years in many cars.
Since 1973 it was in Company supplied cars on new OE tyres.
OE tyres are generally from a major brand.
I truly have not had any particular problem with general / summer duty tyres on any car in any conditions in the UK.
I did notice a some difference in perceived grip when renewing Bridgestone which I rated very good with Goodyear!
Retired now, I have today replaced four tyres on my daily car with Continental the same as OE.
On my 2 I replaced the NO Names with Falken and found them to be very good for my needs.
I believe that any Major brand of tyre will give generally good performance.
Some will be better in some conditions than others and sometimes these results can differ from car to car.
As with most things you pay your money and take your choice.
You are unlikely to end up with a truly awful tyre, some are just better than others in the particular drivers view point.

[Jrichards20]

R888s. My new track weapon of choice. Previous set were amazing. recently got a new set, a little larger than last time, and the road noise is horrific. The grip though, wow, you've heard the expression grips like  sshit shit sshit  on a carpet. Well I compare R888s to dried up  sshit shit sshit , that's been roasted in the oven, on carpet.

What I will be going for on my car, seeming that is going to be used more for mountain passes and 600mile a day driving, will be AD08rs. Very good grip, but also a lot quieter. I cant stand the soft tirewalls of the T1rs on the road, never mind taking them around a track. Don't know how much they grip, but the feeling is diabolical.

As for other sizes, use  m http://www.willtheyfit.com m  and don't go above around 2.5% increase in diameter and you should be fine. For standard wheels. I would stay 185 at the front, to keep the agile handling and increase the rears to 215/45. Tyre size is a massive personal choice though. I would forget about thinking of grip in terms of tyre choice. Far too many variables as to whether wider = more grip. Slip angles, contact patch, power being put down in order to "distort" sidewalls to increase grip on acceleration, etc etc. AndyM knows a fair amount on tyre grip and limitations so it may be worth a chat with him if you want in-depth views. But personally, I find a decent compound, with a suspension and chassis set up to match, (as yours will be with the geo and stock suspension) staying with standard sizes (roughly) will majority of the time, be just as good, if not better, than playing around with tyre sizes. When you come to setting up the car geo and suspension, then would be a good time to play around with tyure sizes, and get the car set up to match.

I think I have drivelled on to much. In summary, what i'm trying to say is, tyre size wont have much of a difference, choose a recommended tyre like AD08rs or potenzas and you cant really go wrong. And just go out and have some fun! That's what its all about really, not chasing laptimes. Just enjoying the car  s:) s:)  See what the S drives are like, I've never used them, and then when you need to put some new ones on, grab a highly recommended performance tyre and see what you think of it. If you don't like the feel, noise, grip, comfort. You know to change next time.


right, that's killed the last half hour at work. Home time  s:) s:)

[cabbydave]

I rate the s drive yoko's but I would go with 195 50 15's on the front and have matching tyres all round

[Joesson]

I rate the s drive yoko's but I would go with 195 50 15's on the front and have matching tyres all round

I also like to have the same brand/ tread pattern on front and rear.

[HFB]

Thank you all for the very helpful advice.

Again, I am thinking waaaaay too far ahead as I haven't even tried out what I've got on the track.

Will know more this time next week.   s:D s:D  

Thanks again all for taking the time to give informed and comprehensive advice.

HFB

[HFB]

Just found this article about the Roadster (PFL) and tyres for the track

Although the chassis has a good natural balance on a track with standard tyre sizes (185/55/15 front, 205/50/15 or 215/45/16 rear) the car has a tendency to understeer. A square set up (eg. 195/50/15 tyres all round) will reduce the understeer and mean that the rear will be adjustable on the throttle. This has the added bonus of keeping things cheap. You could also increase the front and rear tyre widths in equal proportion (eg. 185mm to 195mm on the front and 215mm to 225mm on the rear). This will reduce the understeer but maintain rear traction, stability and safety however it could lead to problems with available tyre sizes and increased costs. There is also a possibility that you'll over tyre the rear for the car's power and weight making it less enjoyable......

Anyone tried the 195/50 front and back on pfl wheels?

Finding 185 and 205's in the same brand is becoming a mild PITA when shopping around for deals, so if I went this route, would I need to make any changes/adjustments to the car (something I am trying to avoid).

HFB