Thoughts on running different tyres front and back?
Discussion
Just wondering what thoughts are on running different tyres on the front and back, A008s on the rear and A032s on the front?
Rational is that you dont need as much grip at the back, can cut the cost a bit, spending more cash on the fronts where its needed.
Quite fancy some Avon Crzs or Dunlop D93s but the're hugely expensive. Yokos seem to be reasonably priced with good performance.
Any reasons not to mix tyres, other than possibly looking a bit cr@p?
Rational is that you dont need as much grip at the back, can cut the cost a bit, spending more cash on the fronts where its needed.
Quite fancy some Avon Crzs or Dunlop D93s but the're hugely expensive. Yokos seem to be reasonably priced with good performance.
Any reasons not to mix tyres, other than possibly looking a bit cr@p?
If you like a FWD car that oversteers... it'll be fine.
There is a rule of thumb that reckons that the best tyres need to go on the rear of FWD car, as the rear then naturally follows the front based on grip levels achieved by the front tyres. Certainly the case with road tyres IMHO.
HTH.
There is a rule of thumb that reckons that the best tyres need to go on the rear of FWD car, as the rear then naturally follows the front based on grip levels achieved by the front tyres. Certainly the case with road tyres IMHO.
HTH.
It's funny, but the Mini is very tolerant in respect of odd tyres - a tribute to it's superb design, maybe.
I've rallied with Yoko A008's on the front and Falkens on the rear and I didn't really notice any difference. I've sometimes had knobbly front tyres with closer pattern rears, but you do notice a bit more understeer on tarmac than.
On one event, I ran out of spare tyres and used Yoko's on the front with a pair of the old Dunlop SP Super on the rear on reverse-rim wheels and for a part of that event I had 3 Yokos and one Dunlop, with one rear wheel a 4.5" offset steel and the other a 4.5" Minilite with no offset.
It really doesn't seem to make much difference unless you are looking for tenths-of-seconds against the clock, when even a pound or two difference in tyre pressure can make a difference.
I once did an autocross with new 'Michelin X' radials on the front and bald cross-plies on the rear, but that was in an 850 way back in 1963! Won my class, though.
I've rallied with Yoko A008's on the front and Falkens on the rear and I didn't really notice any difference. I've sometimes had knobbly front tyres with closer pattern rears, but you do notice a bit more understeer on tarmac than.
On one event, I ran out of spare tyres and used Yoko's on the front with a pair of the old Dunlop SP Super on the rear on reverse-rim wheels and for a part of that event I had 3 Yokos and one Dunlop, with one rear wheel a 4.5" offset steel and the other a 4.5" Minilite with no offset.
It really doesn't seem to make much difference unless you are looking for tenths-of-seconds against the clock, when even a pound or two difference in tyre pressure can make a difference.
I once did an autocross with new 'Michelin X' radials on the front and bald cross-plies on the rear, but that was in an 850 way back in 1963! Won my class, though.
i think that running odd tyres on a road car just looks pikey and cheap and ruins the look of a car - it always suggests that the owner has run out of money, or worse just doesnt care.
i dont think that on a road car you would notice the diferance between running a mix of yokos over one particular type - it wasnt until i started to race that tyres even became something that affected how my car really handled 'on the limit' - its just impossible to drive a mini that hard on the road long enough for the tyres to get hot enough to really show their 'true colours'. i think for tyres to affect how a car behaves on the road you need to go to real extremes - 10 psi in one rear one, or like pete says a pair of really bald things.
i use a008s on my road car, purely because i think that 32rs look rubbish (on a 1965 niceish looking car), though tbh when i next need a set of tyres i will get some falkens just for that more classic treaded look, at the moment im working through the tyre mountain from my race car before i started using the excellent avons.
the avons would be a waste of money on a road car, they are just too gooda tyre for normal road use, they need a specific psi, heat cycle, very carefull fitment and bedding in to get the best from them, and i just dont think they would be a economic benfit on a road car.
on my racer i found the a008 to be a better tyre than the 32r, with the yokos i always had to trade off psi against longevity as the 4.5" rims i use allow the tyres to move about on the sidewalls (which is where the stiff sidewalls of the avons win, though on a 5 or 6" rim this wouldnt be so bad) both yokos would rub on the inner rear arch and arb and the l/h/r would slowly cook, the back of the car would get more and more oversteery as races went on, the l/h/f would scrub the outer edge off - and psi (or suspension) changes would simply alter which lap the tyres started to chew them selves to bits. i could only get one race from the two l/h 32'rs where as the a008s would do 2 or 3 races.
for a fast road car i would stick to the a008s - a good longish lasting all rounder
removed the worse of the terrible spelling - im ashamed, i really am...............
i dont think that on a road car you would notice the diferance between running a mix of yokos over one particular type - it wasnt until i started to race that tyres even became something that affected how my car really handled 'on the limit' - its just impossible to drive a mini that hard on the road long enough for the tyres to get hot enough to really show their 'true colours'. i think for tyres to affect how a car behaves on the road you need to go to real extremes - 10 psi in one rear one, or like pete says a pair of really bald things.
i use a008s on my road car, purely because i think that 32rs look rubbish (on a 1965 niceish looking car), though tbh when i next need a set of tyres i will get some falkens just for that more classic treaded look, at the moment im working through the tyre mountain from my race car before i started using the excellent avons.
the avons would be a waste of money on a road car, they are just too gooda tyre for normal road use, they need a specific psi, heat cycle, very carefull fitment and bedding in to get the best from them, and i just dont think they would be a economic benfit on a road car.
on my racer i found the a008 to be a better tyre than the 32r, with the yokos i always had to trade off psi against longevity as the 4.5" rims i use allow the tyres to move about on the sidewalls (which is where the stiff sidewalls of the avons win, though on a 5 or 6" rim this wouldnt be so bad) both yokos would rub on the inner rear arch and arb and the l/h/r would slowly cook, the back of the car would get more and more oversteery as races went on, the l/h/f would scrub the outer edge off - and psi (or suspension) changes would simply alter which lap the tyres started to chew them selves to bits. i could only get one race from the two l/h 32'rs where as the a008s would do 2 or 3 races.
for a fast road car i would stick to the a008s - a good longish lasting all rounder
Edited by guru_1071 on Thursday 14th June 20:02
removed the worse of the terrible spelling - im ashamed, i really am...............
Edited by guru_1071 on Thursday 14th June 20:04
Forgetting what they look like for a moment, there is logic in mixing tyres. I use a rear antiroll bar to make the front grip more. Degripping the rear has the same influence. Richard Longman used +ve camber on the rear of his old clubby to good effect. If you do what I did and re-grip the rear by reducing camber, you are increasing understeer. So, you fit sticky tyres to the front and less sticky ones to the back. It IS a favourable choice for the mini. However, I fit stickies all around and if I want to get the arse out, I just chuck it, which anyone with a rear ARB will testify happens 
Edited by Cara Jynwyth on Saturday 16th June 21:34
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