Sorry, another tyre thread.......

[Neil72]

I have 4 perfectly legal Bridgestones on the Elise the moment but can't help thinking they're past their best (@ 3.5yrs old) and a new set of tyres + geo would be a wise investment to help maximise enjoyment of the car. I've read all the other tyre threads on here already but still not sure which would be the best way to go.

Option 1 is to keep the Bridgestones.

Option 2 is to fit T1R's.

Option 3 is to fit the Khumo whadyamcallthems.

Option 4 is to fit AD07's.

Option 5 is to go down the A048/R888 route along with uprated toe links.

I don't really care about wet weather performance, wear rate, or commuting to work capabilities. The car will only do about 3k miles per year mainly in the dry. Cost isn't a significant factor either but I also don't want to throw money away needlessly. Don't know if my driving capabilites justify shelling out on the semi slicks.

I'm kinda drawn towards the AD07 but not sure how the T1R's or Khumo's fare in direct comparison. Are they 95% as good for 50% of the price, or 50% as good for 50% of the price ?

I also fancy going up to a 185 or 195 on the front which rules out the AD07.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.



Neil

[tenkfeet]

I found the Bridgestones went off dramaticaly towards the end of their life . There are better tyres out there .

If you can get 9k miles out of a set of Brigestones you are not trying hard enough

[VXJON]

The ad07s are a massive improvement on the bridge stones.

[steve_weegie]

If you've never had a set of 48 / 888's on the car, i'd give them a shot for the summer. Words cannot describe the handling difference

I dont think you need uprated toe links for the S2 elise to run these tyres - i've been through a fair few sets of the medium compound 48's without issue, including sprints at Alford and several knockhill days, where the car was booted mercilessly.... The wear rate of the medium compound is truely horrendously bad though & regular visits to Ronnie at wheels aroud were required to feed my habit! My advice would be to get a set of MH compound 48's as the Yokohama sizing chart says they are fine on the std s2 rims

Go on.... You know you want to

[DJ]

Neil

With the same car as you (but slightly older) and going by what you use it for, I would go for option 4. The AD07's are miles better than the bridgestones, particulalry in the wet I have found, and if you go for option 2 or 3, you will probably always wonder what the AD07s would be like. They are not that much more expensive. Have never seen you on track (although your avatar looks like you have been ) so option 5 may be a bit extreme for your needs. The 48's/888's on standard rims is a long standing debate without an answer as Yoko/Toyo say it's OK but Lotus say no. HTH.

[Victor Meldrew]

Strange advice from Walshy that helped me decide on tyres. A set of t1r's when you lock up will lose a significant amount of the "retardation", when you lock up on a set of 888's or 48's the level of retardation doesn't reduce significantly to the point you sometimes cant tell you've locked up. For track days this makes all the difference, because the last thing you want is a lock up and a slide into the tyres.

[mckeann]

Option 1 is to keep the Bridgestones.

Option 2 is to fit T1R's.

Option 3 is to fit the Khumo whadyamcallthems.

Option 4 is to fit AD07's.

Option 5 is to go down the A048/R888 route along with uprated toe links



Neil

Just my opinion, but:

Option 1 - they will be old and hard and useless, get rid of them

Option 2 - dont bother. Plenty better tyres for the cash

Option 3 - My choice. they're 205 quid and very very good. Not sure on ultimate wear rate, but at least as good as AD07's

Option 4 - what i used to run. Great road tyre, but 410 quid including SE discount, and only lasted 5000 miles

Option 5 - No point whatsover on a road car, and even an occasional track car. road tyres will do everything you need.


neil

[DJ]

...and several knockhill days, where the car was booted mercilessly....

Steve - you gave me my first ever Elise pax laps about 2 years ago and I still aspire to how you took that car around the track. Sometimes I can't make up my mind if it was talent or if you are just a wee bit on the mental side and no other sane person would drive an Elise like that ! Hope to see you and the silver 135R back at Knockhill soon.

[steve_weegie]

...and several knockhill days, where the car was booted mercilessly....

Steve - you gave me my first ever Elise pax laps about 2 years ago and I still aspire to how you took that car around the track. Sometimes I can't make up my mind if it was talent or if you are just a wee bit on the mental side and no other sane person would drive an Elise like that ! Hope to see you and the silver 135R back at Knockhill soon.

LOL! I remember that day and our laps well... All i'll say is that sanity, much like car control is judged on a sliding scale

[Neil72]

Cheers for the feedback on this. You've all confirmed my thoughts on the Bridgestones so they'll be going for sure. T1R's scored off the list too, I always got the impression they were more of a winter/commuting tyre which isn't really what I was after;

Mckeann - how do the Khumos compare to the AD07's in terms of grip ? Any adverse effect on ride or steering ? I'm actually very tempted to take a punt on these Khumos if you reckon they stack up against the AD07 in these respects.

Had a set of Khumos years ago on an Audi Coupe and they were absolutely abysmal but I was a Doune yesterday and noticed a S1 Exige (which was competing) was running them. They felt quite soft and gave the impression they would be very grippy. Coupled with Mckeanns endorsement and the low price makes me think they're worth a punt.

If they're crap and I need to bin them and buy something else, at least I'll then have narrowed it down to AD07's or A048s

[mckeann]

As per my PM, i think they are excellent. They are 95% of the AD07 in most respects, yet they are 50% of the price. If you buy them and dont like them, i'll buy them off you. Infact, your welcome to a shot of my car to try them, but i really think you will prefer them to the old rock hard bridgies

[knightofni]

I just switched from the RE040s to AD07s. Combined with a little increase in front camber there is a big difference. Turn in is sharper and the car is much better under braking. I had toyos a while back on the S3 (Audi) and didn't find them much different from the RE040s. Presume the Kumhos are KU31s? I had them on the M3 and really liked them, but I didn't want to change front tyre size on the Elise. Only thing I would say... first time I bought cheap tyres were ther Kumhos. First time I had a tyre shred on me was the Kumho.... Bad luck, maybe. Just my 2p

[gorrie]

I just had a pair of Kuhmo KU31's put on the back of the Fiesta via Black Circles. Found them a bit skittish over bumps at motorway speeds during the first 200miles, but have settled down & seem OK now.
To be fair, could have been a number of reasons for being skittish. Old tyres had worn outsides a fair bit more so geo on new tyres was probably required & I noticed a difference of about 4psi (note to self, don't trust tyre fitters to inflate correctly).

Reckon I'll give them a shot on the RX8 aswell, instead of the RE40's that are about dead.

[Neil72]

If you buy them and dont like them, i'll buy them off you.

Is there a time limit on that offer ? If not then I can drop them off for you in a couple of years time

Well after finally deciding to give the Kumhos a try, I've now discovered that the smallest 16" tyre they do is a 195 and they only recommend fitment of these to a 6.0 rim. Hey ho I have the skinny 5.5's.

Yokohama and Toyo say the A048/R888 is OK on a 5.5 wheel so I don't see why these should be any different but maybe the sidewalls are completely different, who knows. I'm sure they would actually be OK but I'm now a bit reluctant to try the Kumhos.

[mckeann]

If you buy them and dont like them, i'll buy them off you.

Is there a time limit on that offer ? If not then I can drop them off for you in a couple of years time
.

i didnt say i would buy them off you at full price