New tires help.

Posted by: @dev

I removed all of the wheels and loaded up the other car Pulp Fiction style with old sheets. I checked under the car for any control arms that might have been damaged and its all good.  

 I did make an interesting observation. Both rear tires were worn but still had enough tread depth. The insides were a little more worn then the outside which is normal because of the -2 camber. 

 What was the most interesting is the drivers side rear is showing signs of over inflation with more wear in the middle than the sides. 

 How can this be when both tires were inflated the same. 

 The best possible reason I can think of the light weight battery. The other side is more engine heavy compared to the other side which is the transmission and the battery. Keep in mind that the 2ZZ weighs more then the 1ZZ and with my 3lb battery instead of a 27lbs battery not to mention I no longer have a factory intake which adds to more weight. 

 It makes me wonder if Toyota got the weight balance right from the factory so much so for a light car to matter.  I did notice pulling from that wheel when accelerating so its possible one tires was far worse than the others.  

Any thoughts? 

 

I'd bet the tire wear is as much toe as camber, -2 with little to no toe-in doesn't cause very uneven tire wear for me, I usually run about -2.8 camber in the rear though and 0 toe all around.

On the inflation issue, weighing each corner would really be the only way to know if the battery caused anything.  On tire pressure though, I usually start out at 28psi front and 32 psi rear then chalk the tires.  Charts are good to get you close but don't account for side to side differences or weight changes compared to factory.

Overall though, on tire size and alignment settings I'm in the square setup and 0 toe group after years of off and on testing.  Having had access to an alignment rack for a long time let me figure out what works for me.

Posted by: @nocoolname

Posted by: @dev

I removed all of the wheels and loaded up the other car Pulp Fiction style with old sheets. I checked under the car for any control arms that might have been damaged and its all good.  

 I did make an interesting observation. Both rear tires were worn but still had enough tread depth. The insides were a little more worn then the outside which is normal because of the -2 camber. 

 What was the most interesting is the drivers side rear is showing signs of over inflation with more wear in the middle than the sides. 

 How can this be when both tires were inflated the same. 

 The best possible reason I can think of the light weight battery. The other side is more engine heavy compared to the other side which is the transmission and the battery. Keep in mind that the 2ZZ weighs more then the 1ZZ and with my 3lb battery instead of a 27lbs battery not to mention I no longer have a factory intake which adds to more weight. 

 It makes me wonder if Toyota got the weight balance right from the factory so much so for a light car to matter.  I did notice pulling from that wheel when accelerating so its possible one tires was far worse than the others.  

Any thoughts? 

 

I'd bet the tire wear is as much toe as camber, -2 with little to no toe-in doesn't cause very uneven tire wear for me, I usually run about -2.8 camber in the rear though and 0 toe all around.

 

On the inflation issue, weighing each corner would really be the only way to know if the battery caused anything.  On tire pressure though, I usually start out at 28psi front and 32 psi rear then chalk the tires.  Charts are good to get you close but don't account for side to side differences or weight changes compared to factory.

 

Overall though, on tire size and alignment settings I'm in the square setup and 0 toe group after years of off and on testing.  Having had access to an alignment rack for a long time let me figure out what works for me.

Thanks for that. I usually have a little positive toe in the rear and 0 toe in the front. I find it helps with high speed stability.  I had a look again this morning on the wear and it appears both rears show signs of over inflation.  This is my doing as I was running 35psi just because I was compensating for XL tire sizes.  The XL tires prior to these had under inflation damage with 32psi because they had a lower load rating.  
I was planing to set the pressure using a touch less pyrometer and with the chalk as you suggest. 

Now I have a new problem. It looks like one of my hub centric rings is damaged.  The tech did a good job with the road force balance  so I’m not going to complain  and just buy a new one from Tire Rack. It’s not his fault as this is my second ring that got damaged, the metal is just too soft. 

Well, I'll be replacing my rear tires in the next couple of days with Yokohama Advan Fleva's in 215 width.  I was walking across the driveway below the car and noticed a small nail head sticking out between the treads.  It had lost about 8 pounds of pressure, and I don't run patched tires so... rears are going.  Keeping 205 width in front, and the S Drives still have a ton of life left in them.

Stay tuned, pics and product review will eventually follow.

I torqued the lug nuts, reset the trip and taken the tires out for their maiden voyage.  
Easy slow 30 mile drive to wear down some of the slick surfaces.  To early to give my impression but I will.  The sidewalls are tight but the drive is quiet and smooth. You can feel every bump through the seat and steering wheel.  
 They feel very different than the previous tires. It could just be new tire drive as it can feel different once I get 100 miles on them so I will reserve judgement but for sure it’s a stiffer. 

