Small Triumph tyre recommendations

[flatter4]

I ended up with some very cheap Toyo NanoEnergy 175/70R13.  They are OK, and have allowed me to shake the car down.  While I like the tall sidewall look, and think it's appropriate for the car they did touch everything on the GT6.  My fault as the car was set up around 185/60's - I should have kept with them.  I'll be going back to this profile at some point.

Not sure if the Toyo's are any good in the wet (never been out....), but they do squirm a little in the dry - probably the tall tread blocks.  They survived a few laps at Blyton, but the fronts were certainly showing the stress.  The diff gave up before my son managed to completely destroy the tyres......

[flatter4]

I don't think the Maxsport are available as 13".
My shortlist with today's prices-  please add / comment as you see fit.  All 185/60R13

 

Avon CR28 sport  £130 https://www.westwalesrallyspares.co.uk/avon-cr28-turbospeed-tyre

Dunlop CR65 racing - no exact match, but I'm told they are beautifully progressive in handing - about £220

Yokohama A539  £78 fitted, blackcircles  £72, my tyres

Nankang NS 2R   £65, Demon Tweeks  £68, my tyres

Toyo R888R £93, Demon Tweeks  £95, my tyres

[flatter4]

Damn, driving myself nuts here.  Just realised that 175/60R13 could be the tyre of choice - slightly reduced rolling radius over my old 185/60's and look at the price of these:
https://www.mytyres.co.uk/rshop/tyre/Nankang/Ultra-Sport-NS-2/175-60-R13-77H/R-391113

only £45 for the Nankang NS 2.  Not as radical looking as the NS 2Rs, but the Nankangs (as Michael says) seem to be thought as good (in the dry) - the MX5 drivers seemed to like them at Blyton trackday.

Does anyone here have any experience.......?

[Escadrille Ecosse]

2 hours ago, Martin said:

185 60 13 there are a lot of recommendations for the Nankang NS 2R. I bought them some weeks ago for my VW Polo. But it will take some time until I will have a chance to test  them. 

Thanks Martin. Interested to hear how you get on. I had seen these but new to me so no real knowledge. The only thing that might go against these for the Spitfire is that I have seen a comment from someone in the Mini brigade that they have quite square edges, which may not be ideal for the swing axle cars. However whether that means they are more square than the A048s which work fine I don't know. They look very similar in photograhs.

Which brings back my memory on the Maxsport TB5s as I think it was suggested by someone (??) that I might get on better with the Yokohamas when I switched from the rotoflex car to the swing axle car as they had a rounder corner.

More hunting of t'web suggests the following possibilities in the required size;

Maxsport TB5

Nankang NS2

Nankang AR1 - wowser!

Yokohama A539 - seem to get a bit of a slagging off, which I remember from days past too

Yokohama A008 - used them way back in the day when they were 'the thing'. Round shoulders and available in my size again now

Yokohama A021 - used them too (before being superceded by 032s and the 048s) but are back again it seems

Yokohama A052 - not shown on the manufacturer's website but they are available in the right size.

Toyo R888R - folks seem to rave about these. Look bling and aggressive!

Kumho V70A - good reviews as a better tyre than the A048 but only available in 175/60 x 13

 

And tyres from when I started all this - Michelin TB5 and TB 15 Intermediates are also back and now E marked. These were the first proper motorsport tyres I used on the car and the difference over decent road tyres blew me away. Something like 10% faster on a 110 second track like Kames. They were very much a premium tyre so I used to buy used ones off friends. Current sizes are very limited and price seems even more astronomical than I remember.

[Hamish]

These have been popular on the sprint scene in the last few years. 
https://www.extremetyresuk.com

 

if you intend to use the tyres in competition eg sprints and/or hillclimbs you will need to see if they are listed as permitted tyres in the msuk blue book.  

[Escadrille Ecosse]

They look amazingly decent on price Hamish, although like the Maxsport they are remoulds. But no issues with that.

Bit hard to find reviews unfortunately although those that are there seem to rate them

I am supposed to doing Club Steward duties for one of the local sprint events up this way in a few weeks as at long last this has restarted in Scotland. Be interesting to see what folk are running there.

[richy_rich]

I put some Nangkang NS2R's on the Spitfire a few years ago now, motivated to do so purely by price..  I went for the soft compound but they seem to have lasted better than I remember soft Yokohama's doing.  For the price I've found them to be excellent although I'll probably have to go back to Yokohamas or similar at some point as for circuit racing most series seem to specify them (although the NS2Rs are listed in the blue book and I've managed to get away with it a few times so far by not mentioning it and hoping no one says anything, people don't usually start complaining about stuff like that unless you start beating them) 

[Nick Jones]

2 hours ago, richy_rich said:

people don't usually start complaining about stuff like that unless you start beating them) 

True dat…..

