Tyre/Tire (feeling tired?) Best Looking AND Handling and NOT

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Fred
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Tyre/Tire (feeling tired?) Best Looking AND Handling and NOT

Post by Fred »

It's raining and a rather dreary day today, so I thought I'd make my vast (lol, yeah right) knowledge of tyres available for the public and invite you to share your thoughts on tyres you have used over the years.

For each one, we need to know it's intended use, how you used it, and what you thought of it, and why. Additionally, if there are any you liked the look of but haven't tried, post them up, and perhaps someone else will have used them and can let you know what they think.

Glossary :
UHP = Ultra High Performance
HP = High Performance

Road "HP" :

Hankook K102 :
Sticky in the wet when brand new, but became very ordinary/poor with age (bare in mind I'm a harsh critic). They had a very soft sidewall which I found annoying on the rear end, however if both ends are equally soft and the vehicle is balanced it is less of an issue. Wouldn't get them again.

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Road "UHP" :

Toyo T1S and updated T1R :
Very good in the wet, esp when new, but even when well used and old. In the dry very good until you really put some pressure on them (track day pace) at which point the narrow tread blocks and softish compound let them down and they overheat and wear extremely quickly. Will definitely use them again for winter (NZ winter = wet, not icey) but will use something else during summer and for track days. They are OK in the dry and at a track day on a lighter car of around the 1000kg mark or so but not a 1200kg plus car. The sidewalls are soft, but not as soft as the K102... usable for high speed driving if the car is decent and the driver not devoid of talent. Sizes were 205/50R15 for both types on the 1000kg car, and 225/50/R15 on the 1200 and 1300+ kg cars. Will get them again.

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Goodyear GSD2 and updated GSD3 Eagle F1 :
I personally haven't used these, but my good friends have and they perform close to as good as the T1R and T1S in the wet, and are better in the dry/on a track from being slightly harder with a different pattern. They have stiffer sidewalls than the Toyos so feel better at turn in. It would be tough to choose between these and the Toyos if the Toyos weren't about 2/3 the price for most models. That makes the Toyo a clear choice in my mind as performance is pretty much the same for both families of tyre.

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Semi Slicks (DOT approved road legal) :

Toyo R888 and Dunlop D01J :
I had these on my skyline daily and at track days for a full summer and were greatly impressed with both of them, BUT, ONLY when warmed up. When stone cold, even in the dry they didn't stick much at all. In the wet on the street it is near impossible to keep enough heat in them and they become pretty slippery for being too cold. On the track though, if you can keep heat in them, they continue to work very well (surprised me) in the wet. Gotta keep the heat in them though. Sidewalls are much MUCH stiffer than any road tyre. What this means is that if you put them on the front with street tyres on the back, the car will feel dangerous and like it's sliding around. On the back you just get the feeling that the front is floating, but it's benign. On both ends the car feels totally settled and confidence inspiring. In the higher profiles 50+ they are steel reinforced in the sidewalls. Would buy either again, except that the Dunlop is 50% more than the Toyo and has very similar performance. I'll get the Toyo again for sure. Great summer/track day tyre.

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Looked good, haven't tried :

Toyo R1R :
Purported to be a half way point between the R888 and T1R, IE, good in the wet/cold and good in the dry/hot. Time and experience will tell if I can use one tyre (these) all year round or not. I have my doubts that they will be as good in either area, but I'm holding out high hopes!

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Advan A048 and A032r :
I thought they looked good, anyone tried them?

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I should add that I get around 10kkm/6k miles from a tyre most of the time. I get about 5kkm/3kmiles from front brake pads, and 20kkm/12k miles from front rotors. My partner used the same tyres as me on her car and put around 60kkm/40k miles on them and they are still on the car now (though need replacing). So, these opinions are for a serious/hard user, not a soft red light revving street drag racing cruising gay bar loitering type high mileage driver. I also ran race brake pads on the street as I needed them, not wanted. Just thought I'd better put it in perspective for you.

