The MGF Register Forums

A friend in Belgium has these, she hates them !

Noisy and it doesn't handle well, she has them on her TF160.

sausages!
Thanks Adrian, I''ve heard great things about them too.

Ordered a full set of falken today.

I'll have mine on soon, just waiting to finish off the last of the Toyo rears in Luxembourg next weekend, then four Falkens going on.

Two good Toyo fronts for sale later this month.

Righty..for reference.
Today I finally got the full falken treatment.
Correct sizes and at correct pressure all round.

I can honestly say that they either need a fair bit of scrubbing in or tyre pressure is the entire deal with tf tyre performance.

From 4 random budget tyres and different on each corner my findings so far are this.

The car is quieter considerably.
It grips as well but not a huge deal better.
At speed it is a lot more floaty and wants to travel across lanes far more!!!

The tyres were warmed up before properly but I am open minded and will update when I have over 500 miles of wear on them.
Atm I do feel that tyre pressure is a lot more important than the actual tyre in terms of how it reacts.

More comfortable to drive and quieter but no real grip difference that I can notice from only 80 miles in.
The tail is still as happy to step out at the same speeds, more so if anything and when braking partially into corners (if it's a must) the car is just as squirmy.

What pressures do have at the minute? Myself and alot of F/TF owners use 34 rear 28 front. I have Falkens on the rear and Autogrip on the front and Penny handles like a dream on the road

I currently have 26/36 front and rear respectively.
When pressed the back feels quite skittish so I think I will try them set at the same pressure which you have.

As said, I would expect them to feel a lot better than the random assortment of budget tyres which were on the car when I bought it but they really don't. ..yet.

Danielle, Malcolm is correct. I found exactly the same with 36 at the rear. I've used 28/34 for many years now and at Autobahn speeds over 110mph I can honestly take my hands off the wheels, it's a straight as an arrow.

Pressure when cold of course.

Thanks again, I'll be giving it a whirl soon, however I have a far more pressing issue atm.
Despite constantly keeping amn eye on the water levels and temperature I think the lovely little motor was sold to me with an issue that has now become more than slightly apparent...the usual HGF.
Looks likei'll have to wait a week or two while I get it properly repaired by an MG specialist here in Yorkshire.

woe is me.

Just a quick update replacing the old fronts with a pair of Falken Ziex ZE914 Ecorun has transformed the old girl. A lot less twitchy both at high speeds and in the corners.

Thanks for the advice.

Steve

Replaced all four tyres with 16 inch Falken Ziex ZE914 Ecoruns as I want to fit my new AP four pot calipers. Only done 90 miles so far with them & very impressed to date with results, will now experiment with pressures going to try 28F & 34R as my starting point.

Many thanks to all on this thread that recommended the Falken's really grateful one & all.

Happy New Year to all, stay safe, healthy & enjoy life to the full especially driving your MG's.

Cheers

Mike

Is it only me that does not like the tyre design of the Falkens?

If you mean the thread pattern, then yes they dont look very sporty but a lot of performance tyres are similar these days.
I think the move from an aggressive 'V' tread pattern may be related to a lot of manufactures moving from directional tread designs to asymmetric.

All I can say is since I fitted the Falkens in 2015, (full set), the car has been a pleasure to take out and I don't propose to sell it on anytime soon !

Fraser wrote:All I can say is since I fitted the Falkens in 2015, (full set), the car has been a pleasure to take out and I don't propose to sell it on anytime soon !

Good man glad to hear it

Cheers

Mike

Fraser wrote:My latest copy of "Safety Fast" has a little piece on fitting Toyo tyres to the rear wheels. Apparently Toyo changed the tyre spec, so the recommendation is to not fit Toyos to the rear unless also fitted to the front.

I really do wonder if this TF tyres issue will ever be put to bed ! Only two tyre recommendations from MG Motor, and for one of them we have to fit a full set or it's dangerous, apparently ! Just what is it about the TF that makes tyres such an issue ?

