Tyre choice

[gigglebug]

I'm going to be changing the tyres all round on my Puma very soon as even though they have plenty of tread left on them they are all around 5 years old so have gone a bit off. I can't even pull away at a moderate pace without the fronts scrabbling for grip and overall the car is a little bit slidy.

My initial choice is for Rainsport 3's as they are just over £130 for 4 (I've never bought four tyres cheaper!) and they utterly transformed another FWD car I have in the household so I'm hopeful that they could do the same for the Puma, there is even the odd good review of them on here.

I have got to thinking though that even though I've always had very good quality tyres on my cars that I've never actually had a set of fully focused performance tyres, mostly because of the initial expense and the longevity of such items but also because of fears of sliding off the road the first time the weather got all British.

Well with the Puma I can just about justify giving them a go as they aren't going to brake the bank even if they don't last too long and need to be replaced and I'm not overly worried about reduced grip when the weather ain't so good as I'm already used to the cars limitations when it's slippy because of the rock hard tyres I've been using.

So my question is;

Has anyone good or bad experience of the tyres below on road, I won't being doing any track driving;

Syron Streetrace

Nankang NS-2R

Federal 595RSR

Yokohama AD08R

Toyo R1R

Toyo R888

I they are all a bit of a crap idea for road use I'll stick with the Rainsports

 

[Van_Dammesque]

I have nothing but praise for the Rainsports, good and bad weather! I have Rainsport 2's on the back and 3's on the front (front were 2's but worn down much quicker than the back pair). Coming from p6000 too.
Doesn't answer your questions but reinforces that your original choice is a very good one!

 

[moondustka]

Nankangs aren't bad, they wear very well but don't have amazing grip in either the dry or wet.

Federals seem to be similar to Nankangs but wear faster.

The Yokohamas are meant to be very good in the dry, not sure about the wet.

Tokyo T1Rs are good in both dry and wet. However someone has reported a bad experience of them recently I believe.

Toyo R888s are very good in the dry, not good in the wet. In the rain on the motorway a friend of mine described them as dangerous and couldn't exceed 50mph (he was on the way to Ford Fair or Santa Pod at the time, can't remember which).

 

[gingerdave]

Can confirm what's been stated,Rainsport3 are a very good short life road tyre.On track they grip okish but sidewalls are very soft.Got lot of experience with 888 medium compound on RWD cars and on the road if it's very cold or very wet they can be very arse clenching unless you drive extremely cautiously.On trackdays once you have got some heat in them they are one of the best but with a very short life.

 

[trublustu]

All the tyres you list (apart from the Rainsports) are `track focussed` tyres.
An absolute hoot in summer, but when it gets cold and wet, you WILL crash.
Also, they will wear away very quickly.

I`ve used a couple of the above and grip is on another level to budget tyres.
I have a trackday car and have been using Dunlop Semi-Slicks.
Though I have a bad weather/backup option. Michelin Pilot Sport 3`s

I have used a few diffent road tyres on the track and (in my opinion) they are the very best on the Puma.
Grippy, A rating in the wet and very progressive with good feedback.
Also, they almost refuse to wear out!

Cant comment on Rainsports other than that I`ve heard they are not the best in dry conditions.

 

[Dal]

I've got x4 Rainsport 3 on my daily and find they're very good ose:

(And certainly a better option IMO to your other suggestions)

 

[moondustka]

Michelin PS3s as Stu says are very good tyres. I can't fault them either and have them on our Seat Leon FR 170. The grip in both dry and wet is extremely good - I find them predictable and reassuring to drive with. They wear well also.

 

[Dal]

Just remembered - if it's standard 195/50/15 you're after then maybe ask DaveB if he's got any more of these:

http://www.projectpuma.com/viewtopic.php?f=108&t=27989

Looked a bargain to me.

 

[gigglebug]

Cheers everyone, all points made taken in.

My head is still saying Rainsport 3's as apart from being exceptional value they are also quite literally the one tyre that has made the biggest difference to any car I've personally ever put tyres on. I've always appreciated the marked difference that changing from mixed up budgets to matching high performance tyres have made on the second hand cars I have bought over the years where the owners obviously didn't care about such things but the Rainsports actually replaced a set of very well regarded matching tyres that I had put on myself and the difference was even greater. The one and only slight reservation I have about the Rainsports for the Puma is the fact that the car I've already got them on needed softening down a bit as it's got a pretty crashy sports suspension fitted as standard and the Rainsoorts have totally transformed the way it rides for the better, I have read numerous times though that the sidewalls aren't the stiffest so maybe that is the reason they feel so good on what I have them on? I'm not keen on making the Puma any softer though, in fact I'd rather it went slightly the other way if anything so I'm a bit worried that if they have the same effect as they did on the Merc I might not like them.

