Toyo Proxes T1-S installed

[MajesticBlueNTO]

just got a set of Toyo Proxes T1-S (http://www.toyocanada.com/products/ProxesT1S.html) in 205/50/17 93V from Steelcase Tires. Let me say that these tires are light years ahead of the sorry excuse for a \"performance\" (granted all-season performance but Toyo\'s Proxes 4 has received far better reviews) tire known as the Goodyear RS-Ass.

I was going to hold off on getting a set of Ultra High Performance tires for the 3 until next year and, instead, save up money for winter tires. However, someone had slashed one of the RS-A\'s while i was at work down here in Niagara Falls. As a result, rather than spending the ~$200 for ONE RS-A, i decided to invest in some better shoes for the 3.

I previously had Michelin Pilot Sports on the Maxima and, with a Rear Sway Bar as the only suspension mod, I could take corners and on-ramps at far greater speeds than the stock 3. In fact, if i were to try taking an on-ramp at the speed i took the \"modded\" maxima, the RS-As would beg for their life and would start slipping.

Needless to say, I wasn\'t having as much fun driving the 3 as i did with the Maxima (on the other hand, at lease-end when i returned the maxima to stock with the Craptenza RE92 tires, the maxima wouldn\'t hold a candle to a stock 3).

I still have not found the limit of the 3 with the T1-S tires, since i\'ve only driven 160kms from home to work with them today on fairly straight hwy; however, the stock suspension is more than competant for occasional auto-x and \"spirited\" hwy drive. The 3 is now fun to drive and puts plenty of :D :D on my face.

To summarize, if you really want to experience driving the 3 like it was meant to be driven, get rid of the RS-Ass tires. Your braking, steering response, road hugging capabilities, transient response will be VASTLY improved.

I could have bought Kumho 712s, or any other UHP tire but the lower priced brands don\'t have Road Hazard warranty. The only low priced UHP tire with Road Hazard warranty is Hankook K104 and, based on reviews, they aren\'t that good - side wall too soft and not too good in the rain. Toyo has Road Hazard on a pro-rata basis for 5 years, so i decided to spend the extra coin in case anything happens again.

Now for some tire cliches \"brakes stop the wheels, tires stop the car\" and \"the only thing keeping your car on the road are 4 contact patches the size of the palm of your hand\"...etc sorry for the long post :hoho

cheers

[bluntman]

Definitely jealous...good purchase.

[SCORPION6]

Excellent tires the Toyo T1S only 21,8 lbs.
I have the mounted in my Mazda 6 a set of 225/45 R17 (20,9 lbs). Excellent in Water and Extremelly Excellent in Dry.
Sticking like glue;)
http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/10/web/346000-346999/346706_28_full.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/10/web/346000-346999/346706_25_full.jpg

[wtom]

Thanks for the info Majestic. For newbies like myself, how much money are we looking at for the said set of Toyo\'s? And how much is it for your average set of \"good\" tires? Thx

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by wtom


Thanks for the info Majestic. For newbies like myself, how much money are we looking at for the said set of Toyo\'s? And how much is it for your average set of \"good\" tires? Thx

depending on the place, look to pay anywhere from $225/tire to 260/tire for the Toyo T1-S in 205/50/17.

i\'ve been going to Steelcase for years and have always dealt with Dave. If you mention that \"Neil from the Maxima club now with the Mazda3...\" referred you, he should be able to give you a deal on the T1-S. He has them in stock and they are 93W Reinforced - which is a higher load rating than the 89V RS-A.

I was looking to go 225/45/17 but, in order to maintain the tire warranty, the tires must be in spec for the rim. 225/45/17 are not \"recommended\" on 17x6.5 rims and would possibly \"void\" the warranty. besides, it ends up being ~$25/tire more for 225/45/17 as opposed to 205/50/17.

There are some really good tires that can be had for less than $200/tire. In all honesty, I would\'ve purchased any one of these, if they had a road hazard warranty. It shouldn\'t really matter, but with the amount of driving i\'ve been doing (10,200kms in less than 2 months) i wanted a little \"just-in-case\" and was willing to pay extra up front for it.

In any case, here are some tires <$200 that have received really good reviews:

205/50/17
Kumho Ecsta Supra 712 ~$145/tire (not all-season)
Sumitomo HTRZ II ~$172/tire (not all-season)
Yokohama AVS ES100 ~$204/tire (not all-season)

225/45/17
Falken Ziex ZE-512 ~$165/tire (performance all-season)
Fuzion ZRi (made by Bridgestone) ~$155/tire (not all-season - has received amazing reviews on both www.tirerack.com and www.1010tires.com)
Sumitomo HTR+ ~$170/tire (high performance all-season - this tire was rated a point or 2 below Michelin Pilot Sport A/S in a TireRack review...which is pretty damn good for half the price)
Toyo Proxes 4 ~$187/tire (Ultra High Performance all-season - this tire has also received amazing reviews on www.1010tires.com)