[Hamish]

Yes you have to keep an eye on the blue book rules and the rules for the championship you are in.

my championship built in some flexibility with a catch all “tyres from any yearbook” which helps when the MSUK remove a tyre from the blue book usually indicated the year before with an * 

going low profile helps with acceleration ( my route) for tight twisty tracks - any where you  don’t reach top speed with that tyre, circuits are different as often you need that top end. Nothing worse than being on a long straight having to hold back as you’ve Max’d the revs.

I struggle to find 70 profile 15” comp tyres esp now kumho700 70a are off the list.

i scrounge around for CR6zz I found one very ! Used set just above wear limit that were handy at aintree sprint as thats a speed circuit. ( I say speed !! it’s all relative as I cross the line just under 100 with 70 profile tyres)

But just  found a much better set CR6zz 6mm 185/70x15 much less than half price. 
 

i hope these will see me through a few seasons with the new engine.

I am a bit of a tyre mug

vredestien sprint classic for the road 

maxsport RB5 for competition 

avon CR6zz very worn for competition ( now with back up set)

all on cheap ebay bargain alloys.

lack of space at home is the issue !!

[JohnD]

Worth recalling that the tyre spec  is tread width (in mms!) x wall ratio x rim diameter (Inches!).   

185mm = approx 7 inches, and 170=6.6" so on ordinary 4.5J (4.5 in inches!) you are running a tyre that looks in profile like a pyramid, and one balanced on its tip!   The late great Alan Staniforth used to recommend running tyres with the same tread width as the rim, or less, as this will let the walls flex much less, but he was speaking of very sporting and competition cars.    Even more important now we have moved to radials.

I run 170x55s (Yokohama A048s) on 6.5J rims for racing, and that works well.   On the road, I have 5.5Js and 185x60s (cheapo Koreans) which I'm also happy with, as are the wheel arches.

JOhn

Ps Doesn't sjspw off the tyres well, but its such a nice picture!

[Escadrille Ecosse]

5 minutes ago, JohnD said:

Worth recalling that the tyre spec  is tread width (in mms!) x wall ratio x rim diameter (Inches!).   

185mm = approx 7 inches, and 170=6.6" so on ordinary 4.5J (4.5 in inches!) you are running a tyre that looks in profile like a pyramid, and one balanced on its tip!   The late great Alan Staniforth used to recommend running tyres with the same tread width as the rim, or less, as this will let the walls flex much less, but he was speaking of very sporting and competition cars.    Even more important now we have moved to radials.

I run 170x55s (Yokohama A048s) on 6.5J rims for racing, and that works well.   On the road, I have 5.5Js and 185x60s (cheapo Koreans) which I'm also happy with, as are the wheel arches.

JOhn

Ps Doesn't sjspw off the tyres well, but its such a nice picture!

Absolutely cracking picture John

Alan Staniforth was and is Da Man in my view too.

15 hours ago, flatter4 said:

Damn, driving myself nuts here. 

Seconded, like disappearing down a wormhole!

I found this website, combination of the views of punters plus slightly less subjective tests too

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Search/Size/185-60-13

This is an interesting page from the same site

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Tyre-Type/Passenger-Car-Summer-Trackday-and-Competition-Tyres/

4 hours ago, richy_rich said:

I put some Nangkang NS2R's on the Spitfire a few years ago now, motivated to do so purely by price..  I went for the soft compound but they seem to have lasted better than I remember soft Yokohama's doing.  For the price I've found them to be excellent although I'll probably have to go back to Yokohamas or similar at some point as for circuit racing most series seem to specify them (although the NS2Rs are listed in the blue book and I've managed to get away with it a few times so far by not mentioning it and hoping no one says anything, people don't usually start complaining about stuff like that unless you start beating them) 

Was that road or track miles?

[richy_rich]

2 hours ago, Escadrille Ecosse said:

Was that road or track miles?

Was all track/hillclimb/etc.  My spit is no longer homologated for road use..

[Escadrille Ecosse]

1 hour ago, richy_rich said:

My spit is no longer homologated for road use..

[Escadrille Ecosse]

Avon CR28 would appear to have a good rep for wet track use or the road. Although not the cheapest tyres around.

[Nick Jones]

Still like the Falken SN832. Truly excellent in the wet. Bit hoppy/squirmy in the dry until about 1/3 to half worn when the problem goes away. Seem to be soft compound and definitely soft sidewall.

Available in 175/70r13, but not (I don’t think) 185/60.

I’ve done 4 track days, 3 of them biblically wet, couple of European grand tours and plenty of general running about. This with the Vitesse.

Got them on the Spit and the GT6 too.

[Escadrille Ecosse]

I had seen those Falkens and was wondering what they were like but yours are the first real comments on them Nick. 

13 inch sizes quite limited as you say. Competitively priced though 

[Nick Jones]

Alan OTU (RIP) had a set for use as “wets” based on a few laps in my car at monsoonal Castle Coombe.

[Escadrille Ecosse]

3 hours ago, Nick Jones said:

Alan OTU (RIP) had a set for use as “wets” based on a few laps in my car at monsoonal Castle Coombe.

Excellent monsoon trackday tyre for a small Triumph with the cast iron six cylinder up front is probably about the best recommendation a tyre could get really