Corsa Tyres on V12V

[ripley500]

I purchased by V12V in November last year and throughout the winter it was a little frustrating as in the cold the combination of tyres and torque meant that it really struggles to get any sort of power down.

So as we've moved into summer and have had a few weeks of scorching weather I was hoping that the Corsas would show their true worth and stick to the road like glue. Now, they are not bad but they are not quite what I was expecting. It's still very easy to engage traction control light on dry, hot roads when the tyres are warmed.

Now, my expectations may be off because I am used to A048's and R888 track focused tyres on other cars I've had and on these, once there is heat in them, they inspire massive confidence and literally stick to the road. I was expecting Corsa to be not quite to this level but perhaps better than they are.

Be interested to know how other users find the Corsas in summer - I haven't tried other tyres on the V12V but I am thinking that a more all round tyre may be better (I think other than the winter option there is one other brand of tyre that fits the V12V - can't remember what it is though).

[Simon T]

Hi, I think 500+ bhp coupled with 420 ft lbs of torque is a big ask for any tyre, even slicks will break traction if you put this much power through them too aggressively, especially if you are asking them to provide lateral grip at the same time. I'd be interested to hear what cars you where driving on track day tyres?

Just as an FYI I have had my car round Combe in a time that would have put it in the top half of the Combe saloon grid and not at the back of the GT grid, This was on Corsas I don't think any other list 1A or B tyres would have given me a quicker time

cheers

Simon

[vankypanky]

i think in the shoot outs the michelin's came out top. from memory they scored top in the wet and second in the dry thus first place overall so pretty impressive

[V12woollie]

I agree with Simon T. Give the V12V the full beans in the lower gears in the dry and the TC light will come on. I'm not sure there is any road tyre out there that could handle that amount of torque. However the cornering grip is sensational and inspires confidence.

This leads me to think that putting even more powerful engines in the Vantage chassis is pointless if the power cannot be transferred to the road.

[ripley500]

Simon T said:

Hi, I think 500+ bhp coupled with 420 ft lbs of torque is a big ask for any tyre, even slicks will break traction if you put this much power through them too aggressively, especially if you are asking them to provide lateral grip at the same time. I'd be interested to hear what cars you where driving on track day tyres?


Simon

I currently have - 235bhp Westfield which is not a fair comparison on a048 tyres as the car is so light etc. but I did have a lotus Elise than I put an Audi turbo engine in and this had 270bhp and the same amount of torque. It has a bigger power to weight ratio than the v12v and the torque kick it gave was considerably more than the v12v ( it was a lot of fun). On track it was almost impossible to break traction on r888 tyres unless you were driving like an idiot. The v12v though is very easy to break traction without giving it too many beans I am wondering if the corsa go 'off' and this is the problem. They just don't seem to be any better in the warm, dry weather than a normal sport road tyre would be.

[yourtheguy]

I have not tried the corsa's but have had lots of pirelli's over the years and found them good when hot.
I had RE050's on my last car a impreza WRX, and i thought that they were briliant in all weathers.
On my 06 V8V i have bridgestones all round, AM9's on the back but Porcshe spec ones on the front which seem to be better than the AM9's i had before.
So i'll stick my neck out and say that the compound of the AM9's is a bit hard.

[yeti]

Compared to the Elise, there is very little weight over the rear wheels too...

Might be worth a geo check and also an age/tread check of the tyres...

[yeti]

Oh, and Michelin Pilot Sports and Pirelli P Zeros also fit and are a good all-round tyre.

Fit them in October and enjoy the car all year round!

[Cockernee]

I have to echo Simon T, they are a phenomenal tyre for grip in warm weather. You are not comparing apples with apples on other cars that do not weigh over 1.5 tons. Wheelspin in first gear is inevitable when 420lb torque needs to move 1.6 tons, whereas the lighter cars you mention do not have the same issue. Even in this weather the initial grip before warming up is less than when run, so perhaps you are experiencing lack of grip in this situation? I think they are compromised only in cold weather, then you will probably hate them...

[AMDBSNick]

V12woollie said:

Give the V12V the full beans in the lower gears in the dry and the TC light will come on.

How would you know this

[Tony V12V]

AMDBSNick said:

V12woollie said:

Give the V12V the full beans in the lower gears in the dry and the TC light will come on.

How would you know this

Someone told him or he read it in the manual

[V12woollie]

Tony V12V said:

AMDBSNick said:

V12woollie said:

Give the V12V the full beans in the lower gears in the dry and the TC light will come on.

How would you know this

Someone told him or he read it in the manual

[ripley500]

yeti said:

Compared to the Elise, there is very little weight over the rear wheels too...

