I replaced the tyres on my rx8 today, as after 30,000 km, they were entering illegally bald territory. It doesn't help that the last 5000 km was interstate highway travelling at 110+ kph.

I decided on the Toyo Trampio 235/40 91W Gu:Wn tyres. 4 x tyres + wheel fitting/balancing/computer alignment cost me $1144 (ie. 286 dollars a tyre). These tyres are directional and a lot stickier than the Bridgestones used to be. After a quick lash through the Adelaide hills, I'm glad I got them and didn't just replace the potenzas with more potenzas. The trampios have superb handling once they warm up a bit, and they also look a lot better.

 

I once had Trampios on my S14 200sx and they were grippy little buggers.
Be gentle with the 'loud' pedal though, they tend to wear out quite quickly.

 

Does your steering feel different is it heavier /lighter ????
cheers
michael

 

The steering feels "more solid", so I suppose it feels a little heavier. It is hard to judge, as I've gone from balding tyres to brand new ones. The tyre is wider than the OEM, so that probably contributes to the feeling as well ...

 

Did you consider theToyo Tranpath SW 235/40ZR18 95W.

if not why not , i am also considering the toyos .

cheers
michael

 

I did consider the tranpaths, and that was what I was originally going to get, but the tyre dealer had the Gu:Wn tyres in stock and gave me them for the same price as the tranpaths. So, I saved at least $80 on the tyres (the tranpaths wholesale 20 dollars cheaper).

Differences between the Gu:Wns and the tranpaths :

directional vs. non directional. (better wet weather performance vs. lower road noise)

silica compound vs. wear resistant compound (better grip vs better life)

dual ply carcass vs single ply carcass (steering response & high speed reliability vs ride comfort)

variable pitch should block vs rigid shoulder block (better cornering grip vs. better resistance vs irregular wear)

In case you are wondering, I am currently reading and interpreting off a Toyo brochure.

 

Hmm i have just found my Toyo brochure interesting , choices choices.
The tyre pattern on the Tranpath seems similar to the stock brigdestones .

It hardly rains here on the Goldcoast , the trampios seem more for wet weather .

The Toyo proxes T1- S SOUND good but most likely at a much higher price bracket

cheers
michael

 

The guy I was talking to at Jack Baker Tyrepower in Adelaide said that the Tranpath and the OEM Potenza were basically the same tyre in most respects.

The Trampio is (from my perception) much stickier and has a lot better handling (after the tyre warms up). The aqua plane resistance is merely a side benefit.

I think the $20 per tyre investment is worth it. Besides, they look better.

But being on the Gold Coast, with all that terrible traffic and lack of decent roads, maybe you should get "granny retreads" instead ;-)
(sorry, but I was there last week, and am still getting over the experience of what has to be the worst bunch of drivers per capita in the country - It was a huge relief to cross back into NSW and the safety of Byron).

 

I've had trampio's on my MX5 for the past year, good all rounder tyre. Been using Toyo's for about 5 years now. Excellent value for money. If I recall correctly the Trampio's replace the F1 proxes which I used to have. The Proxes were more grippy, but they wore at an astronomical rate. The Trampio's have a far superior wear rate but their grip is slightly less, also I find that they are slightly slippery in wet weather. Last year I had Toyo's on the race car, bad choice.

Khumo's are supposed to aslo make a good performance tyre.

 

Guys,

I have just put Toyo T1-Rs (245/40 R18) on each corner. I was going to get Goodyear F1s put on,but these were recommended to me.

Initally, they seem very quiet and a lot more grippy then the bridgestones but I think I will try and do a track day to try and bed them in a bit more, before winter hits.

Here is a pic, anyway:

 

DBB any comments on the road noise and ride quality vs the Potenza's?

 

I think the ride quality & stickiness is definitely superior to the potenzas.

Road noise at low speeds is not an issue, as the exhaust overrides the tyres.

At high speeds the noise may be a little higher, but not enough to make a difference in any purchasing decisions.

 

How are you handling the speedo error with the 235/40's (as compared with th stock tyre?)

 

The speedo is wrong anyway with stock tyres, it will now just be differently wrong.

 

My OEM Potenzas have so far lasted me 44k klms and look likelasting anothr 4-5000 klms. Most of my klms are motorway (M4 and M2) but I don't drive aggressively. I'd be interested to know wo else still has OEM tyres above this mileage?

 

What's a "klm"? I hate to be pedantic, but we have had S.I. metric in this country for over 30 years, and the official appreviation for "kilometre" is "km", with no full stop after it. For the record, "mtrs" is wrong for "metres" too; its just "m", and the abbreviation for "grams" is "g" not "grms" or anything like it, and "L" is for "litres".

That aside, 44,000km is great wear for a performance tyre. It suggests good driving technique and good tyre maintenance. I've got 28,000km on the clock, and it looks like there's a bit in them yet; how much exactly is left I can't really say. I'll be loathe to change away the OEM tyre because it could turn out to be false economy.

 

burnout...Spelt B U R N O U T. No abbreviations!
Do a nice job of it, and you could be finding yourself getting new tyres sooner than you thought!

There's still ain't a tyre that convinces people the most.
I'm just going to stick to RE040's...NOT!

 

km, kays, klicks - it's all good.

I still can't figure out how to convert Boltzman's constant to Fathoms.

After I have solved that, I will reveal to the world the true nature of Dark Energy.

(hmmm ... I need coffee)