H5

Drive it man!!

Very tidy!

Get a GTR mate!

I ran T1-Rs on my VXR220 for a while, absolutely hated them. No feel, marginal grip compared to the chassis, and melted so very quickly on track. Changing back to the OEM A048s was the best thing I ever did on that car. On the Zed, out of the tyres you've tried I'd be sticking with the T1-Rs too, but they're still at the lower end of the quality spectrum even if you disregard price. If you ever get a chance to drive a car fitted with some proper quality rubber I can guarantee you'll be able to feel the difference instantly: I didn't expect the PS2s to be that much better than the RE040s, but they really are worth the extra. Ah Yoko's, now you're talking, I wish they came in the Zed sizes! I ran A539s for a long time on previous cars, great in the dry. The Michelins that were on the Elise before I swapped the Toyos on were horrendous, you could just feel the difference everywhere. And looking at Blackcircles prices, in plenty of sizes the Toyo seems to be more expensive than some of the MPS models! Regarding 'proper quality rubber', possibly a tad insulting since you don't know what else I've driven! A little question - Pirelli P Zero Nero's - thoughts?

Price vs grip & wear level. On something cheaper like, say, an MX-5 they'd be a bit higher up the range, but on something as powerful as the Zed they're definitely on the budget side. They last for ages, they have average grip in the dry and above average in the wet, but they melt like anything if you start putting serious heat into them. Just my opinion mind, but when you've got a car costing £30K new I wouldn't be putting cheap rubber on it as you'll distort the performance available. Nissan almost got it right with the RE040s (dry grip on those far exceeds the T1-Rs), it's just a shame they're so useless in the wet which is why they made the RE050A OEM on the HR models. OK, so if someone can make a tyre for less it is 'budget'? They definitely do not last for ages either. I agree the RE040's stand up better on track, but we are not talking track tyres - we're talking road tyres. Any of the tyres we're talking about would get embarrased by true track rubber. T1-Rs are the tyre of choice for many an Elise driver (we had them on ours) and Toyo provide motorsport tyres to a huge number of race series around the world. I just don't fall in with the 'it costs more so it must be better' mantra. Having driven the Zed with RE040's, Falkens and T1-Rs on, I'd choose T1-Rs again.

Then I'd go for the MPS2, if you can. They're a billion times better than T1-Rs in the wet, and about a hundred times better in the dry. Not cheap, but if you really want the best then that's what I'd go for. Alternatively the Vredesteins mentioned earlier in the thread would be my close second choice, followed by the Bridgestone RE050As. Don't bother with the Toyos or Falkens, they're good for the money but they're still just budget tyres for a car like the Zed. Where do you get the idea Toyos are a budget tyre???

+1 Am sure you'll keep em tip top though Wayne.

My point was people want different things at the top of the list. The grippiest tend to have a relatively short life and can be noisy. eg the RE040's perform well on track in the dry but in the wet are shocking and are noisy as hell. Toyos are a strong all rounder (IMO as grippy as MPS but not as good on track after a few laps).

Not bad IMO if that is a top quality job. If you can, go genuine NISMO. It will fit, it will last and it will hold it's value.....

Lovely Wayne. Now take em off and store them for the winter

Depends what you're marking it on. Dry grip, wet grip, overall grip, wear, noise, price.....

The genuine NISMO stuff fits like a glove - you can slide it on and with no fixings it stays there. That's the difference. Non genuine will mean some sacrifice in quality - Shine ones seem to be the best of the copies.

It used to be a bible. Car value is more based on phone calls to see how much someone will pay for it....

Nice set up, nice looking Zed.

Even saw one on the road the other day! Interesting timing, maybe they know something the rest of the economy doesn't with their range of big petrol engines!

Toyos have performed great for me, wet or dry, Zed, Lotus and Volvo

Yeah, the RE040's in the wet sent my ESP light into christmas tree mode!

Being honest I only read the first page and picked up from there, hence where the quote is from. I didn't mean your personal driving style, I meant anyone who may be regularly getting the TC kicking in Do I feel it is too intrusive for daily driving? No. It has even been argued that on track driving with the ESP on shows whether you're keeping in the limits of the traction available. Not 'fun', but fast. The speed it gives the power back I assume is based on when traction returns. I did notice a big difference in when it kicked in when I had the wheel alignment etc sorted on the car. It may not be as quick as we'd like but the road surfaces in the UK are shocking and you never know if the next roundabout is covered in diesel or not. That's why mine stays on as I have seen too many cars wrecked. For fun and sliding around, the only way is with the ESP off.

Sorry to see this bud. Hope you get it fixed up OK.

Does your car even have ESP anymore Alex? In reply to the OP - TBH if you've 'lost count' of how much your ESP comes on then have you checked your tyres and geometry recently? I'd be asking the question, have you checked your driving style?! No attack meant, but if you're driving on the roads and the car is stopping you from breaking traction, then you're giving it a bit of stick. Admittedly on a keen launch from the lights it can be restrictive but the alternative is a load of smoke and fish tailing until traction returns - not gonna help the get away! Fact is the box of tricks will be quicker at pulling it back in line that the one behind the wheel is. At this time of year with the leaves and rain, I'd be leaving it on

And on the boat it really tests your core and your back. Not to mention your grip as the 450hp boat tries ripping you in two!!

I have done it a few times in the US off a boat, not done cable yet. My brother is massively into it and lives in Orlando doing it! See his website here, one of the most popular in the sport.... www.thewakeplace.com This time of year the pros hit the US or Aus as the weather is warmer generally. Get across to Florida in the spring for some boat wake

Good point. I've never left a car with just the EGP as the top coat anyway so would be hard to tell if it beads that well. I am basing it on how easy it is to clean and the finish afterwards.

I find a good few coats of DD SN matches the longevity of AG EGP. Havent tried Colleinite, but beleive it to be the hardest wearing stuff known to deatilers If you want maximum longevity, go with Collenite Not used DD SN for long enough to say but I'd find it hard to see how it can last as long as AG EGP - that stuff lasts forever even with plenty of washes! That said, I'd say the longest lasting of the lot of those is the jetSEAL. The Zed still comes up a treat with it and is lauded by many on DW.

Interesting that everyone has focussed on the least hard wearing stuff! Almost all mentioned so far focus on finishes. For long term protection something like a jetSEAL 109, AG Ultra Gloss Protection or Collinite hard wax will work wonders. All of which you can add the soft waxes mentioned above on top off.