Street/Track Tyres

**RONA** · 25-06-2008, 11:24 AM

Originally Posted by YLD-16L

I think we can all agree the Bob Jane Allrounder is an outstanding tyre and very at home on a spirited drive or lap of a track.

Not to bad for hillclimbing well I still beat a Boxster S

Seriously the wanlis on now have nowhere near the grip the bob jane allrounders had

**finney** · 25-06-2008, 04:21 PM

yeah nark.. higher pressures defintely made a difference with my T1R's - I generally run 36+ around town.. with my older proxes 4 (rubbish) i was running 40 cold since the sidewalls were so mushy.

but yeah they aren't the greatest tyre out there but for the money I can't complain given the lack of choices in the 205/45R16's. they manage to hold some respectable form of traction for my car so they're doing alright.

**boxh34d** · 26-06-2008, 04:06 PM

Finney, what sort of vehicle weight??

**finney** · 26-06-2008, 07:16 PM

AE92 seca SX - so approx 1100kg..

**Nark** · 27-06-2008, 09:37 AM

Bought the 959RSs. Now to get them fitted and book a wheel alignment.

I'll report back once they're scrubbed in.

**Sprinterboy** · 27-06-2008, 09:46 AM

Did you get them from Mick?

**Nark** · 27-06-2008, 10:05 AM

Yup. Thanks for the tip!

**Nark** · 27-06-2008, 07:29 PM

T'was a rather dodgy drive back home.

**Sprinterboy** · 27-06-2008, 07:35 PM

lol, Nice. Glad I could help

**big_zop** · 27-06-2008, 08:03 PM

So you barely fit even one in the boot!

And here i was thinking you had them fitted and something more serious happened.

**Nark** · 27-06-2008, 08:13 PM

Yeah. Didn't quite fit. I had to tie it down with string...

**renxun** · 27-06-2008, 10:04 PM

im so envy man for the rs... do post your feedbacks upon trying them. btw how much you bought? and what is the size that you bought?

**Nark** · 28-06-2008, 10:57 AM

Drove the car to get the tyres fitted today and I passed a radar trap!!!

Luckily they were pulling someone over so they were looking elsewhere... LOL

**Nark** · 12-07-2008, 02:09 PM

Disclaimer: The only tyres I have to compare these with are the Toyo T1Rs that were on my car when I bought it. I don't know the history of those tyres so I don't know what they experienced in their life. My opinion of them is so low that I replaced them before they got down to the wear markers.
So basically, I can't really make any accurate comparisons and therefore, this review is pretty useless.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, this is what I think of the 205/45R16 595RSs after 2 weeks.

Feedback
Very good. The firm sidewalls are heavenly compared to the jello that the T1Rs were made of. Steering is far, far more accurate as there's a much more immediate response when turning in. Grip levels are communicated back very well.
I really, really, really love the firm sidewalls of this tyre.

Ride
I've got them on 36psi currently and the ride is great, far superiour to the T1Rs which would crash and thump at that psi, these are still firm but there's no crashiness to it. Cats eyes and sharp road joins are felt but don't intrude into the cabin.
The tramlining which plagued the T1Rs at 32+psi is gone. Completely.

Grip
Awesome. I always got jealous when I hopped into the RT615-shod Liberty but now I'm happy. The grip is truly astounding.
So good, in fact, that for a while I thought I'd ruined the MX-5 and is the reason why I've waited so long to provide this feedback.
The thing with the MX-5 is the feeling of harmony between each of the components. Not one overpowering the other. Once these came on, the car had too much grip for the car to easily overcome. The only way is to drive harder...

A telling fact is that my fuel consumption has gone from 8.1L/100km to 8.7L/100km due to the need to use more power/revs in order to balance the car with the throttle.
Perhaps if I had firmer suspension (mine is completely stock), they'd work better?

Progressiveness
Exceptional. After the horrendous T1Rs, this was what I was chasing in my next tyre. The fact that the dorifuto crowd love these tyres was a great endorsement in my mind.
These tyres are truly forgiving when grip is overcome and give you plenty of confidence to push harder and harder.

Wet weather
1060kg and 205mm wide tyres with a semi-slick tread pattern was always going to be a recipe for disaster in the rain. But I knew that when I bought these tyres.
Grip is still fantastic, you can drive at close to dry speeds, but you'll often find that the grip disappears all of a sudden. This makes it similar to the on/off T1Rs in the rain. You just need to be aware that the grip may go without much warning.
It hasn't caused me much trouble in the torrential rain that I've driven in except for one instance going about 70km/h on the inside lane of a 2 lane roundabout and having too much power on as the camber dropped away on the exit. I was crossed up, staring at the concrete divider for a while. LOL

Noise
They're quite a noisy. It actually sounds like a high-pitched version of a spun bearing. Well, I'm hoping it's the tyres and not a bearing...

It's not unbearable IMO, but I've never cared about tyre noise, so this may be quite an issue for some people.

Wear
Unknown, I've only had them for 2 weeks.

So there you have it. I love the tyres, but for street driving they might be a bit too much for an MX-5. It's a good compromise if you track your car often but my car has lost its wonderful adjustability at normal pace. When you're right up it though, they're fantastic.