What tyres are your running now?
12 May 2021, 08:27 AM
#31
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
Rather than a new thread I'll ask here..
Do I really need XL rated tyres ? I can get Eagle F1 As5 for about £97 / corner fitted from Halfords but they are not XL rated they are 97Y I need 225/55/17 for my forester the manual specs 95H not XL and the Eagle F1 As5 225/55/17 don't come in XL.....go for something else that have an XL rating is it that big of a deal?
Do I really need XL rated tyres ? I can get Eagle F1 As5 for about £97 / corner fitted from Halfords but they are not XL rated they are 97Y I need 225/55/17 for my forester the manual specs 95H not XL and the Eagle F1 As5 225/55/17 don't come in XL.....go for something else that have an XL rating is it that big of a deal?
Last edited by MB84; 12 May 2021 at 08:30 AM.
12 May 2021, 01:10 PM
#32
97 is a higher load rating than 95
generally XL marked tyres have a higher load rating, so a 97 normal would be 101 as an XL.
A 101 load rating is for heavySUVs and 4x4 Pickups weighing up to and over 2tons!
A high load rated tyre will have a stiffer carcass though so they will roll less on the sidewalls when cornering hard, although that can be counteracted by increasing tyre pressures.
generally XL marked tyres have a higher load rating, so a 97 normal would be 101 as an XL.
A 101 load rating is for heavySUVs and 4x4 Pickups weighing up to and over 2tons!
A high load rated tyre will have a stiffer carcass though so they will roll less on the sidewalls when cornering hard, although that can be counteracted by increasing tyre pressures.
Last edited by ALi-B; 12 May 2021 at 01:23 PM.
12 May 2021, 01:29 PM
#33
95 = 690kg
97 = 730kg
101 = 825kg
So from a safety perspective, you only need 690kg...so a 97 tyre is perfectly fine. If you want stiffer sidewalls though then maybe look for XLs or a different bran...Goodyear's do tend to have softer sidewalls when compared to some other brands.
12 May 2021, 03:56 PM
#34
Scooby Regular
If anything, the F1 A5 is one of the stiffer casing'd performance tyres just now, but I'd agree that the older ones definitely rode more softly. Certainly those I've got in 225/45/17 are pretty sharp feeling. Most of the reviews comparing them suggest they're stiffer riding than the Michelin PS4 (not the 4S) too.
13 May 2021, 08:51 AM
#35
Good to know; I think the PS4 does have a slightly softer sidewall in non-XL than the outgoing PS3; I can tell as soon as I mount the tyre on the rim. The stiffer the sidewall the more effort it takes.
As you say older Goodyears have more floppy walls so barely take any effort at all, the biggest issue mounting them sometimes on some rims the bead seat area is shaped so the tyre would slip in too far and past the valve, so could not get a good enough seal to inflate it. Easily overcome; just technique with tyre mounting, making sure the valve is aligned so that the tyre mounts over the valve last, generally you don't need to do this but it is good procedure to do it anyway as it can save time for when I get the odd wheel/tyre that refuses seat in the bead.
Cant recall which F1s I fitted recently...they stamp 'Eagle F1 Asymmetric' on most of their midrange tyres and the older generations are still being produced!
Always found Bridgestone sidewalls to be much stiffer in direct comparison, regardless of sidewall profile/load rating; But I typically don't rate them for grip in damp conditions so they never go near my own cars.
As you say older Goodyears have more floppy walls so barely take any effort at all, the biggest issue mounting them sometimes on some rims the bead seat area is shaped so the tyre would slip in too far and past the valve, so could not get a good enough seal to inflate it. Easily overcome; just technique with tyre mounting, making sure the valve is aligned so that the tyre mounts over the valve last, generally you don't need to do this but it is good procedure to do it anyway as it can save time for when I get the odd wheel/tyre that refuses seat in the bead.
Cant recall which F1s I fitted recently...they stamp 'Eagle F1 Asymmetric' on most of their midrange tyres and the older generations are still being produced!
Always found Bridgestone sidewalls to be much stiffer in direct comparison, regardless of sidewall profile/load rating; But I typically don't rate them for grip in damp conditions so they never go near my own cars.
Last edited by ALi-B; 13 May 2021 at 08:54 AM.
13 May 2021, 09:35 AM
#36
Scooby Regular
Ali, the PS4S definitely have softer side walls. On my current M2 i went from the standard Continentals to the PS4S, it was a strange experience, it feels like the suspension for some reason had softened, you really notice it. I remember cornering for the first time with them on, my first thought was i had somehow got a slow puncture on the side that was taking the cornering load, it felt that soft. Now i'm used to them, they are obviously designed that way to give and spread giving you more surface rubber as your cornering hence the really good grip.
