32R Tyre wear

[JP]

Just been checking my (relatively) new 32Rs and found to my horror that they're already almost down to the wear indicators. More worryingly (maybe) is that they all have circumferential splits and cracks in the rubber around the inner edge of all tyres. I accept that this side of the tyre gets more wear due to camber but are these splits normal? Should I be changing them before I hit the indicators? BTW they haven't seen any track use.

James.

[Big Brother]

Chech out Jason's website here.

Just scroll down to the section titled "Yokohama A032R end of term report"

 

It makes interesting reading and has graph's too!

 

Steve

 

www.Se7en-Up.co.uk

 

[Jason Plato]

How many miles have you done JP ??

 

I get around 3 trackdays and 2000 miles road out of the rears and 5 / 3500 on the fronts . Thats the prices for grip i guess ?.

I once had 800 miles and 2 trackdays out of a set of ACB's !!!

 

Dave

[Paul D Jones]

Go and get hold of a tread depth guage and measure the tread depth as the indicators are not at 1.6mm they are more like 2.25 also are the tyres the same size all around try adjusting the pressures.

 

Paul.

See My Car Here

[JP]

Thanks for the responses chaps! I've done about 3500 - 4000 road miles one them. I expected the wear rate to be higher than I'd experienced before - I accept that. It's the ?degradation of the tyre that I'm concerned about. To make myself clearer, I've just been out and photographed a front tyre here and here. The fronts are older but the rears are exactly the same - cracked/split on the inner aspect. I expect them to wear more here but should they be cracking like this?

James.

[Paul D Jones]

Measured the two new ones in the garage just before going to work and the TWI is set at 2.1mm and brand mew 5mm the first set I had, had some slash marks like a knife had made in the rubber but the second pair sat in the garage look to be better when I get up tomorrow I could take some pics and send them to you to compare.

If I have got more miles about 5000 to my first set of tyres inc. one and a half days on track at Cadwell are Westfields kinder on tyres or just that my car has been driven less hard.

 

 

 

Paul.

See My Car Here

[murph7355]

From my experience of 32Rs and 21Rs the pictures you have here are nothing unusual, just signs of a bit of wear.

 

What you really need is to get them much hotter. Then you'll start seeing great big gobs of rubber flying off, being stuck in odd places on the tyre/car and a really nice blue colour develop...these little cracks will seem pretty ordinary then

 

3.5-4k miles is OK too. I got about 3k road miles and 1 track day out of mine. 21Rs last about twice as long, are much better in the wet and far from hideous on track.

[AMMO]

I use AO21Rs and get around 6,000 miles from the rears and 9,000 from the fronts. Road use and trackdays. I use 185/60/13 on all four corners and do a bit of switching around. Was tempted to try 205's on the rears but decided that I couldn't justify the extra cost and the fact that I couldn't swap the tyres around to even out the wear. To be truthful the I would have fitted the 205s for looks more than anything else. Plus gearing feels about right on 185s with 5 speed box. Some people have commented that the 185's feel better in the wet. Definately benefits by having as much tread on the back in the wet. Front end grip even with worn tyres is very good in my car wet or dry. Run quite a bit of negative camber on the front(not adjustable on my car with trunnions) and a touch of toe-out. 180 bhp Zetec engine with lighter bits in but probably still 20 kilos heavier at the front than a K-series. No understeer. Tyres wear more in the middle on the rears and on the inside on the fronts. Feels good for general purpose use. Run 16 or 18 psi. I can't feel the difference but I feel happier running the lower pressure in winter. I really like them and can't see myself changing unless a comparable tyre that gives the same grip and longevity should come on the market.

 

Hope you find these comments useful.

 

AMMO

[JP]

Andy,

That settles it then, I'm clearly not driving hard enough - off to give it a good thrashing to work now!!

[murph7355]

I'll try and get you some photos of nicely scrubbed 21Rs to show you what you should be aiming for

 

Might take a little while as the wheels are with a mate who kindly carried them to and from France for me (on a trailer), but it'll show you what sort of a mess you can make of them.

 

My rears were highly illegal after just 3 track days, and half of one of those was wet/damp!

 

AMMO - 205s on the back will probably benefit your car but I suspect you'll only really notice it on track. I had 185s all round on the set up mentioned above and with about 200bhp the rears got mullered during Le Sept. 205 rears would have lasted better (they did before).

 

I suspect the comment about 185s in the wet is that you're less likely to get aquaplaning and that you'll be going slower for a given breakaway. That said, I don't recall ever getting aquaplaning on 21Rs on mine and I usually run 185 fronts and 205s rears.

 

205s don't cost that much more than 185s in 60 profile, but you can't swap them over as you note.

 

If the tyres are wearing in the middle, try dropping the pressures a couple of psi at a time. You're not getting the most out of the tyres if they're wearing like this as you aren't getting your money's worth out of the full width.

[AMMO]

Andy

 

Thanks for your comments. Going for a bit more power this winter so may try some 205's on rear next spring. They look so cool I probably will not be able to resist. Only a tenner more that the 185s so cost is really not that big an issue.

 

Regarding rear tyre wear pattern I did drop the pressure to 15 psi in winter but it didn't seem to make any difference. Didn't feel comfortable dropping pressure below this as it could go a bit squirmy. Having said that I didn't try it so don't know. Spoke to Yokohama who recommended 18 psi cold as they found the change in pressure from cold to hot was about right for track use.

 

AMMO