Different tires on back and front? - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

Jviveros2 · 08-21-2018, 02:50 PM

I bought the car about two years ago and it came with 225/40/18 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ in the front and 255/35/18 Goodyear Eagle F1 in the back. I absolutely loved the way the car drove - felt super planted but would go sideways "on command".

Few months ago I had to replace both the back tires and I ended up going with some Nankang NS-25 since that's all the tire shop had and unfortunately the driving has not been the same ever since but not sure if it's all in my head.

Now I'm in a position where I need to replace the two front Michelin's and here are my questions.

1. Pilot Sport A/S 3+ again or Super Sports? The car is 100% daily driving but I still drive in some backroads area maybe twice a month.

2. Would only replacing the two front tires really make a difference or do I need to replace all 4? Nankang's only have about 5k miles on them so far.

3. Maybe I should just go back to the setup it had when I bought the car?

re-animator · 08-21-2018, 02:59 PM

1. If you live in phoenix there's no reason to go with all season tires. PSS are great tires in dry and wet weather. the only thing they don't really like is temperatures below 40 degrees and snow/ice obviously.

2. you can replace just two if you want but its best to not mismatch tire compounds. i.e. 2 different pairs of summers are fine, but not summers and all seasons together. normally new tires go on the back wheels (i.e. move the old tires up front)

3. go with what you like but i have never heard of 255s in the front and 225s in the rear. if possible i would start with a square setup 225 all around until you figure out what handling characteristics you actually like and how the tires contribute. summer tires are a game changer on this car if you have only had all seasons.

Leonardo · 08-21-2018, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jviveros2

I bought the car about two years ago and it came with 255/35/18 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ in the front and 225/40/18 Goodyear Eagle F1 in the back. I absolutely loved the way the car drove - felt super planted but would go sideways "on command".

Few months ago I had to replace both the back tires and I ended up going with some Nankang NS-25 since that's all the tire shop had and unfortunately the driving has not been the same ever since but not sure if it's all in my head.

Now I'm in a position where I need to replace the two front Michelin's and here are my questions.

1. Pilot Sport A/S 3+ again or Super Sports? The car is 100% daily driving but I still drive in some backroads area maybe twice a month.

2. Would only replacing the two front tires really make a difference or do I need to replace all 4? Nankang's only have about 5k miles on them so far.

3. Maybe I should just go back to the setup it had when I bought the car?

I have had a bunch of tire configurations on my car. Having different brand tires front and rear has caused the weirdest behavior. I would stick to one kind of tire, especially since you are staggered. I also think that a slightly smaller stagger is better. 245/35 and 225/40. I would not buy more nankangs.

Do you have staggered wheels?

Vital · 08-21-2018, 03:05 PM

1) If you live in Phoenix you can run summer tires no need to get all-season tires. Look into Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 they are good at a reasonable price.

2) Switch the tires to all 4 of the same brand.

3) No idea why the bigger size tire is in the front makes no sense. I would also suggest sticking to a square setup or if you really want staggered setup at least put the bigger tire in the back.

Jviveros2 · 08-21-2018, 03:13 PM

Sorry everyone for the confusion. The larger tires are in the back. I got my numbers mixed up. Whooops!

chaoskaze · 08-21-2018, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leonardo

I have had a bunch of tire configurations on my car. Having different brand tires front and rear has caused the weirdest behavior. I would stick to one kind of tire, especially since you are staggered. I also think that a slightly smaller stagger is better. 245/35 and 225/40. I would not buy more nankangs.

Do you have staggered wheels?

listen to this guy.

And ya you can run whatever tire you want to be honest.......as long as you are not doing some crazy stuff.

finch1750 · 08-23-2018, 03:04 PM

I have even ran the same tire but with 5-10k miles of life difference (damn nail) and had weird results. So I would at least get the same ones and do it asap.

It also could be cuz Nankangs are not really on the same level as the prior tires you had.

08-21-2018, 02:50 PM	#1
Jviveros2 Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Drives: Pearl BRZ Location: Phoenix Posts: 26 Thanks: 1 Thanked 16 Times in 6 Posts Mentioned: 3 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Different tires on back and front? I bought the car about two years ago and it came with 225/40/18 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ in the front and 255/35/18 Goodyear Eagle F1 in the back. I absolutely loved the way the car drove - felt super planted but would go sideways "on command". Few months ago I had to replace both the back tires and I ended up going with some Nankang NS-25 since that's all the tire shop had and unfortunately the driving has not been the same ever since but not sure if it's all in my head. Now I'm in a position where I need to replace the two front Michelin's and here are my questions. 1. Pilot Sport A/S 3+ again or Super Sports? The car is 100% daily driving but I still drive in some backroads area maybe twice a month. 2. Would only replacing the two front tires really make a difference or do I need to replace all 4? Nankang's only have about 5k miles on them so far. 3. Maybe I should just go back to the setup it had when I bought the car? Last edited by Jviveros2; 08-21-2018 at 03:05 PM. Reason: Corrected the 255 & 225 order

08-23-2018, 03:04 PM	#7
finch1750 Undisputed El Presidente Join Date: Jun 2012 Drives: Zenki 37J ZN6 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 11,564 Thanks: 9,380 Thanked 9,393 Times in 5,257 Posts Mentioned: 374 Post(s) Tagged: 33 Thread(s)	I have even ran the same tire but with 5-10k miles of life difference (damn nail) and had weird results. So I would at least get the same ones and do it asap. It also could be cuz Nankangs are not really on the same level as the prior tires you had. __________________ "Just like how a strut bar somehow enables you to corner 20MPH faster around a cloverleaf on-ramp, when the reality is, you can do it already but you just don't have to balls to do it." - CSG David

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08-21-2018, 02:59 PM	#2
re-animator Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2017 Drives: 2013 BRZ Location: San Diego Posts: 213 Thanks: 135 Thanked 83 Times in 45 Posts Mentioned: 2 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	1. If you live in phoenix there's no reason to go with all season tires. PSS are great tires in dry and wet weather. the only thing they don't really like is temperatures below 40 degrees and snow/ice obviously. 2. you can replace just two if you want but its best to not mismatch tire compounds. i.e. 2 different pairs of summers are fine, but not summers and all seasons together. normally new tires go on the back wheels (i.e. move the old tires up front) 3. go with what you like but i have never heard of 255s in the front and 225s in the rear. if possible i would start with a square setup 225 all around until you figure out what handling characteristics you actually like and how the tires contribute. summer tires are a game changer on this car if you have only had all seasons.

08-21-2018, 03:05 PM	#4
Vital Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Drives: 2015 BRZ Location: Texas Posts: 692 Thanks: 213 Thanked 336 Times in 254 Posts Mentioned: 5 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	1) If you live in Phoenix you can run summer tires no need to get all-season tires. Look into Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 they are good at a reasonable price. 2) Switch the tires to all 4 of the same brand. 3) No idea why the bigger size tire is in the front makes no sense. I would also suggest sticking to a square setup or if you really want staggered setup at least put the bigger tire in the back.

08-21-2018, 03:13 PM	#5
Jviveros2 Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Drives: Pearl BRZ Location: Phoenix Posts: 26 Thanks: 1 Thanked 16 Times in 6 Posts Mentioned: 3 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Sorry everyone for the confusion. The larger tires are in the back. I got my numbers mixed up. Whooops!

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