When I bought my car last year it had 4 different tyres on it - all in good condition and decemt makes, but all different just the same. I’ve heard and read loads of stuff to say that this isnt good (if not dangerous) and I know I need to get it sorted. Can someone tell me why its such a bad thing to have and is it decreasing the safety margin or genuinly increasing risk / danger?
At the moment, you are an accident waiting to happen!! The 4 tyres will all have different characteristics. The tread patterns will be different, compromising the handling and steering and having different capabilities with regard to clearing water from the road. The tyre wall fexibility will be different, compromising the handling. Brake performance will also be damaged as the tyres will all have different amounts of grip on the road…the obvious consequence is that the wheels will lock at different, unpredictable points…do you need any more good reasons why you shouldn’t rush out and by a set of decent matching tyres?----------------------------
I wouldn’t call it dangerous - if it was that dangerous there’d be regulation against it.
It’s not ideal, and as long as you don’t push the car to it’s limits you should be ok.
But be aware that the grip, handling, braking, etc will not be at their best until you have 4 matched tyres - suggestions will include Toyos T1, and Goodyears (as well as others).
It is illegal to mix crossply and radial tyres on the same axle.Worth a check to make sure you don`t have mixed tyres on one axle.
Massive chav that I am I never run a full set of the same tyres on my 5, but I always have a pair of good tyres on the front (currently Marangonis - they are excellent and cheap) and as close to a matching pair on the back as I can find (Pirelli P Zeros this week). At least then I know it’ll handle the same going left or right, and I know the brakes will stop me in a straight line.
General consensus is for your best tyres to be on the back as over steer is is a bigger threat than under steer to the layman, which is relatively more controllable. Particularly in a RWD light weight sports car.
With regard to the danger factor - the 5 is far more sensitive to tyres than 99% of cars on the road. Decent rubber with transform the car. Not quite so much in the case of a VW golf - thats why there is no big fuss made.
If all cars felt as the 5 does with bad rubber there would be more info from motoring organisations advising against it.
Good rubber and a full quality four wheel geometry alignment make a 5. Not chrome or a loud exhaust - although I like them sometimes as well.
Will my paragraphing (if you can call it that) work this time - yes ive updated the thing on the profile with no luck?
ive just put 4 Yokohama prada spec2’s on mine apposed to having 3 not very good makes including nankang and Tiger(who ever they are) and for me the tyres have made a hell of a difference pushing the car out of corners much safer with them progressively sliding as when i really pushed hard making the car a hell of lot easier to control into and out of slides
for me the car just feels like a hole new animal
the previous wheels i had on had 4 matching tyres they were made by nankang and in my personal opinion there not fit for burning, the compound was so hard they should come with a life time guarantee, they made the car skittish and very much uncontrollable to drive hard and even when not driving hard they tryed to bite me in the ass, one was not amused in the total lack of grip!
kris
Driver training is cheaper than a full set of decent tyres, and will last a lifetime too.
Yeah, know i know how ■■■■ I am and how terrible eveybody else is, im scared to go out in the car any more!!! 
No No and more No. On a RWD the good tyres go on the front. The car steers with the front wheels and the greater percentage of braking force goes through the front wheels…
Read most of the tyre manufacturers websites to find out the real detail. I would never have 4 different makes of tyre on a car, 2 different makes from front to rear is ok. With good tyres for the 5 being cheap from places like Camskill there is no excuse to not have good/matching tyres (pairs at least).
Your life though, especially at this time of year.
You can feel the front very well, especially in and MX-5, you can therefore adjust your driving style to the feedback you are getting and the conditions.
If the back goes suddenly you are more likely to be in a lampost.The back od these cars is knownto get out of line from time to time.
However, id say that as a set of toyo’s is less then £150, you have no excuses to be driving a great little sports car and not make it both enjoyable and safe. If you wont pay for a set of decent tyres then im not sure you can be helped…
Hi
not in the tyre industry myself so can only comment on many years of motoring, but surely this time of year with the weather and road conditions we have as long as you have same type i.e radial on the same axle I cannot see how a different manufacturer would make any difference, cold, damp road surface little tyre temperature your asking for trouble, come spring summer then I can see it may make a difference, but it would be nice to know from someone in the KNOW ?
Zippy [:#]
So about 3 years ago when this topic first arose, I e mailed a tyre manufacturer and asked for advice, this was the response, it’s in the FAQ
Why fit new or less worn tyres on the rear? Some advice from Michelin
| Whether you have front or rear wheel drive, we recommend that you use newer tyres for the rear set, for extra safety in unforeseen or difficult situations (emergency braking, tight bends etc) particularly on wet surfaces. | |
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| That's why Michelin advises you to reduce the risks you take by fitting new or less worn tyres at the rear of the vehicle for: - better grip on bends - extra safety. |
I have a selection of different tyres and I garanttee I could fit a set to an MX5 that would make it spin if you tried to do an emergecy stop in a straight line without ABS, much less swerve round something. There can be a huge difference in grip between different tyres, even between old and new tyres of the same make and model. I get through a lot of tyres, and many of them are secondhand.
It is arguably more important at this time of year, since different rubber compounds could react totally differently to the cold conditions.
From the Michelin web site http://www.michelinman.ca/care/tip6.html ------
Can I mix tire types on my car?
Tires of different size designations
, constructions, and stages of wear may affect vehicle handling and stability. For best all-around performance, the same type tire should be used on all four-wheel positions. It is also recommended that you NOT mix radial and non-radial tires on a vehicle. However, if mixing tires is for some reason unavoidable, NEVER mix radial and non-radial tires on the same axle. If two radial and two non-radial tires are to be installed on a vehicle, the two radials MUST be installed on the rear axle and the two non-radials on the front axle.
Hi Geoff
In my post I say DONT MIX TYPES ! [*-)]
Thanks
Zippy [:#]
Hi Zippy, I presume that by types you mean crossply/radial? If so fine. Others think of Michelin/Goodyear as being different types. I only used your quote to illustrate the points made in the Michelin extract-----------------------------
OK Guy’s
just to confuse this topic further but also to settle my understanding of cross-ply tyre’s, I have not purchased a cross-ply tyre since the seventy’s so are they still available ? also on an MX5 shouldn’t the tyres be speed rated “correct me if I’m wrong” can you get a cross-ply speed rated to 120mph - 130mph ? hell of a thought I know but … can you ?
Zippy [:#]