Wheels and Tires?

[BruceO]

I've got the AO48s on my '06 Elise which are super sticky on track, but they're mighty expensive for daily driving (~$600/rear pair). Has anybody had a good experience with less expensive tires (Kumho, Hankook, Dunlop, BFG, etc.) for around-town driving? There are lots of makers of 225/40/17s but few that make 195/50/16s. Can anyone recommend any good values in wheels, too?

[Esprit89guy]

Bruce,

Try Toyo TA-1's. Have them on the wife's 2005 Elise and they are working just fine. About $800 for the set but they should last a lot longer than the Yokohamas.
The tires have some small ridges along the contact surfaces that give them a squirrely feel untill they wear off. We took the car on some twisty back roads and they performed extreemly well.
They are quiet and communicate the road nicely. They also do very well in the wet.
I have them in the A048 sizes.

Al B.
Houston.

[BruceO]

Al,
I looked up Toyo tires for the Elise and couldn't find the TA-1. It looks like it has been replaced. I now see RA1, T1R, R1R, and TQ tires. I assume that the RA1 is the replacement. The R888s look like they're as soft and pricey as the AO48s from Yokohama.
Thanks for the recommendation.
Bruce O.

[Esprit89guy]

Oops my bad, T1R's.

[trev0006]

Thanks for the Toyo Tire info.

Originally Posted by BruceO

I've got the AO48s on my '06 Elise which are super sticky on track, but they're mighty expensive for daily driving (~$600/rear pair). Has anybody had a good experience with less expensive tires (Kumho, Hankook, Dunlop, BFG, etc.) for around-town driving? There are lots of makers of 225/40/17s but few that make 195/50/16s. Can anyone recommend any good values in wheels, too?

Originally Posted by BruceO

Al,
I looked up Toyo tires for the Elise cars and couldn't find the TA-1. It looks like it has been replaced. I now see RA1, T1R, R1R, and TQ tires. I assume that the RA1 is the replacement. The R888s look like they're as soft and pricey as the AO48s from Yokohama.
Thanks for the recommendation.
Bruce O.