The Tyre Recommendation Thread

[bax2079]

I've just replaced my goodyear excellence run flats to non run flat Falken ZE-914's.
These are the new version of the ZE 912's which are no longer in production.

I can say the ride is much quieter, smoother and controllable. The insides don't vibrate as much and I'm getting a noticeable increase in mpg. Good in the wet and dry.

Got mine from etyres, fitted at £75 per corner.

[Bozzer]

I had Continental Premium Contact 2's non run flats on my Dooper with 16" wheels and thought they were a great tyre.

My current Cooper S clubman has Bridgestone RE050A runflats and I find them hard and unpredictable especially now its getting colder. They also seem to be wearing much quicker than I'd expect -probably the extra 70 or so horsepower

Plan to change them for non runflats in the spring and had Continental Sport Contact 3's or 5's in mind.

Anybody had any experience or done a comparison yet?

Bozzer

[Angib]

My Roadster with 17 nonrunflats came on Sport Contact 3s and they are proving to be a damn near perfect tyre - great grip wet/dry traction/brake/cornering, stunning resistance to aquaplaning, comfortable, not too noisy (it's a Roaster, so not quiet).

They may have a downside of higher wear than other brands but I couldn't care less when they work so, so well. Cheapskating on tyres is the easiest way I know to turn a Mini into just as good a car as a Perodua....

Interestingly, the OEM tyres on my August/September car are not Sport Contact 5s and they are 84V and not the 88W XL (extra load) variant that seems to be all that can be bought from tyre shops. I know some people believe the XL are stiffer, but then that means they are less comfortable, less compliant and probably heavier.

[buzzyrabbit]

I'm fed up with the run flats on my mcs, so i intend to change to Yokohama Paradas. Which should I get, the 215 40 R17 87W or the 205 45 R17 88W.
Only £6 difference in price.
Many thanks

[Gigsy]

Quote: Originally Posted by buzzyrabbit (original)

I'm fed up with the run flats on my mcs, so i intend to change to Yokohama Paradas. Which should I get, the 215 40 R17 87W or the 205 45 R17 88W.
Only £6 difference in price.
Many thanks

Either, Paradas are a great tyre but checkout 215/45/17s before you decide. There's only minimal difference in circumference but it's a more popular size so pricing is sometimes a little bit more keen.

You might also want to consider starting a new thread rather than resurrecting a dead one, this one is nearly 6 months old

[buzzyrabbit]

As I said, not much difference in price, just would like to know which suits the car better?
What’s the problem with resurrecting a six month thread if it’s a “sticky”?

[Gigsy]

Just that your question was a bit more specific and probably deserved a thread of it's own since you're asking for advice rather than giving a recommendation (the latter I think was the original intention but it seems to have gone a bit stale and possibly not developed as intended).

Anyway, back to your question... it depends what you want from the tyre. 215/40s will have a bit more grip and slightly sharper turn in, 205/45s will ride slightly better and will likely have less aggressive breakaway characteristics as the lateral G's will be fractionally lower when they do let go.

My experience here is going from 215/45/17s to 225/45/17s and 215/60/16s to 225/55/16s on previous cars (Impreza and Forester XT) and 205/45/17 run flats to normal tyres on a Mini and with the Yokos on a Lotus Elise. Going to the wider lower profile tyre on the Forester was beneficial in terms of steering response but that car obviously had much taller side walls so the effect was possibly more pronounced. Grip was improved both times when going from 215 to 225 wide tyres. Ride was improved dramatically on the Mini when changing out the run flats.

Considering you are going from run flats to non run flats, the extra stiffness from the lower profile sidewall of the 215/40 tyres may be beneficial. However, personally, I don't find a lack of steering response to be an issue on the Mini and I didn't find I lost any real steering response when I made the switch to normal tyres on my previous MCS but it did ride much better so once I've killed the run flats on my current MCS, I will be swapping them for a 215/45/17 tyre to gain a bit more grip and improve the ride at the same time.

But, like I say, it depends on what YOU want from the tyre in terms of altering the ride and handling characteristics of the car but in any case, the Yokos are a great tyre and would suit the car well in both sizes you mention as well as the 215/45/17 size (which is the one I'd go for).

[buzzyrabbit]

Many thanks. I shall compare the price and availability of the 215/45/17 Yokos

[Gigsy]

Quote: Originally Posted by buzzyrabbit (original)

Many thanks. I shall compare the price and availability of the 215/45/17 Yokos

No problem. I've just had a look at the Yokohama website as I was interested to see what the price would be myself.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like they do the Paradas in a 215/45/17 size, just 215/40 and 205/45... my personal choice out of those would be the 205/45/17s as the ride would be a touch better and I don't plan on doing too many track days which is really the only place where the extra grip from the wider tyres is of benefit (IMHO).