New boots for my VRS

[Cole Trickle]

Unfortunately the front tyres on my 55 plate Fab VRS have given up the ghost and I need to replace them for the first time.

I'd appreciate some suggestions as to which make/model to go for, i've heard plenty of good about Toyo's.

So what does everyone think? Its especially urgent considering the lack of grip in the rain lately. Not funny!!

:eek: :eek: :eek:

[ap0gee1978]

I reckon most people would plump for the Proxeses if you did a poll - a good balance between performance and cost IMO... Only ever had the same tyres all-round though, so don't know if there's any problems with having different tyres on the back. Shouldn't be, unless your current rears are considerably less grippy than the Toyos...

HTH

[Tinbin]

Only ever had the same tyres all-round though, so don't know if there's any problems with having different tyres on the back. Shouldn't be, unless your current rears are considerably less grippy than the Toyos...

I humbly suggest putting the new ones on the back and switch the backs to the front if there's life left in them. Whatever new ones you get will almost certainly be more grippy than the part worn rears, and slippy rears with grippy fronts is not clever.

I speak from experience, let's just say I wish I'd paid for ESP!

PS. My offending new fronts were Goodyears... errr, Eagle F1? bloody excellent tyre, way better than the Cuntinontels.

Andy.

[ScoobyChris]

I had different tyres on the front and back of mine, and found on a handling day that it actually made the car oversteer under power! Probably won't hit it on the road though, but worth bearing in mind.

And FWIW, I'd put the best tyres on the front of a FWD car because if I want to change direction or apply power, I want the front wheels to have enough grip to be able to do that! Btw ESP is for wimps :P:rofl:

Chris

[Tech1e]

Ahh but there in lies the problem.

Personally id rather have the grip at the rear, understeer is fairly easy to handle in a FWD car but there aint a great deal you can do if a car oversteers.

IIRC one of the more useful car programs did some tests a while back and they said regardless of drive always stick the new tyres on the back.

[bf1]

Just replaced my Octavia fronts with Toyo T1-R's, much better in the wet than the Dunlop SP sports the car came with.

[ScoobyChris]

Personally id rather have the grip at the rear, understeer is fairly easy to handle in a FWD car but there aint a great deal you can do if a car oversteers.

If it's oversteering, that means you have grip on the front so you can still steer, apply power or remove power, which means you can pull the car back into line. If you are understeering and only have grip on the back, all you can do is lift off and hope that you crash into something soft :P

Each to their own though

Chris

[Tinbin]

I had different tyres on the front and back of mine, and found on a handling day that it actually made the car oversteer under power! Probably won't hit it on the road though, but worth bearing in mind.

I'm guessing you mean the Mondy, which has more oversteer in any case?

And FWIW, I'd put the best tyres on the front of a FWD car because if I want to change direction or apply power, I want the front wheels to have enough grip to be able to do that! Btw ESP is for wimps :P:rofl:

Chris.

That's a load of ****e, once oversteer hits in a FWD it's very hard to correct, and putting in more power usually makes it worse (weight shifts backwards).

If you understeer a FWD, it's very easy to correct, just get off the fast button, weight ****s forwards, front grips better, fixed. The Fabia only oversteers(correction-understeers) with too much power, otherwise it's virtually nuetral.

By ballsup came because I lifted off in a bend with new tyres on the front and crappy Conties on the rear, hello oversteeeeeeeeer. I didn't 'opposite lock' into it soon enough, did a neat 180 and reversed into a hedge.

Had I had either track/skid control training or ESP, it wouldn't have happened.

So maybe ESP is for numpties who drive beyond their abilities! (Holds hand up... in that instance.)

Put the new ones on the back. (Thanks Ken).

Andy.

[KenONeill]

Toyo Proxes T1-Rs. From a discussion about them on Octys, you may want to try running them 1 or 2 PSI above what the manual/dataplate says.

[ap0gee1978]

Toyo Proxes T1-Rs. From a discussion about them on Octys, you may want to try running them 1 or 2 PSI above what the manual/dataplate says.

