Mixing tyres - My view.

Well, this will cause a lot of debate and argument, but, it is my view and it is based on MY findings after recently carrying out an experiment.



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Can I start off by saying WE ARE DISCUSSING THE TF HERE, NOT THE F. Please don't post on here if you have an F and have all different tyres fitted, quite frankly, I'm not interested. They are different cars and behave differently.



Basically, on my LE500, the factory fit rear Goodyear tyres were getting a bit low and needed replacing. I hunted for days to get some new ones but couldn't, so I decided to replace with Toyos.



I have always had (and still have) Toyos on Deepblue (TF160) and I am more than pleased with them.



I have always advised people to fit matching tyres (on all 4 corners) on the TF. To me it makes sense as you want the same levels of grip, flex and water dispersal on all 4 corners or your car will pull to one side, spin or just handle badly on cornering. There are however, quite a few people who say that is ****** and you can put anything on.



So, as an experiment, I chose to just change the rears to Toyos.



Well, today I have just had Toyos fitted to the front.



And the results are in.



If you are thinking of having different tyres front and rear........



DON'T.



The cars handling has been terrible above 55 - 60 mph and when crossing banding or white lines.



Initially it was really bad, but I persevered and the handling did get better. I also think it was partly down to me getting used to it, but it was always there, even after about 500 miles "scrubbing in". It wasn't until Anne drove it and said the handling was awful above 60 that I realised it hadn't got any better.



So, as I said, I had 2 new Toyos fitted today.



From initially pulling away, the steering felt heavier and more planted. I took it out onto the dual carriageway and did 70mph ( ;) ) and the car was solid, none of the weaving, or feeling as though the car was turning underneath you (very weird feeling). Crossing the white lines wasn't a white knuckle ride anymore.



So, my conclusion has to be that I will never mix tyres on my TFs again. What you do is your decision, but after trying it I was even losing a bit of love for the LE. It transformed the car from a very competent sports car into a very mediocre cheap feeling car. Definitely not worth saving the £150 that the front 2 tyres cost.

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