Tires for 2001 MR2 Spyder

I need new tires for my stock 2001 MR2 Spyder. The Bridgestone tires
didn't hold up well so I really don't want to by new ones. The problem
is I can't find a manufacturer that makes P185/55R15 tires for the
front other than Bridgestone or Yoko. Can anyone offer a suggestion
for a better tire in that size OR can I use a slightly larger size tire
on the front? The Toyota dealer said that I have to use that size but
I always question theit judgement.

thanks,
norm

norm wrote:[color=blue]
> I need new tires for my stock 2001 MR2 Spyder. The Bridgestone tires
> didn't hold up well so I really don't want to by new ones. The
> problem is I can't find a manufacturer that makes P185/55R15 tires
> for the front other than Bridgestone or Yoko. Can anyone offer a
> suggestion for a better tire in that size OR can I use a slightly
> larger size tire on the front? The Toyota dealer said that I have to
> use that size but I always question theit judgement.[/color]

Stick with the factory size. The OEM tires from Yokohama are pretty
good. How did you end up with Bridgestones?

I'd use Yokohama ADVAN A043

"norm" <norm.wright@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1133376142.546271.43700@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
>I need new tires for my stock 2001 MR2 Spyder. The Bridgestone tires
> didn't hold up well so I really don't want to by new ones. The problem
> is I can't find a manufacturer that makes P185/55R15 tires for the
> front other than Bridgestone or Yoko. Can anyone offer a suggestion
> for a better tire in that size OR can I use a slightly larger size tire
> on the front? The Toyota dealer said that I have to use that size but
> I always question theit judgement.
>
> thanks,
> norm
>[/color]

Why would you question the dealer's judgment? They are professionals in the
automotive sales and service, and make their living selling and servicing
Toyotas. People find it hard to believe that a Toyota dealer may know more
about Toyotas than they do, or their uncle, brother-in-law, or the local oil
change shop might know. I've visited a lot of Toyota dealers, and in every
single case, they they more about Toyotas than 99.999% of the people on the
street, including people who read car magazines.

You can visit sites like tirerack.com and use the calculator to find
alternate tire and wheel combinations. You probably can find a tire and
wheel combination that will physically fit but it may rub when turning and
the car will handle differently. The whole purpose of making a mid-engined
car is to improve balance and handling. Tires, wheels, and suspensions are
set up to take advantage of the ideal weight distribution. Changing tires
can change the handling so much that it becomes prone to spinouts in the
rain and snow, especially in the hands of a driver not experienced in
handling a vehicle with neutral or oversteer characteristics.
--
Ray O
correct the return address punctuation to reply

Travis Jordan wrote:[color=blue]
> I'd use Yokohama ADVAN A043[/color]

Forgot to mention....Toyo has a performance tire (the T1R) that comes in
your size(s). They are quite common in the UK but you may have to shop
around to find them in the states. They do have a good treadwear rating
(280), about twice that of the Bridgestones (140) and the Yoko (160).
Don't have a clue how they handle.

Here's one source:
[url]http://store.yahoo.com/ltbmotorsport/toyot1r.html[/url]

Toyo Proxes comes in your size (T1S and T1-R). I imagine a few other
would also ....

Ray, you are usually pretty much on target, but in this case, I have a
"cavet." Dealers do have access to more specific information on there
cars. No dispute. But, nothing beats a savvy mechanic, and it is hit
and miss if your local Toyota dealer has good mechanics or not. Same
to be said for your local independent garage.

Locally, our Toyota is just so-so. They lose their best mechanics
(maybe it's the local management) and have a crop of not-so-seasoned
guys who try, but tend to miss the mark an awful lot.

A few years ago, I took in my 84 Tercel for repair, they had a devil
of a time with it and finally gave up. One of the comments was that it
was tough to diagnose "because it doesn't have a computer."

A local indy shop had it in and out in a couple of hours. So, I do
think it may depend on the actual dealership. Also, if the dealer
stocks Bridgestones and Yokos, he may be trying to sell those, rather
than a brand he does not stock.

<timbirr@mailcity.com> wrote in message
news:1133393544.215144.320750@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> Ray, you are usually pretty much on target, but in this case, I have a
> "cavet." Dealers do have access to more specific information on there
> cars. No dispute. But, nothing beats a savvy mechanic, and it is hit
> and miss if your local Toyota dealer has good mechanics or not. Same
> to be said for your local independent garage.
>
> Locally, our Toyota is just so-so. They lose their best mechanics
> (maybe it's the local management) and have a crop of not-so-seasoned
> guys who try, but tend to miss the mark an awful lot.
>
> A few years ago, I took in my 84 Tercel for repair, they had a devil
> of a time with it and finally gave up. One of the comments was that it
> was tough to diagnose "because it doesn't have a computer."
>
> A local indy shop had it in and out in a couple of hours. So, I do
> think it may depend on the actual dealership. Also, if the dealer
> stocks Bridgestones and Yokos, he may be trying to sell those, rather
> than a brand he does not stock.
>[/color]

When you visit a Toyota dealership for service, look for the President's
Award or Service Excellence Award prominently displayed somewhere in the
dealership. In order to receive this designation, the dealership must have
at least one master diagnostic tech employed. An MDT will have taken every
course Toyota offers for technicians, have at least 5 years experience
working at a Toyota dealership, and have a current ASE Master tech status.
Better yet, look to see if the dealership has won the awards multiple years.
That shows a commitment to good service.

Since Toyota technical courses are only offered to technicians at franchised
Toyota dealerships, the only way an independent shop can have a Toyota MDT
is one who recently left the dealership. That status expires and gets old
without constantly taking new courses.

As far as the tires on the MR2, it has different size tires on the front and
rear. A mid engine vehicle has good handling characteristics because of a
good front/rear weight balance. Upset that balance, and the car could
become like a child's top in the hands of an inexperienced driver.
--
Ray O
correct the return address punctuation to reply

The Bridgestone Potenzas are the stock tires here in the US. They
received awful reviews and I didn't like how they held up after only
26,000 miles. The Yokohama ADVAN A043 got good reviews but I don't
know much about them. I'll look into the Yokohamas and Toyos, thanks
for the input.

I didn't intend this to be a discussion about the quality and
competence of Toyota dealers. I do know that they will not recommend
you doing anything out of the ordinary to a vehicle because they could
be liable if their advice was not entirely correct or was
mininterpreted. I asked Toyota service if the front could handle a
P195 and all I got was a quick "No". They didn't say if it was
physically too wide or describe how it could upset the balance of the
car. At this point I gave up on their opinion and decided to make a
post here to see what other MR2 owners have done. Ray O and timb both
have good arguments and I happen to agree more with timb based upon my
experience with dealer service personnel and independent shops.

thanks,
norm

norm wrote:[color=blue]
> The Bridgestone Potenzas are the stock tires here in the US. They
> received awful reviews and I didn't like how they held up after only
> 26,000 miles. The Yokohama ADVAN A043 got good reviews but I don't
> know much about them. I'll look into the Yokohamas and Toyos, thanks
> for the input.[/color]

FWIW, 26K miles out of a tire with a tread rating of 140 is very good.

You'll be happier with the Toyos I think.

[email]norm.wright@gmail.com[/email] (norm) wrote:
[color=blue]
>The Yokohama ADVAN A043 got good
>reviews but I don't know much about
>them. I'll look into the Yokohamas and
>Toyos, thanks for the input.[/color]

My husband's TL is shod with 18" Yoko's and they still look good with
20k on them. I wondered how they would wear and have been pleasantly
surprised. Rotate every other oil change, or between 5 and 7.5k.

On Fri, 02 Dec 2005 07:59:24 -0800, ravelation wrote:
[color=blue]
>
> [email]norm.wright@gmail.com[/email] (norm) wrote:
>[color=green]
>>The Yokohama ADVAN A043 got good
> >reviews but I don't know much about
> >them. I'll look into the Yokohamas and
> >Toyos, thanks for the input.[/color]
>
> My husband's TL is shod with 18" Yoko's and they still look good with
> 20k on them. I wondered how they would wear and have been pleasantly
> surprised. Rotate every other oil change, or between 5 and 7.5k.[/color]


20k!!!!

My 1980 Corolla SR-5 came with Bridgestone tires, OEM. I finally replaced
them at 125K! They still had tread, but the tread was just beginning to
separate from the casing.

Surprise! I couldn't buy the same model. Even the guy at Bridgestone said,
they can't sell something if it never wears out!

--
I've spent a great deal of money on Whiskey, Women and Fast Cars

The rest I've squandered.

[email]Trueno@ae86.GTS[/email] (Hachiroku) wrote:
[color=blue][color=green]
>>My husband's TL is shod with 18"
>>Yoko's and they still look good with 20k
>>on them.[/color][/color]
[color=blue]
>20k!!!![/color]

Yeah. A lot of low profile performance tires wear out before 30K. I just
did a visual check of the TL's tires yesterday, and they are like new
(blew me away at how well they've worn!). Yokohama tires deliver for the
price. So do Kumho.
[color=blue]
>My 1980 Corolla SR-5 came with
>Bridgestone tires, OEM. I finally
>replaced them at 125K! They still had
>tread, but the tread was just beginning
>to separate from the casing.[/color]

Only the Hachi could get 125K out of a Bridgestone!
[color=blue]
>Surprise! I couldn't buy the same model.
>Even the guy at Bridgestone said, they
>can't sell something if it never wears
>out![/color]

I had Bridgestone's on my RX300. I liked the tire's ride and looks, but
I had to replace them at 32K.