Fred.
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em_knaps
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Re: Tyre/Tire (feeling tired?) Best Looking AND Handling and NOT

Post by em_knaps »

The Kumho KL71

Performance tyres by Kumho are not to be sniffed at alltho the price is a fraction of the similar tyre in a more
established brand.

This tyre is no different, at high pressured (35psi+) this a noisey but sure footed road tyre, having taken a corner at 170kph in my modified Hilux fitted with these tyres that most would not take in this type of vehicle in road tyres with anti roll bars and standard height suspension.

but let the pressures down to 20psi and it becomes messy noisey and power robbing, untill you are off road then it becomes and mud slinging sand throwing animal....

you guessed it, its a MT tyre:

Image

with these tyres fitted ive been stuck only few times, and mostly due to stupidity or actually trying to get stuck.

7000rpm in 1st gear low range is sufficient to clear the treads of mud or clay.

an 8/10 from me.


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Re: Tyre/Tire (feeling tired?) Best Looking AND Handling and NOT

Post by Oskar »

If you're looking for a good tire to slide around on then look no further, get Nokia NRH's.
Not sure if they make them any more though.

They had absolutely terrible grip, especially in the wet. Hard as hell compound, you could probably use them for 20 years without them wearing out.

I'm very critical about tire grip, but trust me, those tires where really bad.
Came close to crashing a couple of times in regular slow rush hour traffic in the wet. They had so poor traction that you needed to leave a quite big gap to the car in front to not plow into his bumper during normal braking for a red light. And then with that big gap obviously someone is going to stuff their car in there, and you no longer have the gap you need to stop...

Also while driving at regular traffic speed with a line of cars though a corner in the wet the other cars obviously go normally, but I would be going sideways... must have looked hilarious from a distance. A line of cars going slowly around a corner with one car in the middle sliding sideways :)

Not very good tires.
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Re: Tyre/Tire (feeling tired?) Best Looking AND Handling and NOT

Post by Jack Biscuit »

I once wore a pair of Nokia wellies in Mikelli and i can report that they afforded excellent traction in adverse conditions, their performance in dry conditions left something to be desired with their weak unsupportive sidewalls. :lol2:

I've made it a speciality, through regularly being poor, of learning how to drive well with poor boots, but i have some experience of some of the finer tyres in life.

Personally, i have little bad to say about the Goodyear F1's, the only bad thing is the price quite frankly (maybe wear rate? probably driver induces stress though to be fair), everything else is nuances to my mind. All the top end tyres really perform more than well enough. There are differences, as with everything, but i find you change to work with them as your experience grows. Getting a real reference as how good each tyre is, is a nigh impossible task.. the situation is never completely the same, and you can turn it into a life's work :)

If anyone here wants to sponsor me to do a year of back to back real world testing feel free to send me two sets of each you want compared :)

In fact, regarding important research work, if you want to send me two cases of each great beer, wine or spirit in the world i'll happily road test them in real world conditions too :lol2:

JB
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Re: Tyre/Tire (feeling tired?) Best Looking AND Handling and NOT

Post by longracing »

I tried a set of Kuhmo road tyres on my ute after a friend & the friendly tyre sales bloke gave me their opinion that they were good tyres :roll:
The old worn out Yokohama's were much better in the dry and the Kuhmo's were down right dangerous in the wet. Good fun for sideways action but law enforcement officials seem to think that is dangerous hoon behaviour :lol2:
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Re: Tyre/Tire (feeling tired?) Best Looking AND Handling and NOT

Post by sry_not4sale »

I used to run Bridgestone Potenzas RE01s... absolutely loved them, but didn't have enough horsepower to give you an informed opinion ;)
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Fred
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Re: Tyre/Tire (feeling tired?) Best Looking AND Handling and NOT

Post by Fred »

You don't need HP to test tyres! I've heard good things from the bridgestones, but never from someone I trusted to give me a real story. Kumho though, all bad stories just like yours.

Fred.
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