What Tyres should I go for?

Ian M · Post by **Ian M** » Thu 05 Jul, 2012 11:14

It's come around to change all my tyres, I have Pirellis at the moment and the blocks have stepped out of line and it sounds like the wheel bearings have failed, so I won't be having them again. I have the standard rims with 225/45 16" tyres fitted. I have found prices from £79 for Kumho to £150 for Continentals.
What tyres do you have or which would you recommend?

Dickyt · Post by **Dickyt** » Thu 05 Jul, 2012 13:59

Hello Ian,

I suppose it's all down to how much you want to spend & how often do you drive the car? Is it your daily drive? This can effect your choice - longevity, handling in the wet etc.

My Car is a weekend toy - so doesn't really go out in the wet and relatively low mileage. As such I have Toyo Proxes T1-R, which are quite soft but give superb grip. As a result they wouldn't last as long as many others (not an issue for me), and others would probably be better in the wet.

I know allot of members on here run with Falkens, which seem to offer good all round performance & price.

Just make sure you go for a matching set of four - when I bought my car it had 3 different brands of tyre and was a utter nightmare on the road.

Having run with Toyo Proxes before on a Kit Car, I can highly recommend them - especially for a bit of "spirited" driving! Cost me £300.00 for a set of four two years ago.

Cheers

Richard

geminimustang · Post by **geminimustang** » Thu 05 Jul, 2012 14:35

I recently paid around £75 each for Budget tyres and they're absolutely fine for me as i obey the speed limits,drive sensibly,mainly around town,it's an age-thing!Would i recommend them for someone with a heavy foot? Would i have bought them in my youth? I doubt it.As you already know,you get what you pay for.If you've a need for speed,buy the best,you may be glad you did one day.

Racing Tortoise · Post by **Racing Tortoise** » Thu 05 Jul, 2012 16:38

I have Pirellis on the front and Fuldas on the back (I was a bit concerned that Fulda was some sort of dodgy Chinese remould but no, they are apparently a rather well-regarded German tyre manufacturer who did that special Mayback coupe a few years back).

If I was replacing them, I think I'd bite the bullet and go for the Contis. Camskill are offering them for £110 each (delivery only) and Kwik-fit at £139 each fitted. Alternatively, I always found the Toyo T1R Proxes quite good as a cheaper alternative and they are £75 each from Camskill....just don't fit them the wrong way around....

TJS · Post by **TJS** » Thu 05 Jul, 2012 20:44

Another vote for Toyo T1R tyres. I dont have them fitted to the Z1 but the TVR Griffith as the front wheels are 16 inch (rears 17 Inch). The side walls are supposedly softer than the premium brand sports tyres which gives an improved ride but not so sharp handling at the limits of adhesion so you may wish to experiment running the tyres 4psi above recommended pressure to compensate. The TVR requires ZR speed rated tyres, (149mph plus) wheras the the T1R are V rated which is fine for the Z1.

The arrow head tread design is very effective in wet weather and certainly creates an impressive "rooster tail" of spray.

I am pretty fussy when it comes to tyres and insist on same brand and type all round, especially on a performance car.

Following the Japanese tsunami certain Toyo tyres sizes (especially 16 inch) were in short supply.

TJS

Trevsky · Post by **Trevsky** » Thu 05 Jul, 2012 21:56

Check out Matador MP46 Hectorra 2. Apparently Matador are owned by Continental but at at fraction of the price. I have just fitted a set after much research on the net, the Tyre Reviews website has some exellent reading on them. I have to say so far I am impressed with them, for one thing they have sorted the dreaded tramlining problem and the car now handles very neutral. They also look good, are quiet and the tread pattern looks like the rolling resistance should be low and should give good fuel economy. I was pleased to see they are W and ZR rated and are an Ultra High Performanc tyre. What more could you want for about £70 each?

Olly2012 · Post by **Olly2012** » Fri 06 Jul, 2012 07:18

My son has the Toyos on his lowered polo gti and they work well. My Z has Falkens which feel great. Don't skimp to save a few quid- its all that's between you and the road.

billz · Post by **billz** » Fri 06 Jul, 2012 07:51

You could also go for initial. These too are made by continental. We have just replaced our worn out contis with them. Not really tested them apart from in the rain rain rain and in the rain.

Post by **Robert T** » Fri 06 Jul, 2012 12:06

That standard wheels on a Z1 are either 7J x 15 or 7 1/2 J x 16 with a 4J x 15 alloy spare. Michelin list the standard tyres as 205/55 R15 and 225/45 R16, but state that they do not currently have any tyres in these fitments. Which sadly means I can't recommend Michelins, which is a shame, as they are what I run on my Z3, and in the rain last night they were brilliant.

Cheers R.

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