Discussion
Has anyone any experience of Dunlop SP sport 01?
I was looking for some more sensible road tyres for the S2 Exige & had been looking at Goodyear F1 Asymetric or F1 GS-D3 but they don't do the right size in the Asymetric & Goodyear technical said GS-D3 were being phased out & maybe I should look at the Dunlops. When you look at the tyres it makes you wonder whether the SP01's & F1 Asymetric are the same?
When did Goodyear buy Dunlop or have I gotten the wrong end of the stick.
I was looking for some more sensible road tyres for the S2 Exige & had been looking at Goodyear F1 Asymetric or F1 GS-D3 but they don't do the right size in the Asymetric & Goodyear technical said GS-D3 were being phased out & maybe I should look at the Dunlops. When you look at the tyres it makes you wonder whether the SP01's & F1 Asymetric are the same?
When did Goodyear buy Dunlop or have I gotten the wrong end of the stick.
I had noticed a lot of people like the T1-R but I had them on my wifes WRX & found they wore a lot on the outer edge due to hard cornering & thought they would be even worse on an Exige.
She also had F1 GS-D3 on & they seemed to be better than the toyo's & goodyear F1 asymetric seemed to get a good write up in the Autocar tests.
Dunlop tyre database do list the SP Sport 01 as suitable for the Exige & SP sport Maxx on the back although I was surprised that they would recommend mixing them.
I believe the sport 9000 are older technology than the sport 01 & I always think the newer the tyre model the better it is.
She also had F1 GS-D3 on & they seemed to be better than the toyo's & goodyear F1 asymetric seemed to get a good write up in the Autocar tests.
Dunlop tyre database do list the SP Sport 01 as suitable for the Exige & SP sport Maxx on the back although I was surprised that they would recommend mixing them.
I believe the sport 9000 are older technology than the sport 01 & I always think the newer the tyre model the better it is.
I got the impression reading some reviews that the toyo's sidewall was too soft for the Elise/Exige.
I really like the feel of the A048's & don't find them that bad unless theres standing water - but I am expecting to come across more standing water in the next few months & not really sure whether I need the absolute grip these tyres give on a daily basis.
I really like the feel of the A048's & don't find them that bad unless theres standing water - but I am expecting to come across more standing water in the next few months & not really sure whether I need the absolute grip these tyres give on a daily basis.
T1R's are a little soft at centre, but once they wear in and you get the pressures right, I found them to be a reasonable winter tyre (on an NA Honda'd S2 running OZ's).
If I still had the car I'd be giving the Goodyear Eagles specified for the new Europa SE http://www.pistonheads.com/roadtests/doc.asp?c=108... a go.
If I still had the car I'd be giving the Goodyear Eagles specified for the new Europa SE http://www.pistonheads.com/roadtests/doc.asp?c=108... a go.
Lotus Quote Goodyear F1 GSD but I can't find them on the goodyear site, closest would be GS-D3 & that seems to tie in with the tread pattern from the link above.
They are the tyres I was looking to fit or F! Asymetric if the sizes had been right but Goodyear technicians told me the GS-D3 was being discontinued & I should look at the Dunlops?
They are the tyres I was looking to fit or F! Asymetric if the sizes had been right but Goodyear technicians told me the GS-D3 was being discontinued & I should look at the Dunlops?
Hi - It's James from Goodyear Dunlop here.....and I'm a Lotus owner!
The difficulty with the Lotus range is the odd front tyre size, which makes it very difficult to find matching fronts and rears in any manufacturer's range.
However, the my colleague advised the original poster to try the Dunlop SP Sport 01 in 195/50R16 front 225/45R17 rear. I'v used these Dunlops on an Elise S2 in a test, and found them to be comparable to the OE Bridgestone in the dry, with better wet traction. I'd say that in most road conditions, particularly damp or wet conditions they'd be a good choice on an Exige for someone not wanting to use track day type tyres like the Yokohama OE tyre or our own Dunlop Direzza track tyre.
The Dunlop SP Sport 01 has original equipment approval on cars as diverse as the Astra VXR, Gold GTi and Jaguar XK 4.2.
For owners of other Lotus models, here's my personal recommendations from our range:
On my S1 135 I used 195/50R15 and 225/45R16 rear in the older Dunlop SP9000 pattern, and found I was the quickest thing on wet trackdays by far, and about a second a mile off the dry-orientated Yokos on a sunny day. My track day tyres for this car were 195/55R15 and 225/45R16 Dunlop Direzzas ( Stockist: www.mrtyremotorsport.co.uk )
On my Europa, I switched from the OE Bridgestone (I wouldn't have been allowed in the office car park with these on) to the Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 in 195/45R17 front 235/45R17 rear (the new Europa SE has these F1s as standard, albeit with an 18" rear). The F1s turn the Europa into an awesome wet weather machine. Theoretically, although not officially recommended, the 195/45R16 and 225 or 235/45R17 combination of F1s should fit an S2 Elise and Exige. I'd be interested in knowing if anyone has tried these.
To answer an earlier question, Goodyear and Dunlop have worked together in a joint venture in some regions of the world since 1999, but there is nothing in common between the Dunlop SP Sport 01 and the Goodyear Eagle F1 (apart from the colour and roundness, of course.....)
