Tyre problems / questions?
Discussion
Since I bought my car I've been running 205/55R15 Toyo T1S's on the front and 245/45R16 Continental Sportcontacts on the rear.
I know the Continentals are an unusual choice for a Griff but to be fair to them once warmed up their grip is fine and they're nice and progressive when they slide. In the wet the Contis are also great and despite being close to the wear indicators I've never had any problems with them... unlike the Toyos...
I run the tyres at the factory recommended pressures of 22F and 24R but I seem to get quite a lot of understeer in the tighter corners to the point that the shoulder of the NS front particularly is now quite worn. Also in the wet the Toyos are quite prone to aquaplaning even at low speeds despite having a good 4-5mm tread left on them.
Are these issues normal with the T1S's and are the T1R's better at clearing water than the T1S's? Should I be running different tyre pressures to counter the understeer and reduce the shoulder wear? I would have thought that higher pressures would reduce the tyre movement and thus counter the shoulder wear but also increase understeer? My searches have so far failed to yield any real results on this one? (BTW I had a service and 4-wheel alignment very recently with resulting lighter steering weight but not sure whether the understeer has increased or decreased since? I'm not sure whether the shoulder wear is a new thing since the service or present before either?)
As I've now suffered a punture in the OS rear I'm about to replace the rear tyres with something else but as I'm not overly impressed with the T1S's in the wet I'm concerned about buying T1R's. I've read all about the various SP9000, FK452?, SO3 options etc but quite fancy some Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3's as I've had these on other cars and always found them excellent wet or dry.
So please... opinions on the understeer, tyre pressures, wet weather performance and the Goodyears. Cheers!
I know the Continentals are an unusual choice for a Griff but to be fair to them once warmed up their grip is fine and they're nice and progressive when they slide. In the wet the Contis are also great and despite being close to the wear indicators I've never had any problems with them... unlike the Toyos...
I run the tyres at the factory recommended pressures of 22F and 24R but I seem to get quite a lot of understeer in the tighter corners to the point that the shoulder of the NS front particularly is now quite worn. Also in the wet the Toyos are quite prone to aquaplaning even at low speeds despite having a good 4-5mm tread left on them.
Are these issues normal with the T1S's and are the T1R's better at clearing water than the T1S's? Should I be running different tyre pressures to counter the understeer and reduce the shoulder wear? I would have thought that higher pressures would reduce the tyre movement and thus counter the shoulder wear but also increase understeer? My searches have so far failed to yield any real results on this one? (BTW I had a service and 4-wheel alignment very recently with resulting lighter steering weight but not sure whether the understeer has increased or decreased since? I'm not sure whether the shoulder wear is a new thing since the service or present before either?)
As I've now suffered a punture in the OS rear I'm about to replace the rear tyres with something else but as I'm not overly impressed with the T1S's in the wet I'm concerned about buying T1R's. I've read all about the various SP9000, FK452?, SO3 options etc but quite fancy some Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3's as I've had these on other cars and always found them excellent wet or dry.
So please... opinions on the understeer, tyre pressures, wet weather performance and the Goodyears. Cheers!
steve-V8s said:
Before blaming the rubber it may be worth checking (or having someone check) your suspension geometry / bushes / ball joints / dampers.
Geometry was adjusted within last 800 miles so should be spot on. I'll check the service report for mention of front wishbone bushes though as a precaution.Any thoughts on the rubber?
I see the point but I really just want tyres that I can drive in all seasons with clean underwear on!
Do the T1R's clear water better than the T1S because of the circumferential groove or will they aquaplane all over the place at low speeds too?
I really cannot fault the wet weather performance of the Contis and don't mind sacrificing a bit of grip in the dry to know that I'll have a much better chance of staying on the blackstuff when the heavens open!
I don't intentionally drive in the rain, I just live in England! :bigumbrella:
Do the T1R's clear water better than the T1S because of the circumferential groove or will they aquaplane all over the place at low speeds too?
I really cannot fault the wet weather performance of the Contis and don't mind sacrificing a bit of grip in the dry to know that I'll have a much better chance of staying on the blackstuff when the heavens open!
I don't intentionally drive in the rain, I just live in England! :bigumbrella:
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