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MG MGF Technical - ** TYRE SURVEY 3 ** The good, the bad & the ugly

It has been 5 years since the last BBS tyre survey (and 10 since the very first!!!) - and in that time, some great tyres have come and gone. Thankfully, some truly dire tyres have also been consigned to the great tyre dump in the sky too - but what are the best tyres for the MGF and TF? I think it is time to get a new list of 'approved' tyres from owners, and identify those that are to be avoided like the plague!

Form as below:

Tyre survey:

MG Model (F or TF):
Wheel size:
Profile- Front:
Profile- Rear:
Rating (0-10, where 0= truely dangerous and 10= Superb!):
Subjective comments:
Cost(optional):
Mileage on rear tyres(optional):


Even if the tyre you use is already listed, please return your thoughts!


Here are the four tyres I have had direct experience with:

MG Model: F
Tyre survey: Goodyear NCT-3
Wheel size: 15"
Profile- Front: 185/55
Profile- Rear: 205/50
Rating (0-10, where 0= truely dangerous and 10= Superb!): 5
Subjective comments: Average grip in dry, occasionally scarey in the wet. Good ride and wear.
Cost(optional): n/a - they were OEM!
Mileage on rear tyres(optional): 28,000 miles

Model: F
Tyre survey: Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D2
Wheel size: 16"
Profile- Front: 215/40
Profile- Rear: 215/40
Rating (0-10, where 0= truely dangerous and 10= Superb!): 8.5
Subjective comments: Excellent tyres- good dry grib and superb wet grip. Ride good too! Feedback not the best though - my impression is that the side walls are too flexible.
Cost(optional):around 200 quid IIRC
Mileage on rear tyres(optional): 18,000 miles (including many track days!)

Model: F
Tyre survey: Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3
Wheel size: 16"
Profile- Front: 215/40
Profile- Rear: 215/40
Rating (0-10, where 0= truely dangerous and 10= Superb!): 9
Subjective comments: Excellent tyres- good dry grib and superb wet grip. Ride remains good. Feedback better than the previous generation tyre, but still no competitor for the Bridgestone S-02 IMO. But the side walls are a good deal stiffer than the GS-D2.
Cost(optional): I forget!!!
Mileage on rear tyres(optional): 14,000miles (a lot of track days!!!!)

Model: F
Tyre survey: Bridgestone S-02
Wheel size: 15"
Profile- Front: 195/50
Profile- Rear: 205/50
Rating (0-10, where 0= truely dangerous and 10= Superb!): 10
Subjective comments: Superb in wet or dry. Superb communication. Very progressive at the limits of adhesion.
Cost(optional): around 300 quid fitted
Mileage on rear tyres(optional): 10,000miles (even more track days!!!!!)

Model: F
Tyre survey: Bridgestone S-02
Wheel size: 16"
Profile- Front: 205/45
Profile- Rear: 205/45
Rating (0-10, where 0= truely dangerous and 10= Superb!): 10
Subjective comments: Superb in wet or dry. Superb communication. Very progressive at the limits of adhesion.
Cost(optional): around 300 quid fitted
Mileage on rear tyres(optional): 10,000miles (can't believe they're not butter! >:o()


Model: F
Tyre survey: Toyo Proxes T1R
Wheel size: 16"
Profile front: 195/45
Profile rear: 215/40
Rating (0-10, where 0= truely dangerous and 10= Superb!): 9.5
Subjective comments: Great in wet or dry. Goodcommunication, with nice steering on this combination. Very progressive at the limits of adhesion.
Cost(optional): around 300 quid fitted
Mileage on rear tyres(optional): too early to say yet, only just fitted them in the last 3,000 miles
Rob Bell

I pitched my tent in the Goodyear camp early on, no data to offer on other makes yet, although some 16" rims being refurbished currently will be fitted with T1Rs

Model: Trophy 160 & F
Tyre survey: Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D2
Wheel size: 16"
Profile- Front: 195/45
Profile- Rear: 215/40
Rating (0-10, where 0= truly dangerous and 10= Superb!): 9
Subjective comments: Dry grip consistently impressive, surefooted in wet too and minimal aquaplaning. Extremely sensitive to correct inflation (soft sidewall) and significant difference in grip between cold & warm (almost all my spins or off-track excursions were on cold tyres)
Cost(optional): Typically around £300
Mileage on rear tyres(optional): Not recorded, but didn't disappoint
bandit

Great, thanks!

This thread is currently running over three boards at the moment, so hopefully will get enough information to make this year's survey worth while! :oD

The GY GSD2 is currently in 3rd place with a score of 8.4/10...
Rob Bell

Update on mine -
MG Model : 1.8i
Wheel size:16in Avon ZZ3
Profile- Front:205/40
Profile- Rear:215/40
Rating : 10 as I can't fault them
Subjective comments: Silverstone instructor said the car was 'lovely', so they can't have been bad
Cost(optional):£301 5 yrs ago(!!)£280 from mytires now
Mileage on rear tyres(optional): 5mm remaining after 9000m and 2 days at Silverstone
Mike Cunningham

That's the first entry for the ZZ3 Mike, but have 2 entries for the ZV3. The ZV3 is scoring a solid 8/10, so the ZZ3, which is further up the performance range is going to be better. I wonder who else has tried these?
Rob Bell

The Bridgestone RE720's I used to run on my old F (15 inch wheels) are no longer available, so probably not worth commenting on here.