I hope my ramble helps and isn't seen to be too commercial. I have driven several Lotus and VX models on our products, so I'm happy to share my findings.
The difficulty with the Lotus range is the odd front tyre size, which makes it very difficult to find matching fronts and rears in any manufacturer's range.
However, the my colleague advised the original poster to try the Dunlop SP Sport 01 in 195/50R16 front 225/45R17 rear. I'v used these Dunlops on an Elise S2 in a test, and found them to be comparable to the OE Bridgestone in the dry, with better wet traction. I'd say that in most road conditions, particularly damp or wet conditions they'd be a good choice on an Exige for someone not wanting to use track day type tyres like the Yokohama OE tyre or our own Dunlop Direzza track tyre.
The Dunlop SP Sport 01 has original equipment approval on cars as diverse as the Astra VXR, Gold GTi and Jaguar XK 4.2.
For owners of other Lotus models, here's my personal recommendations from our range:
On my S1 135 I used 195/50R15 and 225/45R16 rear in the older Dunlop SP9000 pattern, and found I was the quickest thing on wet trackdays by far, and about a second a mile off the dry-orientated Yokos on a sunny day. My track day tyres for this car were 195/55R15 and 225/45R16 Dunlop Direzzas ( Stockist: www.mrtyremotorsport.co.uk )
On my Europa, I switched from the OE Bridgestone (I wouldn't have been allowed in the office car park with these on) to the Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 in 195/45R17 front 235/45R17 rear (the new Europa SE has these F1s as standard, albeit with an 18" rear). The F1s turn the Europa into an awesome wet weather machine. Theoretically, although not officially recommended, the 195/45R16 and 225 or 235/45R17 combination of F1s should fit an S2 Elise and Exige. I'd be interested in knowing if anyone has tried these.
To answer an earlier question, Goodyear and Dunlop have worked together in a joint venture in some regions of the world since 1999, but there is nothing in common between the Dunlop SP Sport 01 and the Goodyear Eagle F1 (apart from the colour and roundness, of course.....)
I hope my ramble helps and isn't seen to be too commercial. I have driven several Lotus and VX models on our products, so I'm happy to share my findings.
The Goodyear F1 is outstanding in the wet. In an Autocar tyre test a Mondeo 1.8LX on F1s lapped a 1.5 mile wet track quicker than a Subaru Impreza 4wd on a more average 'OE' tyre.
On an Elise 135 around a soaking wet Donington, my findings are that a Goodyear F1 is a second quicker than a Dunlop SP Sport 01 which in turn is a second quicker than a P Zero (S1 OE tyre), which in turn is about 2 seconds quicker than a track day type tyre (888s, Yokos or Dunlop Direzza)
In the dry, I found that the Dunlop Direzza was 2 seconds quicker than my OE Pirellis, which were comparable to my Dunlop road tyres, which in turn were about 2/10ths quicker than the F1s.
I know the question wasn't about lap times, but it is the only objective measure I have of the comparble performance with the same driver in the same car.
On the road, the difference with a good road tyre compared to a track day type tyre is confidence in all conditions. On my Europa I use the Direzzas (which are similar in performance to the Yokohama Exige tyre) when I'm going to and from track days, but everywhere else I use my F1s. I know some Exige drivers subscribe to the 'drive within the car's limits' motto, which is all well and good, but a reactionary lane change/swerve avoidance on a wet motorway at a steady 50mph is probably more demanding on the tyres than a hoon across the hills. That's why I've always gone for wet performance as my priority on the road, as you frankly can't get to the limits of a track-day type tyre anywhere but on a track.
On an Elise 135 around a soaking wet Donington, my findings are that a Goodyear F1 is a second quicker than a Dunlop SP Sport 01 which in turn is a second quicker than a P Zero (S1 OE tyre), which in turn is about 2 seconds quicker than a track day type tyre (888s, Yokos or Dunlop Direzza)
In the dry, I found that the Dunlop Direzza was 2 seconds quicker than my OE Pirellis, which were comparable to my Dunlop road tyres, which in turn were about 2/10ths quicker than the F1s.
I know the question wasn't about lap times, but it is the only objective measure I have of the comparble performance with the same driver in the same car.
On the road, the difference with a good road tyre compared to a track day type tyre is confidence in all conditions. On my Europa I use the Direzzas (which are similar in performance to the Yokohama Exige tyre) when I'm going to and from track days, but everywhere else I use my F1s. I know some Exige drivers subscribe to the 'drive within the car's limits' motto, which is all well and good, but a reactionary lane change/swerve avoidance on a wet motorway at a steady 50mph is probably more demanding on the tyres than a hoon across the hills. That's why I've always gone for wet performance as my priority on the road, as you frankly can't get to the limits of a track-day type tyre anywhere but on a track.
For what it is worth I use Toyo T1Rs at 195/45R16 and 225/45R17 on my Europa. They are good in the dry, do not feel at all lazy when I track the car and have loads of grip in the wet, which is always my main concern when choosing tyres. The softer construction is probably good for me as I live in Oxfordshire with loads of very bumpy roads.
cheers
C43
cheers
C43
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