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MG MGF Technical - Tyre Choice advice please

Last night I checked the archives for your tyre comments and many of you were recommending the Bridgestone S02 rather than Goodyear Eagles. (I'm glad I'm not the only one that doesn't feel confident driving my car in the wet).

However, when I made price enquiries today I was told that the Bridgestone S02 has been replaced with RE040 (or something like that). I would appreciate your advice about this tyre or any others.

Presently I have Goodyear Eagles - Touring NCT 3 185/55/R15 on the front and NCT 5 205/50/R15 on the rear - I've not tried anything else. Both rear tyres need replacing, the fronts may be OK for another few months - would it be a problem putting Bridgestones on the rear in anticipation of matching up the front ones in due course?

Thanks

Berni
B M O'Mahony

Berni,

I would replace then all at the same time. I went for Toyo Proxies 205/50/R15 all round so that I could swap them front and back and even wear. Paid £220 for four fitted and have been very happy with them. When the time comes, that's what I'll probably go for again.
David Clelland

Berni

David makes a vaild point about having 205s all round, I considered this myself but in the end stuck with 185/55/15 on the front and 205/50/15 on the back, as I prefer the fact of understeer from the front on the limit rather than dealing with snap oversteer.

I have just replaced all 4 (previously had GY Eagle NCT3 on the front - the original tyres and Bridgestone RE720s on the rear - 1st replacements) and went for Bridgestone RE720s. The 720s were fantastic, that's why I wnet for them again.

HTH
Billy Bob

Just for info - the SO2s are still available for 16" wheels. I run Bridgestone SO2 PP 205 45 ZR16 all round and today replaced a pair at a total cost of 195 pounds (inclusive of valve, fitting etc.)
Dave

Can I change the size of the tyres from what is already on there without changing the wheels...? (sorry, I just drive it and wash it!)
The Toyos sound like a bargain, I've been quoted from about £250-£290 for GY / Bridgestone fully fitted, and I don't mind paying the bit extra for the latter if they handle better.
What is the difference between the RE040 and the RE720?


Thanks
B O'Mahony

Sorry Berni - is that price for four tyres?

For 15" rims, I'd probably go for F1s - or maybe the S-03. However, the Toyo is a superb budget tyre, that performs very well for its price in all the independent magazine tests. The Bridgestone RE720 also gets a lot of positive reviews on these boards too - can't argue with that, and I've not personally tried them...

So what it boils down to is budget, and what kind of longevity you are after. The best budget/longevity tyre is probably the RE720... closely followed by the Toyo.

Would love to be able to run some independent tyre tests on an MG - shame that that seems unlikely to happen :o(
Rob Bell

Rob

That price is for all four.

I know zero about tyres, so what's the S03? just higher spec than the RE040? same for RE720?

I don't want to spend a fortune but I don't mind spending a bit more than the Goodyears cost if I would feel more confident driving on wet roads - I know I can stop the car in the dry but I don't think I could in the wet (and I don't have ABS).
Now that I know I can get even wear on the front tyres I suppose I do want them to last for a while.

thanks for your tips.

Berni
B O'Mahony

Hi Berni,

S02s have indeed been replaced.... by the S03s !!!
The RE040s are not the same.

Take a look at http://www.bridgestone-eu.com/articles.asp?ID=307 for more info.

Having said that, the RE040s are an unknown quantity and we may find that they suit the car better?!? Care to be a tester? ;-)

I have 15" rims with S03s all round. I have 205s at the rear and have elected to go for 195s at the front. I find the balance is very good with this setup. It should be noted that I've also played with 205s all round in using both NCT3s (bleurgh!) and other brands too. The 205s at the front cured the understeer but, imho, didn't overall improve the handling.

If I were you I'd go for S03s, 195s at the front and 205s at the rear and get the handling sorted with a 4 wheel allignment with the bbs settings being used.

As always, different tyres suit different people. What do you want from a tyre? Do you push the car all the time? If not, S03s may not be for you with RE720s getting good reviews as a great compromise tyre from others on the BBS.

Good luck whatever you decide, and report back what you find. :-)

Cheers,
Paul.
Paul Nothard

Paul, thanks for that web site, I also found www.mgf.ultimatemg.com so I've now learnt something.
Not so sure about being tester, I'm a bit of a scaredy cat (probably one reason why previous replacements have always been the easy option of sticking to the original GY NCTs) and having plodded in a Citroen 2CV6 for 9 years...... would you really want me as your tester??! :-) Even after 5 years driving the MGF I sometimes forget that if I press the acelerator pedal further ... the car goes faster.
You may now have gathered that I don't push the car that often! though in my defence because I found the handling so awful in the first year it made me play safe - I think from reading the reviews the sooner I get rid of the NCT tyres the better!

