MR2 Owners Club Forum banner

Performance Tire choices for OEM 15s

11K views 59 replies 17 participants last post by  loanshark 
#1 ·
Ive been out of the car scene for a few years. Have been searching and looking around for tires without much luck. The staggered stock MR2 sizes seem to be hard to get a tire for these days. I've read a bunch of threads but they are from more than a few years ago and a lot of companies have either discontinued good tires or just don't seem them in US/CAN. I have 225/50/15 in the back and 205/55/15s in the front and want to avoid the 195s in the front.

Would appreciate any recommendations and if possible, any deals out there at the moment. Looking for a day or two on track for the summer and daily driver for the rest. And of course, My budget is $700.
 
#3 ·
Yup, It'll be summer only. I have a set of winters on steelies but will likely just store the car over the winter again. I don't mind bringing tires indoors over the winter. Here in Toronto, we do get thunder storms in the summer and it does pour hard. I'd like to avoid the risk of hydroplaning.

A local tire shop said Too Proxy 6s are available but I don't know which tire that is specifically.
 
#6 ·
If you are willing to reduce the diameter slightly, there are a few good 225/45-15 options out there. Match that with a 205/50-15 for the front instead of the OEM 205/55-15.
 
#8 · (Edited)
I looked up that setup (R:225/45/15 F:205/50/15) here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc?tires=205-50r15-225-45r15




They are nearly the same diameter tire. Don't know how that affects the handling characteristics. There's roughly 0.8" difference in width which is about 10% so it will be staggered. And the benefit of more tire options without having to go with different compounds/threads front to back.
 
#7 · (Edited)
So knowing I'd run into this problem, I recently picked up a set of OEM 15" wheels for my 91T. I used the following thread on the other forum to help inform my tire decision (there's also a very similar one here, but I just happened to bookmark the other one):

Original MR2 Wheel Tire Sizes That Work??

Basically, I currently have a 17" set of wheels, but decided I wanted to go OEM, despite the tire challenge. Because I'm planning to keep that 17" set for possible track use, and because of Colorado weather and road conditions I will normally drive my MR2 in, I wanted something of a more performance-oriented all-season type tire. The best I could come up with is the Kumho combination mentioned in the thread I linked to:

Front Kumho Ecsta 4X II 195/55R15
Rear Kumho Ecsta AST 225/50R15

Still waiting to get those tires through Discount Tire, so I don't have firsthand feedback on using them yet.

That said, since you want to avoid mixing tread types and 195s up front, another option I was considering was the Kumho Ecsta V720s, "extreme summer performance" category, with the following sizes:

Front: 205/50R15
Rear: 225/45R15

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...5WR5V720&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...5V720OLD&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

That set would get you matching tread patterns and looks like the price dropped a bit since I last looked. Seems like a good deal and tire for the MR2.
 
#11 ·
We ought to start a letter writing campaign to get Kumho to produce a run of Ecsta ASTs in 205x15 sizes. It's a shame they only produce the 225's now.

A while ago I replaced my rears because they had low tread, but I did so knowing that once the fronts are worn, I won't be able to build a matching set.


That said, given that our wheels are asymmetric to begin with, I wonder how big a deal it is to go with the Ecsta 4X II and AST combination. On cars with same sized wheels front and back the handling is optimized for similar grip front and rear, but the reason our cars have staggered wheel/tires is because the rear-mid engined layout requires more grip on the rear wheels.
 
#13 ·
@x96283 can't wait to see what you find with the new tires. Can you also confirm which option did you picked for the set? Shipping must be brutal.

@dsf3g
I think you're right about looking at it purely from a difference in traction front to back. If we are to say that tire compound is a factor in determining grip and the size of the tire contact patch is also a factor, then theoretically, either one can be adjusted to achieve a desired front to back grip bias. The part that I can't get over is the fact that grip characteristics is a variable over time and is not a clean grip/no-grip result which leads to describing gripping behavior. My unsubstantiated feeling is that compound characteristics front to back would make for schitzo behavior. Tire sidewall rigidity is also another factor.
It really sucks that the right tire sizes have gone extinct.
 
#15 ·
A local tire dealer recommended Proxes 4s. I have read a bunch of reviews. Not all good. Wondering if anyone has had any experience with them. Apparently they heat up on track and are not good once they do. For me, I am hoping to take it to track one or two days. Nothing too competitive other than having fun. Majority will be summer driving.
 
#16 ·
IMO, asking for decent track as well as summer driving in 15" tires is asking a lot. Every 15" tire choice I've seen for our cars (save for racing tires) are not nearly as good as the various models coming in 17s.

The word here is compromise, either that or you probably have to capitulate & upsize like everyone else.
 
