Chimaera Tyres

[Nessy]

Currently I have Bridgestone Potenza Tyres fitted, any suggestions as to the best alternative tyres to replace these with as I believe they are no longer available?

[daz the plumber]

toyas, dont worry about the fronts being v rated, insurance is no problem .. the law is your tyres must beable to be safe at 70mmph .i purchased them from camskil about £200 for the set + free dielivery .there a a very sticky tyre and hold the road fantastic .

[Zumbruk]

daz the plumber said:

toyas, dont worry about the fronts being v rated, insurance is no problem

And you're prepared to spend the rest of your life paying off the damages suit on that basis, are you?

[occasionaluse]

I decided to change from my S02's to Toyo - in fact i also went up in size (had been 205 front, 225 rear) - si i went for 225's on the front (v-rated) and 245's on the rear. It has transformed the car - steering easier (people said it would be heavier with larger fronts), everything absolutely amazing - hard to get it to stick it's rear out now though. Brilliant in wet and dry.

Insurance had no problems with V rated up front (no one does). Next door neighbour to my parents in traffic police - had a chat with him - he said no problem.

[tvrbob]

Zumbruk said:

daz the plumber said:

toyas, dont worry about the fronts being v rated, insurance is no problem

And you're prepared to spend the rest of your life paying off the damages suit on that basis, are you?

Yes it is OK regarding road traffic law but that's not the issue here. Each insurance underwriter will make their own judgement on this issue independent of the law. My advice is to confirm with your own insurer prior to purchase of under rated tyres.

It's legal to fit a turbo to your car but that doesn't mean your insurer has to accept it.

[simonriley11]

I have standard size Dunlop SP9000's with a ZR rating all round. Although I am a newbie (3 months and 3000 miles) I have found the tyres to provide excellent grip with a predictable breakaway. They also felt very reassuring during a recent extremely wet touring holiday of the Lake District.
I have also increased the tyre pressures to 25F 28R as per the 'high speed/fully laden' entry in the owners manual. It has improved the turn in and steering feel without seeming to affect the ride and I shall stick with these pressures for all driving conditions.

[Chimjunkie]

I had The V-rated Toyo's on my 15" rims before changing to 17"/18" rims. In my opinion the Toyo ruined the feel of the front of the car. The steering was less precise and the car wobbled like a jelly when you push laterally! Some say pump up the pressure, but i never experimented with this. Bought bigger rims where the world is your oyster for tyre choice.

HOWEVER, tyre choice is a very personal thing. Everyone has a different preference. My mad bird has AO48 soft compound semi-slicks on her Lotus because she wants ultimate grip and has the driver skill to deal with the car when it breaks free (sometimes violently with such grip). I prefer, like most on here, a predictable and manageable breakaway and also a tyre which works well in the wet, more for standing water than grip. Many have lost their TVR's from aquaplaning on half worn (or less) tyres. Toyo's are great for both predicable grip/breakaway and minimal aquaplaning, but i did feel it was a compromise with the soft sidewall combined with the large treadblock movement.

Another option is to upgrade your front wheels for 16" ones as on the rear. Loads of folk selling sets of wheels so a good supply of used wheels for this. You then have a much greater choice of correctly rated performance tyres. Fitting Toyos on a 16" rim at the front would then have a lower profile and the soft sidewall issue may be reduced.

This is probably the most frequently asked question of all on this forum. Do a few searches and you will find endless threads.

Good hunting