Tyre question

[jonty1951]

My 52 reg TF 160 has Goodyear Eagles fitted all round, but the original front one's now require replacement.
Can I use a cheaper tyre, or must I stick with Goodyears ?
I ask this as I'm not using the car for lots of high speed driving or track days.
John

[Jerry & Di]

Who knows You could probably drive round with foam filled tyres and not notice a lot.

However TFs are tyre choosy. Probably if you replace both fronts with almost anything, you will be fine.
I've always had GSD2s, but was impressed by Toyos this year.

The only problem with tyres is they are expensive, take a long time to wear out, and if wrong will be a pain/dangerous.

I think taking common advice from various sources and go with what you want.
ps: let us know what you get and how they feel

[bpr160]

I would put Goodyears on the front. The F/TF is very sensitive to a mismatch in construction between front and rear which I have had first hand experience of. Last year I had to change the rear tyres and having Goodyear's all round I wanted another pair but couldn't get any, so got a pair of Toyo's instead. Immediately the balance changed so I got some Toyo's for the front and the handling returned. The difficulty is finding a tyre which compliments the Goodyear tyre. Get it wrong and you will have to spend out more money. Also note that Goodyear Eagle F1s come in 2 types, GSD2s (OEM fit) and GSD3s and again should not be mixed.

[Jerry & Di]

Nov 15, 2011 0:14:07 GMT bpr160 said:

I would put Goodyears on the front. The F/TF is very sensitive to a mismatch in construction between front and rear which I have had first hand experience of. Last year I had to change the rear tyres and having Goodyear's all round I wanted another pair but couldn't get any, so got a pair of Toyo's instead. Immediately the balance changed so I got some Toyo's for the front and the handling returned. The difficulty is finding a tyre which compliments the Goodyear tyre. Get it wrong and you will have to spend out more money. Also note that Goodyear Eagle F1s come in 2 types, GSD2s (OEM fit) and GSD3s and again should not be mixed.

You are quiet right of course, but for general shopping/town driving you wouldn't notice any difference with four different tyres - only when you get a bit of speed on will it become very obvious

Although strangely, when I fitted VHS dampers, you could tell the difference before I got into 3rd gear.

[hobby]

Nov 15, 2011 0:14:07 GMT bpr160 said:

I would put Goodyears on the front. The F/TF is very sensitive to a mismatch in construction between front and rear which I have had first hand experience of. Last year I had to change the rear tyres and having Goodyear's all round I wanted another pair but couldn't get any, so got a pair of Toyo's instead. Immediately the balance changed so I got some Toyo's for the front and the handling returned. The difficulty is finding a tyre which compliments the Goodyear tyre. Get it wrong and you will have to spend out more money. Also note that Goodyear Eagle F1s come in 2 types, GSD2s (OEM fit) and GSD3s and again should not be mixed.

I have GSD2 on the front and GSD3 on the rear of my MGF 2000. I had them on before I read in the MG ENTHUSIAST that they should not be mixed. The GSD2 I was told were not being made any more but they had 2 only GSD2 and when they tried to re-order we could only get GSD 3's for the rear, so I said OK.
I have tested them by cornering at high speed and the road holding is unbelieveable, so why are we advised against mixing.
Any advise welcome.
Hobby

Attachments:

[Jerry & Di]

GSD2s are still being made - in batches for the time being.

GSD3s were not recommended by MG-R, there are factory bulletins advising this, but it's to do with sidewall stiffness in mid engined cars.

As I said above, you can probably drive round for years and not notice a problem. Insurance might be a problem if involved in an accident if MG-R recommendations are ignored.
Lots on the subject - Petevick might have some more info - possibly the recent tyre testing done by the Chinese owners of MG in Britain.

[g4wam]

hi there, well heres my two pee's worth.
If you have a TF you should use the recommended brands .
If you have an F then there is some leeway and people have all sorts of makes on their cars .
I use NEXEN 2000 front and back , it is importat that you dont mix brands and tread patterns .
I have had NEXEN CP641's on the back and got good maileage .
Mainly I dont think that you should take F or TF around on the ice and snow and expect good grip -no matter what you have on .

Mike

[helsbyman]

Toyo's have now got the seal of approval

[hobby]

Nov 21, 2011 13:52:29 GMT g4wam said:

hi there, well heres my two pee's worth.
If you have a TF you should use the recommended brands .
If you have an F then there is some leeway and people have all sorts of makes on their cars .
I use NEXEN 2000 front and back , it is importat that you dont mix brands and tread patterns .
I have had NEXEN CP641's on the back and got good maileage .
Mainly I dont think that you should take F or TF around on the ice and snow and expect good grip -no matter what you have on .

Mike

When I was getting the Goodyears GSD2 a forum member advised to get the Nexen 2000 and explained that they were only £ 38.00 or there abouts. I googled them as well but preferred the goodyear.

