Tyred of new laws?

[Adam43]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7936534.stm

From 2012 tyres will be grippier, quieter and use less fuel (). Or at least we'll be better informed about them

Good stuff. It is hard to compare different tyre makes at the moment.

With the exception of improving wet/ice/slippery performance I'm not sure tyres need to be grippier. They are very good nowadays and there is an argument that too much grip gives too much confidence and accidents happen at higher speed.

[Tim Falce]

Doesn't giving tyres more grip mean they will have to be softer and not last as long, no wonder the manufacturers are welcoming the move.

[garcon]

As suggested, I would have thought wet weather/poor surface grip might be a more suitable improvement than dry grip. I hope whoever writes the legislation is sensible enough to include a clause about longevity, otherwise we'll be doing far more environmental damage by virtue of having to change tyres every 10k miles or less.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by falcemob

Doesn't giving tyres more grip mean they will have to be softer and not last as long, no wonder the manufacturers are welcoming the move.

You cynic.
And, as if to highlight this, the photo on the beeb news story is of Michelin F1tyres!

Originally Posted by garcon

As suggested, I would have thought wet weather/poor surface grip might be a more suitable improvement than dry grip. I hope whoever writes the legislation is sensible enough to include a clause about longevity, otherwise we'll be doing far more environmental damage by virtue of having to change tyres every 10k miles or less.

Yes, a true environmental benefit would come from tyres that last longer.

For the road I don't chase ultimate grip in the dry from tyres. I've not come across a tyre that is truly awful in the dry for ages.

[JimW]

Originally Posted by AdamAshmore

You cynic.
For the road I don't chase ultimate grip in the dry from tyres. I've not come across a tyre that is truly awful in the dry for ages.

Try the cheap Michelin range then. Truly awful. When I changed them to something half decent it transformed the handling. Not just grip but noise and steering feedback.

Regards

Jim

[Adam43]

lol!
Nah, I will steer (pun intended) clear of them!

[GORDON STREETER]

I am old enough to remember the first generation Michelin X . They would do about a million miles but were about as good as a "nana" skin on ice if it rained

[The STIG]

Curious, the best tyres I've ever had are Michelins.

Mind you, I haven't had many. Goodyear, Hankook and Michelin in that order.

[Daimlerman]

Pirellis on the Jaguars - no complaints at all and Avon sidecar tyres on the Austin 7, now there's a handling experience for you

[Adam43]

P6000 on Jags - a great tyre. Good on the road and I've had class wins with them. Great for learning the limit with as they make a squealing noise before letting go!

[terence]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

I am old enough to remember the first generation Michelin X . They would do about a million miles but were about as good as a "nana" skin on ice if it rained

Your not alone there Gordon,the sidewalls would give out before the tread,as you say,they were just about the worst in the wet though.
I am a fan of the Michelin Pilot sport 2 though,hard waring,very good wet grip and great in the dry,they also tighten up steering input,much more precision.

[Dave Brand]

Originally Posted by AdamAshmore

P6000 on Jags - a great tyre. Good on the road and I've had class wins with them. Great for learning the limit with as they make a squealing noise before letting go!

Funny, P6000s have a reputation for being just about the worst tyres you can put on an Alfa for road use - poor in the dry, useless in the wet.

[Adam43]

I have heard negative things about them, but they have always served me well. Had some good results on them in the wet too.
What I liked about them was that they seems to be predictable, very useful when starting out.

[bella]

supporting pirellis in general, i've got p zero rossos on my 3 series compact and they're utterly brilliant. there's so much grip i think it's one of the reasons i stopped driving fast - it's no challenge any more. they just keep on sticking. and i totally agree on the predictable thing, though i did wonder whether it was just that i hadn't managed to reach the limit of stick (can't spell the technical word) yet.

[SALEEN S7R]

Having never tried Pirelli's myself I cant really comment, however I myself use Goodyear eagle F1 GS-D3's on my Clio and they just hold the road so well, you really have to push the car to the limit before you get any sign of oversteer. I had the same tyres on my Supra too actually and even with that you had to work hard to get the back end sliding out, apart from in the wet of course but thats another story. Really want to get hold of some Michelin Exalto PE2's which have a excellent reputation as a performance tyre, unfortunately they seem to be unavilable here in the UK at the moment and are in the region of £120 each.

[Suze]

I use Firestones - have some [can't remember which] on my road car, whatever they are they're on List 1A and fuelsaver ones. The rears have been on the car for two years now [around 35000 miles] and the fronts needed replacing after 22 months - not bad seeing as they've been used for "more gentle" motorsport events [eg Car Trials, grass autotests] but also for sprinting. Rears will need replacing in a month or two now though.

Also have used Firestone F580Cs which are actually van tyres, also used for rallying because they had to be tyres on List 1A but they have reinforced sidewalls. Also used Colways when they were the control tyre, and about to order up a load of Sportways but never driven on them so not sure what they're like, or how they'll last with wear etc.

Worst tyre setup was when I bought the car - different manafacturer's tyre on each corner - Michelin, Nyang Kang [sp?], and a couple of others!