Tyre Sizes

[StiflerMR2]

Hey all,

Having the devils own getting decent rubber for the europa, bloody 17" fronts are the problem.

I'm guessing a 205 would be just too wide to fit on the 5.5 rim (which should take a 175)? It's the only size close I can find AD08R's in

[steve_weegie]

Looks like the only AD08 rated for a 5.5 rim is a 205/50/17 profile and that's likely too tall in the sidewall to be much use. Anything in a sensible size, like a 205/45/17, needs a 6.5 rim.

What tyres are you using at the moment? I quite liked the Goodyear F1 GS-D3's which look like they may still be available in that size.

[Dominic]

In the long run, might it be worth looking at a different set of wheels? Is there a common Europa wheel upgrade route? I know there are common wheel upgrades routes for certain models in order to get better tyre options, including for VX220s IIRC.

[StiflerMR2]

There is Dom,

Most swap to the a TD 1.2 (as do the VX220 boys) to get the wider fronts. However, I didn't really fancy shelling out £600 just to then get some decent rubber on the car and I quite like the design of the OEM wheels

Currently running the standard RE050's I might just do SIDC with them on it and suffer through...

[Lazydonkey]

There are always sets on the vx site.... Altho I'll be honest and say I've never liked the design of the TDs

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[StiflerMR2]

Had a quick look Donkey and there are a few that are around £450. I'm also no a huge fan of the design. I'll have a look around at 'normal' tyre reviews and see what will be good on road and track.

[steve_weegie]

The RE50's will literally melt on track if you're driving hard and doing long stints, but on the upside, sliding is fun so its not all tragic

If you keep your stints short and an eye on pressures, I recon you'll be fine though. I've tracked those Bridgestones before and had fun on them.

Is a cheap and dirty set of track wheels, with sticky rubber an option? Just switch back to the road wheels after the track day?

[Rosssco]

As above, there are little options for the weird wheel size. You can still get the standard Bridgestones too.

AD08r's are very good dry tyres for occasional use, but they can also be pretty crap on cold, damp roads compared to a normal road tyre.

You can get 195/45 / 17 to fit (IIRC) which opens up the option of some Goodyear Eagle's I believe.

There's also this design which will fit:

http://www.vx220.org.uk/forums/topic/14 ... e-a-likes/

[StiflerMR2]

Bum. I am quite lazy and couldn't be arsed with swapping over wheels for TD's. Seriously Lotus have the TD1.2's on sale atm but it means about £1K all in just to get some decent rubber

https://www.seriouslylotus.com/wheels-t ... loy-wheels

[steve_weegie]

You clearly need two cars

[StiflerMR2]

Spoke to Ronnie, after some investigation he says the rolling radius is pretty much the same if i make the front a 205/45/17 , which means I could get some AD08R's - standard fit on a Europa is 175/55/17

Anyone think this may be too large of a deviation from 175?

[Rosssco]

Loads of people run a 205 front / 225 rear, it'll just be 'interesting' to see how well a 205 / 45 fits on the standard 5.5" width front wheel!

Also bear in mind, I've heard of certain track-focused tyres (due to their stiffer construction) being a right pain to fit on certain wheels that are near the lower limit of acceptable wheel width.

[steve_weegie]

Rolling radius is not the problem - the 205/45/17 tyre bead will not sit correctly on the 5.5 rim and risks unseating when loaded up in the corners. Unfortunatly these are not at the lower limit for width, they are a good bit beyond it

Check out the rim width chart for these below:

https://www.yokohamatire.com/tires/advan-neova-ad08r

[StiflerMR2]

Going to bite the bullet and order the TD1.2's and try a set of Nankang NS-2R's. Tread pattern looks pretty aggressive. Here's hoping it's okay on the road!

Looks like AD08r's dont come in a 195/50/16 which is what I believe the TD's 16 would take.

[Rosssco]

You can get AD08r in 205/50/16.

I'm just about to sell a pull set of used AD08R (I'm switching to Yokohama V105 as they're a proper road tyre) - 205/45/16 (about 4mm remaining) and 225/45/16 (about 6mm remaining) if of interest.

The Nankangs will perform on the road very similar to R888 / A048's - track tyre with limited all-year round road usability.