Those are a few of the tires that www.tiretrends.com (where i got the pricing info) has that have received good reviews by consumers. Give Dave a call (905-479-8884) and see what he can do...if it doesn\'t work out, you can always order from www.tiretrends.com and not pay the PST ;)

cheers

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by SCORPION6
Excellent tires the Toyo T1S only 21,8 lbs.
I have the mounted in my Mazda 6 a set of 225/45 R17 (20,9 lbs). Excellent in Water and Extremelly Excellent in Dry.
Sticking like glue;)


after a few rounds last night, i must say, these tires are way stickier than the Pilot Sports! they just hang on and go and have yet to squeal on the Bathurst->407E on-ramp that i normally frequent.

can\'t wait to see what they\'re like in the rain! (in rain, with the Pilot Sports, it felt as if the roads were dry).

:D

[wtom]

Holy crap, thanks for info Majestic!!!!! That\'s a lot more than I was expecting (a one liner reply). haha :D

[SCORPION6]

Originally posted by MajesticBlueN



Originally posted by SCORPION6
Excellent tires the Toyo T1S only 21,8 lbs.
I have the mounted in my Mazda 6 a set of 225/45 R17 (20,9 lbs). Excellent in Water and Extremelly Excellent in Dry.
Sticking like glue;)


after a few rounds last night, i must say, these tires are way stickier than the Pilot Sports! they just hang on and go and have yet to squeal on the Bathurst->407E on-ramp that i normally frequent.

can\'t wait to see what they\'re like in the rain! (in rain, with the Pilot Sports, it felt as if the roads were dry).

:D
You will see the T1S in heavy rain situations, work great for me, and see the difference between the Pilot

A pair of months ago, driving in the highways I hit something in the street.
I was running at 130kms/h (81 miles/h) and after the impact I reduced the speed but the car feel ok. Only a minor vibrations when I increase the speed again.
I almost run 6 minutes at 80kms/h (50 miles/h) after the impact and begin to feel some heavy vibrations in the steering wheel. In other words I drove 6 minutes on a flat tire but the Toyo protect my rim. In the the tire only you can see the exterior cuts.
http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/10/web/346000-346999/346706_523_full.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/10/web/346000-346999/346706_526_full.jpg

Here you can see the mark of the rim after running 6 minutes.
http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/10/web/346000-346999/346706_534_full.jpg

For me an excellent tire

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by SCORPION6

You will see the T1S in heavy rain situations, work great for me, and see the difference between the Pilot

A pair of months ago, driving in the highways I hit something in the street.
I was running at 130kms/h (81 miles/h) and after the impact I reduced the speed but the car feel ok. Only a minor vibrations when I increase the speed again.
I almost run 6 minutes at 80kms/h (50 miles/h) after the impact and begin to feel some heavy vibrations in the steering wheel. In other words I drove 6 minutes on a flat tire but the Toyo protect my rim. In the the tire only you can see the exterior cuts.

For me an excellent tire

what happened after that? were you able to get another T1-S from Toyo?

almost the same thing happened to me in my maxima with the Pilot Sports. I was on the 407E, got on at bathurst to drive to kennedy. i\'m travelling at 140 with short bursts to 160. i even made a debris avoidance maneuver at 140 (some pieces of truck tire in the middle of the lane) right before kennedy. as i get off, i hear \"wobba wobba\" as i slow down to about 20. as i turn south on kennedy, the wobba wobba is distinct and i pull into Big Land\'s parking lot...get out and what do i see, the rear passenger side tire flat with cracks in the sidewall.

amazingly enough, the rim was unscathed! it was extremely warm to the touch but it was perfectly fine.

turns out i ran over something that had punctured the tire and let 98% of the air out (and i was running 40psi at the time); however, the car felt super stable at the high speeds even with one tire running flat.

now, i\'d like to see the 3 perform with some R-compounds :D

[SCORPION6]

I had to install my stock 16x7 with Bridgestone Turanza 205/55. My spare wheel/tire is the same size than the other tires, not a cookie.
Thanks that I was near of a tire shop and I bought one $. 157.00 (Saturday). And Monday bought the other T1S. I changed both tires. The Cut was in the driver rear side passeger. And keep the old one for my new SSR spare

Like you said the flat tire was extremelly hot to handle.

And the worst of all: I had almost 250 lbs on my trunk and a very hot day

[SCORPION6]

Here in action
http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/10/web/346000-346999/346706_514_full.jpg

:D

[SCORPION6]

You can find your Toyo´s here:
Tires (http://www.tireswap.com/)

[ArcticMazda3]

Definetly great tires I\'d also recommend BFG -KD\'s or KDW\'s not sure if the proper sizes are available tho havent checked, as with all tire upgrades this tire is overkill for the stock M3 basically the tires are better then what the engine/suspension can dole out so even tho you are comfortable and feel sure footed in the toyo\'s remember the the suspension can be overdriven as well.