Tyre crisis (Kind of)

Thu Jul 13, 2006 5:32 pm

Hi guys, first of all I have done a search about this as there is alot of tyre
talk but most of you guys are running bigger alloys than me.

Okay, I had 4 new Toyo Proxis T1R's put on the car the other day, the
profile of them is 205/55 R15, this should be the standard size for 15"
wheels. Anyway since I have had them on the car feels really floaty
because of the large profile, It probably does not help that I have the
lowered 35mm H+R kit.
What profile should I go for on the 15's so get rid of a bit of the floaty
sensation?

On the other hand, I just purchased some 16" Hartges, what would be
good size tyres for those wheels?

So thats my problems at the moment, I hope someone can point me in
the right direction, before I waste my money on 4 more tyres.

Thanks

Luke

Thu Jul 13, 2006 7:56 pm

What size tyre came off those wheels (15'') ?
55 profile shouldnt be too floaty i wouldnt think..... are they at the correct pressure?

Thu Jul 13, 2006 9:37 pm

I have 205/55/15's on my 15" BBS alloys with Eibach -35/40mm springs and no floaty feeling at all.

Cheers,

Iain T

Fri Jul 14, 2006 9:29 am

Common issue from what I can see. If you fit lower aftermarket suspension then you have more cornering potential in the car. The tyre sidewall then becomes the next "point of weakness" if you like in the chain. One of the most f***ed up feelings is the sidewall of the tyre buckling under the cornering pressure......you just become a passenger until the tyre sorts itself out and if your going too fast it won't even do that.

Toyo's have generally tended to have a softer sidewall than most rubber which is partly why it's got tons of grip on a standard suspension setup as that helps you to corner. Like I say it's a different ball game once you stiffen the car up and start really hammering it into corners.

You need to get a tire that has a stiffer sidewall. I can highly recomend the Yokohama Parada Spec 2's.

Sat Jul 15, 2006 10:25 am

Agree with MikeeMiracle for the most part, with a few additional points:
What did you have on the car before? If your previous tyres were lower profile, or just well worn, these will feel 'looser'.
How long have the tyres been on? I just fitted a set of T1-Rs and they took about 100 miles of road driving to scrub in.
Although 205/55R15 is the correct size for 15" BBS alloys, 50 profile also fits and gives a 'sharper' feel since the lower sidewall flexes less. The reduced rolling radius of the 50 profile will lower your overall gearing slightly, so you'll accelerate slightly harder in a particular gear, but your speedo will overread by about 3%.
I fitted this size to mine a week ago, they feel anything but floaty!

Sat Jul 15, 2006 11:00 am

handpaper wrote:What did you have on the car before? If your previous tyres were lower profile, or just well worn, these will feel 'looser'.

This is a good point, the difference between having no tread and 8mm+ of tread is significant. High performance cars with unique tyres often have deliberately low tread depth even when new.

handpaper wrote:How long have the tyres been on? I just fitted a set of T1-Rs and they took about 100 miles of road driving to scrub in.

I felt mine took at least double that distance.

Sat Jul 15, 2006 4:16 pm

i run my toyo t1 r's at 36psi to combat that feeling

you will find it goes away after youve put some miles on the tyres n they start to wear also.. then they are awesome

Sat Jul 15, 2006 5:01 pm

36 you reakon? I run mine at book figures I will have to experiment as mine feels loose too but I can feel a bit of flex in the tyres so probably could do with a little more pressure.