It's not like the traction on the Michelin Pilot Super Sport is bad I would think (given the Road and Track testing above). I go for spirited sprints but never track the car so imagine they would be just fine. I was just trying to keep the front and back tires from same manufacturer but that probably doesn't matter in terms of safety. I really wish Michelin would produce that odd front tire size as well so there were more options than just AD07s. I'm not sure what people will do when Yoko stops making the AD07s entirely (if they ever do).
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wiztecy
Active Member
As dsm363 pointed out, the SS tire that fits the Roadster's odd front rim are unfortunately non-existent. In my earlier post I indicated that I would try do all 4 wheels with the SS's and that was just a fantasy as I look back in the thread how there's no adequate solution running the SS's.
strider
Active Member
That's what I thought. But your post made it sound (to me) like if you had tire learning you would run SS's front and rear implying that there is a size that would fit on the stock rims. But it's quite possible I was just reading too much into your post.
wiztecy
Active Member
No, its my wishful thinking one track mind
Only way around this is to wait out and see if someone will supply a good quality high performing tire that is close to the AD0x performance/traction which fits the Roadster's rims or to take the issue into our own hands by dropping down some money on some custom rims. That puts us into a new size/category which offers us a wider selection of choices. I'm not selling my Roadster anytime soon so I've already planned my tire selection destiny.
Adrian Cockcroft
Member
Has anyone tried Toyo R1R 205/50-16 on the front? It supports the stock 6" rim and is a little bit bigger rolling radius but that shouldn't matter on the front. I'd run 225/45-17 R1R on the back to keep gearing the same.
Steering effort is already heavy (I'm on a worn set of 195 wide R888 at present) but I can put up with that.
I have R1R on another car and like them a lot.
Cheers Adrian
Steering effort is already heavy (I'm on a worn set of 195 wide R888 at present) but I can put up with that.
I have R1R on another car and like them a lot.
Cheers Adrian
So it's been 7 weeks since you posted and I assume you now have those tires installed on your Roadster. How are they?
Another set of Yokohama AD08R going on the back today - been really happy with AD07 LTS at the front (they last forever) and AD08R at the back - last for about 8,000 vs 4000 miles when I had AD07s at the back. Wet and dry grip from the AD08s at least as good as the 07s.
wiztecy
Active Member
Yoko 048's is more of a true summer and track tire. Its stickier so you'll get less life. The AD07/08 is a Spring, Summer, Fall tire and winter where the temps don't drop too low and it doesn't snow. This tire has a rain groove down the middle so less chance of hydroplaning. The 048's are horrible in the rain since there's no groove and allows the tire to float and skate above the water rather than a place for the water to go and get pushed out of the way.
The AD07 / 08 comments really help. Thank you.
i actually race my Morgan on 048s and find them very controllable in the wet if they are nearly new - best are when they are totally unused. Haven't had really bad conditions on my Roadster yet and the 048s are quite worn...
The AD048s are really aimed at track day use, great dry grip but poor wet grip, short life and are very noisy (on a Roadster). I think they were the standard fit for the Roadster Sport.
The AD07 LTS (LTS stands for Lotus) is less extreme but has a good balance of wet / dry grip and less noise. The more recently introduced AD08Rs are cheaper, seem to grip as well if not better and last longer (say 7000 miles vs 4000 for the 07 for me) but are only available in the correct size for the back. Thats not an issue for me as tires on the front seem to last forever (>15,000 miles) so I run 07s at the front and 08s at the back. Its a personal choice but I am happy with the setup.
supersnoop
Tesla Roadster #334
The A048's are wider and sticker, making it more difficult to turn at low speeds. I could hardly back out of my driveway with the A048's. Plus, the tires were on my car when I bought it, so I don't know how they were treated, but my whole car shook violently above 70MPH with them. With the AD07's, the car is smooth up to 85MPH (the legal speed limit on the road by my house) and maybe even a little higher.
Picked up my AD07s so back to original setup. According to my Ranger Tesla passed a policy a few months ago that says they are no longer allowed to mount non-OEM tires on Tesla rims. They'll install the rims if you had the tires put on somewhere else though. A little disappointing.
Mark77a
Member
For UK folk .. anyone else fancy a track day to put all these theories to test ?
My favourite UK circuit is Castle Combe. It has nearby rapid / 60A charging at Leigh Delamere services/Ecotricity (via access roads ;-) )
ideal for a pre-track boost and after charge to get home.
Looking to once weather a bit better march +.
With rear Yoki's from Tesla at £500 a pop vs £80 for Dunlop sport Blue responses - I'll be more inclined to push the limits
I'm very pleased with the dunlops vs Yokis .. much more grip in the wet and more progressive in the dry. But maybe on track the Yoki's might have the edge (until it wears off )
Dates: Castle Combe Track Days - Types of Track Day
My favourite UK circuit is Castle Combe. It has nearby rapid / 60A charging at Leigh Delamere services/Ecotricity (via access roads ;-) )
ideal for a pre-track boost and after charge to get home.
Looking to once weather a bit better march +.
With rear Yoki's from Tesla at £500 a pop vs £80 for Dunlop sport Blue responses - I'll be more inclined to push the limits
I'm very pleased with the dunlops vs Yokis .. much more grip in the wet and more progressive in the dry. But maybe on track the Yoki's might have the edge (until it wears off
) Dates: Castle Combe Track Days - Types of Track Day
Adrian Cockcroft
Member
Well, now I have Toyo R1R on my car, with the over-sized 205/50-16 on the front (stock rims) and it seems to be working well. The tires are a tight fit and are just about touching the rubber mudflaps when cornering at exactly the wrong angle, but steering effort is lower than before and it feels good. I got the tires via Tire Rack and had them fitted at Trackspec Autosports in Fremont, where they setup the suspension alignments to be similar to an Elise. I don't have many miles on the car yet, but will update as I get more experience with the combination. The extra rubber at the front reduces understeer and helps braking. I did have to reset the traction control for it to learn the new tire diameter and drive it for a few miles to get it to update. I'll get some pictures eventually. Toyo R1R take a while to get delivered, they don't have many in stock.
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