Mixing tyres

[Mike H]

Well I use to have goodyear gs3 on the front and gs2 on the rear which worked very nicely!

had to have new fronts about a month ago

I put toyos on the fronts

so now runing goodyear gs2 on the rear
and toyos T1Rs on the front

this works too in fact better than old goodyear fronts

Except that there is a specific MGR Technical Bulletin instructing dealers NEVER to fit GS-D3 tyres. Goodyear themselves DO NOT recommend GS-D3 tyres be fitted, whether mixed with D2s or all round, and advise that only D2s be fitted to MGFs/TFs...

If you look on Rob's excellent site Here this gives the detail.

[Marty c]

well as i say worked fine on my trophy fine

and my brother has gs3 all round on his trophy which is also fine

[Rob Bell]

I've used GS-D3s all round too, without any problem - which was of interest to Andy and Alan of VHS (nee MG Rover). The trick was replacing all four tyres at the same time. Mixing them with older, part worn GS-D2s at the front is where the problem usually occurs.

My advice is to keep things very simple. Never mix tyres - either by brand, type or age.

[Mike1]

Well I got the T1Rs fitted on the rear on Friday afternoon (F1s still on the front). Didn't get to try it out until today's commute. The steering is much more sensitive than before and it's a little difficult to keep it in a straight line. Tight bends don't seem to be a problem but long sweeping bends are very tricky with the car wondering around the road quite a lot. I wonder if it might be better with the old F1s on the rear?
I'm running 24PSI front and 28PSI rear which is what I've always kept them at. Maybe the Toyos need a different pressure or maybe I just need to let them scrub in a bit more. By the time I get to work on Thursday I will have about 250 miles on the new tyres, if the car doesn't feel any better by then I think I will be ordering another two Toyos for the front for fitment on Friday.

[Rob Bell]

Fitting new Toyos for the front will almost certainly solve the problem. The current imbalance will sort itself out, but often the car feels almost too dangerous to drive, so to be honest, best buy new fronts.

Regarding putting the old F1s on the rear - I suspect that they're going to be narrower 195 section tyres - which won't be ideal...

[Art]

From my previous posts you will be aware I am having difficulty in locating a supply of DS-D2 195/45 R16 front tyres, I have recently fitted a pair of 215's GS-D2 to the rear of the car.
Thinking back my first F came fitted with the same size tyres front and back on 16 inch wheels, each subsequent TF came with the smaller fronts, was there a reason why the tyre size was changed ? The reason I ask is I know where I can get another set of 215's, if I became really desperate for fronts would it be possible to fit the 215's to the front ?

[Mike1]

Regarding putting the old F1s on the rear - I suspect that they're going to be narrower 195 section tyres - which won't be ideal...

VVC, 215s all round.
Not looking forward to tomorrow's commute, forcast is for heavy rain
I'll get those fronts ordered.

[Malcbox]

I have recent experience of new Toyo's on the rear, having fitted two last Wednesday and then setting off from Oxford to Bristol for a wedding and then a brief tour down the west country and south coast before getting back on Sunday. The fronts were new in October and I only do 8 miles a day to work and back, so they are hardly touched; had it tracked at the same time.

Sure enough, the car felt uncomfortable, even dangerous to drive; a sort of vague wandering feeling without it ever coming to anything. A-roads, B-roads, Motorways, it was all the same, but after about 400 miles I either got used to it or the tyres bedded in and now feels much safer. Poor surfaces still give me the feeling that the car is scuttling sideways but on a good surface, it's much more like the old MG. I might be tempted to give it a few more miles and see how the car feels after that.

As an aside, Toyo appear to have discontinued the Proxes T1R 205/50 R15 so if you have the 15" wheels, you might wish to buy in replacements while there are still stocks available if you feel the need .

[Mike1]

Thanks Malc. Like you say it actually feels dangerous at times. I do over 100 miles a day. Wasn't at work today but by the time I get to work on Thursday I'll have done over 270 miles on the new tyres. Hopefully I'll see some improvement by then. The problem is that if I don't get the fronts replaced this weekend then my long work hours will mean waiting till next weekend, so potentially having to drive another 500 odd miles in a very odd feeling car. Maybe I should just keep driving tomorrow night until I reach that 400 mile mark

[Rob Bell]

If 215 tyres all round, move the Toyos to the front and the Goodyear to the rears. This ought to make the handling feel somewhat safer! I'd personally still fit Toyos all round, but if the tyre switch is effective, you may want to get some decent wear out of those Goodyears before replacing!

[Mike1]

Cheers Rob, I'll swap them over on Friday and report back.
I fully intend to get the other 2 Toyos but it would be nice to get another couple of months out of the old F1s, still plenty of tread on them.

[Mike1]

Since it wasn't raining tonight I decided to make a start on swapping the fronts to the rear and vice-versa. So I've done the drivers side and will do the other side at the weekend Just kidding, got them all swapped over. I'll see how she handles tomorrow with the T1Rs on the front.

[Mike1]

With the T1Rs on the front it feels like a different car, it now feel absolutley rock solid, no sign of any sideways wondering and no overshoot when changing lanes, the steering is now spot on. Many thanks to all who have offered their advice.