Posted by: @pwnzor

Well, I'll be replacing my rear tires in the next couple of days with Yokohama Advan Fleva's in 215 width.  I was walking across the driveway below the car and noticed a small nail head sticking out between the treads.  It had lost about 8 pounds of pressure, and I don't run patched tires so... rears are going. 

Haha this reminds me I have a nail or something in one of my (previously rear, now front) 205 wide tires. I found it a few months ago on accident while looking at something else. Tire wasn't losing pressure (I have an aftermarket TPMS) so I didn't touch it. Tire is still holding air and is now nearing the end of it's life. The road has been wearing the metal away with the rubber. Live and let live.

Definitely not something I would do without TPMS thou.

@marsrock7

in Pennsyvainia you must have your studs off by May first

Píng!!!

Reading the tyre OCD (imo justly) it struck me; a forehead slapping moment; I should go down a bit in tyre pressure! Mine is now 130 kg lighter, have adjusted allignment to -1,5 and - 1.8 front rear yet have totally forgotten the tyre pressure. Oopsie.

I like the balance now so will go down the same front and rear.

Btw: AD08R in 195/55 x 15 and 205/50 x 15 on Enkei RPF1.  Have the front 0.2 bar over spec. to reduce initial understeer. Will now go 1.9 and 2.1 and hopefully enjoy it in a week with the next stage of relaxing confinement.

The Neovas are a pleasure here. When they need replacing will go for same.

@marsrock7

I'm going Wednesday to get my new shoes laced up.

I was at 2mm tread depth on the inside of the tire so it was really about time to get rid of them anyway.

Tires are on, first impression is good.  Ride is a lot smoother, but it's always that way with brand new rubber.

Here was the view while I was waiting:

And here's what the Advan Fleva 215/40R17's look like on the car.

For comparison, here is what the existing S-Drive 205/40R17's look like

Seeing this makes me feel good about moving the 215's to the front and putting 225's or even 235's on the rear.  I have never liked having the edge of the rim sticking out past the side wall of the tire.  It hasn't been an issue, BUT I feel better when the sidewall is more vertical, less stretched.

Posted by: @pwnzor

 

 

By Jove that looks scary! I would not dare come within a meter of a sidewalk!!!

Scary, indeed... you can see here what happens when you let somebody else drive your car two days after you get new wheels:

Posted by: @pwnzor

Scary, indeed... you can see here what happens when you let somebody else drive your car two days after you get new wheels:

One, not at all that small, positive side effect of deleting the power steering is an automatic gf steering delete.

Had the steering pump out befóre I put the RPF1s on.

 I was able to get a replacement hub centric ring that was damaged from the tire shop and install it on Tuesday. 

I had a chance to rack up some more miles on the car today. With the new tire pressures its fantastic and better then the last drive.  The car drives smooth but not like a caddy, it has that European car feel to it where the bumps are taunt.  The side walls are stiff and the steering feel is good. I was thinking they would feel similar to the S.Drives which are also a great tire for tossing around, these are an entirely different flavor and are more like the OEM Bridgestones.  I haven't pushed the car in the slightest but the ride feels good just driving in a straight line where you can feel all of the imperfections in the road. No vagueness or numbness.  It defiantly has that top tier tire ride quality that the Falkens didn't have.  

Posted by: @dev

I was able to get a replacement hub centric ring

Tell me what those are supposed to do.  My wheels came with them, and I put them on, but have since taken them out and they've been out for over a year now.  I haven't noticed any kind of problem.

Posted by: @pwnzor

Posted by: @dev

I was able to get a replacement hub centric ring

Tell me what those are supposed to do.  My wheels came with them, and I put them on, but have since taken them out and they've been out for over a year now.  I haven't noticed any kind of problem.

They are suppose to help center the wheel to the hub. Our OEM wheels have 54.1 mm bores and most aftermarket wheels have larger bores to fit other hubs using these rings of various sizes.   There is a possibility that without these rings you could be off a hair where you will encounter vibrations. 
There are some that have no issues without the ring and others that do.  I think it depends on the wheel and the type of lug nuts used. 

It’s a bit controversial so I’m going to get out ahead of it before someone says you don’t need them or you absolutely need them. It depends, everyone’s experience is different and there are those that cured their vibrations with these rings. If you have no vibrations then you probably don’t.