Tyre Recommendations

[JamesArup]

Howdy all,

 

It's time for some new tyres, and I've been a bit out of the loop recently. My tyre setup at the moment is as follows:

 

Fronts: Toyo Proxes T1-R 245/40ZR/18 97Y

Rears: Toyo Proxes T1-S 295/35ZR/18 99Y

 

I have no idea why my rears are a lower profile than the fronts! I don't remember why that happened, or whether it was by choice! I have plenty of tread left on the tyres, but the side-walls are starting to crack a bit as the car is left standing for most of the year under covers, but the elements still get to the tyres (I'm living outside the UK at the moment).

 

What are the current tyres of choice? Are the Toyo Proxes still a thing? It was either those, or the Goodyear Eagle F1 in the past. As you can see, my rears are pretty wide, and there are some manufacturers where I've had trouble finding 295's that were 18".

The car is running a little over 500bhp, but it's likely to rise again soon! And the plan now is to remove the wheels and leave the car on blocks when I'm not using it, then I can save the tyres from the weather for a little longer, as they are very unlikely to die on me from wear these days!!

 

Any suggestions would be very welcome! Ideally ones that won't bankrupt me

Cheers!

Edited June 29, 2020 by JamesArup (see edit history)

[Swampy442]

Tyres are hugely subjective, and what some people like others wont, some people like an all out sporty tyre, others like a quiet one thats good in the rain. What do you use the car for?

I'm a huge fan of Yokohama AD08 Rs, and Continental rain sports, an excellent all rounder would be the Michelin Pilot Sports. But theres tons of choice.

[AC93]

The profile is a percentage of the width, so it may be lower on the rear but it doesn't mean less.

 

I have 285 rears on my 18's, Goodyear Eagle F1's

[JamesArup]

What do you use the car for?

 

I'm probably doing less than 1000 miles a year .... the last 3 years have been under 500! I guess I would need an all-weather tyre that can handle a lot of power, and will keep things under control in the wet.

I had the Eagle F1's before I had the Proxes.

 

And it does seem very hard to find 295/40/18's, which is probably why I have the 295/35/18's on the rear.

 

Thanks for the help so far!

Cheers

[erachter]

I'm probably doing less than 1000 miles a year .... the last 3 years have been under 500! I guess I would need an all-weather tyre that can handle a lot of power, and will keep things under control in the wet.

I had the Eagle F1's before I had the Proxes.

 

And it does seem very hard to find 295/40/18's, which is probably why I have the 295/35/18's on the rear.

 

Thanks for the help so far!

Cheers

 

As said in a previous post, profile is a percentage of the width. 295/35 has the same overall diameter as 255/40

[Scooter]

I have Goodyear Eagle F1 Assymetric 3's on my BMW and am impressed and I think others have them on their Supra's.

 

I might be tempted to try 285/35/18's if it opens up more choice, as I think the rolling radius might be closer to the fronts, depends on your views on grip/handling, how much you like it as is? does the 245 vs 295 not make it a bit understeery?

 

Check out the rolling radius google sites and you'll see what matches and the changes the profiles make etc

[JamesArup]

Thanks all for the responses so far!

 

The Eagle F1's were on my short list, along with the Pilot Sport's. But the combination of 295/40/18 seems a bit tricky! Even 285/40/18 isn't supported by some (i.e. the Pilot Sport's).

I'm a bit nervous about dropping from 295 to 285, as I've been using 295 for 16 years now, and I just know they fit/work on my car! But I guess it's not that much difference!

 

And I'll take a look at the Yokohama's too! And I'll see what Toyo are offering these days too, as I had no issues at all with my old Proxes!

 

Cheers!

[JamesArup]

Right, after trawling the internet for what feels like hours, I've come to a few conclusions:

 

1. 295/40/18 tyres don't exist

2. 285/40/18 tyres don't exist

 

So if I want to keep 295's (or even 285's) on the rear, they will need to be 35 profile ones, and the choices are fairly limited. So I would have to go for something like Michelin Pilot Super Sport if I wanted a 295/35/18 and 245/35/18 match up.