As far as the TF is concerned I'm going to add to the list of satisfied GS-D2 owners, only adding that they replaced a set of Uniroyals, which came with the car, that were dire!

Model: TF160
Tyre survey: Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D2
Wheel size: 16"
Profile- Front: 195/45
Profile- Rear: 215/40
Rating (0-10, where 0= truly dangerous and 10= Superb!): 9
Subjective comments: Excellent dry grip and good in wet also (although the car does tend to be a fair weather car!)
Cost(optional): About £380 (included fitting, balancing and 4 wheel laser alignment).
Mileage on rear tyres(optional): No info available yet
Mike Hall

Well, dire is "good" insofar as we can warn people away from considering them. Can you remember the tyre model name? Thanks Mike :o)
Rob Bell

Tyre survey: Uniroyal Rainsport2 Wheel size: 15"
Profile- Front: 195/50
Profile- Rear: 205/50
Rating 10 in the dry unable to comment about the wet at the moment as it has not rained but if the dry is anything to go by I think these shoud be great in the wet. Will keep you posted.

Subjective comments: Got these Uniroyals last week after changing from Avon ZV3. Initial thought after driving out of the tyre place the car seem to drive nicer. Took it away the weekend and done over 300 miles. sort of kept to the speed limit! so far have found the car handles great and corners like its on rails.Tyre pattern looks great as well.
Cost(optional): around 235 quid fitted
Mileage on rear tyres(optional): unable to tell at the moment but will keep you posted.

Tyretest.com rates these tyres at 1.9
1 being great and 6 being bad.

Toyos came in at 2.4
M Carr

Model: TF160
Tyre survey: Toyo T1R
Wheel size: 16"
Profile- Front: 195/45
Profile- Rear: 215/40
Rating (0-10, where 0= truly dangerous and 10= Superb!): 9.5 dry
Subjective comments: Good in dry, not tested in anger in wet. Quiet, don't tramline, look good too.
Cost(optional): About £300
Mileage on rear tyres(optional): No info available yet

Replaced Kumho tyres which were truly dreadful - dangerous possibly, even with loads of tread and the alignment done. Snaking under the brakes, crabbing on acceleration, tramlining like you wouldn't believe.

Neil
Neil22

Thanks guys - I'll try and update the list this week :o)
Rob Bell

Model: F
Tyre survey: Toyo T1R
Wheel size: 16"
Profile- Front: 195/45
Profile- Rear: 215/40
Rating (0-10, where 0= truly dangerous and 10= Superb!): 9
Subjective comments: great on both wet and dry roads, no tracks yet,great feel, 195 front has introduced a little under stear on the limit.
Cost(optional): About £100 each from etyres
Mileage on rear tyres(optional): have spent 10k on front before being moved to rear 5k ago, still loads of life left.

I replaced the original fronts with 215 T1R's, and left the original (carnt remember the make)rears on the car. this was the most dangerous thing ive done and kept spining off roundabouts or just having the rear overtake the front in the damp. in the frost or very wet was to dangerous to use. put the rears onto the front and had 195 fitted after a struggle because the girl at the help desk said it was illegal to have tyres that small on the front! and has been superb so far!
J E Reed

Unbelievable what rubbish some people come up with isn't it? Clearly she didn't know that 195 is the standard front tyre section. Never mind...
Rob Bell

Model: F 1.8 mpi 1997
Tyre survey: Toyo T1R
Wheel size: 15"
Profile- Front: 195/50
Profile- Rear: 205/50
Rating (0-10, where 0= truly dangerous and 10= Superb!): 10 -so far-
Subjective comments: Excellent on wet and dry roads. Great feel and grip at high speed and curvy roads.
Cost(optional): About U$S 200 each
Mileage on rear tyres(optional): Too early to say.
JM Vega-P.

Rob, I cannot agree with you. This Lady has got it right in that it is Illegal to fit the 'wrong' size tyres. It is impossible for anyone to know all the variations in sizes permissible for all the models from all the manufacturers. Tyre shops will normally only replace the existing size fitted unless you can show the new size is approved with a Drivers Handbook or Certificate of Conformity.

Geoff F.
Geoff Farthing

Geoff, 195/45 R16 is a standard size. It is therefore not illegal, and will therefore have a certificate of conformity which will pertain to Trophy and TF models.

I agree that it is impossible for anyone to know all the permutations - after all, in just one simple model range of cars - the MGF - there are a range of standard tyre sizes. I can't imagine the complexity of this over the range of manufacturers/models sold in the UK... mind boggling.

Hmm. Looking back at what I wrote I was probably being a bit harsh on this poor lady wasn't I? Still, she was wrong, but at least she was trying to do the right thing.

One thing though, an observation. In the UK, certificates of conformity are not strictly adhered to. There's a very large car modifying scene here in the UK, not to mention building of specials. Non-standard wheels are frequently fitted with non-standard tyres. Let's face it, that's the thin end of the wedge; midget's with K-series engines, different transmissions, back axles not to mention bodywork changes are just one example... It seems that so long as the insurance companies are aware and 'happy', and that the car goes through an MoT (or SVA or what ever may be required for more extensively modified cars), then that's all that is required.
Given that the UK is such a 'nanny state' in so many other ways, it is refreshing in a way that such activities appear to be accepted by the authorities in a way that is unimaginable in many other main-land European states.
Is this good or bad? Discuss...
Rob Bell

This thread was discussed between 01/03/2010 and 10/05/2010

MG MGF Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGF Technical BBS is active now.