How can tyres be so confusing - Help ?

[RT]

Ok so brand new and shiny to the world of E30s and I know it needs new boots.

Considering the potential for these things to wag their tails like an eager puppy, what do people recommend as a good all round/wet weather tyre ?

Horses for courses I guess but hearing a lot of bad reviews about Avons and I don't want to end up with zero grip and handling.

[Elecblondie]

I'm quite partial to a set of zero grip Runway Endurances myself, they never run out and they're a lot of fun.

But for a normal progressive, good grip wet and dry well wearing, not too costly tyre I would recommend Falken ZIEX ZE912 myself. I think everyone has different opinions though.

[DanThe]

Best value for money all rounders have to be Toyo T1r's

[Elecblondie]

Best value for money all rounders have to be Toyo T1r's

Really? Aren't they pretty soft for an all round daily tyre? Wear rate is a bit quick I'd have thought.

[DanThe]

If its grip you want then yes, if you want long lasting tyres you get less grip

[Andy325i]

T1r's all the way, need a bit of scrubbing but then very good. Oh and don't expect anyone to agree on what tyres are best It will never happen!

Andy

[89-325isport]

i found goodyear eagles were exceptionally good in all weathers wouldn't of thought of buying them but they came on the 16" alpina's on my sport and really surprised me

[Elecblondie]

i found goodyear eagles were exceptionally good in all weathers wouldn't of thought of buying them but they came on the 16" alpina's on my sport and really surprised me

My housemate uses eagle f1s on his road rally car, they're super grippy, but they get destroyed really easily. We've got a few cars in my club with them and they all lose chunks out of the sidewall.

[89-325isport]

aye they wear out faster than others but the do keep you between the hedges.

[Elecblondie]

aye they wear out faster than others but the do keep you between the hedges.

Not always, I've been in a hedge as a passenger with them .

[89-325isport]

oh nawh! i suppose there is always an exception to the rule.

[Elecblondie]

oh nawh! i suppose there is always an exception to the rule.

If you drive like a complete idiot, tyres aren't going to make a difference.

[89-325isport]

oh nawh! i suppose there is always an exception to the rule.

If you drive like a complete idiot, tyres aren't going to make a difference.

well i wasn't gonna say it but you just said what i was thinking.

[Elecblondie]

oh nawh! i suppose there is always an exception to the rule.

If you drive like a complete idiot, tyres aren't going to make a difference.

well i wasn't gonna say it but you just said what i was thinking.

Well I wasn't the driver so it's no skin off my nose.

[daimlerman]

E30's seem very sensitive to tyres.
I have bought wheels/tyres s/h from zoners and ebay and have a small stock of them to go at! I fit good quality tyres with plenty of tread to the fronts and worn/budget ones to the rear,this at least gives good grip for steering and braking and also allows for playing on the way to/from work!
For serious driving trips such as zone roam,I have a set of 14" bottletops with Toyo tyres that I used last year with the 2.7 and found very good.For this year with the 'folly',I found a set of 15" BBS with Goodyear Eagles,but despite these having 4mm of tread on the fronts(when fitted!)I was still aquaplaning on the wet bits.
One day,when I have spare cash and no stock of tyres,I will be trying the Toyo Tr1's mentioned above....

[rix313]

Always found the T1-R's to be a tad shite in the wet, very slippery from my experience and that was in a front wheel drive. They're also pretty soft so expect to change them quite often.

[RT]

Oh dear. Of course I expected a debate to ensue but I was hoping it wouldn't be as diametrically opposed as

"Toyos are great"
"no they're not they're rubbish".

And just as I was about to place the order.

Subjective obviously but trying to avoid a tankslapper on the way to work bleary eyed probably outranks my desire for "fun" handling.

Still more yays for the Toyos so far.

[nos4a2]

Goodyear F1 GS-D3 are good, particularly in the wet

http://eu.goodyear.com/uk_en/tires/repo ... e=benefits

Toyo T1-R are also good but have a stiffer sidewall so less comfort (but better turn in). I have also found that they let go more suddenly than the Goodyears.