 

Or, as Scooter mentions, I drop down to 285 on the rear to open up more choice (Proxes, Eagle F1's, Pilots, Yokohama etc). Would I need to change anything on the wheels if I drop from 295 to 285, or will they just fit on without any problems? I suck at tyres

 

Cheers!

[Swampy442]

Will fit without any problems. You can get 295/35/18s so will be slightly smaller in the sidewall

[Dnk]

Take a look at some tyre tests, might help you get some actual info as to how various tyres perform.

 

https://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/

[JamesArup]

Thanks all,

 

I've been quoted £770 for Michelin Pilot Super Sports (fitted). But having watched the review videos, and considering the amount of use the car actually gets over the year, I must say the Falken Azenis FK510's are starting to appeal to me! They are a lot cheaper, but the review scores/ratings are almost the same as the Michelin's.

If I was doing 10,000+ miles a year, then I would go for the Michelin's for sure, but right now at 500 or so miles a year, it seems overkill.

 

Thanks again,

Cheers

[David P]

Right, after trawling the internet for what feels like hours, I've come to a few conclusions:

 

1. 295/40/18 tyres don't exist

2. 285/40/18 tyres don't exist

 

 

I hope that your driving is better than your trawling?

 

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB703GB703&biw=1024&bih=462&sxsrf=ALeKk00UAEWO9rlI0U8HWTD1VGuu0oEENg%3A1593533206010&ei=FmP7Xvwf6LPV8A_ju4_YBQ&q=285%2F40%2F18+tyres&oq=285%2F40%2F18+tyres&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQDDoECCMQJzoHCCMQsAIQJ1C22gFYht0BYOvtAWgAcAB4AIABW4gB3gGSAQEzmAEAoAEBqgEHZ3dzLXdpeg&sclient=psy-ab&ved=0ahUKEwj8grrl9anqAhXoWRUIHePdA1sQ4dUDCAw

[JamesArup]

Ha! Well, yes, some seem to exist in the US. And half of the search results just take you to tyres that aren't actually the size you searched for.

 

But if you put 295/40/18 or 285/40/18 at the top here - https://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/ - it turns up blank

 

Same goes here - https://www.tyrecomp.co.uk/ - if you put 295 or 285 in as the width, and 40 as the profile, it won't let you select 18" as a diameter.

 

I also asked the tyre dealer I use, just in case, and they also confirmed that (in this case Eagle F1, Pilot Sport 4, Proxes and AD08R's) don't come in 295/40 or 285/40.

 

[David P]

I run mine on 285 40 18 Sottozero because I like the wet grip, but if you don't take it out in the rain, there are 285 40 18 Pzerorosso.

 

https://tyres.buycarparts.co.uk/pirelli/285-40-r18

[JamesArup]

Yeah, I did see the Pirelli's before, but all of the 285/40/18's are "Out of Stock", even the Toyo's and the Bridgestone's on the site you linked are "Out of Stock" in that size, which makes me wonder if they simply don't exist in these sizes anymore outside of the US.

As soon as you drop the profile to 35, all of those brands/models are in stock and available.

 

And I do take the car out in the rain, don't really have much of a choice in the UK! But I live abroad, so I'm only there 2-3 times a year for a week or so. So a good all-rounder is what I need.

[Boyne]

Thanks all,

 

I've been quoted £770 for Michelin Pilot Super Sports (fitted). But having watched the review videos, and considering the amount of use the car actually gets over the year, I must say the Falken Azenis FK510's are starting to appeal to me! They are a lot cheaper, but the review scores/ratings are almost the same as the Michelin's.

If I was doing 10,000+ miles a year, then I would go for the Michelin's for sure, but right now at 500 or so miles a year, it seems overkill.

 

Thanks again,

Cheers

I'm running the falken azensis fk 510 at the min, 255/4018 front 285/35/18 rear on tte wheels, I ran them on my lexus also, your correct there almost as good as the Goodyear eagle f1 asymmetric 5 I have on lexus and the michelin pilot sport 4 I have on stock 17 wheels. Were they shine is there super quiet. Were they fall down they wear quite quick. Imo if your only doing very low mileage get the best and the Michelin pilot just edge the good years imo.

[Frank Bullitt]

Have you thought lack of choice maybe down to this Wuhan virus with stocks selling out and replacements delayed. If you aren’t in a rush might be worth your while waiting.