Tyres for my Griff!

[griffdude]

A bit of a left-field choice is the Khumo V70A or V700. Good in the wet & dry (in fact the MSA have now made them list 1C)

https://youtu.be/rkrhLWeLfBY

[RobXjcoupe]

Reading the pros and cons a lot of emphasis seems to be using wet weather tyres otherwise some are saying the cars are dangerous to drive.
Surely we drive accordingly to road conditions and of course safely. A c rated tyre for wet weather use isn't dangerous as a good driver can feel if you are doing certain speeds and grip is reducing we naturally back off rather than keep pushing on.
It's just reading various wheel and tyre threads drivers are seemingly put off using anything less than an a rated wet tyre unless it's a road legal track tyre?
So we have a choice of yokos or uniroyal but toyo are old hat now? Bridgestone used to be the tyre to have but now deemed inferior at a c wet rating. Back 10 years or so no one would have fitted rain tyres to there TVR.
I understand wheel sizes have got bigger so some brands are not available unless we fit bigger diameter wheels, but still a c rated Bridgestone isn't a bad tyre.
So are we driving quicker in the wet now, as if it's dry?
Just my wonderings that's all

[ianwayne]

I think it's more to do with the fact that very few drivers of TVRs use them every day. Years ago, tyre longevity was an issue to consider as well as grip.

Tyres designed for grip in wet weather will of course not last as long but the low annual mileages most (but not all) TVRs now do offsets this.

[RobXjcoupe]

ianwayne said:

I think it's more to do with the fact that very few drivers of TVRs use them every day. Years ago, tyre longevity was an issue to consider as well as grip.

Tyres designed for grip in wet weather will of course not last as long but the low annual mileages most (but not all) TVRs now do offsets this.

That makes sense. I've just noticed how ideas have changed that's all.
Bridgestone s02 and s03 were the ones to have then toyo kicked in
I always preferred uniroyal rtt2 at the time and was advised to keep quiet because they were so wrong.
Thanks for the polite reply though

[Matthew Poxon]

RobXjcoupe said:

I always preferred uniroyal rtt2 at the time and was advised to keep quiet because they were so wrong.

There is no right or wring answer here, it is all down to personal preference and what it is you want the tyres to do. Unfortunately there are people on this forum who believe they are always right and if you offer a different opinion you are automatically wrong!

If I ran 2 sets of tyres for mine I would go Uniroyal Rainsport 3 for everyday use including winter and then put I set of R888s on for the track.

[ClassicChimaera]

Matthew Poxon said:

There is no right or wring answer here, it is all down to personal preference and what it is you want the tyres to do. Unfortunately there are people on this forum who believe they are always right and if you offer a different opinion you are automatically wrong!

If I ran 2 sets of tyres for mine I would go Uniroyal Rainsport 3 for everyday use including winter and then put I set of R888s on for the track.

It remains to be seen but you might not need the R888s after trying Rainsport 3

I find the best use of the car on track is actually short periods (max 15 mins ) if I can control myself
So the brakes and oil etc doesn't get to hot. I feel the car getting hotter and more supple and it just slows down if you over cook everything,,, there's a possibility these Rainsports might hang on enough to make them a viable prospect for trackdays rather than just quick sprints which they seem perfect for.

[Toffer]

Although the TOYO Proxes tyres on my PAS Griff 500 are showing minimal signs of wear, the handling/grip has definitely deteriorated, as the tyres have aged, so I guess it is time to replace them.

Due to low usage, tyre durability is not important, but I would like to try and maintain the original wheel/tyre dimensions and like others on here, am having difficulty finding decent R15 tyres when fitted to a TVR.

However, KUMHO Ecsta V70A Tyres are available in 225/50 R15 and 245/45 R16.

So please kindly assist me with your experiences (good or bad) of these tyres and perhaps also recommend the rubber grade for mostly fast dry road use (I was thinking "medium"?

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Kumho/V70a.htm

Thank you!

[Rob_the_Sparky]

Matthew Poxon said:

There is no right or wring answer here, it is all down to personal preference and what it is you want the tyres to do. Unfortunately there are people on this forum who believe they are always right and if you offer a different opinion you are automatically wrong!

If I ran 2 sets of tyres for mine I would go Uniroyal Rainsport 3 for everyday use including winter and then put I set of R888s on for the track.