[DanThe]

You can get better tyres than T1R's, but the price near enough doubles. Ive never had a problem with them and found them to be above average in the wet (ON AN E30)
If you want a tyre to be great on a wet road it will be crap on a dry road
If you want a tyre to be great on a dry road, guess what, it will be crap on a wet road! You have to come to a compromise.

[deepb123]

Ok so brand new and shiny to the world of E30s and I know it needs new boots.

Considering the potential for these things to wag their tails like an eager puppy, what do people recommend as a good all round/wet weather tyre ?

Horses for courses I guess but hearing a lot of bad reviews about Avons and I don't want to end up with zero grip and handling.

Always pay a little extra for good tyres, I worked at Michelin tryes for 3 years and gained valuable insight into compounds and handling.

If your budget can stretch to it got for a premium brand, I've gone with continentals good all round tyre.

[Brianmoooore]

i'll put in a vote for the Toyos, on all points except wear rate.

[jamie325isport]

I personally run Goodyears or Michelins on the front end. On the business I run Avons. They seem to last longer than any other tyres. Never used Toyos either end but I may do when the fronts need replacing wouldnt consider them on the rear due to the softness.

[fuzzy]

for better wet and dry grip and slower wear rate dunlop sp9000's have relegated my previous tyre of choice , toyo t1-r to the subs bench.

[harry_p]

i still like toyos.

not the best out there, but very good value for money. well ahed wet and dry that most others in the price range.

tbh, i don't think they wear that badly either. very nearly as good as F1s in the wet, but better in the dry and damp / greasy conditions. i do try plenty of other makes, but always end up back with toyos.

[d6dph]

I had Dunlop sp sport 9000s on my previous wheels and was massively impressed by them, Great tyre.

I have Toyo t1rs on the current wheels and they we really good on the backroads to BBB this afternoon, Good turn in grip and plenty of drive out of the corners.

[roy46ss]

Michelin Pilot Sports are the best in my opinion and ContiSport Contact 3`s are very good all rounders aswell. Its worth spendin the money for a tire you trust because at the end of the day its the only thing keeping your car on the road.

[Elecblondie]

Michelin Pilot Sports are the best in my opinion and ContiSport Contact 3`s are very good all rounders aswell. Its worth spendin the money for a tire you trust because at the end of the day its the only thing keeping your car on the road.

On the other hand paying money for extra grip can be rather against what many of us have an e30 for

Predictable low grip tyres aren't necessarily that expensive.

[Tedswagon]

I'm just about to get a set of 4 for my 325. I'm not in the possition to pay a fortune for them - so I've been shopping about on the net. I'm gettin mine from Blackcircles. Best price I found!

I was going to go for the toyo proxies, but in the end went for Kumho. Both soft rubber so looking at about 6000miles max from these tyres before they are past the legal. The change of mind came from the tyre rating on the http://www.mytyres.co.uk/start.html website. Not anything in it - came down to best deal I could get.

Click on the tyre you want and you get a bit of manufacturer speal - click on the "tyre test.com" bit - the rating is by some German rating. It is the same standard of rating for every tyre on that site - so a good place to compare.

The premium lables are not always the best tyres. Friend of mine has Dunlop Sports on his A4 3.0tdi quattro and when the snow came his car couldn't go anywhere. Worse than a RWD in the snow were his words!! I've the same tyres on my impreza and in the snow they were fine - no problems to report!! So not sure you should always just rely on the lable.

[Tedswagon]

Soft rubber = more grip
soft rubber = less miles per tyre!!

[Elecblondie]

Everyone I know who have had toyo proxes (CF1s) hate them. As far as Kumho goes, I've naved a rally car with some Ecsta something or others on over the last year and they are great; good enough grip wet, dry and loosish to begin with but they lose a lot of their outright grip and predictability after the first few mm of tread.

[Tedswagon]

Well I've bought the Kumhos on Black circles - so getting them fitted tomorrow morning (£48 a corner BTW) - tomorrow afternoon I'm off to the scottish borders - so will report any findings then!!!