Possible Tyre problems - Demon Tweeks

[excalibur1814]

Question:
Are the following dangerous on the Mk3? The guy at Demon Tweeks is adamant that they are safe but the guy at Toyota states otherwise:

195/50r15 Proxes T1-R 82v - Same f/r

TSW Tarumas 6.5x15 4x100

If they're not safe I need the reason why they're not safe etc as I have to return tomorrow and I did call Demon Tweeks after visitng Toyota. "They've fitted the above to many Mk3's and had no problems...."

I have to be sure AND safe!


Story:
Tired, I made my way to Demon Tweeks to have a look at wheels and tyres and after selecting a set of TSW Tarumas (Which are acceptable but not that great looking on the Mk3... good price though)I started asking about tyres.

205/50 r15 86v rear (to which he nodded) and I then started on the fronts at 185/55 r15 +45 and he stated that the car arrives from the factory with +40 anyway, not +45... I then said, 6.5 at the back and 6 at the front, "Due to the wheel you'll have to get 6.5 on all!"

So off I sat as the car waited...

I then collected the car as the rain poured down and made my way to Toyota to buy a rear brake bulb. I jumped out and checked the sizes out of interest (See question above). The first thing they said when I walked in, "Ohh, it's a green one!"

[JUIC'IN]

Nothing wrong with the tyres you've had put on. 195 is perfectly acceptable for a 6.5J.

No problem running same size tyres all round either.


................id be more concerned about buying a bulb from toyota to be honest.

[excalibur1814]

..Not what I've been told in all honesty. The car felt lighter on the front with the tyres on but today, Demon Tweeks put the correct size on the rear and it honestly does feel much, much better.

P.s. Halfords sell the wrong type of bulb so it was either ebay or pop down to Toyota.

[JUIC'IN]

It felt lighter on the front but when you changed the rears it felt better??.....

I think to be honest the majority of this problem was in your head, and you were never going to be happy until you got what you originally wanted.

Glad it's sorted for you anyway.


P.S. Any local motor factors would sell any type of bulb you want.

[excalibur1814]

..as in, easier to drift sideways

I might have been all in my head, but my Turbo has staggered and grips very, very well and if the parts specialist from Toyota and patrick state that it's not a good idea to hace stock all the way then I'm with them.

Either way, it holds like a dream and I'm now looking forward to having the lowering springs fitted..

(Any local motor factors)

[todd]

No problem running same size tyres all round either.

Same sized tyres all round is OK with you

Bad news on the MK3, may as well book an appointment with your nearest ditch.

[greglebon]

This MAY be a can of worms, but.......

I don't go along with this "you MUST stick with the 205/185, or otherwise the car will be very dangerous...!"

Basically, if you increase the width, you'll get more grip, BUT the profile, wheel width and of course the make of the tyre will surely have a greater effect on things than the tyre width alone.....?

I suppose the slightly wider rear tyre gives the rear slightly more grip than the fronts...but the lower profile will mean that when it lets go, it will let go more suddenly?

But what happens if you use the correct 205 rear tyre, but its a mid-range tyre: your handling /balance will alter.......

This is just the beginning: changing any of the variables will have an effect on the handling: also your driving style / ability has a huge bearing on whether you end up in a ditch or not, as do weather conditions, etc, etc.......

Basically, its up to the individual: if you're a good driver, then I would suggest you can get away with, say, 17"/ 215's all round and you'll be fine.......?

Of course, when you lower / uprate the suspension, then things change further........

A can of worms, truly...!

[todd]

A can of worms, truly...!

Not really, common sense in my book

So many young lads go out and upgrade their wheels and tyres and as the wheel dealers aren't wanting mis matched sets, they just sell the same size wheels and tyres all round and say "yeah, you'll be fine".

In 99% of cases this just isn't true, there are many many posts about this on here and the MR2ROC and a lot more qualified folk than me have given their expert opinion

[BenF]

Definitely can't run the same size all around on a Mk3 - you'd get massive oversteer and your insurance company would give you a hard time if you had an accident.

You need to keep 2 steps difference front to rear for - eg 185/55 to 205/50 on standard 15" rims as a minimum.

I'm running Advan Neovas which are 195/50R15 front and 225/45R16 on the rears - balance is slightly understeery but worth it for the excellent grip and feedback.

[mattcambs]

Definitely can't run the same size all around on a Mk3 - you'd get massive oversteer and your insurance company would give you a hard time if you had an accident.

You need to keep 2 steps difference front to rear for - eg 185/55 to 205/50 on standard 15" rims as a minimum.

I'm running Advan Neovas which are 195/50R15 front and 225/45R16 on the rears - balance is slightly understeery but worth it for the excellent grip and feedback.

I'm always staggered (!) when people put non-staggered wheels/tyres on MR2s. Ben you make an excellent point regarding insurance.

Also, Ben I assume you are running standard alloys? I take it you do some track days hence the Yokohamas? How do you rate them as road tyres and I assume they don't sit too ballooned on the wheels?

How do they compare to stock RE040s? Mine has 040s on the rears which I find to be excellent. I need to change the budget front tyres soon, but I've heard that the Bridgestones are hard to source?

Sorry for the Spanish inquisition!
Cheers,
Matt