What are the best 15" road Tyres??

de Bounce · Postby **de Bounce** » Sat Jun 01, 2013 9:29 pm

Tyres are a funny choice specially when the old ones still have tread.
Pay the money and buy something decent and not have any further issues or skimp and end up on the back of a tow truck at the next downpour.

I know which one I prefer :mrgreen:

93_Clubman wrote:The first wheel alignment after new tyres on my first MX5 was by one of the major tyre sellers who sold me the tyres. They were conservative & it would only do it to what they said were factory specs. The alignment was rubbish - where the car previously inspired confidence, it didn't following the alignment. And it wasn't the tyres as I went from the original Mazda supplied Bridgestone on the NA6 to an equivalent spec Bridgestone Potenza. Btw, it wasn't at a Bridgestone tyre centre.

+1
A good alignment by someone who knows what he/she is doing is a necessity to extract the full potential of the new tyres.
Unfortunately many of the major tyre stores lack that ability.

shuey · Postby **shuey** » Sun Jun 02, 2013 1:32 am

Yea, would've loved to till after tmr's Dodgy Day to get more information from others to get some feedback on other tyres like the the KU36 or 595R since I may want to participate in the odd track days in the furure, but didn't want to risk safety and ending up at the back of a tow truck.

Don't really know much about what alignment adjustment which would eke out the tyres performance (I'm happy if they are pointing in the right direction), ill leave that till later when I learn more about the car and how to drive it. Gave the tyres a nice coat of shine and I'm a happy camper!

mr2 spyder · Postby **mr2 spyder** » Sun Jun 02, 2013 8:11 am

Just picked up a set of used 15 buddyclubs and the guy happened to have a set of as new RE002s as well so I scored them for $150.

93_Clubman · Postby **93_Clubman** » Sun Jun 02, 2013 12:31 pm

shuey wrote:Don't really know much about what alignment adjustment which would eke out the tyres performance

Wasn't a case of fine tuning, it was immediately noticeable at highway speed, but if yours feels ok after you get to drive it some more, including highway speed, then they've at least got it close.

If required, Charlie Brown's alignment recommendation for NB:
viewtopic.php?f=76&t=15398

Or if you want to take it somewhere local & proven:

aka_juffa wrote:I can recommend Bob Jane on the Nepean Hwy in Moorabbin. Their wheel alignment guy (Darryl I think) has worked on 3 of my MX5s (all NA). I have always been happy with his work.

aka_juffa wrote:Just make sure to tell him your normal driving style and he will try and set the the car up for you. Oh, and he prefers to do it his way...The first time I took a 5 there I had some recommended settings with me...if looks could kill

smashleigh · Postby **smashleigh** » Sun Jun 02, 2013 3:51 pm

Hi all, looking to get some new 15"s (195/50/15) for my NB. After having a very sideways incident, without much notice, in the rain I decided it was time to upgrade the boots from what came with it when I bought it (bob jane own brand).

What's important for me:
- wet weather performance (for obvious reasons)
- good tyre to learn on/progressive (I've only had the 5 a short while and I want to know before it lets go so I can better learn to handle my car)
- Highway driving (my 5 is my daily drive 15 mins each way to work at 100km/h and the occasional trip to Brisbane, 600kms)
- still want to have some fun around mountain roads

At the moment I'm looking at the PS3s (based on some favourable independent reviews) but is there other similar tyres I should be looking at? (the ku31 and re002 just look too "street racing tyre" for my comfort)

Also I don't see much info about weight of tyres floating around given that it will decrease unsprung weight is this something I should be considering? Resources available for this info?

Cheers

lee · Postby **lee** » Sun Jun 02, 2013 4:43 pm

smashleigh wrote:Hi all, looking to get some new 15"s (195/50/15) for my NB. After having a very sideways incident, without much notice, in the rain I decided it was time to upgrade the boots from what came with it when I bought it (bob jane own brand).

I don't mean to be a dick, but have you read the comments in the last 6 pages of this thread? We've already discussed PS3s, KU31s, KU36s, RE002s, and a few others.

smashleigh · Postby **smashleigh** » Sun Jun 02, 2013 4:49 pm

lee wrote:
smashleigh wrote:Hi all, looking to get some new 15"s (195/50/15) for my NB. After having a very sideways incident, without much notice, in the rain I decided it was time to upgrade the boots from what came with it when I bought it (bob jane own brand).

I don't mean to be a dick, but have you read the comments in the last 6 pages of this thread? We've already discussed PS3s, KU31s, KU36s, RE002s, and a few others.

Yes I have and whilst they covered a number of points there was only a couple of mentions of highway driving and to my memory these were qualitative comparisons of the KU31s and RE002s.

MattR · Postby **MattR** » Sun Jun 02, 2013 5:03 pm

Any of the tyres discusses, ps3, re002, ku31 et all make great daily tyres. The ku36 is also good for daily duties.

Choice would come down to personal preference and what deal you could get on them.

Personally, I have ku31's on my na6, and they are great, good grip wet or dry, not too noisy and wearing very well. A track day at Morgan Park suprised me with how little they wore on the shoulders, down to a very good wheel alignment more than the tyre.

smashleigh · Postby **smashleigh** » Sun Jun 02, 2013 5:49 pm

MattR wrote:A track day at Morgan Park suprised me with how little they wore on the shoulders, down to a very good wheel alignment more than the tyre.

Any advice as to where to get a good wheel alignment in Brisbane?

when you say personal preference are there clear differences in "character" between the ku31, RE002 and PS3 which can be clearly described or is it a very subjective and minor difference?

93_Clubman · Postby **93_Clubman** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 2:23 pm

smashleigh wrote:when you say personal preference are there clear differences in "character" between the ku31, RE002 and PS3 which can be clearly described or is it a very subjective and minor difference?

FWIW, had run a higher end Bridgestone Potenza for many years on MX5s, then changed to Michelin PP2 (forerunner to PS3). The PP2 was at least as good as the higher end Potenzas I used to run. Think this will translate into being a better all rounder than the Kumhos, but then they cost more, so should be. And from the sound of it, also a bit better than the RE002.

Bought the PP2s nearly 6 years ago & while they have lots of tread left they're going hard & have noticeably lost grip in the last 9 months, so I will probably revert to Bridgestone & replace with RE002.

Wivvix · Postby **Wivvix** » Fri Aug 16, 2013 12:21 am

I've been running Yoko AD08's for about 3-4 weeks now.
Dry grip is phenomenal, wet grip is very good. Just have to see how they hold up in terms of wear now.
They're a little bit noisy but it's certainly not excessive. For the grip you get and the improved road feel, it's a no-brainer. Very happy I gave these a go!

Forshaw · Postby **Forshaw** » Fri Aug 16, 2013 1:39 pm

I haven't found a fault in my Kuhmo KU31s, there is a little bit of a stretch on them and the wear seems to be doing fantastic
Got them at a right price too

hejira · Postby **hejira** » Fri Aug 16, 2013 2:06 pm

If only Pirelli made P zero rossos in 205/50/R15.. smallest is R17

had them on my '99 RX7. best ever.

I've gotta commend my Toyo proxes R1R, especially in the wet, however they don't last like a normal road tyre.

mrschlim · Postby **mrschlim** » Fri Aug 16, 2013 2:37 pm

I've been running RS3s in 225/45/15 for about 3 months now, pretty pleased so far. I would have preferred AD08s but they're unavailable in this size.

The RS3s seem a little softer in the sidewall than I expected and they are a little flighty when cold. Steering response seems okay though and no issues with aquaplaning. Very good value at $160 a Tyre.