GR Yaris Lower grip tyres discussion.

Soft or hard sidewall, comfort or sporty. Anyway, always good to hear of a progressive tyre. Also progressive in the wet?
 
Yeah they are pretty consistent across the board, not great in the cold and wet but what summer tyre is? I'd say sidewall is on the slightly softer side in the summer, but with a 40 profile tyre you want that, in my opinion there isn't enough sidewall that flex its an issue. They are a sporty tyre definitely, but generally I find them a good all rounder.
 
I asked this before in one of the Facebook groups and got laughed at :ROFLMAO:. On my GT86 the Primacy's had a good feel with not much grip. I tried the ps4's on the 86 once and they felt like a boat so have a feeling the Primacy's may have had stiffer sidewalls and better controllability.
 
I nearly tried some nankang ns2r that I had off another car. They had a very stiff side wall and had, prior to my ownership of them been on a 2wd car so the treads were down on two and 6mm plus on others. I did try them on my focus RS with the worn ones on the rear. It made the already tail happy chassis really really tail happy. I assumed this to be a combination of stiffer side walls and smaller diameter.
 
Jonathan driving a powerful awd car and, to his own surprise, singing the praise of an all season tyre vs UHP tyres for enjoyment in the wet (should jump to timestap):


Edit: also, surprisingly, not so much slower in the dry and, I would argue, still enjoyable.
 
Last edited:
This test shows there is a BIG difference between ditchfinders and nice lower grip tyres.

Maybe something incase my all seasons don't work out in high temps...
Dry:
"Conversely, the eight placed Nankang was like a big soft puppy. The steering was merely a suggestion of where you wanted to go, and once the car rotated you were better off steering the car on the throttle. But it was really easy to slide, really progressive, and one of the most fun tyres. People always ask me what tyre they should buy if they want to learn to drift - it's this. It doesn't wear out either, we've used it for the drifty filming laps and it held up really well. Not fast, not grippy, but fun."
Wet:
" Nankang placed FOURTH! It didn't have the most grip, but it did have good front rear balance unlike some of the previous tyres, which made it easy to drive. It was kind of like driving a big soft warm bath, which might not be the best analogy, but it's how I felt driving the car. Not sporty but impressive, especially considering the price."

Since I'm consciously running some extra stretch, the soft steering feel might be reduced too. If I ever get them...

Thanks to Jonathan for providing valuable subjective information

From https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2022-Tyre-Reviews-UHP-Summer-Tyre-Test.htm
 
Last edited:
The Continental gets a good write-up there for sure, but the site is plastered with Conti ads, makes it look more like an advertorial.

Might just be my cynicism showing - and I'm certainly a huge fan of Continental on two (human-powered) wheels where their GP5000S are just amazing - but I've been around this here internet long enough to be suspicious of such things ;)

Liking the idea of the Nankangs though. I had some Avons once which made my car feel like that, not grippy but hugely progressive.
 
Sport Auto also did a test of the Conti, top marks. To be fair the sc6 was also very good, but bit high wear maybe. @DrSetup is European Time Attack champion on them with the GRY.
Sc7 definitely something to consider if one values high grip and overall good manners and perhaps not the most cost sensitive if indeed wear perhaps is above average...

I already feel like at some point I'll want to try the Nankangs, usually very hard to find any kind of endorsement for this kinds of aim of this thread. Cheap as chips too so fits my bill of enjoying the car move about...
 
Last edited:
After a quick look for tyre sizes available in the Continental SportContact 7s I contacted their technical dept.
Apparently they'll be releasing 235 40 R18 & 255 35 R18's in October 22
 
I’ve switched to 235/40/18 Michelin PS4 tires from stock 225/40/18 Michelin PS4S tires. By definition the new set is less grippy but a bit better in the wet. I truly find it more appropriate foy my daily drive needs and the condition of roads we have. A bit more comfortable and bit more fun with some willingness compared to the grippy PS4S. More grip means more dull and less fun at times IMHO. (Not chasing lap times at street)
 
What about a good, grippy tire on the front axle for good steering and braking and less grippy tires on the rear for more fun in sport mode ?
( front Conti, rear Nankang for example )
 
I expect that’s A Very Bad Idea™
 
For drifting or a fun event, fine. Like here


For a daily driven car, big no no, will make car dangerous in high speed evasive action.
 
Last edited:
Abarth said:
What about a good, grippy tire on the front axle for good steering and braking and less grippy tires on the rear for more fun in sport mode ?
( front Conti, rear Nankang for example )
Click to expand...
The Mini racers used to just inflate the rears to 50psi in order to get the back moving around - and that's without any power to the rear. There should be any reason to mis tyres....
 
Next thing related. My all seasons screech loudly. Having a quiet exhaust helps little for discrete fun if bystanders look up as they think an accident is unfolding by the sound of screetching tyres.
So what is a progressive tyre, not too high grip that doesn't screech?
 
Onehp said:
Next thing related. My all seasons screech loudly. Having a quiet exhaust helps little for discrete fun if bystanders look up as they think an accident is unfolding by the sound of screetching tyres.
So what is a progressive tyre, not too high grip that doesn't screech?
Click to expand...
Replaced the all seasons with the new Asymmetric 6 from goodyear. Theoretically lower grip then PS4S but not much, but definitely 'lower dry grip' then many aftermarket choices. In my case being 235 on a 17x9 inch rim they are quite balloony and initially they feel good at a relatively high 2,4 bar all round, and that should help reduce grip a bit and also any parasite noises. Will see if I up it a bit further later on without them getting skittish.

Grip is maybe bit higher then I ideally wanted, but analysing test data, the difference is minimal to the Nankang mentioned higher up and it's a better tyre on all other properties that also matter, I didn't fancy paying near enough the same money for a chinese tyre, the GY were great value. And at approx 9kg it's a light tyre and it does feel it too.

I'll have to work up my driving skills some more to compensate for some lost playfullness, but grip communication is up for sure, a fair trade-off. And so far, no squealing in enthusiastic curve taking at higher ambients, which was a bit of a deal breaker with the all seasons....

20220511_100444.webp
 
Aside from the dry grip, the asymmetric 6 has amazing wet grip.... and I'm loving and hating it.
Now contemplating I do like how the car steers on the narrow 205 winters, not for sharpeness obviously with those sipes but for for the purity of how they track and take bumps. So now thinking about putting 205 Nankangs on the winter rims and see how I like that, and if they screech. If they do I'll just sell em and cut my losses, if they don't and I love it, I have time to sell the current summer set and get another set of braids for the winter tyres...
 
Last edited:
205 nankangs ordered. Let's see if I love it.

Feels strange to go against the mainstream, but then I saw this and it feels just right 👍

SmartSelect_20220603-035508_YouTube.webp


Those are 175 section tyres by the way, and nobody remembers the press release detailing what brand and model the tyres were....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top