Front tyres - S-03 PP, SP9000 or something else?
Discussion
OK, so the Chimaera came with Vredestein Ultrac jobbies at the rear, and Avon ZV-1 (V-rated, as the designation indicates) in the original early Chim 205/60/15 size at the front. When I came to look at the car I made a mental note to change the fronts soonish as I deem their spec really not suitable for a 4.3 litre Chim. In the week before I picked it up the seller called to inquire about whether I already had a date for the transfer of readies and car, mentioned he'd suffered a puncture and had it repaired (he also changed the oil and cleaned the car before handing it to me, so I can't complain really, especially as I'm quite chuffed with the forthrightness of the seller and the overall condition of the car given the selling price).
Well, I didn't have to guess which tyre was involved as I found the nearside front flat a few days after I put it in the garage. As it's going to be sitting there for awhile I emptied a Tyreweld can in it, drove up and down the street (well, dyke) and used the ol' air compressior to bring it up to pressure. But it means I'll be needing two front tyres (W-rated or higher) to go with the Ultracs at the rear, before I take this thing to the road again.
Did some online digging and found that:
* Vredestein don't make Ultracs in 15" sizes
* The only W-rated tyre that came up in the original 205/60 size is a Michelin Pilot Primacy - which given that my Dad's 2.0 litre Citroën C5 wears them, doesn't seem all that appropriate to me either
* In the later-spec 205/55 size, it's basically between Dunlop SP 9000 (ZR-rated) and Bridgestone S-03 Pole Position (W-rated).
So what would be the PH Chimmers' recommendation, given that the Vredestein Ultracs on the back do seem to be quite well rated (esp. in the wet) and have at least 5-6 mm of tread on them so whatever I choose for the front will have to work OK in combination with these for the forseeable future? The Bridgestones are a fair bit dearer here than the Dunlops, so all else being equal I'd tend to the latter...
Well, I didn't have to guess which tyre was involved as I found the nearside front flat a few days after I put it in the garage. As it's going to be sitting there for awhile I emptied a Tyreweld can in it, drove up and down the street (well, dyke) and used the ol' air compressior to bring it up to pressure. But it means I'll be needing two front tyres (W-rated or higher) to go with the Ultracs at the rear, before I take this thing to the road again.
Did some online digging and found that:
* Vredestein don't make Ultracs in 15" sizes
* The only W-rated tyre that came up in the original 205/60 size is a Michelin Pilot Primacy - which given that my Dad's 2.0 litre Citroën C5 wears them, doesn't seem all that appropriate to me either
* In the later-spec 205/55 size, it's basically between Dunlop SP 9000 (ZR-rated) and Bridgestone S-03 Pole Position (W-rated).
So what would be the PH Chimmers' recommendation, given that the Vredestein Ultracs on the back do seem to be quite well rated (esp. in the wet) and have at least 5-6 mm of tread on them so whatever I choose for the front will have to work OK in combination with these for the forseeable future? The Bridgestones are a fair bit dearer here than the Dunlops, so all else being equal I'd tend to the latter...
clive f said:
I had the same problem with my griff last summer, ended up with the michellin pilots 215 15", I think the profile is 50 can`t remember off hand, but they work well and look similar to the proxies on ther rear.
Hmmm, interesting - just went to the Michelin website tyre advice thingy and after I filled in '215' and '55' it automatically restricted the options to either 16" or 17" sizes, whilst 215/50 doesn't seem to come in anything other than 17" (anymore)...
barreti said:
What are the R888's like in the wet Del, I thought they were practically track and dry summer only tyres. Do you use them all year round or do you have another set of wheels/tyres for the winter.
i've got TI-R's on 16" all round for the winter but i'm told the R888 are ok as long as no standing water..
Hmmm, interesting - just went to the Michelin website tyre advice thingy and after I filled in '215' and '55' it automatically restricted the options to either 16" or 17" sizes, whilst 215/50 doesn't seem to come in anything other than 17" (anymore)...
[/quote]
been advised by a mate atlocal tyre place to look at changing to 17" eventually as 15" and even 16" tyres will be practically nonexistent soon!!
a real pain when you want to keep the original wheels, but can`t find decent rated rubber to fit them
All this talk about R888's.
I went down this route and was advised as follows.
These are road legal trackday tyres. They have very ridged side walls designed for use on smooth flat tracks, not really suitable for country road driving. They have half the tread depth for normal road tyres to prevent overheating so you won't get many miles out of them. They need to be warm before their grip benefit can be realised, cold they are no better and possibly even worse that T1-R's.
I went down this route and was advised as follows.
These are road legal trackday tyres. They have very ridged side walls designed for use on smooth flat tracks, not really suitable for country road driving. They have half the tread depth for normal road tyres to prevent overheating so you won't get many miles out of them. They need to be warm before their grip benefit can be realised, cold they are no better and possibly even worse that T1-R's.
tvrbob said:
All this talk about R888's.
I went down this route and was advised as follows.
These are road legal trackday tyres. They have very ridged side walls designed for use on smooth flat tracks, not really suitable for country road driving. They have half the tread depth for normal road tyres to prevent overheating so you won't get many miles out of them. They need to be warm before their grip benefit can be realised, cold they are no better and possibly even worse that T1-R's.
I went down this route and was advised as follows.
These are road legal trackday tyres. They have very ridged side walls designed for use on smooth flat tracks, not really suitable for country road driving. They have half the tread depth for normal road tyres to prevent overheating so you won't get many miles out of them. They need to be warm before their grip benefit can be realised, cold they are no better and possibly even worse that T1-R's.
& Your point is
tvrbob said:
All this talk about R888's.
I went down this route and was advised as follows.
These are road legal trackday tyres. They have very ridged side walls designed for use on smooth flat tracks, not really suitable for country road driving. They have half the tread depth for normal road tyres to prevent overheating so you won't get many miles out of them. They need to be warm before their grip benefit can be realised, cold they are no better and possibly even worse that T1-R's.
I went down this route and was advised as follows.
These are road legal trackday tyres. They have very ridged side walls designed for use on smooth flat tracks, not really suitable for country road driving. They have half the tread depth for normal road tyres to prevent overheating so you won't get many miles out of them. They need to be warm before their grip benefit can be realised, cold they are no better and possibly even worse that T1-R's.
The R888's have their down side's your right the main one over all for me was the road noise they are very loud and have a limited life span but on the up side they are the best tyre I have used on the road hot or cold
For the moment I have T1-R's on the TVR but next time round I will probly go for the R888's.
PS they are also cheeper
Dave 500 said:
tvrbob said:
They have half the tread depth for normal road tyres to prevent overheating
Tread depth is the same as a normal tyre its just a softer compound. Don't know where the over heating thing came from
. Gassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff