[carlbecker]

I use Dunlop z3's 195 50 front 205 50 rear purchased from tire rack. Flevas should be available at 185/55 front which is OEM. Do yourself a favor and go with Fleva.

 

[legacygt]

I didn't see you mention it anywhere, but are you going with a square set up or stagger? If square, kal tire has the Conti ECS in 205/50/15 and I think they are in almost every province

 

[GT-101v2]

I was hoping for staggered setup with my 6.5 rims but that seems challenging. Flevas seem to be the best option unless I go square or get wider rims.

 

[carlbecker]

Flevas will serve you well, use OEM sizing.

 

[k_swap_it]

ExtremeContact Force - Phil's Tire Service

Continental's 200 Treadwear Semi-slick track tire is built to perform –targeting diverse street tire road racing leagues across America.

philstireservice.com

I purchased my Conti's from Phil's Tire Service, this place has great prices. They are a very nice tire btw.

 

[carlbecker]

That is a wide set for OEM rims. If using those tires sizes I would go with wider rims. Personally I like OEM tire sizes or as close as I can get to them for Street driving.

 

[DeuceFatty]

That is a wide set for OEM rims. If using those tires sizes I would go with wider rims. Personally I like OEM tire sizes or as close as I can get to them for Street driving.

FWIW, I had 205 50 tires (square Conti) put on a set of stocks. It was staggered wheels though not double (15in only). Was fine imo.

 

[carlbecker]

I am not a fan of a square setup for a street spider. The owner can do whatever he pleases as long as it's in a different state away from me.

 

[DeuceFatty]

I am not a fan of a square setup for a street spider. The owner can do whatever he pleases as long as it's in a different state away from me.

I don't get that as I've been square pretty much my entire ownership (since 2016), never had a problem, and I daily it on a 40 mi round trip highway commute 5 days a week. I'm less defending square and more complaining the complete shit show lack of selection in general for wheels & tires for this car... The only exception is if you're track or auto x (200 tw tires) otherwise shit out of luck.

 

[carlbecker]

I purchased my spyder in Feb 2012, currently at 180,000 miles on the odo. I have gone through many sets of tires, snow, all season and performance tires. My commute before retirement was 38 miles one way, five to six days a week. Rain, snow or sunshine. My budget for important items is fairly high. I prefer perfect brakes and tires that match. My commute driving did not push the car at all unless there was heavy rain. I have experienced hydroplaning and a few spins in very poor weather. When I am not commuting I tend to push it a bit. IMHO Toyota designed the spyder to be a bit conservative balance wise, one reason for the increased wider rear tire for the face lift version. I tend not to veer to far from design without a special need. I do have a bit firmer suspension and I did compensate a bit for using a 195 in the front by increasing the ft spring rate a bit.

1) The design calls for stagger which was increased.
2) I have experienced over steer a few times (snap) and hydroplaning. The RE 040 tires really suck in the rain.
3) This is a street driven car most of the time with some mountain driving adventures to the ice cream store in good weather. I don't drift.

If I just used the spyder to commute to work I would run OEM size All Season radials and not exceed the speed limit. I would replace the rear tires twice as often as the front. Above 50 degrees the top would be down PERMAGRIN! If Dunlop ZIII where available in 185/55r15 I would use them in the front. I may go Fleva for the next tire set. I have seen them in action and know they work for my driving type.

Enjoy the journey

 

[rmeller]

I think that where the staggered tires make the most difference is in controlling the car near the limits of lateral adhesion. The so called "snap oversteer" is just the consequence of committing to a maneuver that cannot be completed without overloading the rear tires. With enough experience on a known roadway, one can work around the limits. However, even an easy commute can turn into technical driving if someone else on or beside the road throws you a curveball. When I am driving on a public road, I prefer to be as well prepared for an emergency as reasonably possible.

 

[carlbecker]

I am not really sure I have experienced snap oversteer, I don't believe I push that hard, but I have lost the rear in bad weather at low speeds and hydoplaned on the interstate at interstate speeds. I do expect increasing the grip in front is asking for problems. I also prefer the steering feel of staggered OEM sizes. Neither of which I like nor want to repeat. I much prefer to stay under the limit when going out for some country ice cream in good weather. So far I have been very successful at that

I have experienced many "curve balls" thrown from other drivers. Drivers running stop lights can really get you going. Just this morning someone pulled out in front of me while I had a green light. Just one reason to have the top down, better awareness of surroundings.

I enjoy good summer performance tires and have the budget for them currently so I will continue using them in as close to OEM sizes available. Racing or AutoX could be very different.

 

[legacygt]

I'm running a square setup on my winter tires of 185/60/15 and it is honestly a much more forgiving setup than I was expecting. I've gotten snap oversteer exactly once, and that was when I was pushing the car as hard as possible on an ice track. I badly overcooked a turn and followed that up by lifting too aggressively when the car was 90° to the direction of travel - I went from watching the rear come around on the left to very abruptly watching it come all the way around on my right.

Every other time I have gotten the back end to step out, whether on the ice or on the road, the car was able to settle and straighten out without issue. And believe me, I have tried to get the car to snap in other circumstances to see where the limit was and I haven't been able to do so. Also worth noting is that my suspension setup is entirely stock.
Barring some specific and rare emergency scenarios, I think the snap oversteer fear is way overstated for our cars and a square setup is perfectly fine for the street.

 

[Node]

FWIW many people compare old tires vs new and talk about how much better some tire is but they are comparing the new R comp to a three season old heat cycled tire. Well no S51T the new brand seems WAY better. The only real comparison is maybe lap times or stopping distance of some new tires but still huge variability there too.

So, take everything with a grain of salt.