Last edited by The Joshua Tree; 13 May 2021 at 01:05 PM.
13 May 2021, 12:18 PM
#37
Scooby Regular
I'd actually say that the 225/45/17 profile A5's are stiffer side walled than 225/40/18 A2's that I previous had fitted to another set of wheels. I went from a set of wheels with 888's and a set with Rainsports (urgh, now they have soft sidewalls) to the Eagle F1's, and honestly, the difference between the 888's and the F1's was much less than I expected. On a track I suspect you'd see a marked difference but on a pockmarked public road there's no real softness to turn in, they load up nicely and yet also deal with imperfections well. The older A2's always had that feeling of not quite turning the instant you turned the wheel, and then the rear end settling into the sidewall mid corner once it was fully weighted.
I don't think any tyre company really thinks through their naming conventions, particularly Pirelli, but Michelin haven't helped themselves with the PS4 and PS4S - the latter being noticeably sharper and more suited to performance cars actually being driven properly. I've got the F1's on the Impreza but as I'm about to replace the S001's on the BMW (which are utterly woeful, and 7 years old), I haven't decided whether to go for PS4, PS4S or the F1. The Eagles are a known, and I like them, the PS4 probably translates well to a cruising car as the estate is, or PS4S as it's what everyone over on the BMW forums use and rave about. The PS4S also has a slightly harder rubber (71 vs 68 IIRC) than the standard PS4 which in theory should translate to being longer lasting.
I don't think any tyre company really thinks through their naming conventions, particularly Pirelli, but Michelin haven't helped themselves with the PS4 and PS4S - the latter being noticeably sharper and more suited to performance cars actually being driven properly. I've got the F1's on the Impreza but as I'm about to replace the S001's on the BMW (which are utterly woeful, and 7 years old), I haven't decided whether to go for PS4, PS4S or the F1. The Eagles are a known, and I like them, the PS4 probably translates well to a cruising car as the estate is, or PS4S as it's what everyone over on the BMW forums use and rave about. The PS4S also has a slightly harder rubber (71 vs 68 IIRC) than the standard PS4 which in theory should translate to being longer lasting.
13 May 2021, 04:02 PM
#38
Ali, the PS4S definitely have softer side walls. On my current M2 i went from the standard Continentals to the PS4S, it was a strange experience, it feels like the suspension for some reason had softened, you really notice it. I remember cornering for the first time with them on, my first thought was i had somehow got a slow puncture on the side that was taking the cornering load, it felt that soft. Now i'm used to them, they are obviously designed that way to give and spread giving you more surface rubber as your cornering hence the really good grip.
Golf R32 also has PS4 and can't say ride/handling is any different to the PS3 fitted before; But definitely more stiffer-walled than the PS4 on the Jag (same rim size but wider and taller profile), even the same tyre in a different profile/width on a lighter/heavier car can behave differently; I wouldn't want them any stiffer on the Golf though as the roads are bad enough, and the ride is 'just right' as it is (although rebalanced my wheels when putting them on for summer and found I've bent another rim
).
Last edited by ALi-B; 13 May 2021 at 11:23 PM.
13 May 2021, 10:33 PM
#40
Scooby Regular
Eagle F1's every time, I still can't see the appeal of the Rainsports on anything heavier than an MX5. The 5's are a bit better than the 3's but not that much, and the sidewalls on them are like paper. Thin and very, very flexy. They're maybe marginally better at aquaplaning than the F1's but on general wet roads the F1's have significantly more grip. The compound on the F1's is firmer than the Rainsports too which means they'll last longer. I know some people absolutely rave about the Rainsports on forums but in my experience they're an utterly hateful tyre on anything but a 1.6 focus. For the same price it's no contest, they're not even in the same league.
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14 May 2021, 01:50 AM
#41
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
Eagle F1's every time, I still can't see the appeal of the Rainsports on anything heavier than an MX5. The 5's are a bit better than the 3's but not that much, and the sidewalls on them are like paper. Thin and very, very flexy. They're maybe marginally better at aquaplaning than the F1's but on general wet roads the F1's have significantly more grip. The compound on the F1's is firmer than the Rainsports too which means they'll last longer. I know some people absolutely rave about the Rainsports on forums but in my experience they're an utterly hateful tyre on anything but a 1.6 focus. For the same price it's no contest, they're not even in the same league.
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