caution, your Mr2 WILL catch you out and try to kill you then eat you :)

[JD]

That is definitely a brave choice of tyre. Good on you though, another anecdote against the urban legend of terrifying handling. At least no-one pulled out in front of on said roundabout leaving no option but to brake and clench

yeah i'll be changing them soon, still amazed at the autogrip tryes that were on my old wheels though, super soft compound and masses of grip, they were on my old subaru (4 wheels drive so i only ever put ditchfinders on) and i expected them to be rubbish on the mr2. they were fantastic in both wet and dry conditions

Is this your review about halfway down? http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Autogrip/F107.htm

If I slide a little bit with my girlfriend in the car she'd scream bloody murder at me and probably claw my eyes out, even if by accident. Not something that would help keep me calm in that sort of situation so I tend to keep her out of the '2 these days. I slid my dad's Dolomite with mum in the passenger seat and I had a ringing in my left ear for a while afterwards It was fun though

[Ryan S]

it isn't but that's a pretty mad coincidence!

also, i can only agree with the guy, the level of grip is insane, you'd never in a million years guess these were a budget tyre, i'd happily chuck a set on again

[Ryan S]

I was gutted when I saw this at first as I though you had damaged your car. Glad it is ok I still kick myself for not buying this one when I had the chance!

yeah deffo keeping it now mate, thankfully no damage

[synXero]

Glad you got away with it. Only ever spun mine once - my first white one - but it was totally my fault going far too fast in the rain on day 6 of ownership. 18 year olds for you.

It is surprising that they seem so prone to losing the plot when they're not even pressing on. Is the MR2 actually a dangerous vehicle compared to most sports cars?

[SrSilkie]

I dont think the MR2 specifically is more dangerous. Its more the MR layout and its tendency to catch people out that's dangerous.

[Ryan S]

I dont think the MR2 specifically is more dangerous. Its more the MR layout and its tendency to catch people out that's dangerous.

yeah i would agree with that, the car isn't dangerous, it's inexperience in that particular layout of car that's dangerous

[synXero]

Both of you gents are experienced, though. I'd guess a few of us would consider ourselves reasonably so.

Does the same sort of snappy bite back happen with more prestigious/other/newer MRs? F360? VX220? Elise?

Just poking the fire, really. I don't know enough about any of the three cars above. I'd like to imagine something like a 360 would be less irritable.

[Lauren]

The problem is due to that huge lump of cast iron behind you. Add the pretty feel-less power steering and add a turbo that's from the 90s so the boost is not that progressive.

So you can see why it's tricky to handle and people get caught out.

An Elise is a lot, lot lighter, has telepathic steering and whilst it can be tricky on the limit, you have a better idea of what is going on.

I guess you'd expect something premium like a 360 to have a better balance, after all it has a longitudinally mounted engine and such things help.

[SrSilkie]

Both of you gents are experienced, though. I'd guess a few of us would consider ourselves reasonably so.

Does the same sort of snappy bite back happen with more prestigious/other/newer MRs? F360? VX220? Elise?

Just poking the fire, really. I don't know enough about any of the three cars above. I'd like to imagine something like a 360 would be less irritable.

I would say I'm still learning with regards to the MR layout to be honest as I couldn't say I would be 100% confident pushing the car to its limits, however even being very experienced I still think the layout is quite unforgiving in the sense a lack of focus on a miserable night could land you in a spot of bother.

From what I have read people have experienced their elises snapping on them and I reckon even the high performance MR supercars could be incredibly twitchy. That is not to say it is a bad layout, Its a fantastic layout hence why so many supercars feature it.

I guess it just has to be driven with understanding and demands you to adapt your driving style to suit the layout more so than say for example a 4wd front engined car. I may be wrong but that really is the feedback I get from my car, I feel like I have to be on my toes especially where I live out in the sticks on the twisty roads but I love it.

[Ryan S]

Both of you gents are experienced, though. I'd guess a few of us would consider ourselves reasonably so.

Does the same sort of snappy bite back happen with more prestigious/other/newer MRs? F360? VX220? Elise?

Just poking the fire, really. I don't know enough about any of the three cars above. I'd like to imagine something like a 360 would be less irritable.

i would say i'm experienced in the mr2, hence never having been caught out before, i was also off boost so i'm sure i've hit a patch of frost, i've never been complacent with the way the car handles either, it's not a car i really want to take risks in, as for other cars, i've never driven any other MR cars i've only really had FR cars, they don't have the "pendulum" effect that the mr2 has when it gets bent out of shape.

[synXero]

I've driven one or two now. R8, F360, 911 (which should, I suppose, be even more pendulum-esque in handling given the engine is even further back?).

I suppose I'm really just curious as to why the MR layout is so well respected - and so nice to drive - when it's actually so potentially lethal compared with an FR. Like you say, FR cars are so much less buttock tensing when they slide. The Vette is easy to hold, with more than twice the torque of the MR2, and whereas even an intentional slide in the MR2 required real white-knuckle focus, the Corvette will give you a lot of room to play with. I'm sure wheel base has a lot to do with that, as well as more modern tech.

I agree with a lot of what Lauren said particularly in regards to the Elise - though I haven't driven one. I'd love to, just to see what they're like to drive quickly and towards the limit.

[Ryan S]

I've driven one or two now. R8, F360, 911 (which should, I suppose, be even more pendulum-esque in handling given the engine is even further back?).

