Summer Tyres

[Gorion]

I need new tyres.  There's a winter tyre thread, but no summer tyre thread.

Considering the climate over here, one can say that it's practically always summer for tyre ratings as the normal low average is around 13C during the day and around 7C ish during the night.  Freak weather is something else, lowest I have seen it was -0.4C a year ago which was unheard of before.  No snow whatsoever, with random sized ice balls (hail?) a couple of times during our short lived winter.

I need help with brands, and sizes.  Basically, I'm a noob with car stuff.  I turn the car on and drive, and until a couple of weeks ago, that was the extent of my knowledge.

Most of our roads are rubbish, so safety is what I'm looking for.  Potholes, bumps, and mirror finish tarmac is the norm.  Most of the tarmac around here is substandard, and during summer the tar starts to liquefy and then hardens again.

Right, so I need shoes for an MR-S (MR2 Roadster (recent purchase, mid-engine rwd)).  She currently has Nankang, which I have been told are rubbish.  Previous owner changed the standard rims to 16"x7 (R16) throughout.

I don't mind having to change rims, and I don't mind spending money on good tyres, as long as it increases grip.
Is anyone capable of providing help?  I have been reading a lot of reviews on tyrereviews.co.uk but it sometimes depends on the car, and the tyre sizes. In short, this is martian talk for me.


OEM Sizes:
Front Wheels
Width 15″ x 6″
Offset = et45
PCD = 4 x 100
Weight = 14.6 lbs

Rear Wheels
Width 15″ x 6.5″
Offset = et45
PCD = 4 x 100
Weight = 15.2 lbs

Front Tyres: 185/55/15
Rear Tyres: 205/50/15

[OldBloke]

I too needed tyres and had no idea what to get. I got good information from an 'owners' forum for my make/model car.

Based on recommendations from within that group I ended up getting a set of Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2. They made a huge difference and I've recently bought a couple again to replace the worn fronts.

[Gav]

I would say it depends on two things, one as above, log onto the mr2 owners forum (I assume there will be at least one) and ask or search on there, a tyres performance can vary depenant upon the  type/size performance etc of the car, they will have a lot more input from people who drive them regularly to advise you.

Also I would say it depends on how you intend on driving it, if it's going to be driven at pace a lot then obviously you want the best performing tyres you can get, if however it is going to be doing short distances at a steady speed there really is no need to spend a fortune on high end tyres.

Edit - thread on an owners club here with reviews of varying tyres and sizes http://www.mr2roc.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3313&sid=625e5360cf7090a7d731263b81316628&start=60

[Gorion]

I have been reading those forums Gav, but those reviews are mostly directed to UK roads/weather.  Unfortunately my situation is different.

The problem I'm finding, is that even if I want performance tyres, I can't find any in 16".  Michelin don't make any for 16", have to up for 18" for them, and Vredestein suffer from the same issue.

[Gav]

I'd maybe post in there then, pretty sure there will be non uk owners on there also who maybe able to help. Although I would say any decent summer tyre is going to hold up well in your climate,  the hotter and drier it gets the more grip you will get.

I just swapped tyres not long back but as I'm about to sell it I went for a slightly cheaper performance tyre rather than buying premium, spoke to my local tyre guys and they recommended Falkens (on a BMW E92 so also rear wheel drive), now as I say I wasn't too worried as the car is going but I'm actually surprised how much grip they have, even when really pushing it, certainly up there with the Goodyears that where on it and half the price.

Link to their site if you want to see if they do your sizes - http://www.falkentyre.com/en

[Gorion]

Might be going for Toyo R1Rs.  Reviews say that they are good.

They have similar sizes as well.  Used this calculator.

[faust82]

I've got Falken tyres on my BMW 525, and they seem to be doing the job.

There's a lot of considerations, and you just need to choose what your main criteria are. For me, performance on wet roads trumps cost or noise for instance.

Auto Bild do a test every year that should be relevant for all moderate climates, but isn't entirely spot on for us here up north. You can check that out here. http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2016-AutoBild-Summer-Tyre-Test.htm
They give ratings for each criteria such as dry road, wet road, comfort, noise, rolling resistance etc...

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[Gorion]

I went with Toyo R1R and don't regret it.  The grip is insane, and they look awesome.

They did add some height to the car, but it actually made it easier to get into.  Summer tyres all year round over here.

Sizes:
Front: 215/45/16
Back: 225/45/16