Hi Guys,

Haven't posted on here for ages - too busy racking up the miles!!!

All tyres are 185/60/R13 running on a live axle Striker.

I was running Toyo R888R soft compound when i first got the car on the road which were simply superb. Tons of grip even from cold and really progressive when they do start slipping, only gripe was that i wore them out in around 3000 miles.

I thought i'd try something different for the next set and opted for the Nankang NS2R as they seem to get really good reviews but wear a bit longer than the Toyos. Stupidly, i managed to order the hard compound instead of the soft, but didn't notice this until i'd actually mounted them on the car and started driving.

Now they of course they don't have the same levels of grip as the R888R, but i expected that, but i'm actually really enjoying them as a result! Being live axle, my car has always been a bit tail happy, and of course this is quite exaggerated with harder tyres. Don't get me wrong, these still grip really well and are about half way between a A539 and R888R, but again i'm actually finding it more fun to slide around a bit compared to being stuck to the road.

I know a lot of people bang on about lap times and cornering speeds (i'm pretty sure mine would still fare well in this sense) but i think i've come to realise that driving is about a lot more than this....

Anyone share the same opinion?

Andy

Looks like that tyre size really restricts the available types.
A539 are still around and get use in locost series and I recall having them on my nova years ago and them lasting well. Are you not a fan?

[Edited on 2-8-19 by loggyboy]

There's actually quite a few tyres around in this size, especially if you are looking for more track biased.
I had the 539s previously and wasn't very impressed, felt like ice skates on the Striker....

quote:

---

Originally posted by pekwah1
There's actually quite a few tyres around in this size, especially if you are looking for more track biased.
I had the 539s previously and wasn't very impressed, felt like ice skates on the Striker....

---

yeh i think you're right, that's where these NS2R come in, they feel like an incredibly good road tyre rather than a full on track tyre, and at about £55 a corner they are also dirt cheap!

13" is what a lot of people choose to try and combat the lack of warm-up due to weight, the extra height on the sidewall means you get more flex on the tyre which help it to warm up more.

I totally share your view on this.
More grip does not translate to more fun. And I like quite a loose rear end.


Ermm, although saying that I've progressed over the years from running A539 to NS2R and now R888R

13" too. All of these were 185 section on all corners except the R888R where I run 205 rears.


I have been thinking this year that I will go back to the NS2R (180 compound medium) as these seem the sweat spot for me.

steve

[Edited on 2/8/19 by SteveRST]

Hi Steve,

Yes i've run all three same tyres, the 539s were pants, R888R were great fun in the sense that i could just point the steering wheel wherever i want and the car will just go there, quite fun!

The NS2R i have now are the 180 compound, great fun and even without an LSD the rear end is very lively! I wouldn't mind trying the 120 compound although they seem impossible to get anywhere in a 13" profile.

I had the 120 compound on mine did around 3000miles on them including 3/4 track days and they were half worn when I sold the car I was very impressed with the grip level if you want a good road tyre which will cope with trackdays maybe worth trying uniroyal rain sports they have good reviews on 7 style cars

My car came with 15” 6J wheels and Toyo 888 tyres....and a spare set of 14” 5.5J Sierra alloys with new road tyres. It is so much more fun on the narrower tyres - you can feel the car moving about and have a bit of fun! Not to mention the improvement in ride from the higher sidewall and lower unsprung weight - i’d go for 13” if I could fit them over the calipers!!

How can you tell what the compound is of the tyres? I've got NS2Rs too on my Westfield and find them a little too 'floaty' at higher motorway speeds.

Not sure if it’s printed on the tyre, I would assume so but my stickers were still in the garage which had 180 printed on them

Yep, I'm also a huge fan of less grippy tyres. You learn more about car handling and the transition between slip and grip is much more pronounced.

I fitted some 175 section (which because they were road tyres had HALF the contact patch of a 205 R888!) Continental EcoContact 3s a few years back and even did a few sprints on them, won the class a couple of times. Hilarious fun.

My 13" 185/70 tyres are old-fashioned, but do add a bit of give to the suspension! I built my car to classic lines rather than 'fast and grippy' and these tyres match my old x-flow engine really well.

They are totally predictable and I can slide the back end as required on a corner, or set it up right so that it will just hang on tight and flow through. Tons of fun when you only have around 100BHP.