Wheels and tyres. To go 195/50 or to go for some 14's?

[hard_corejoeboy]

In a bit of a dilemma at the moment. With money etc i don't really want to have 2 sets of rubber (one for road and one for track)

I have a choice of sticking with my vts wheels (at least for time being) and getting some 195/50 rubber on them (partly due to the availability of decent tyres in this size and partly because i want a more comfortable journey on the road)

Or getting some 14's (and R888's etc are pretty cheap in this size)
However i know bugger all about 14's surely the smaller rim size means quicker acceleration but lower top speed? Surely as the wheels would be thinner this would mean less grip also than say 195/50/15's? Whats the widest in 14's i can feasibly put on a saxo?

Also im lowered -40mm so with 14's would this make the car look...odd?

Please help either way i need a new set of tyres!

[harry289]

I'm a big fan of yokohama parada spec 2's. they sure do perform well on track in all conditions for the money. Can get a full set for about £160 which isn't bad at all.

size 195/50/r15

for a set of semi slick track tyres such as the r888 or yokohama ao48r then you will be looking at between £300 - £360 for 185/55/r14's new.

If you want one set of tyres for the road and track then the parada's are an excellent choice. Or even if you did decide to get 2 sets then it still could work out cheaper and last a whole lot longer than semi slick 14's.

[adamskiTNR]

These yoko ad08's are awesome. And nice and cheap ish in 15"
http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/Motors...Tyre/1790/7030

[adamskiTNR]

r888's are about £70 and ao48's are about £85 -£90. That's no vat

[adamskiTNR]

£332 for 4 r888's and a pyrometer and a pressure gauge. That's good shit
http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/Motors...ffer/1790/6854

[harry289]

adam doing his homework!
wish i could afford semi slicks on the r. i forgot about the no vat bit....

for road and track use though...parada's. for me.

[hard_corejoeboy]

Think im probably going to stick with some 195/50's for time being.
Maybe have a set of 14's for track use. Whats the widest you can get for saxo? 185's?
Still not sure if a set of R888's 185 14's will give as much grip as say a road tyre in 195/50/15's

[Steve]

Originally Posted by harry289

adam doing his homework!
wish i could afford semi slicks on the r. i forgot about the no vat bit....

for road and track use though...parada's. for me.

Those pardas are dangerously shit imo. Unless you get them in 16s or above then you have to have a an extremly soft sidewall. Which is no good for track and the turn in is shit.

When i used to go round bends you could feel them flexing.
They are ok grip wise in the dry. In the wet they are the worst tyre i have ever used.

But suppose its what the driver thinks of them. If you like them you like them i personally will never go out my way to buy them.

[harry289]

Originally Posted by Steve

Those pardas are dangerously shit imo. Unless you get them in 16s or above then you have to have a an extremly soft sidewall. Which is no good for track and the turn in is shit.

When i used to go round bends you could feel them flexing.
They are ok grip wise in the dry. In the wet they are the worst tyre i have ever used.

But suppose its what the driver thinks of them. If you like them you like them i personally will never go out my way to buy them.

suppose it just depends on what you fancy. to be fair i havn't had chance to try out many other tyres as iv just turned 19 and only been doing track days a year nor have i driven hard in the wet. Just going by my experience and what others have said about them.

is there any tyre you would recommend steve?

[Fulch]

Originally Posted by harry289

I'm a big fan of yokohama parada spec 2's. they sure do perform well on track in all conditions for the money. Can get a full set for about £160 which isn't bad at all.

Havent had these yet but my mate driving a MK5 Zetec S with this on 195/45/15 paid something like 160 for 4 delievered and another mate pays 260 for them in 17's but both of my mates say they are the best road going track tyre they have ever used. One did a trip to the ring, round it, back, 3 track days plus day to day use and they still had a few bit of tread on them.

Spec 2's are what I plan on getting next.

Altho the guys have said dont use them over winter as they aint good in the rain at all. A lot of aqua plaining (sp).

Some places to look for tyres are:

BlackCircles
Camskill
Demon Tweeks
e-tyres

anymore feel free to add

[Steve]

Originally Posted by harry289

suppose it just depends on what you fancy. to be fair i havn't had chance to try out many other tyres as iv just turned 19 and only been doing track days a year nor have i driven hard in the wet. Just going by my experience and what others have said about them.

is there any tyre you would recommend steve?

I have hankook rs2s on the ek atm. Got them for £200ish. Seem decent atm not used them on a track yet as i now have some r888s. But on the road wet and dry they are good. Nice firm sidewall and an alright conpound. Track reviews say they are good on track but overheat quicker than most tyres. Meant to be nearly as good as r888s on a track but dont know how true that actually is lol
Am at croft sunday might use them for a session to compare.

Ps drive safe in the wet.
Tyrereviews.co.uk is a good site for looking at tyres

Also yoko ad08s are meant to be good, not sure on price. The paradas are ok in the dry tbf and at that price you cant expect the best. But once you start using other tyres you realise what you have been missing out on.

[jonathon5]

avon ACB 10;s are 195/45/15 size track tyres thats what I have got

[Mochachino]

Originally Posted by Steve

Those pardas are dangerously shit imo. Unless you get them in 16s or above then you have to have a an extremly soft sidewall. Which is no good for track and the turn in is shit.

When i used to go round bends you could feel them flexing.
They are ok grip wise in the dry. In the wet they are the worst tyre i have ever used.

But suppose its what the driver thinks of them. If you like them you like them i personally will never go out my way to buy them.

I agree with that, and know a few other poeple do, Id avoid this tyre, plenty of other tyres are available which are better than these so they shouldnt even be an option.

[hard_corejoeboy]

So for mainly daily driving (albeit spirited lol) and track driving which would match this criteria?

[harry289]

Originally Posted by db_sax

I agree with that, and know a few other poeple do, Id avoid this tyre, plenty of other tyres are available which are better than these so they shouldnt even be an option.

maybe why they are cheap...

what about toyo t1r's?
goodyear eagle f1's?

any others? sorry to hijack your thread but on a budget for road and track any you would recommend?

[Steve]

Originally Posted by hard_corejoeboy

So for mainly daily driving (albeit spirited lol) and track driving which would match this criteria?

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Ha...s-RS2-Z212.htm
They are what i use.

[hard_corejoeboy]

Just speaking to a friend and he recommends 14" wheels for track.

What width to get though? And if these would fit saxo?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Peugeot-306-Al...QQcmdZViewItem

[Steve]

pm'ing you now about some worn semi slicks my mate is selling

Only reason i never used 14's on my saxo was because i had 285mm discs and wilwood 4pots. Max size with 14s is really 266mm.

[Fulch]

Originally Posted by harry289

maybe why they are cheap...

what about toyo t1r's?
goodyear eagle f1's?

any others? sorry to hijack your thread but on a budget for road and track any you would recommend?

Personallly I would avoid the T1R's now. Used them and some Falkern ZE912's and Falkerns out do Toyo in my honest opinion.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by Fulch

Personallly I would avoid the T1R's now. Used them and some Falkern ZE912's and Falkerns out do Toyo in my honest opinion.

They are decent those falkens. Not really a track tyre but i used them a couple times without issue.