#18 ·
15's are just as good as the larger 17+ tires of the same brand/model. GRM compared this too. The Miata guys have to run 15's for clearance so there are plenty of options. Poke around here for the newest 15" performance tire talk. Mostly track guys but some autoX. One of the Grassroots writers posts on there too. https://www.miataturbo.net/wheels-tires-78/

If you want a pic of 245 r /205 f to compare sidewall, let me know although I think 225/205 would be better on an MR2.
 
#21 ·
Do Toyo not bring in the T1R in 205/55R15 and 225/50R15 to the states? They also have a 195/55R15 which is the stock tyre size but I prefer the 205.

It seems not, searching on the Toyo USA website. Only the R888R is avalible in the sizes needed and that is useless for the street. 195 and 225.
I can still get the right ones in NZ. Very odd. However the T1R is the only performance tyre left in the SW20 15" stock size here. Once that goes we have nothing.
 
#22 ·
Well, I hate to admit it but I gave up on tires to fit the original 15" rims 4 years ago and went with 17" rims because they there is a greater selection of ultra performance summer tires to fit. After a ton of research and checking of fitment, I went whe Enkei 17x7s in the front and 17x8 in the rear. Then I got Michelin supersports 205/45R17s front and 235/45R17 rear. After a ton of calculations, they gave almost exactly the exact same contact patch as the OEM tires and fit perfectly. Just enough clearance in the front from the struts. They have a very slightly larger diameter and I get just under a 10% speedometer error. It reads almost dead on -10% all speeds compared to GPS readout. My initial concern about a harsher ride from the lower sidewall did not happen. These are great tires for daily use as well as good track tires.
 
#25 · (Edited)
So here are the options as I see them, in order of preference:

Toyo T1-R
F: 205/50/15
R: 225/50/15





ECSTA V720
F: 205/50/15
R: 225/45/15





VENTUS R-S4
F: 195/50/15
R: 225/45/15





I'm seeing the T1-R showing up on an obscure website in BC. I'm going to call and see if they are real but suspect they are just out of date.
EDIT: It was an outdated listing. Emailed a guy that ships them from the UK to see how much it would be.

The local tire shop here has the Hankook VENTUS R-S4s in stock. The Kumhos are pretty easy to get as well from the looks of it. Would appreciate any recommendations on which of the two tire and sizes you would get. Trying to get closest to find the best compromise.
Thanks.
 
#26 ·
Just an FYI that I got my rev 5 15s installed with the mixed Kumho set (4X IIs in front, Asts in rear) today and so far I'm pretty happy. Nothing weird happening yet with regards to the mixed tread patterns. Very nice ride feel. Haven't had a chance to push it around some turns and curves yet though.
 
#27 ·
My recommendation for a slightly more powerful car is front 15x8 225/45 and rear 15x9 245/40 tire BFG Rival and for stock power levels you'd get pretty good value out of 15x7 205/50 front and 15x8 225/45 rear also BFG Rival. This is a 200tw tire and if you want more of a daily tire you should be able to find all these sizes in the 300tw Yokohama S-drive. Personally I don't like more than 20 offset between front and back I found that with 215 front 245 rear I had too much understeer bias of course there are other factors affectig this geometry spring rate bla bla bla.
 
#30 ·
I just did the kumho v720 matched set, installed about an hour ago on my 93T.

F: 205/50/15
R: 225/45/15

Felt good on the 21 mile ride home and quite a change from the tired old Ziex set that came off. I figure this matching tread set will last a couple years at my mileage accrual rate and postpone my eventual upsize to 17s.

Looks great, felt nice and no apparent crashing over seams in the hwy... but that's probably my "new tires!! Woot!" thinking affecting my perceptions!

Came out to about 160 per tire, delivered to Hawaii so I'm not complaining too much.
 
#34 · (Edited)
I wish I had waited till Saturday before pulling the trigger on tires. I ended up getting a really good deal on the Hankook r-s4s. with 195/50/15s in the front and 225/45/15 in the back. I've not had a chance to test grip levels outside of basic street driving and so far the grip level is impressive. The tires are reasonably loud but I don't mind. They also feel harsher and transmit all bumps/imperfections on the road. I have stock suspension so it's likely stiffer tire construction.

As to handling characteristics with the size options front/back and the potential for understeer, I didn't get near any limit to find out. Don't even know where the limit is but I know it's well beyond what I am used to so I have to take it to track and get familiar. With mostly driving on regular roads and how bad some roads are, my experience of handling dynamics will be more a function of road surface and suspension closer to the limit. I hope I have not walked into an inherently bad setup with the tires sizes. I will report back in case anyone else was wondering about these tires and size options. Here's a pic:

 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top