Berni
B O'Mahony

Berni,
I cannot recommend the Bridgestones enough - they are superb - either the S-03 (replace,ntes for the S-02) or the Re720. I use RE720 at the moment as I found the S-02 wore out out a bit too quick for my wallet!
I think that if you go for S-03 you may have to go up to 195/50 on the front - but whatever tyre you choose this is a good upgrade, imporves turn in and reduces understeer. The RE040 according to the bridgestone website is not such a good wet weather tyre as the Re720 so I see no reason to try it over the re720.
Jason H
Jason H

I'm in the same position as Berni - except my front NCT3s are brand new (previous owner). Anyone had any experience of RE720s, S03s or F1s mixed with NCT3 fronts?

Cheers,
Tim.
Tim Jenner

Tim,
Yes I tried S-02pp on the rear with original NCTs on the front -made for bad understeer but it was okay - of course never do it the other way round as then the tail would be just that bit too uncontrollable (or so I would think).
Jason H
Jason H

Berni,
Forgot to add, I have found Protyre in Bristol to be one of the best in the area for performance tyres - always seem to be the cheapest price (at least for bridgestones locally supplied and fitted)and they do take care of your car.
Jason H
Jason H

Tim

I used to have NCT3 front and RE720 rears with no problems what so ever. Felt very secure and safe.

Berni

I've heard that both SO2PP and SO3PP wear quite quickly as they have a softer compound (approx 10K miles) and they are more expensive than a comprimise tyre, although similar price to other high performance tyres.

I've just had all 4 replaced with RE720 and a 4 wheel laser alignment for about £330 all in at Micheldever Tyres.

For info on wear:

Rears

1st set; GY NCT3 approx 14K miles
2nd set; RE720 approx 12K miles (although the fitter said there was at least 2K left on the tread when I changed them)
3rd set; RE720 so far 800 miles and counting!

Fronts

1st set; GY NCT3 approx 26K miles
2nd set; RE720 again 800 and counting!

My driving style varies from just pootling about town to all out blasting on twisty A and B roads. Proably about 70% - 30% split in favour of pootling!!!!
Billy Bob

I'm not even going to comment on how long my last set of GY F1s lasted - but suffice to say, I'd regard 14k as good going... 8-O
Rob Bell

Berni,

Get yourself a set of toyo proxes. delivered to your door from www.mytyres.co.uk less than £180 for 4 and they stick like glue. Ok they may not last forever, but they will and do stop in both wet and dry conditions. In the past i've used the following with various success:

15" Rims on an MY2000 mpi no abs:

Goodyear NCT 3's Utter crap!
Goodyear F1's Good, but new model ain't great.

16" Rims on an MY2000 mpi no abs

Yokohama A539's brilliant tyre, no complaints.

Sold the MY2000 and bought a 96mpi with abs (strange, but necessary):

15" Rims
Goodyear NCT 3's on the back and then a two 'stunner' brand tyres on the front. The car handled suprisingly well. But the 15's didn't last long

16" rims on a 96 MPI with abs;

Toyo proxes TS-1, Genius tyre. Hold the road like glue in all conditions, providing you don't floor it on a roundabout in the wet that is ;-). Longevity, can't comment as yet, but to me it doesn't really matter as i don't use the car every day and I'd swop 3000 miles extra tread wear for good road handling and peace of mind anyday!

Just my opinon on all of the above of course!



Rob

I have been using Bridgestone RE040 tyres for the last 18 months or so now. This being my 4th type since the car was new. They are without doubt the most grippy I have had but there are other drawbacks. These have all been on the std 15" rims and the std 185/205 sizes as I like the handling balance I get. In order of use my impressions are :

Goodyear NCT3's - Nice ride, no grip, terrible in the wet.
Goodyear F1's - Good all round. Very good wet grip when new. Tramlined quite a bit when new as well.
Yokohama A520's - Hard ride, good in wet. Fabulous grip and feel in the dry.
Bridgestone RE040 - Really good grip wet or dry. Good feel to them as well. Probably the best yet. But they tramline all over the place.........

So I won't get RE040's again and given the state of our roads these days what with the lorry tracks and all the holes and grooves I just couldn't recommend them on an F. They grip well, are lasting very well, and feel very good but the tramlining is way way too much. Personally I feel they made for something a bit heavier than the F, especially on the front.

For me, as I want to stick with std wheel and rim sizes I will be going for Yokohama A539's next time.

Hope this helps. Alan
axdunsta

My F1s look like struggling to get to 14000 miles but what the hell!

My bike never gets to 7500 miles at £240 per pair but I have fun (whilst sticking strictly to ACPO guidelines).
JohnP

Thanks everyone, your comments have been very helpful. I've made the decision and today had Bridgestone RE720s fitted to the rears, and I'll put the same on the front fairly soon. Sorry to the Toyo recommenders - I'll have to try those next time round.
Tim - I'd like to be able to let you know if I've noticed a difference in handling but so far I've only crawled home from the garage in rush hour traffic.
Jason - thanks for the tip, I used Cabot Tyres, but Protyre would be much more convenient (I can't believe I drive past every morning but hadn't remembered the place!) so I'm going to try them when I get the fronts replaced.
One more question - should I now have the tracking set again? Is there any point taking a note of the correct settings to a local place or should I stick to someone who knows about the MGF? Last time I had it done at a MG garage in Wells and the fronts in particular have worn beautifully evenly, but if I can avoid this trek I'd like to. (Previous to this I was so desperate I had gone all the way to Brown and Gammons from Bristol!)

