I purchased 245/40 Toyo T1R lastnight. So far I like them. I will be putting them to the test next week during the RX SoCal cruise Here are some pics. Ohh and I installed the RB exhaust about a month ago and i'm very pleased with its design and sound.

 

Nice..... I just installed some Kumho's ECSTA SPT 245/40 in the back yesterday..(I have 225/45 in the front. I must say that I think the 245/40s fit better then the 225 beause they have much less of a sidewall gap between the rim and the sidewall.

 

Nice brake rotors...brown like the majority of the owners on this site. Anyways nice tires Newcastle , I can't wait until I get mine soon. I'm still debating if I want to get the Toyo T1-R or the infamous Kumho Escta SPT.

 

congrats on the tires... i have them as well & love them. i also have the racing beat exhaust, which i love too! both are great additions to the car, & i have not questioned my decision to buy either yet. enjoy both & have fun on the socal cruise.

 

Hmmm...another Toyo taker. Interesting.

 

Whats interesting about that?

 

I like that tire it is sweet!

 

What is the difference between stock 225/45 and your 245/40 that you have installed? I'm new to this.

EDIT: Ok, so the first number is the thickness. So, technically, you'll get more traction with 245 over 225. Does the second number change the diameter of the tire, so that your speedometer is now off?

 

I Like!!

 

245=width, 40=sidewall height which is determined by a percentage of the width. So since I whent with a 245 in order to retain the stock tire side wall height they dropped the second # by 5% (ie 45 to 40).

 

so if you went 245/45 would the tire have closed some of your gap or would it just raise the height of your car?

 

I think it would do both.

 

Fabro:
I went with the SPT, but that was in large part due to bargain price for a well reviewed tire. If cash is no issue for you (When you bought your RX-8, did you have to ask the price before going for your checkbook?), I'd recommend the Toyo. Newcastle got these (see pics above), and they LOOK killer. Also, what little I have heard so far, they are very fine ultra-hi perf. tires.

Good luck,
Jeffrey

 

Uh, stupid alert in my house. I see you have already talked to him. Sorry. - JT

 

yummy t1-r! You just washed your car, right?

 

Yup

 

tires are freakin' awsome! me like!

 

newcastle - I'm looking at those same tires and I'm curious if you are still pleased with them now, a few weeks later. Would you still go with the 245/40, or would you opt for the 225/45 or 225/40?

Just looking for opinions on sizes, since the Toyo's get great reviews everywhere I read... Thanks.

 

The diameter of a 225/45 x 18 is only 1% different from the diameter of a 245/40 x 18. The only net change therefore is the amount of rubber on the road from the increased tread width.

Tire Size Comparison

Specification Sidewall Radius Diameter Circumference Revs/Mile Difference
225/45-18 4.0in 13.0in 26.0in 81.6in 777 0.0%
245/40-18 3.9in 12.9in 25.7in 80.8in 784 -1.0%

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

Saturday I whent on the Socal RX cruise and I must say that I am very pleased with the tires performance. I was driving down some steep twisty trails and grabbed on to that road like white on rice. I will purchase these tires again.

 

Good to know, newcastle, thank you....
I saw that (or something very similar) that you posted above - so the difference is very subtle, that's cool - do you feel that the actual performance difference is negligible then? Is there any benefit to looking for a 225/40R18 then? 5% difference between that and the 225/45R18, is that worth anything? I know it's nit-picky, but it's worth asking, I figure... Thanks...

 

The Toyo T1Rs are available now in 225/45/18...but everyone on here seems to own them in the 245/40/18 size. I would hope that at 225/45 the T1Rs would be identical if not better in performance than the stock Bridgestones are...but you never know until you actually buy them and try.

 

I just prefer the wider tires. As Jerky posted above I can't comment on the 225 due to the fact that the previous tire were Potenza and not the Toyo T1R. You would be better off asking some guys that track which tire would be best.