I will ask the question tomorrow. I have spoken to one of the suppliers of those Kumhos and they said they are fine in the damp but just take care in rain. My current Kuhmos are ZR, though I haven't found a chart that states the ZR rating, only Z.
Yeah I think thats the point AL, they should be really good in the dry and perhaps not as good as the original Michelins in the wet but if the insurance company is prepared to go along with it (as obviously you are one of their favourite insurance clients) then this is a viable alternative at a pretty competitive price. As a dry weather only driver this is actually a bonus to me. P
I was thinking about this driving in to work this morning. Will it upset the handling if I keep the Goodyear F1s on the front (as they are fine wear wise) and put new stickier Kumhos on the rear? Any thoughts? If it will do odd things to the grip levels it looks like I'm going to have no choice but the Michelin route at £385 a tyre.
Last month tirerack.com was showing an early Jan 2012 availability for the 255/50ZR16 BFGoodrich g-Force Sports, now it just shows "back ordered"
My guess would be no difference for normal road driving, even if you were a little "sporty". However, I have no idea if you were to push the car, say on a track day. Hopefully you would just feel a little understeer, but thats not a bad thing for a road car, at least you know when the car is trying to tell you something.. Hopefully someone that races or regularly tracks their car will give some better advice. P
If I have to go through Longstones I'll ask the question Pete. It should be easy enough, you just read it on the side wall of the tyre don't you? I spoke to Michelin direst today and they could only point me to Longstones or Vintage Tyre Supplies. Tempted just to get a full set of the sticky, wider Kumhos for the same price as a pair of Pilots! Oh, also waiting for insurance broker to confirm whether I can use W rated tyres.
Let us know what the insurance person says (or if they even understand the question ). A W speed rating is actually a higher speed rating than the factory Z rated tires. If there is an issue, I'd sure like to understand it. btw, I have yet to find Y rated tires in anything that would fit on the TR.
Ebay has some pairs and quads of some temporary tires new: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-NEW-255-50-16-FALKEN-ZIEX-ZE-512-50R16-R16-50R-TIRES-/190587588445?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Section+Width%3A255%7CAspect+Ratio%3A50%7CRim+Diameter%3A16&vxp=mtr&hash=item2c5fe7cf5d http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-NEW-255-50-16-FALKEN-ZIEX-ZE-512-50R16-R16-50R-TIRES-/330651239311?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Section+Width%3A255%7CAspect+Ratio%3A50%7CRim+Diameter%3A16&vxp=mtr&hash=item4cfc59838f Also Toyo: http://www.wheelsnext.com/tiressize-car-trucks-TIRESIZE-255%7C50%7C16.htm
I think you've all fallen off the logic train. I just can't see my insurance agent saying "Well Steve, normally we'd pay your accident claim, but since you crashed at 175 MPH, but only had W rated tires, we won't" -- do I have that right? .
I struggled with the insurance logic on the topic of tire rating all along. If you exceed design specs as in Steve's message, I can understand. For normal driving, it sould not matter, but insurance companies have done some stange things... so, it doesn't hurt to ask. For me, I want sticky W or better because I intend to put in some track time af the higher speeds.
Al, Dug out my old thread on CS and this is what I found last year ************************************************ Uniroyal-No Dunlop-No Goodyear-No Pirelli-No Avon-No Toyo-Yes, but its a track day tyre and it also will not fit on a 10" rim. Kumho-Out of stock and also not listed on there main website. Michellin-Yes, but HIDEOUSLY expensive. You could try these guys as well http://www.northhantstyres.com/index.html US tyres specialists and the rear TR tyre was used for a while on a Corvette, so they might have one.
Did not know about the Falkens--almost pulled the trigger on the first auction listed yesterday but did some surfing and found a lot of negative surveys (citing wear, noise and wet handling issues). Wet handling not an issue as I don't generally drive in the rain but the noise is a detractor and so is the (in some cases incredibly) short lifespan. The Kuhmos are still an option but I was hoping the BFGs would come back, I like their old school looks/profile/tread pattern better than the (IMO) more modern-looking Kuhmo's.
From BF Goodrich: Production will resume at some point for g-Force Sport 255 60ZR-16, but they have no date. They say while there are more than 3,000 back orders, other tires have a greater number of back orders, ergo they must prioritize. From Tire Rack: BF Goodrich has postponed production for the past year. Corvette C4 owners as well as TR owners are screwed unless they get new larger wheels. The only other brand making this tire is Falken. But even some prominent tire dealers (no names, please) who sell Falkens have advised me not to put them on a Ferrari. ----------------- I have written a letter to the president of Michelin North America, which includes BF Goodrich products. I may post it after I've confirmed its receipt.
Did you mistype? Did you mean 255/50ZR-16? (I hope ) Side question: How/where did we get the idea that TR absolutely NEED a "Z" speed rated tire? AFAIK, the SPC, the OM, and the WSM specify only a "V" speed rating for two of the three 16" tire alternatives.
Technically it is not though. Not according to the tables that I have seen anyway. W = 168mph (a fixed maximum) Z = 150+ mph (an open maximum) Whilst I am sure that a Z would not be too good at 300mph, technically it should certainly be good for 1860mph as this is "+" 150mph. I am still waiting for my insurance to come back to me.
I would have the Falkens like a shot. I ran them on my last 348 and they were superb. Plenty of grip and feel and, good wear. I was trying to get through them so that I could get a set of 888s and the buggers just would not wear out! However, that supplier does not ship to UK and will not even accept email enquiries. I have asked about the speed rating and shipping on the Toyo Proxes.
Has anyone used Toyo Proxes before? A lot of the guys over here use them on TVRs but I have no personal experience of them. al
Toyo does indeed have 255 50ZR 16's. But alas, they're for a maximum rim width of nine inches. The TR standard width is 10".
Spoke with kumho yesterday. They 4 to 5 weeks stock will be replenished. Hope she was being truthful. R
Mmmmm, when I spoke to them last year they said they had been discontinued. The UK website lists the wrong tyres for a TR, which doesn't bode well either!