NC tyre recs?

[lucifuge]

Think I'm due for tyres soon on my 2007 NC.

It's done 18,000 and I'm getting some slippage more and more in the rear in the wet. Might just need a rotation, but in case I need more can anyone recommend some quality tyres in 215x45x17 (from stock 205). I've heard the 215 is a good way to go? Is 225x40 a consideration or wont it fit?

[Hellmun]

Wider tyres don't give you more grip. They give you a larger heatsink capability and change the shape of the contact patch. Wider tyres give you better turn-in but you sacrifice a little braking/acceleration. I don't think going wider for street is going to give you any additional safety/performance. They do look nice and tough though.

If your tread depth is pretty low I'd just get your standard 205's again. The stock Michelens are supposed to be excellent but just expensive. Otherwise the Bridgestone RE001 adrenalins are supposed to be fantastic.

[lucifuge]

I thought the point was 215 is not much wider, BUT you do get a lot more tyre choice. My researching is leading me towards Toyo T1R's at this stage which are also meant to be good in the wet.

[Hellmun]

I actually run 215/40/17's as my street tyres on my NB8B and I never noticed a huge range when I got my last set of tyres. Just wanted to make sure you weren't trying to fix the lack of grip with a larger width tyre

Hopefully some of the NC brigade will pipe up.

[lucifuge]

hopefully I will get some response. Where are they all? drinking at the bar? LOL

[CoffeeBoss]

I'm piping up as i'm one of those NC brigadiers, however still on my RE050's that my '08 was delivered with. I do predominantly freeway miles, coupled with enthusiastic b-road runs, one skid pan early on and a track day last weekend. So given the softness of the RE050's i think they have done quite well and are nearly done and dusted now, having travelled 28'000kms.

From previous experience, my next tires will be Michelin Pilot Preceda 2's. I used the PP1's on my previous car, and the same usage with more track time on a heavier car still netted an average 40'000kms of life. They are nice and stiff, and don't go soggy on the track as fast as any other road tire i have used there (Eagle F1's, Dunlop 2050M's, Pilot Primacy's).

I also went with the 'wider than standard' approach on my last car with the Primacy's i had on there, and my experience aligns quite well with what Hellmun has said. I made that decision based on a comfort choice, and ride quality was markedly improved. But my old car had some pretty stiff dampers and spring rates, so this was needed for road use.

In my other club, there are a number of T1R advocates also. We find they are quite good, but go sour more quickly. You get what you pay for in the end - T1R's will grip well for the money, but not last as long as the Michelins.

[lucifuge]

Very interesting info, much appreciated, cheers!

I'm piping up as i'm one of those NC brigadiers, however still on my RE050's that my '08 was delivered with. I do predominantly freeway miles, coupled with enthusiastic b-road runs, one skid pan early on and a track day last weekend. So given the softness of the RE050's i think they have done quite well and are nearly done and dusted now, having travelled 28'000kms.

From previous experience, my next tires will be Michelin Pilot Preceda 2's. I used the PP1's on my previous car, and the same usage with more track time on a heavier car still netted an average 40'000kms of life. They are nice and stiff, and don't go soggy on the track as fast as any other road tire i have used there (Eagle F1's, Dunlop 2050M's, Pilot Primacy's).

I also went with the 'wider than standard' approach on my last car with the Primacy's i had on there, and my experience aligns quite well with what Hellmun has said. I made that decision based on a comfort choice, and ride quality was markedly improved. But my old car had some pretty stiff dampers and spring rates, so this was needed for road use.

In my other club, there are a number of T1R advocates also. We find they are quite good, but go sour more quickly. You get what you pay for in the end - T1R's will grip well for the money, but not last as long as the Michelins.

[rwf]

yeah i need a new set i run 215 45 17
looking at falken fk452 good price and good looking tyre
i have heard the pp2 is a good tyre but it is $40 tyre more

[rwf]

has any one used fk452

[Charlie Brown]

I thought the point was 215 is not much wider, BUT you do get a lot more tyre choice. My researching is leading me towards Toyo T1R's at this stage which are also meant to be good in the wet.

T1-Rs DANGER, DANGER, DANGER Will Robinson!!!!

I went down this path with 215 T1Rs 2 years ago and I'm still paying the price.

'Just need to run up (or down the tread) another couple of K's and it will be PP2 time.

The T1-Rs offered less grip, both wet and dry, than the original Michelin PP1s. Slower turn in also. Now with about 1 - 2mm to the wear bars I can spin the rears up without trying and wet weather is like driving on an ice skating rink. Lucky it doesn't rain much.

On the plus side originally they were a little softer on the ride and quieter. Now with 38k on board they are about 30% as noisey as my track DO1s.

[Lab-ratt]

I'm going to try Yokohama A048s but mines not a daily driver. The dont come in a 205/45 so it will have to be a 215/45.....

[CoffeeBoss]

I'm going to try Yokohama A048s but mines not a daily driver. The dont come in a 205/45 so it will have to be a 215/45.....

My semi's which i have on my stock wheels now are this exact tire, A048 215/45/17, compound 87W. Even cold the grip is good, when they heat up, it's epic. But you have to be driving rather vigorously on the road to get enough heat into them. In the wet they are less than good on the road.
Strangely, i cannot provide on track impressions for them yet, haven't taken them out on the circuit!

Meanwhile, my PP2's on my Enkies are just awesome. Honestly, way better than the RE050s. Will be interesting to see what lifespan i get out of them. Wet grip is much better than the PP1s, sidewalls are nice and stiff, dry grip is more than ample for the road. Breakaway is nice and progressive. Love these tires, definitely worth the money IMHO. But again, with slightly more aggressive camber now (particularly up front), i'm interested to see what the lifespan is like.

[Sailor]

I'm trying the Maxxis Victra Z1 in a 205/45/17
http://www.maxxis.com/AutomobileLight-T ... ictra.aspx
Very quiet despite the quite aggressive tread when compared to the PP1 and grip in both wet and dry is excellent.
Got a couple of thousand k's on them now and am supremely happy!
$243.00/corner is pretty cheap by comparison.
Well worth a look.

[Lab-ratt]

My semi's which i have on my stock wheels now are this exact tire, A048 215/45/17, compound 87W. Even cold the grip is good, when they heat up, it's epic. But you have to be driving rather vigorously on the road to get enough heat into them. In the wet they are less than good on the road.
Strangely, i cannot provide on track impressions for them yet, haven't taken them out on the circuit!.....

Thanks Coofeeboss. This is pretty much what I'm after. I like to chuck the MX around so should be able to heat them up. I'm told the milage isnt that great but mines not a daily driver so they should be ideal....

In many cases 205/45s arent available but the 215/45 is quite common and available in a wider range. If you look at the specs on most brands there only a few mm difference in the contact patch between the 205 and 215 anyway. I've seen specs quoting a 207 mm contact patch for a 215 tyre. Its not so much about the contact patch but more the compounds available.

[zombie]

Yokohama has recently brought out the Advan AO50 as an update to the AO48.

I got a set of these in 215/45/17 on Friday, just in time for Round one of our autotest championship yesterday.

Yokohama specifically recommends them for autocross as they heat up very quickly. I did a fair bit of driving on the weekend to "scrub them in" before the track day, and was stunned by the amount of grip available.

Being fastest in my class (by half a second) and 4th outright for the day just made it all worth while!

Lab-ratt: I got mine from John Fowler at Wheels World - 08 9244 2277

P.S. where were you yesterday? Come and join us for all the fun!

- Matt