Berni
Berni

Berni,

Glad you got it sorted - keep us informed of how you're doing when you get out of the traffic jams!

Tim.
Tim Jenner

>> One more question - should I now have the tracking set again? <<

Not necessarily - depends on how your old tyres were wearing. If even, and the car was handling well, then having the tyres changed shouldn't upset the existing good settings. Leave well alone. However, if you have any reason to suspect that the tracking may not be right, then getting the tracking sorted is about 40 quid well spent. :o)

Hope this helps
Rob Bell

Quick question - my rears are down to <3mm and need changing any day now. Car is 1.8i 2000 W on 15" standard wheels. Can I put 205's all round or will they not fit straight onto the (currently 185) front? What - if any - handling implications might this cause?

Cheers!

Rob.
Robert Smith

Rob,

When I changed my tyres from the original ones I fitted 205s all round so that I could swap them front and rear to even the wear. I have not found any handling problems. If anything the car does not understeer as much but haven't found that it suddenly has started to oversteer. I was brought up on rear wheel drive cars so maybe my driving style doesn't encourage the back to step out. Only thing that I found was that the bigger tyres on the front slightly rubbed the wheel arch liners on full lock. Heating the liners with a hairdryer and reforming the plastic sorted that (5 min job). I won't go back to 185 or 195 on front - very happy with the car as it now is.
David Clelland

Berni,
How were Cabot with your alloys? I use them for my tyre purchases onto stell wheels, but they seem a bit too quick and not to take too much care for me to trust my F to them! Jason H
Jason H

Rob, I agree with DC: either 195/50 or 205/50s are fine on the front of the car. You might just notice that the car 'tramlines' a little more (following ruts in the road), but nothing excessive. 205s, as DC says, also opens the option of swapping the tyres from front to rear to even up wear (the rears typically wear faster)
Rob Bell

Hi all, I have been looking at http://www.mgf.ultimatemg.com/ regarding tyre choice etc and found a warning regarding Goodyear F1 GS-D2/3's

When i took my car to the the garage recently i had my rear tyres changed, over two visit, they couldn't get a second tyre in time to do them at the same time.

When they were both fitted i noticed that the tread on the tyres were different and queried it at the time. The garage looked into it and said that they were the same tyre but a newer model. Obvioulsy now i know that the 2nd tyre is a new DC3. I didn't think the handling of my mgf was of concern before i had the tyres changed, but since i have noticed a difference......its not bad, but it isn't great either. I paid around £200 for the pair......i can't really afford to get another new tyre....and if i replaced just the newer DC3 would that affect the handling i.e. the other rear tyre being worn???? Hope my rambling makes sense?

Andrea
A Hall


I think you have grounds for shouting at the garage and getting them to replace a tyre to give you two identical tyres at the rear.

I'd recommend a quick call to Goodtear and ask them about mixing the two tyres on the same axle.
Depending on what they say I'd then ask the garage to change the tyre and then talk to trading standards if you don't get anywhere.

My thoughts would be to *never* mix tyres on the same axle. The two tyres you have are different. There is no doubt about that.

Othres might not share my harsh views. :-) We'll soon see.

P.
Paul Nothard

Andrea, it may be worth starting another thread on the subject of Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3s, because it has been a subject of some debate.

Regarding your specific situation where the fitters have fitted the 'same' tyre to the rear of the car, whereas the tyres are actually GS-D2 and GS-D3, I agree with Paul. Tyres should be replaced as pairs. I know this isn't always practical, but I think that your tyre supplier has done you a disservice.

Regarding GS-D3s in general, I recently took the plunge and fitted these tyres all round to see if I could understand the problems that some had reported.

Good news [certainly for me] are that they are fantastic. Took ages to really scrub in, but now that they have, and have done a few flying laps around Goodwood, they're proving to be superb tyres. Like the GS-D2, not the most communicative, but certainly very predictable with superb levels of adhesion.
Rob Bell

if i were you i would fit the toyo proxies
i did and they are great mine are 215/40/16
i got mine for £215 fitted & balanced etc
& that was for all four there great in the dry & wet.

steve.
STEVE MGF75LE BLACK

Another vote for the Toyo's guys, I can't fault them at all.

Regards, Ian
Ian

Ordering the Toyos tomorrow.
15" wheels and the total cost, to my front door, is exactly £174.

From http://www.mytyres.net

Thats for 185/55/15 fronts, & 205/50/15 rears.

Well chuffed.
quikstu

This thread was discussed between 23/10/2003 and 09/11/2003

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