...and Fabias

[Cole Trickle]

Thanks for the posts, think i agree with Scooby. Put the decent tyres on the front, i know what you're saying Tinbin but having driven several rear wheel drive cars and a front wheel drive that thought it was rwd i'll take the sharpened handling and traction of new tyres on the front as a trade off for some occasional oversteer.

It goes without saying that the front tyres do most of the work on a fwd car and imho thats where you really need your grip.

[ScoobyChris]

I'm guessing you mean the Mondy, which has more oversteer in any case?

Ummmm - it's a FWD car, and will understeer on the limit......

The Fabia only oversteers with too much power, otherwise it's virtually nuetral.

My Fabia with meagre power could oversteer when you lifted off mid corner (and that was with grippy tyres all round). It was predictable and easy to control and if you didn't have time to "opposite lock" then having better tyres on the back is really not gonna help you either and you would just crash into the hedge forwards

Much better to invest in some driver training to stop you getting into an understeer or oversteer situation in the first place, than relying on a specific tyre configuration of traction control system, imho.....

Chris

[Wardy]

Unfortunately the front tyres on my 55 plate Fab VRS have given up the ghost and I need to replace them for the first time.

I'd appreciate some suggestions as to which make/model to go for, i've heard plenty of good about Toyo's.

So what does everyone think? Its especially urgent considering the lack of grip in the rain lately. Not funny!!

:eek: :eek: :eek:

In no particular order Mr Trickle:

Toyo T1-R

Goodyear F1 GSD-3 (XL varient)

Uniroyal Rainsport1

Kumho KU31

Toyo's are probably the best all-rounder, but are likely to be the softest. The F1s I found to be very good, and wore pretty well. But they're probably the most pricey.

The last two are also good all-rounders, I've found, and well priced. The KU31's are

[poobah]

Well l'd say T1-Rs but then l'm biased as l've got them all round on the 225.

They've got impressive grip levels and seem to be wearing relatively well given he's running a bit more power than god intended. Personally l'd rather have to replace these 4k miles earlier and have decent grip than opt for the woeful Dunlop SP Sports l had on before........which for your information are just plain dangerous below 4mm tread.

DAWG!!

[Cole Trickle]

Well after much deliberation I've stumped up for a pair of Toyos. The recommendations from above have swung it in the T1-Rs favour.

Vroom vroom, over and out noodles.

[Wardy]

Good good - where did you buy from, and what did you pay a corner?

Steve

[Tinbin]

having better tyres on the back is really not gonna help you either and you would just crash into the hedge forwards

And probably more expensive to fix! :eek:

Much better to invest in some driver training to stop you getting into an understeer or oversteer situation in the first place, than relying on a specific tyre configuration of traction control system, imho.....

Chris

Wise words Chris, thanks for your tempered reply, didn't mean to rant earlier. You're absolutely right.

Andy.

Hey Cole, please let us know how the Toyo's feel, I'l be needing some soon!

[Tinbin]

The Fabia only oversteers with too much power, otherwise it's virtually nuetral.

Oh dear... I'm off topic, talking rubbish, and making mistakes...

I meant 'understeers' of course.

Shutting up, hiding, going away now, sorry.

[john_grant358]

Iv been looking at prices for these tyres and i cant understand the massive price range, iv found them for as cheap as

[ap0gee1978]

I think I paid

[john_grant358]

cheers mate, dont think il be paying

[Wardy]

Seems to be that T1-R stock is becoming more scarce as they perhaps gear up to the release of the Proxes 4. This is what happened with they replaced the T1-S with the R, anyway.

Or more cynically that it's a bit of a 'supply and demand' game by Toyo, that a reduced amount of stock released gets them a better price, just as the new model comes out. Again, based on the S -> R switch, there was actually plenty of stock still about of the S, months after the R came out!

Hope that makes sense

Steve

[Cole Trickle]

So far so good, the Toyos have performed really well although to be fair it has been torrential rain since they went on. I'm looking forward to Humberside drying out so i can give em some stick.

Wardy, they were

[KenONeill]

They're really good in the dry or the tipping down; not quite so much so but getting better in the damp.