Even ordering a full set of Toyos won't ensure you're doing it well, the thing is the manufacturing country. They changed the spec in some year in some manufacturing plant, but they didn't change the model's name. So the thing is that if you are using for example Japan on the front and Malaysia on the rear.. this could make your car feel really unstable (I could experience it myself and I don't really recommend to anybody..) and furthermore, most of the distributors, at least here in Spain, can not tell the manufacturing country before receiving them.. so really a pitty. In my case I've just ordered a full set of Falkens for 240€. I think it's quite a good deal.

hi all, a long time away..

I remember once reading Toyos were the dogs for the TF, and didnt pay any heed for 2 years until last month.. whereupon I got 2 Malaysians for the rear..

leaving the MOT pass, on wet lanes, at low speeds, my eyebrows were raised.. but I thought, 'preservatives and do a few miles' and so on.. then I went online to read the horror stories and kicked myself..

about 500 hard miles in, no change (all dry after that first day! a drought starting here) and the car is quite a pig.. I dare not get to 70mph, ever

It almost feels like massive unpredictable oversteer in the dry, like having two flat rear tyres.. bizarrely she handles quite well - I am sure one wheel is coming off the ground with serious cornering!, but seasickness sets in - the body roll seems more, and grip and steering-speed seem to make even curves a cornering 'thrill' .. straight line stability has gone..

before these 2 tyres, I had (from purchase) an old Toyo, a good year, a budget and something else.. and one on the back was a 195! she handled very well..


so.. I wonder what i should I do.. I was made redundant recently and cash is becomning an issue.. keep the toyos and buy 2 more for the front or bin them

thanks for any suggestions,
John

Hmm...I can't help thinking you have some other issues in the suspension area if it is that bad.

On my own TF, bought in 2014, the car was certainly very nervous, darting here and there and tramlining very badly, but not dangerous, at least not at the speeds I go along at. However the tyres were 3 x Goodyears as per factory fitment, plus a Continental on the offside rear, not a good combination I think. First off I replaced the rears with the Falkens as recommended by MG Motor. The car immediately calmed down almost as if a switch had been thrown somewhere ! However still a bit nervous. Then I finally replaced the fronts, again with the recommended Falkens and the car calmed down completely. Was I happy !! And things have been fine since then. I run the tyres slightly softer than factory at the rear on about 32 psi rather than 36, and fronts as recommended. I also fitted a set of the Bilsteins to get me a bit more comfort. This was expensive but did the trick although it took about a 1000 miles for the dampers to settle in. Now I am totally happy with the car, and last year used it for a weeks holiday in the North East.

It is a puzzle that the Toyos don't seem to be OK now, as these are one of the two recommendations from MG MOtor as I understand it. What the TF needs is a much broader choice of tyres. Any car that is so sensitive to tyre makes is a no-no in my opinion. I suspect that what is really needed is some suspension geometry changes but we won't get these now, obviously.

Hi John,

Sounds to me like suspension troubles as well more than anything. I just got the rear dampers changed on my F and she's like a different car in terms of road holding and cabin noise. Next to go is the fronts, but your mention that she feels like she's lifting off sounds more like the suspension not doing it's job in keeping the tyres on the floor than the tyres themselves being an issue!

thanks all, sorry I probably went on a bit in my post.. in essence the day i changed the two rear tyres the handling changed instantly and became unpredictable and scary..
I then read about others changing to Toyos from Malaysia and it all made sense.. I have the same symptoms.. i just dont know whether to change the fronts now, throw the rears away or just ignore it and live with it..

John


unless of course ..

the new sticky toyos are showing up a pre-existing suspension issue... that is possible..
I can get the tracking done, and I guess then consider toyos on the front..if all that fails I am £250 down though...

but your mention that she feels like she's lifting off sounds more like the suspension not doing it's job in keeping the tyres on the floor than the tyres themselves being an issue!

I am not certain i am getting a wheel off the ground.. possibly its hard to explain.. the Toyos almost seem to grip so well that the cornering force has gone up.. the steering is twitchy and nervous (which it wasnt before) and i am sure the steering is faster now.. but to drive at 60 on a straight road is a battle.. and any input too much and you almost end in a weave.. it wasnt like this before the tyres though.