Toyo T1R's - IMO A bad choice for an MCS

[roland2003]

Hi Guys, Ive been holding this back for a while as I wanted to be sure. There seems to be alot of people opting for Toyo T1R for their Minis. As you know I get to drive hundreds of MCS's as part of the job,and after time it becomes easier to tell a good handling car from a bad one. I have noticed a very marked drop in handling with any MCS fitted with Toyo T1R compared to any other tyre. At least 4 cars have IMO handled so bad Ive taken the trouble to get out and check what tyres are fitted- In every case its the same tyre, Toyo T1R. Pushed very hard they are very twitchy & nervous.
Now Im not saying their rubbish, just that they are not very compatible with Minis. In comparison the older T1S (and of course the Toyo R888) work very well. If you do have Toyo T1R's on your car ,whether you like them or loathe them ,I think you will be in for a pleasant suprise when you change to something else.
ps We dont sell tyres .
Best Regards Roland GTT

[Tombles]

Thanks for that. I was interested in purchasing some as i need a new set of tyres but now im not so sure. What tyres would you recommend in that price range though as they are a fairly decent price (been quoted £85 each tyre inc. fitting)

[Richard Crofts]

I have to admit, having had Toyos on my S I found them to be pretty good in the dry but aweful in the damp or wet. Grip falls away dramatically in anything other than perfect dry/warm conditions. Also I found they stuggled when surfaces were poor. They are very very good when new but there is a sudden and rather worrying drop in grip quality when they have been on for a while, but this does come back after they have worn some more but there is a significant period in the middle of the tyres life that gives aweful handling even in the dry.

I now run Falken 452s and find them far better in the wet and they grip/reaquire grip better on poor surfaces IMO. They have now done about 6-7k and they still seem as grippy as when i first got them, unlike the Toyos I had.

[GTT 280]

I can catagorically state that these tyres are really naff, even in the dry. I think the designers got their compounds mixed up terribly when making this brand. And they aint that cheap either.

My persoanl preference, not just for the MINI, is the Goodyear GSD3 Eagle F1. It is an awesome tyre both in the wet and dry....they hold on far beyond most peoples comprehension of physics.

Have not comapred with the R888's as yet - perhaps a quick trip out in an Exige is called for, they come as standard on that car.

Or perhaps Roland will let me borrow his car for a quick test drive with his R888's fitted - only joking

Cheers,
K.

[alski]

thanks every one for opinions, just looking at new ruber and wheels at the moment,
a free upgrade to toyos not sounding so clever now

[Tonyt3]

I had Toyo T1s's on mine, found the lateral grip appalling on any surface other than a good surface, to the extent that I got rid of mine asap. Went to Yokohamas which were much better.

The Toyos promoted understeer really badly on even slightly greasy roads. Made going around tight roundabouts a very interesting experience.


Toyo R888's are superb, even surprisingly in the wet, once you had them warmed up. really noisy though.

[GTT 280]

GSD3's for me then i think. but i'd still like to test drive some R888's

Cheers,
K.

[GTT 280]

Can anybody tell me where that yellow or white or red dot on the tyre sidewall should be placed in relation to the valve placement of the wheel.

Apparently if done correctly the end result is having less weights applied to the inner wheel to compensate for the tyre balance.

It's either opposite to, or right next to, but can't remember.

Cheers,
K.

[Hyper Active]

Quote: Originally Posted by roland2003 (original)

Hi Guys, Ive been holding this back for a while as I wanted to be sure. There seems to be alot of people opting for Toyo T1R for their Minis. As you know I get to drive hundreds of MCS's as part of the job,and after time it becomes easier to tell a good handling car from a bad one. I have noticed a very marked drop in handling with any MCS fitted with Toyo T1R compared to any other tyre. At least 4 cars have IMO handled so bad Ive taken the trouble to get out and check what tyres are fitted- In every case its the same tyre, Toyo T1R. Pushed very hard they are very twitchy & nervous.
Now Im not saying their rubbish, just that they are not very compatible with Minis. In comparison the older T1S (and of course the Toyo R888) work very well. If you do have Toyo T1R's on your car ,whether you like them or loathe them ,I think you will be in for a pleasant suprise when you change to something else.
ps We dont sell tyres .
Best Regards Roland GTT

Any chance that you could list the tyres that you find work well on a MINI .

[alski]

Quote: Originally Posted by GTT 260 (original)

Can anybody tell me where that yellow or white or red dot on the tyre sidewall should be placed in relation to the valve placement of the wheel.

Apparently if done correctly the end result is having less weights applied to the inner wheel to compensate for the tyre balance.

It's either opposite to, or right next to, but can't remember.

Cheers,
K.

logic would say opposite not next to, but my tyre experience is mostly in the "spare" dept

[monkeynuts]

had...

T1R's at size 8"x17" - had no problems

T1S's at 7.5"x18" - lack of grip scared me s_hittless and actually spun the car when it was damp

[Tonyt3]

Quote: Originally Posted by ::michael:: (original)

had...

T1R's at size 8"x17" - had no problems

T1S's at 7.5"x18" - lack of grip scared me s_hittless and actually spun the car when it was damp

So, assuming you had T1S's initially, and they scared you shitless, what on earth made you choose T1R's as an alternative/replacement.....????

T1S's had a hugely undeserved reputation as a good tyre, when they bought out the R as a replacement I didnt even consider it.

Toyo T1S's seemed to gain an almost cult following, mainly based on a pretty tread pattern as far as I could make out. All I can say is it always felt like I was driving on silt diesel when these things went around corners in the wet..... (well, actually, they didnt go 'around' corners.... corners turned into a series of tiny little straights that always needed correcting )

[Lucky Dave]

After running the 888s I find anything a bit slippy! I run them on mine and they are very good even when its a little wet.

But when I switched from runflats to T1Rs I was very impressed. I find at stock tyre pressures they are awful, but a little lower and they are much improved.

[GTT 280]

Indeed, it is very important to use the correct pressure in your tyres. I would expect that for a given tyre dimension, the pressure should be the same for all makes. If you are having to deflate or inflate tyres to get better grip out of them, then all you are doing is compensating for their lack of ability.

As for thinking the T1R's are good after runflats, then of course anything is better than runflats - even blocks of wood so IMO that counts for nothing.

I still stand by the Goodyear GSD3's (yes, they have a pretty pattern but i think the R888's are a worse candidate for that - their pattern is just magic!!) but the GSD3's are a damn fine tyre for grip, and allow you to feel the road very well.

Cheers,
K.

[Lucky Dave]

If you are running wider tyres and or rims then you need less pressure as the weight of the car has not changed.

Lotus state 24/26 psi in the front of the elise!! 15 is plenty !