Hi Guys,
Need some advise on tyre choice for my S2 Exige NA.
Have AO48’s on right now and love them however I am moving to Switzerland next month and am guessing I need a good road tyre especially in the wet!! what are the consensus ? GS-D3 F1’s, Toyo T1 R’s, Falkens?
Obviously I will need Snow sport Pirelli’s come November though!! 
Thanks for the advise guys
Kevin.
i have T1-Rs on my exige S and it is perfect… even did a track day on them and they were really good.
T1R’s get my vote.
They are just great in the wet. I have done 5 trackdays on them in my S2 Exige N/a, and whilst they are not as grippy as teh A048s and the R888’s in the dry they are still really good for a road tyre. Just did silverstone on them as it was forecast to rain (but didnt) and they held on at 85 round copse once warmed through. I was actually quite impressed.
They come into thier own when wet though, they are simply fantastic compared to the A048’s. I’ve used F1’s on my VX220T before and they are good too, but i wasnt too impressed with standing water, nor longevity but that was on a heavier car…
I currently have the F1’s on my winter set of wheels for my S2 and they are very good. I have had the toyos previously and found that the F1s feel better(to me and my driving style at least), they feel like less of a jump in handling and feel when you switch wheels from the A048s. They get my vote, very good and reliable in the wet and the cold but you dont pay much penalty in the dry in the real world - on public roads you have to be pushing pretty hard before you start wishing you still had 48’s on. Definately worth a go.
Dave
My 1st post…I have recently bought a 2007 N/a S2 Exige, which is wearing a set of new A048s…with it being my 1st Lotus and not knowing the full limits of the tyres and the recent rain I am considering swapping the tyres for now and in time for Autumn/Winter as well until next Spring.
I would also be interested to know which tyres to go for. TR1s seem to be getting a big vote over here and other forums. I have had F1s before, only due to winning tyre tests performed by car mags.
The A048s were designed specifically for the Exige, so I suppose it makes sense to bet a tyre which suits the characteristics of the car??
Any reason why the R888s are not at the top of peoples list?
In my particular case the car came with A048’s on too. The backs wear quicker than the fronts and need replacing more often, and since the general consenus is dont mix tyres, I simply replace the A048’s on the back. At some point they will need changing together when they both simultaneously reach the wear bars - then the 888’s might come into play. Many other people use them on elises/exiges. Some say the 888’s are easier to get a hold of and perhaps cheaper but not a lot between them in terms of real world performance I dont think.
I believe the government are planning on banning the a048’s and 888s and the like come 2011 anyway, so might as well enjoy them while you can, dont put those t1r’s or F1’s on quite yet, its august!
Dave
[quote=architect]
I believe the government are planning on banning the a048’s and 888s and the like come 2011 anyway, so might as well enjoy them while you can, dont put those t1r’s or F1’s on quite yet, its august!
Dave [/quote]
i belive that is miss understood. the goverment are making people more aware of what each tyre has for compound… soft medium/hard etc. then they will have a rating on wet and dry tyres. that is my understanding of what happens. could be wrong
T1rs are out standing just been out in my bros vx220turbo and it was very twitch in the wet. so like my early comment T1rs
Page 20 of Augusts EVO half page article entitled “Trackday tyres to be outlawed, new safety regulations spell the end for extreme road legal rubber”
Thats the article I read basically, they seem to imply that as it stands at the moment
(although the ratings and min levels have yet to be set) manufacturers believe trackday biased tyres are likely to fall outside of the limits of the coming legislation.
I’m sure time will tell, but thats evo’s take on it all.
Dave
There is a thread on it here somewhere on here but the reality it is not going to be a ban more a ruling to ensure the compound and performance parameters are displayed on the tyre.
Well theres lots of speculation, but as with all legislation, you are never really sure which rumours to believe until the legislation is in force. Look at how many years the rumours about pay as you drive road pricing have been going on for now.
In the meantime, carry on as usual but I still think august is too early to be changing tyres lol. Its lovely outside today.
Guys…we seem to have gone off topic here a bit. Can all owners that swap their tyres during the winter months please take the time to post what tyre they use and how they find them.
I use my car as a daily drive, I picked it up on the Wednesday gone and drove 300 miles from Poole back up to Gtr. Manchester. It was torrential all the way. I aquaplaned a couple of times but have past experience in handling such situations. I thought the A048s would have been alot worse having read alot of what has been written in the past about them.
I was very nervous and quite tense driving back mainly because it was my 1st Lotus and 2ndly as I was driving on slicks, there was a lot of standing water along the way. I drove sensibly and the car behaved impeccably. But I would definitely not want to use these tyres over winter as I don’t know wherethere limits are in the wet/snow.
I am going on a Lotus/Walshy Driver Training day, not decided which one yet but finances will dictate.
Back to the tyres then…so please step up and lets us know your thoughts.
Yes…it is a bit early and today was amazing out in the car!!! I’m thinking of changing end of September/October.
Tal.
I came from CSL on Cups and that combination is a serious arse twitcher but the Exige on 48’s is a completely different experience in my experience.
My first time on the motorway was 4 weeks after buying the car and heading to the Nordschliefe in wet from Chester to Hull. When I set off I was keeping it below 60mph but by the time I passed Leeds I pushed 90mph on the 48’s and they were fine.
end of the day any wet weather tyre is going to give u better grip in the wet. depends on ur drive style and how bad it is. its personal choice and just a case of try and see how u cope with them
The basic problem with winter tyres on the exige is that there isnt really that much choice as there arent that many premium tyres you can get in both the 16’s the 17’s at the appropriate widths, rating etc. If I recall correctly the current choice seems to be F1’s, T1R’s, Dunlop SP9000 and some continental’s which are marketed as wet tyre (cant remember the code though) and I think there might be a budget kumho. I dont think the choice is much greater than that to be honest (feel free to chime in with any other you know of anyone).
Which is probably why you hear people talking about the T1Rs and the F1s mainly. I have had both and either of them are good, and ok value.