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195/55/14 T1R OOP?

Do the properties of the Toyo T1S/now T1R change when you go to 15 inches? It has been over 16 years since I have had tires mounted on 14 inch rims. All of my other tires bought since then have been 15 inch until my latest miata with the 16X7 SSR Comps.

Soon after I bought my '96M, I mounted the Potenza RE-71's that you recommended and liked them very much. I soon met a girl with the same car, but with Toyo T1S tires mounted, which were not an option on 14 inch wheels at that time. (somewhere around 2000)

My car with the RE-71's was more comfortable to drive, though that was undoubtedly due to the Konis set on soft that I had compared to her worn-out original shocks. Still, the RE-71's had superior turn-in and were extremely comfortable to drive on, I wouldn't have wanted the car any more cushy-feeling than that. The grip, both wet and dry, was very similar between the two tires, a good combination for the street in either case.

Like I said, the Toyo is a very good tire, but it can not escape the compromises that the designers had to decide on when making it, compromises that go beyond tire life and cold weather driving.

For example, it can't have the best dry handling and wet handling characteristics at the same time, but to hear it talked about, it sounds like it magically goes from a slick to an aquatread design depending on the road conditions.

Pat

Reply to
pws
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Thank you sir, you are correct. :-)

Pat

Reply to
pws

Yes, the RE71 had better turn in. I got over that in about an hour. It's not just that the Toyo rides well, soaking up tar strips like you had another inch of travel--the tread stays on the pavement better, especially over rough or broken surfaces, including sand and gravel. I was sold the first time I encountered gravel halfway around a turn over a slight rise. Instead of losing it, the back end stepped out a couple of inches and just stuck. Enormously forgiving. The RE71 was nice, but it couldn't do that.

My first set of T-1S replaced RE71s (both 195/55-14). Even discounting the fact they were new, the Toyos had better grip in any weather, as well as more predictable and progressive behavior at the limit.

The single thing I don't like about the Toyo: it typically starts to tramline at 12k-15k miles, long before the tread wears out. It's not terrible, and another 2 psi helps for awhile, but it's annoying. Of course, it's not the only UHP tire to do this.

Reply to
Lanny Chambers

Funny that I am arguing at all against a tire that very well may be my next choice. (again)

Still, I don't think that you can ever fully discount the effects of replacing a worn out set of tires with performance tires of any sort. There has simply been too much time that has passed since the complete memory of how the other tires performed when new.

Even doing track runs for comparison isn't proof, it could indicate all sorts of things, including getting more comfortable with the car.

I was comparing both sets of tires on almost identical vehicles often within the same half-hour, with probably a few more miles on the Toyos but not into the bad stage yet, and I did not notice the large difference in traction that you did. This was both in wet and dry and on different types of pavement.

I would also like to see a comparison test with identical vehicles between the Toyo's and the Yokohama EVS-100's in the rain. I am going to bet on the Yoko's as long as they are new tires. The Toyos get my bet for dry runs.

I guess our mileage does vary... :-)

Pat

Reply to
pws
Reply to
Robert E. Ford

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