My heart is still saying try something oddball even if just the once. I never have driven at big speeds but I do enjoy trying to keep up as much pace as I can through the corners in the Puma hence wanting to try something ultra grippy. It's probably why I'm getting on with the Puma so well as it doesn't need to be hooned around at big speeds to get enjoyment from it, it feels so good even at a low to moderate pace . I wouldn't want to risk trying something different though if it was going to be genuinely dangerous, that's why I was interested to see if anyone had run either semi or full track orientated tyres on road and how they behaved at very normal speeds when your just pottering around, all weathers. I don't use the Puma for long runs, we've got better cars for that, and it rarely goes on anything other than twisty A and B roads so it rarely hit's 60mph let alone 70 odd to be honest. Thought I might be able to get away with something ultra grippy in the dry even if it suffered in poorer weather as it would be easy for me to adjust the speed accordingly for the types of journey's I do or simply use another car.

Cheers for putting up details of that thread again Dal. I had read it a while back and forgotten about it myself. Would the extra loads put on the tyres from very hard use have any sort of detrimental effect on them even if they haven't used up much tread?

 

[gigglebug]

Ordered 4 Rainsports from Camskills for £135, looking forward to trying them on a second car to see if they are as good now as they were the first time I bought them. If they aren't as good on the Puma as they were on the Merc I'll be braver and go track tyre next time.

 

[gigglebug]

Fitted? No chance ha ha! I got 4 of them for £135.76 delivered from Camskill so it's that plus whatever it cost's for you to get them fitted. I've used Camskill quite a lot as they are often, but not always, the cheapest. The service is good and I've never had an old tyre from them. The Uniroyals were all manufactured in the 5th week of this year for example so pretty fresh

 

[YOG]

[post]349738[/post] Fitted? No chance ha ha! I got 4 of them for £135.76 delivered from Camskill so it's that plus whatever it cost's for you to get them fitted. I've used Camskill quite a lot as they are often, but not always, the cheapest. The service is good and I've never had an old tyre from them. The Uniroyals were all manufactured in the 5th week of this year for example so pretty fresh

What did your final price work out to, including the cost of valves, fitting and balancing?

 

[gigglebug]

I don't know to be honest Yog as I had upgraded front disc's, pads, braided lines and a full service done all at the same time as having the tyres changed so it was an accumulated bill for all the jobs. Don't most places charge between £45-60 ish to change 4 tyres and maybe a little bit for disposal of the old one's?

 

[ArtfulHussy]

Also in love with my rain sport 3's. I came from T1Rs which were fan-bloody-tasting in a dry day but felt I just really couldn't trust them when it was damp or wet. Too many threats to dart out. My other half had nankangs on his 335d and she spun her rear wheels everywhere. They are pretty hard IMO, harder than the T1Rs I thought so I don't think I would ever bother with them personally.

 

[gigglebug]

I'll write a little review when I've done a few more miles on them. I can already state that they do a very good job of isolating the car from road noise just as they do on the Merc. What pressures do you run Artful? I've yet to experiment with mine yet.

 

[RICHARD MANSFIELD2]

Hi,
Tyres over five years old, watch out for the tyre police. They are old and should be replaced ASAP.

 

[ArtfulHussy]

Reg has 16inch wheels which might make a difference but IIRC I had 28/9 on the back and 30/31 on the front. My car is all stripped out at the back too.

 

[gigglebug]

Ah I see, no probs. I'll have a play and see whats what when the tyres are nicely worn in

 

[Milkie]

I would say another vote for RS3's here, but I am getting them fitted on Wednesday, so I have no idea if they are any good. I got these as I heard good reviews on other forums (Clio/MX5 and other track biased forums). I was looking at TR1's, RS3's & PS3's, PS3's ruled out due to cost and TR1's ruled out as most people seemed to think they are an old tyre, there are better ones out there and they are not very good in the wet.

Tyres are a minefield whether it be cars, motorcycles, mountain bikes, road bikes, etc.

 

[slayllian]

I think the T1Rs are great tyres, especially in the dry, nice and progressive. However agree there are much better wet weather tyres. My Bridgestone Potenza RE050a's are great in both wet and dry and aren't that dear.