Toyo Proxes TR1 or.... something else?

[ashm]

So I'm getting the old girl back on the road.
Apparently the Toyo Proxes T1-R that I used to run are no longer made.

The current equivalent seem to be the Proxes TR1, which looks quite different from the tread pattern. Is anyone here running it - is it any good?

Are there better alternatives? A search throws up some other options:

Continental ContiPremiumContact 2
Yokohama Advan Neova AD08RS

Anyone have experience of either of these?

Cheers! A

[FunElan]

I have the Continental summer tires on my Elan and my e36 BMW and they're great so far.

[dapinky]

Ash,

I think that many (most?) of us in the UK are in a similar boat these days..... it's just that I think 95% don't yet know/realise it.

The problem is that the 'rules' changed in the EU (and in UK for those who want to know what difference that makes for us after Brexit!!!!) concerning the environmental effect of tyres. This is a combination of factors from the noise, friction, debris during use, the process/materials during manufacture, and the 'end-of-life' process for getting shot of the old stuff.

Because of this, many of our "better" tyres had to change. It isn't just the tread pattern and the look of them, it is a new composition of rubber which affects the whole thing.

Because of this, I have now "semi-officially" withdrawn my complete and utter support for the Yokohamas that I have always shouted good things about.

Don't get me wrong - I still love unconditionally the AD08R tyres that I have on my elan, and instead of swapping them for new ones every 4 years, I will be keeping them for far longer than I would have previously done, as there is just nowt on the market to touch them at the moment.

The current offering from Yokohama - the AD08RS - looks very similar in appearance, but is a different animal underneath. It hasn't got the 'grip' of the old tyre, and is marketed as a mid-range road tyre (whilst the 08R was always marketed as a fast-road/track tyre)...... The one bonus is that it is priced accordingly, and is probably £20 a corner cheaper than the 'old' ones.

The whole story should be repeated for ALL manufacturers with UK market stock..... the old stuff simply cannot be made any more for 'road' use, and anything using the good compounds will not be road-legal. (ie, Yokohama AD048 tyres, which use the same compounds as the AD08R.)

Many manufacturers are trying to obfuscate the situation with very minor 'name changes' of the tyres, hoping that people will think they are the same as before.... or even an improvement (ie, Toyo calling the T1-r a TR-1, Yoks adding an 's' on the end etc).

The end result is that I would be wary of ANYONE who recommends a good tyre if it was bought more than a year ago, and is no longer available in the exact name & model.

That said - there are still okay -> good -> great tyres out there - it's just that I don't know what they are at the moment, and there are not enough reviews of the current stuff to make it worthwhile reading them.

Simply put - you can't just go on a review which says "XYZ tyres are perfect for the weight and handling of ABC car, and have been for the last 2 years".

Don't get me wrong - all the 'previously good' tyres with a modification will still be more than enough for 99% of owners, and the rest will have suitable track tyres on different wheels anyway..... and in the absence of any further info, I'd still look at the AD08RS..... but they won't be quite what I was hoping for.

Bottom line - you can't rely on a recommendation at the moment (from anyone) - ALL brands have been similarly affected, and unless you purchase Yokohama tyres in Japan and bring them over yourself, I can't give you an answer.

[ashm]

...

Ahhhhh, that makes sense. Thanks for the thoughtful response as usual!
A

[rip]

Disappointing that a product is outlawed for something inferior. We have seen it more than once with refrigerants, allegedly to move to something more environmentally-friendly. I cannot confirm or deny this even though I have a better than average understanding of science.
It the reason for switching to inferior compounds actually genuine?

We saw the same for brake fluid: - blue became an alternative, which was great because you could easily see when the old stuff had been bled out. That got banned first in the US then in the EU, apparently simply to achieve a 'standard colour' for fluids. Brake fluid doesn't discolour until well after it has started to deteriorate, so if you want to keep it well maintanted, you have to waste more in order to be sure you've got rid of the old stuff. Banning blue was therefore a technical step backwards.

[dapinky]

Iain,
I agree that it is just the way of the world to achieve the illusion of progress by changing things for the worse.

In the case of tyres (and 'rubber' stuff in general), my scientific knowledge is poor, but I fully accept that the compounds are fabricated in a mixture of chemical and mechanical processes (with the addition of a bit of physics)..... and that any number of the chemicals/temperatures/pressures/processes involved are likely to cause harm to someone somewhere, or the planet as a whole - so things get changed (by either demand or regulation) to "improve".

I see it as a bit of a double-edged sword though, as the environment may be better served by the production of these "new" compounds, but if the use of them leads to less grip on the road, and more accidents, where does that come in? A written-off car is bad for the environment, as it has been produced already, and now needs replacing...... an injured (or worse) person cannot be easily replaced.

I am (just about) old enough to remember when brake linings and clutch plates were made of asbestos (and the dust was/is chronically dangerous/fatal) - so the rules were changed and asbestos was banned - quite rightly - but the performance of vehicle brakes diminished. Over time, the technology has improved to a stage where current stuff is probably every bit as good as asbestos, or even better, but in the short term, the rate of vehicle accidents increased dramatically.