What wheel/tyre sizes are you running, presumably not standard as I don't think Rainsport 3s are available in the stock sizes. Having said that T1Rs are not available in W rated 15" in most places but TVR parts seem to have them so I guess tyres can be ordered if there is enough demand.

[Toffer]

Following recommendations on here, I had a look at the Rainsport 3, but section and width are limited for R15 & R16.
I have used them on my MB W220 and was impressed, although wear was average, as the corners rounded-off prematurely?

[griffdude]

Toffer said:

Following recommendations on here, I had a look at the Rainsport 3, but section and width are limited for R15 & R16.
I have used them on my MB W220 and was impressed, although wear was average, as the corners rounded-off prematurely?

The RS3 are a soft compound conventional tyre which is why they're so popular with the sprinting fraternity in road going classes. When they wear, they can be planed, but that's a whole new discussion...

Re the V70A, they work very well & have got a good tread pattern for wet use. K61 compound is a good bet as you said, plus sizes are good too. Might be worth a chat with the distributor as I'm not sure now they're being marked as 'competition only'. South Shore Tyres (Blackpool)are worth a call as the guy there is very knowledgeable.

[Matthew Poxon]

Rob_the_Sparky said:

Matthew Poxon said:

There is no right or wring answer here, it is all down to personal preference and what it is you want the tyres to do. Unfortunately there are people on this forum who believe they are always right and if you offer a different opinion you are automatically wrong!

If I ran 2 sets of tyres for mine I would go Uniroyal Rainsport 3 for everyday use including winter and then put I set of R888s on for the track.

What wheel/tyre sizes are you running, presumably not standard as I don't think Rainsport 3s are available in the stock sizes. Having said that T1Rs are not available in W rated 15" in most places but TVR parts seem to have them so I guess tyres can be ordered if there is enough demand.

I am running standard wheels but tyres in these sizes which was as close as I could get to the same rolling radius of the originals:

Front – 205/50 R15
Rear – 225/50 R16

iirc correctly these are the same sizes as the early Griffs? (non pas)

[Podie]

Matthew Poxon said:

I am running standard wheels but tyres in these sizes which was as close as I could get to the same rolling radius of the originals:

Front – 205/50 R15
Rear – 225/50 R16

iirc correctly these are the same sizes as the early Griffs? (non pas)

I thought fronts were 205/55 R15?

I've also seen 225 and 245s on the rears as well.

[mjlloyd500]

mine are 205 55 15 fronts and 245 25 16 rear 98 non pas if this is any help toyo t1r last 4 sets

[Matthew Poxon]

I stand corrected

[RobXjcoupe]

If you can only get the correct speed rated fronts of 205 50 r15 for use on standard fit front wheels then that's a good call

[Griffrich]

Good thread chaps!
It sounds like the Uniroyal RS3's have a good rep BUT they're only available in 205 width fronts rather than 225 which my PAS 500 requires, is there an issue with using the narrower front tyre on a pas griff 500?

R.

[RobXjcoupe]

My 95 500 originally came with 205 width front tyres and it has factory pas.
Even now on 17" wheels it has 215 width front tyres.

[Matthew Poxon]

Griffrich said:

Good thread chaps!
It sounds like the Uniroyal RS3's have a good rep BUT they're only available in 205 width fronts rather than 225 which my PAS 500 requires, is there an issue with using the narrower front tyre on a pas griff 500?

R.

I have been running 205/50 R15 on the front of my PAS car for 2 years now.... no issues. I have had the car on track many times and driven in cold, wet conditions and the car feels very stable. I did get the geometry done on the car at the same time to make sure everything is aligned properly. I think the better compounds used in modern tyres more than compensates for the narrower width.

[griffdude]

Matthew Poxon said:

I have been running 205/50 R15 on the front of my PAS car for 2 years now.... no issues. I have had the car on track many times and driven in cold, wet conditions and the car feels very stable. I did get the geometry done on the car at the same time to make sure everything is aligned properly. I think the better compounds used in modern tyres more than compensates for the narrower width.

Carrying on from what you saying Matthew, I compared AD08Rs with Rainsport 3s & the AD08Rs were 10mm wider for the same tyre size on the side of the tyre....

[FlipFlopGriff]

Been running V rated tyres for years now - just tell your insurers as they are aware of the size difficulties.
Running R1R's now and absolutley fab. Fast wear so at least may get the use out of them over 5-6 years ratther than scrapping tyres with almsot no wear.
FFG