[SWMG Admin]

Nexens have always been a good budget tyrefor F's/F's in my view,they have improved over the last couple of years especially with the Nexen2000/3000 range,Greyfox had them on for years without a problem,even used on Castle Combe track day without any problems and he certainly hoofed it.i myself have Toyo Proxes T1R's on my newly refurbed TSW Blade wheels to go on TF after winter,until then i have full set of GDS2's all round on my 11 spokes ;D

[Mike H]

Just to add my 2p's worth, I always ran the old Bridgestone RE720's on my F until they were discontinued. They were quite a hard tyre, but suited my driving style. When I had to replace them I fitted Toyos, based on a number of recommendations, and hated them. They just marbled on the first track day and I had no confidence in them.

The TF had a mix of tyres on (front to rear) when I got it, including GSD2's on the front. I replaced them all with a set of GSD2's about 2.5 years ago and it's great. Total confidence in the car's handling - in fact it's far more capable than I am

As Jerry says, GSD2's are now made in batches, and I ordered another set last December (at the time I re-shod the Cupra), being told that the fornts were scheduled for production in March and the rears in July. I eventually picked them all up in August, and they're sitting in my garage awaiting ftment when the time comes - probably after my next visit to Silverstone in March ;D ;D ;D

The issues of mixing GSD2's and GSD3's are well documented across the various forums with some horrendous results.

There is an often quoted MG Rover Tyre Advisory document, TB0129, Issue 2, which says, in part:

"Not all Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres are of the same construction. Only the GSD2 tyre has been developed to match the MG TF & MGF handling characteristics. Use of other tyre sizes, brands and inflation pressures may adversely affect the vehicle performance. If in doubt always contact the tyre manufacturer for advice.

Do not fit Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 16” specification or any other make of tyre that is not approved by MG Rover for the MGF and MG TF."

This document was issued by MG Rover, and NOT in conjunction with Goodyear. Goodyear and MG Rover entered into a commercial agreement to continue the supply of GSD2's after MGR demonstrated the instability issues when the GSD3's were used on the F/TF, particularly when they are mixed with GSD2's. The GSD3 tyre is a development of the GSD2 and is reportedly a better tyre, according to Goodyear. It has a larger slip angle, lower rolling resistance and better grip in the wet.

This was however effectively supreseded by the MG Motor bulletin published on 25 March 2011 which basically reads that GSD2 tyres should be used. Where these are not available then either the Falken Ziex Z912 or Toyo Proxy T1-R may be fitted.

Full details here: www.mg.co.uk/news-events/latest-news.aspx#/?page=NEWS_MGTF_REC_TYRES

[chrisd998]

I'm now on my 2nd set of Toyo Proxes T1R's and find them great. No problems at all

[Jerry & Di]

Dec 10, 2011 19:09:33 GMT chrisd998 said:

I'm now on my 2nd set of Toyo Proxes T1R's and find them great. No problems at all

I had a set earlier this year and found them quieter than GSD2s. Can't really say about the grip as I have never been in a situation where grip was critical, just that they seem fine when pressing on - wet or dry.

[shakermaker]

You boys have frightened the pants off me with this thread.

I bought my TF160 last December having just passed its MOT, and it’s the first MGF/TF I’ve owned. I noticed early on that the tyres although nearly new with lots of tread still left on them were a mix match of budget types, but didn’t concern myself too much about it because I thought the car handled really well without any obvious problems. I don’t drive like a Jeremy (Clarkson) but I don’t hang about either.
I’ve been driving for 45 years and in that time owned more different car types than I care to remember. I hope that doesn’t make me sound like an old duffer, but I do generally know when things don’t feel right with a car. Also the car has just passed its latest MOT without a problem, not even an advisory notice. By any definition then, it’s road worthy.

So this thread and others that I’ve read since on other forums about the possible dangers in fitting tyres not recommended by MG put the wind up me. The tyres fitted now will last for years at the rate I use the car because it’s not in daily use. So what do I do? If I buy a set of TOYO Proxy T1- Rs or Falken ZE-912s, I guess it’s going to make a mess of £350, which is not money I want to spend unless I have to. Are you just being a bit anal about tyres or is there a genuine danger here?

[Jerry & Di]

My view is that there a lot of different opinions out there - and there's nowt so queer as folk

My take is that you can run around quiet happily on bald tyres if you know what you're doing - rain or shine.

I've read some threads about spinning on roundabouts/hitting kerbs etc, but how much of this is drama queen stuff and inexperience

The art of driving should not be the domain of "old duffers", but should be part of the driving test. Today people are taught to pass the test, press a few buttons, drive a fwd eurobox round the block and then left to cause chaos on the roads.

Plod is non existant these days, where many "old duffers" got pulled up and talked to is where they picked the finer points of avoiding breaking the law, and hopefully becoming more careful and considerate drivers

I'd check your tyres for legality, weigh up the risk against your recent driving experience, and just get on with driving the car.

If/when you decide to enter LeMans, consider a good set all round to get there before some more exotic rubberwear is needed.

But then, that's just me