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MG MGF Technical - tyres ?

Need new front tyres on my F. I rang one place and they told me that Goodyear don't make the NCT3 or similar tyre. They suggested a Goodyear F1 but they are £20 more per tyre.

Can anyone suggest a suitable replacement front tyre?
Steve

From personal experience, and many, many other threads in the archive, it's a bad move to mix tyre types/makes front/back. I'm sure that someone will post with a particular combination that has worked for them, but I can only comment from experience and what I have read.

Personally, I run Bridgestone RE720's and find them superb in the wet and the dry. They seem to suit my style of driving, including the odd trackday. BUT, you'll undoubtedly find as many recommendations for tyres as there were F's at MGF10.....

Register on the site and check out the archive. For another good source of advice, amongst several others, check out

http://www.mgf.ultimatemg.com/

Mike H
Mike Hall

In my case, I had to change one front tyre last year to pass my MOT (I was skint so I couldn't manage to change the other front one). I ended up with a matching set of tyres on the rear and an odd pair on the front. Having driven like this for a year (MOT time soon) I personally didn't have any handling issues with the car. Incidently I'm changing the fronts again (tracking was out so the fronts have worn down) and still don't have to change my Goodyears on the rear, so this time I'll be the same as you, matching front pair and matching rear pair. I'm going for Toyo Proxes this time as I've heard great things about them.

Emma
Emma Jackman

Steve, many people will recomend fitting 4 GY F1's. Perhaps you can sell your part worn rears to defray the costs. £20 extra is probably money well spent to upgrade from NCT3's.

DO NOT fit F1's on the front with NCT3's on the rear. This will be very bad.

Also many will say to get the F1 GSD2's instead of the GSD3's that are currently the latest F1 version. I run GY F1 GSD3's on my TF and have had no problems.
Neil Courtney

I recently had a bad experience by fitting Uniroyal Rain Sports to the back whilst leaving the NCT3s upfront.
Only managed about 4 miles(it felt like the back wanted to be up front for a change!! and that was on a straightish road) before returning to the dealer and swapping them for NCT5s, I got a full refund on the Uniroyals.

The NCT5/3 combination seems fine and they are a very similar pattern to the 3s.
185&195x55xVR15s are available in the NCT5s at about 60 - 70 quid each.
g hampson

I've just fitted 195/50 R15 Toyo TR1's to the front of mine, cost £41 per tyre fitted and they seem to be very good, a definite improvement over the Continentals that were on there before!
James King

Last week I fitted a new set all around of Toyo T1's 195/50 R15 and 205/50 R15, I cant believe the difference it has made to the car, before I was never really impressed with the handling of the MGF but now im forced to change my opinion. Just wish I had spent the money earlier.
Simon
Simon Kaye

I agree - I would never, ever fit a crummy NCT3 (or NCT5) to my car ever again. There are far far better tyres on the market.

It was very interesting to hear Alan Phillips talking at MGF10 regarding tyres and suspension design. The ideal tyre needs incredibly stiff side walls (that the NCT3 certainly does not have). The design team wanted to specify the same tyres developed by Yokohama for the Toyota MR2 - the Advans. These have extensive additional steel and nylon bracing in the side walls - and they found that they worked superbly well on the MGF. Sadly, Toyota prevented an OEM deal being signed for supply.

Of course, this would not prevent you buying a set of Yoko ADVANs for your car on the aftermarket. Or any other performance tyre with beefed up sidewalls.

On this basis, it is probably worth purchasing the Z-rated tyres, as these will have extensive reinforcement for high speed for high-weight passenger cars - and therefore ideal for the mid-engined MGF and TF.

Bridgestone, Goodyear etc etc all produce suitable tyres in the appropriate sizes - and if they cost a little more than NCTs, then IMHO they are well worth the money.
Rob Bell

Maybe I should give a different manufacturer a go then?
But I think the NCTs have done OK -
I do about 500 miles a week(200 motorway, 100 fast A roads (A66 & A595)about 80 on Cumbrian fell roads (Corney, Ulpha & Cold Fell), plus round town stuff) Other than the above experience my tyres have never been cause for concern, and in the 16 months I've had the car (now done 41k)the rear tyres have been replaced at 18k (8k by me) and 39K and the original (9 years old!!) fronts were an advisory on a recent MOT.
What do you reccommend, in respect to wear and performance?
WRT the above re tyrewall stiffnes, would I not see a similar improvement in just going for the 50ar 195s over the 55ar 185s?
Ta
Gareth
g hampson

Sad to see that the Bridgestone RE720 are no longer in production... I rate them highly - better than Toyo in my opinion.
Dimo

This thread was discussed between 30/10/2005 and 01/11/2005

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