Tyres

[sherwin1983]

After some good tyres for my mk1 anyone recomend any?

Size is need is 205 50 R15

Got 4 loads of tread need more grip tho

[Tiamat]

Whatever you do avoid Pirelli P6000s, or face flaming death in the nearest ditch when it rains........

Otherwise, all depends on what type of driver you are, what level of grip, whether you like it a little twitchy and what your budget is.

[Ryan6926]

For me personally I'd recommend Toyo T1-R's they're grippy but soft because of the compound.

Uniroyal Rainsports or Continental SportContacts would be my other choices

[elbon50]

195 50s are recommended by most members I've spoken with as being the most suitable for the Mk1

[darkphoenix1979]

I swapped to uniroyal rain expert great grip in wet and dry but they will wear out quicker than regular tyres.

[SuperRedMR2]

Yoko AD08s all day long

[aw11rally]

Another vote for 195s.

205 really is a bit much for the mk1. I use 195s on my 250ish bhp mk1.5 and it handles beautifully.

I always thought toyo were ok, mainly because they were soft and cheap. But now they arn't very cheap and there are grippier alternatives that will last longer.

If I were you I'd try a few cheapo part warns at like £25 each until you find one you like then buy them new. I got an awesome pair of Hankooks for £50, completely out performed the t1-Rs that were up front, made an understeery mess.

[elbon50]

Yes, if I understand correctly, too big a footprint means you won't get enough heat into the tyres

The less horses you have the less heat you'll generate

[aw11rally]

Yes, if I understand correctly, too big a footprint means you won't get enough heat into the tyres

The less horses you have the less heat you'll generate

It's more that you end up with too much grip. The AW11 has a beautifully balanced and chuckable chassis. With more grip you lose feel and adjustability. It starts to become like every other modern over tyred bore.

The best handling (but not gripiest) Mk1 I've driven was completely standard apart from 195-50-15 toyo T1-Rs up front and similarly sized but over inflated aurora radials on the rear. It felt more like 320bhp than 120bhp, only for the brave. Oversteer on turn-in with no throttle definitely awakens the senses.

[kaiowas]

The best handling (but not gripiest)

And there's the distinction that most people miss.

Handling and grip are different things and most people talk about things that "improve handling" when referring to things that actually increase grip.

Handling is all about how the car reacts near the limit, good handling is very subjective, has a lot to do with personal preference and gives rise to such woolly terms as "progressiveness", "balance" and such like. There are very few universal truths with regard to handling, wider tyres for example might make a car handle better in one drivers opinion or worse in anothers.

Grip on the other hand is much more clinical. It's quantifiable and is all about how quickly the car will go around around a corner, good handling may give a driver the confidence to try and go around a corner quicker but grip is what will let the car actually do it. It can be measured and a wider tyre will always give more grip.

For a road car handling is more important than grip. A car that has enjoyable handling characteristics and will give you some warning that you're pushing too hard will give much more pleasure than one which can go around a corner a few mph quicker but puts you through a hedge backwards with no warning if you overstep the mark. It's the whole philosophy of the GT86 for example.

For most competitive motorsport activities grip is king. Getting around the track in the quickest time is the most important thing, the driver is expected to be good enough to learn where the limits are and deal with any 'quirky' handling traits. The only real exception I can think of might be endurance racing where the car needs to be a little more forgiving both to reduce driver fatigue (driving a car that's on a knife edge is mentally very tough) and to give a margin of error when fatigue sets in.

[IanClements]

Goodrich G-Force Profilers. Had about four sets of these now, brilliant tyres. Plenty of grip wet and dry, a bit hard but last ages.

[Lauren]

195/50/15s are as big as you want to go on a MK1 NA. I think stock sizes give the best handling grip balance as there is not that much power

I would avoid Toyos. They are a reasonable budget tyre but the sidewalls are too soft, Bridgestone or Yokohamas would likely be my choice.

205s are hugely over tyred on a MK1 IMO.

[Ryan6926]

Toyo sidewalls are soft as is the compound but if you're using a reasonably low profile tyre it doesn't really matter as much, If you're using a large profile sidewall then yes they're not ideal.

I'm not sure I'd class them as budget either though :S

[Lauren]

I admit I only tend to buy premium tyres. I wouldn't say that Toyos are in that category.

I still think they are hugely over rated.

[Tiamat]

I admit I only tend to buy premium tyres. I wouldn't say that Toyos are in that category.

I still think they are hugely over rated.

It does also depend on your driving style, I had Toyo CF1s on the MK1 and they were brilliant, I had no problems with the handling.

Its all horses for courses.

[LimeyMk1]

Vredestein Sportrac3s are corking tyres, they've survived 2 trackdays very nicely on my lardyarse Celica with loads of tread still left and are stable in the wet as well.

In my opinion one of the best tyres I've had on a car in that price range. (£80 each for 205/55-16).

Only downside is they scream like a stuck pig when you're cornering hard on the track.

[SuperRedMR2]

I had some Vredestein Sportrac 3s ages ago and found them to be better than Toyo T1Rs - lasted 28k as well

[sherwin1983]

Only downside is they scream like a stuck pig when you're cornering hard on the track. [/quote]

HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHaa

[Tiamat]

Only downside is they scream like a stuck pig when you're cornering hard on the track.

HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHaa[/quote]

I would never hear it above the exhaust!

Then again I would not be on track as its too loud for the track

[stenky]

my car is spinning hankook ventus r-s2 tyres sized 195/50 R15 but i cant comment on their performance because it is far superior to my will to abuse the car. in other words, I havent tried their limits yet