Might be worth a geo check and also an age/tread check of the tyres...

Can anyone recommend any specific geo settings aimed at a 'fast road' set up for the v12v?

Age of tyres could be a factor I guess as they will be the original tyres as the car is 2009 and is low mileage.

I'd expect any tyre to lose traction from a standing start but I notice the TC light on when accelerating out of corners when driving in a 'spirited' way but some way off 'full beans' mode.

[V12woollie]

ripley500 said:

..... I notice the TC light on when accelerating out of corners when driving in a 'spirited' way but some way off 'full beans' mode.

So do I and, as you, without the full beans. Definitely on a couple of occasions I know I had some loose gravel under the tyres but on other occasions I was surprised to see it. I don't think I ever saw it in the V8V unless on loose gravel, but then it wasn't pumping out so much bhp and torque. Had a chat with Tony V12V after he fitted the straight P Zeros to his car. I'm sure he will correct me if I get this wrong, but I think he said he sees the TC light a bit more often than with the Corsas, but of course the trade-off is that he can plough through standing water rather then sliding across it.

[Cockernee]

V12woollie said:

ripley500 said:

..... I notice the TC light on when accelerating out of corners when driving in a 'spirited' way but some way off 'full beans' mode.

So do I and, as you, without the full beans. Definitely on a couple of occasions I know I had some loose gravel under the tyres but on other occasions I was surprised to see it. I don't think I ever saw it in the V8V unless on loose gravel, but then it wasn't pumping out so much bhp and torque. Had a chat with Tony V12V after he fitted the straight P Zeros to his car. I'm sure he will correct me if I get this wrong, but I think he said he sees the TC light a bit more often than with the Corsas, but of course the trade-off is that he can plough through standing water rather then sliding across it.

Tony is no gauge of driving talent. He needs to MTFU He put girly tyres on as he struggled to stay up with an old fella in a Nissan Micra in Switzerland because he wore the wrong colour socks, the wiper blades were old, he only had 1/2 tank of fuel, the heater wasn't on and many other excuses. Hi Tony.

[Tony V12V]

Cockernee said:

Tony is no gauge of driving talent. He needs to MTFU He put girly tyres on as he struggled to stay up with an old fella in a Nissan Micra in Switzerland because he wore the wrong colour socks, the wiper blades were old, he only had 1/2 tank of fuel, the heater wasn't on and many other excuses. Hi Tony.

p.s.

[V12woollie]

Cockernee said:

Tony is no gauge of driving talent. He needs to MTFU He put girly tyres on as he struggled to stay up with an old fella in a Nissan Micra in Switzerland because he wore the wrong colour socks, the wiper blades were old, he only had 1/2 tank of fuel, the heater wasn't on and many other excuses. Hi Tony.

For some strange reason, I really like that post

[Tony V12V]

V12woollie said:

Cockernee said:

Tony is no gauge of driving talent. He needs to MTFU He put girly tyres on as he struggled to stay up with an old fella in a Nissan Micra in Switzerland because he wore the wrong colour socks, the wiper blades were old, he only had 1/2 tank of fuel, the heater wasn't on and many other excuses. Hi Tony.

For some strange reason, I really like that post

That my 'sparkly' friend is because you can relate to the old fella in the Micra with the wrong colour socks

ps Cockers... you forgot to mention having to answer a call from Eurowatch about the tracker going off

[Cockernee]

Tony V12V said:

V12woollie said:

Cockernee said:

Tony is no gauge of driving talent. He needs to MTFU He put girly tyres on as he struggled to stay up with an old fella in a Nissan Micra in Switzerland because he wore the wrong colour socks, the wiper blades were old, he only had 1/2 tank of fuel, the heater wasn't on and many other excuses. Hi Tony.

For some strange reason, I really like that post

That my 'sparkly' friend is because you can relate to the old fella in the Micra with the wrong colour socks

ps Cockers... you forgot to mention having to answer a call from Eurowatch about the tracker going off

Oh and the washer bottle was half empty also

[Tony V12V]

Cockernee said:

Tony V12V said:

V12woollie said:

Cockernee said:

Tony is no gauge of driving talent. He needs to MTFU He put girly tyres on as he struggled to stay up with an old fella in a Nissan Micra in Switzerland because he wore the wrong colour socks, the wiper blades were old, he only had 1/2 tank of fuel, the heater wasn't on and many other excuses. Hi Tony.

For some strange reason, I really like that post

That my 'sparkly' friend is because you can relate to the old fella in the Micra with the wrong colour socks

ps Cockers... you forgot to mention having to answer a call from Eurowatch about the tracker going off

Oh and the washer bottle was half empty also

Always half full my friend