I suppose I'm really just curious as to why the MR layout is so well respected - and so nice to drive - when it's actually so potentially lethal compared with an FR. Like you say, FR cars are so much less buttock tensing when they slide. The Vette is easy to hold, with more than twice the torque of the MR2, and whereas even an intentional slide in the MR2 required real white-knuckle focus, the Corvette will give you a lot of room to play with. I'm sure wheel base has a lot to do with that, as well as more modern tech.

I agree with a lot of what Lauren said particularly in regards to the Elise - though I haven't driven one. I'd love to, just to see what they're like to drive quickly and towards the limit.

the only FR car i've had bother with was one of my 300zx TTs. simply because of the power, it was more than 400bhp and just completely insane in the wet. the issue was if you put your foot down and it went into kickdown mode (in anything other than bone dry conditions), the ar$e would just slide out at any speed, and i literally mean any speed. it happened to me doing over 100mph. pretty scary.

[SrSilkie]

I would love to drive an elise, an exige even!

Modern technology will help immensely, with regards to tyre compounds and electronics. Turn the driver aids off in a lot of these cars though and I can only imagine they would be a handful to drive on the limit, especially the 911 being RR.

The pendulum like effect is what I find the most unforgiving. It is the mistake of over correcting the initial slide that can make regaining control of the car very hard. I guess it is the reason the MR layout isn't favoured in the drifting scene.

I have always been amazed by this video of a man wrestling a RUF CTR Yellowbird around the Nurburgring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6Thomd4BQg

Just to add...Sheppy you had 300zx's! These have always appealed to me, fantastic styling and that V6 TT must be an incredible soundtrack to drive to! Definitely one of my favourite cars to come out of Japan.

[Ryan S]

they are nice, hard to believe it's a car from 1989 soooo smooth and they feel absolutely solid, the interiors are hopeless though. it looks like they made the dash then remembered they needed switches there's not much that would beat it in terms of drinking petrol either, my last rx8 maybe used a bit more, i never measured the consumption mind you, i just remember watching the needle move on the TTs fuel gauge a lot and making a sad face

[synXero]

I almost bought one so many times. Was never sure if I wanted LWB or SWB though.

[SrSilkie]

Was never sure if I wanted LWB or SWB though.

Wow I knew you got a 2+2 but never realised it changed the wheelbase, I just looked it up there to see what you meant, interesting. You learn something everyday

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NVEw_6TUKHk

That is one sexy Z32 ^^^

[Draven]

Draven how do you find the AD08? these are the exact tyres I'm looking at. The two things in particular that I wonder about these tyres are

How are they in the wet? as the tread doesn't look the best for expelling water..however statistically they are meant to be good??

Also how much grip do they offer when cold? As I understand they are a road tyre but does look more like a hybrid of a road/track tyre.

I have read they are however phenomenal in the dry

They are amazing. The previous tyres were Khumo Exscatatatatat which I have to admit where horrendous. But i've put the AD08 on and it feels like a different car. It holds well in the wet but is unbelivable in the dry.. You feel stuck and planted through the corners and they do give you an idea when they are about to let go.

I can't use them to their best ability due to having standard suspension and old bushes. I'll be able to give a better review this summer once i've poly bushed the car up and fitted coilovers.

[SrSilkie]

Sounds like my ideal tyre then, Im off the belief that most tyres can cope in the dry but in the wet is where a lot of tyres fail to perform, like my paradas on my Starlet which were just lethal in the wet. Living in the UK I think its a sensible idea to have a tyre than can cope with wet conditions haha

Also I like the fact they have stiff sidewalls and as you say offer a great road feel, just what im after. Suppose it would be nice to have a hint when the back end is going to break loose

I can't use them to their best ability due to having standard suspension and old bushes. I'll be able to give a better review this summer once i've poly bushed the car up and fitted coilovers.

This has really got me thinking, so much so Im now interested in having a suspension overhaul to make use of both these tyres and the Meisters I have waiting eagerly to go on

[Draven]

Sounds like my ideal tyre then, Im off the belief that most tyres can cope in the dry but in the wet is where a lot of tyres fail to perform, like my paradas on my Starlet which were just lethal in the wet. Living in the UK I think its a sensible idea to have a tyre than can cope with wet conditions haha

Also I like the fact they have stiff sidewalls and as you say offer a great road feel, just what im after. Suppose it would be nice to have a hint when the back end is going to break loose

I can't use them to their best ability due to having standard suspension and old bushes. I'll be able to give a better review this summer once i've poly bushed the car up and fitted coilovers.

This has really got me thinking, so much so Im now interested in having a suspension overhaul to make use of both these tyres and the Meisters I have waiting eagerly to go on

A good set of coilovers and suspension refresh should make a world of difference with regard road holding on the road and track. This coupled with AD08's you should find the car a different beast all together. Let me know what your experience of them is. I'll also update you once i've had the coilovers etc sorted then we can see if we come to the same conclusion.

[Red Devil]

This has really got me thinking, so much so Im now interested in having a suspension overhaul to make use of both these tyres and the Meisters I have waiting eagerly to go on

What wheel size are you running? I've used Toyo T1Rs, Falken 452s, and Goodyear Eagle F1s. The Goodyears are by some margin the best in the wet. The only issue is they're not available for 15" or 16" wheels.