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I just got a call from the installer. The tires are in! He started with some BS tht these are run flats, so it will cost extra. He finally figured out that they were not RFs. And this is one of the best respected tire stores in the area too.
Plus, they are hitting me up $10 extra per wheel for the Hunter Road Force balance. This is on top of the usual $25 a tire charge. So $140 for mounting and balancing. Pissa huh? I'm going to keep my old S02s, in case someone needs them to pass inspection or for selling their car. they still have some trad on them and it is better to use them than dump them.
I'm getting the alignment done too. I have not even checked the alingment since the first year I had the car. I'm going back to stock US specs. Sadly, the weather is lousy with rain and temps in the 50s, so no real opportunity to try them out. this is probably for the best. I'll give them 600 miles at reasonable speeds to break in.
Originally Posted by zdave87,Apr 29 2008, 06:39 PM
Just be careful the first 600-750 miles--they are very greasy.
Thanks. I'll be doing a cross country drive this weekend at highway speeds. Nothing fancy. I'll put on 6 or 700 miles. I'm just worried about the rain, but I have to figure at 60 to75 mph on the highway they should be fine.
Originally Posted by Legal Bill,Apr 29 2008, 07:56 PM
Thanks. I'll be doing a cross country drive this weekend at highway speeds. Nothing fancy. I'll put on 6 or 700 miles. I'm just worried about the rain, but I have to figure at 60 to75 mph on the highway they should be fine.
Less than a week after I put on the RE-O1R's, we had a helluva rain/thunderstorm. They held up fine.
Had the tires mounted today, here are the details.
Hunter Road Force balanced
Reset camber to the extremes of the factory recommended settings. (-.75 degrees front camber. -1.75 degrees rear camber. A bit less than the UK settings I was using)
Caster and toe set to the factory recommended settings.
The temps were pretty low tonight. Down to the low 50s so nothing to fancy driving home. The tires are quieter than the SO2s, and the rotational noise is all gone. I hit a few mild bumps and pot holes and was surprised at how much more forgiving these tires are. The response is a bit slower than the SO2s, but not in a bad way. They are less "darty" than the SO2s. After a few miles, I stepped it up a bit and took some turns at about 7/10ths. Nice and smooth in the transitions and very responsive, again without being darty. On a slow 90 degree side street turn, I gave it a bit of power mid turn. The rear stepped out in a nice, slow controlable slide that I smoothly steered into. Just a little quick fun, but I was pleased to see how smooth the slide was, unlike the SO2s.
I assume the release oils are letting the back end break loose a bit earlier than it would otherwise, but so far so good.
It may be my imagination, but these tires just look smaller on my car than the stock SO2s. Here are some pics.
to my knowledge these tires run extremely big for their size,...a 215 being near a 225 (vs stock ap2 tires)....my 225s look bigger than other 225s i have seen as well,...i dunno though
04-29-2008, 09:29 AM
