Road only tyres for Exige 220s ?
Discussion
Hi all, just registered, so this is my first post.
I have bought an Exige 220s and the rear Yoko AO48's probably only have a few thousand miles left in them?
I am hearing that these "track orientated" tyres are only good for about 2 to 6k miles and as I don't yet do track days (apart from possibly an annual Ring trip), I suspect that something like an Eagle F1 would give better mileage and wet weather handling (car is intended to be an all year daily driver - lets see how long that concept lasts for!?)
Trouble is, I understand that the OE supplied Yoko's are the only tyre that should really go on the car, mainly due to the downforce load of the rear wing and the sidewall strength, designed into the tyres?
Can anyone advise if they have fitted Eagles etc without problems and would it cause any insurance problems if the car is only recommended for 1 tyre type?
Thanks in advance.
I have bought an Exige 220s and the rear Yoko AO48's probably only have a few thousand miles left in them?
I am hearing that these "track orientated" tyres are only good for about 2 to 6k miles and as I don't yet do track days (apart from possibly an annual Ring trip), I suspect that something like an Eagle F1 would give better mileage and wet weather handling (car is intended to be an all year daily driver - lets see how long that concept lasts for!?)
Trouble is, I understand that the OE supplied Yoko's are the only tyre that should really go on the car, mainly due to the downforce load of the rear wing and the sidewall strength, designed into the tyres?
Can anyone advise if they have fitted Eagles etc without problems and would it cause any insurance problems if the car is only recommended for 1 tyre type?
Thanks in advance.
NathanE said:
AD07 or Bridgestone RE040. I don't think many Elise/Exige's use Eagle F1's so you'd be testing new ground there I think.
I may be wrong but i dont think the AD07's or RE040's are available in the correct size for the Exige front wheels, hence people seem to have trouble getting suitable road tyres for them. I think most people use Toyo T1 R's which seem to be fine for road use. Alex_S said:
NathanE said:
AD07 or Bridgestone RE040. I don't think many Elise/Exige's use Eagle F1's so you'd be testing new ground there I think.
I may be wrong but i dont think the AD07's or RE040's are available in the correct size for the Exige front wheels, hence people seem to have trouble getting suitable road tyres for them. I think most people use Toyo T1 R's which seem to be fine for road use. If money's no object, get Yoko AO39's.
Thanks for the replies - it seems the concensus is to stick with the stickier track/road tyres the the cars were designed on?
To be honest, I test drove the car in the rain and managed to hit the gear change light in second and third without any drama - so just engage a bit of caution during winter. I was a bit nervous at the start of the test as my last 3 cars all have had the ESP type safety nets in place, which tend to flatter a clumsy right foot!
To be honest, I test drove the car in the rain and managed to hit the gear change light in second and third without any drama - so just engage a bit of caution during winter. I was a bit nervous at the start of the test as my last 3 cars all have had the ESP type safety nets in place, which tend to flatter a clumsy right foot!
Yokahama A039 LTS OE Exige S1 fitment - thats what I run for road/wet use - awesome tyre, not cheap, but the best all round tyre for the car if you dont do trackdays (not bad on track either) ..A048s are a waste on the road - you cant get them hot enough to notice the difference anyway 90% of the time
I run 048s for the summer, and you can get them hot enough when pressing on. Currently have T1-Rs for winter use, which are sooo much better (as expected) with wet roads, and especially standing water.
However, on the odd dry day they are a world away from the 048s with the front washing out at relatively modest (for an Exige anyway) speeds. I have a mate with another Exige with 888s on, which he reckons are slightly better than 048s in the wet, but after following him round a wet roundabout the other night and getting a lovely view of the drivers door I'm not so sure
However, on the odd dry day they are a world away from the 048s with the front washing out at relatively modest (for an Exige anyway) speeds. I have a mate with another Exige with 888s on, which he reckons are slightly better than 048s in the wet, but after following him round a wet roundabout the other night and getting a lovely view of the drivers door I'm not so sure
Is it true the AO48's can only be sourced from a Lotus dealership at around £650 a set (not sure if that includes VAT or not)?
I was hoping to "shoe" the car for around £400-£450 (a v.small part of the reason for dropping my 997C2s).
I thought they must be massively marked up if correct (I know that the dealer wanted £1,100 for a set on the 911 and I sourced them from a local, small tyre shop for £700) but having checked the net it looks like R888's work out at £550 (incl VAT and delivery) and that's without fitting and balancing.
Also, I guess you would have no chance of trading the car in at a Lotus dealership if it had the wrong tyres on?
I was hoping to "shoe" the car for around £400-£450 (a v.small part of the reason for dropping my 997C2s).
I thought they must be massively marked up if correct (I know that the dealer wanted £1,100 for a set on the 911 and I sourced them from a local, small tyre shop for £700) but having checked the net it looks like R888's work out at £550 (incl VAT and delivery) and that's without fitting and balancing.
Also, I guess you would have no chance of trading the car in at a Lotus dealership if it had the wrong tyres on?
when i said you cant get A048s hot enough, what I meant was in comparison to the A039s in the dry i.e. if you run A039s as your only tyre all year, unless you do track days then they are 100% as sticky on the road as each other....but the A039 are much better in the wet (the actually have tread to clear water, similar compound, same tread depth) ...so unless you do track days theres no point in A048s ...this is the conclusion ive come to after about 6 sets of each over the last 80K miles, so now I keep a set of OZs with the A048s on just for track/hillcimbs/sprints etc and run A039s the rest of the time
T1Rs are ok for winter, but not up to much in general compared to either Yoko tyre...I tried a set of those once for the cheap option.
And of course std Re40 or Ad07 are great, but dont come in the right sizes.
T1Rs are ok for winter, but not up to much in general compared to either Yoko tyre...I tried a set of those once for the cheap option.
And of course std Re40 or Ad07 are great, but dont come in the right sizes.
I bought an exige a couple of weeks ago which has Toyo Proxes T1R on the front and Toyo Proxes R32 on the rear, which I wasnt overly happy about. However the car seems to grip very well given the revolting greasy conditions we have had recently. I think I may stick to the Toyo T1-Rs all year round since I am unlikely to do any trackdays in the car since we have a couple of dedicated track machines. May try the goodyear Eagle F1's if I find some cheap since I have had these on another car and I was very impressed with them. I did a trackday in a Cerbera with T1-R's on all round and I found they quickly overheated and grained badly, however they are an excellent everyday tyre. Maybe on the Exige this may be less of an issue with the lower weight and lower levels of power, however I think this will only be found with experience!
Just put 4 Toyo T1-R's on my oz wheels. £310 all in. Bargain.
Lost a bit of the "feel" from the A048's I had previously - but steering is lighter and the car (135R which is my daily drive) is a lot easier to manage around town.
Might have lost some traction when the sun shines but how often does that happen? Never going to track it so cant see the point in track based tyres.
If I had the money I would go for 888's, but for those on a budget (or coming up to a service lol!) Toyo's seem fine to me.
Leigh
Lost a bit of the "feel" from the A048's I had previously - but steering is lighter and the car (135R which is my daily drive) is a lot easier to manage around town.
Might have lost some traction when the sun shines but how often does that happen? Never going to track it so cant see the point in track based tyres.
If I had the money I would go for 888's, but for those on a budget (or coming up to a service lol!) Toyo's seem fine to me.
Leigh
Gassing Station | Elise/Exige/Europa/340R | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff