One of my most memorable drives of the winter was an extended rain-sodden commute to work in this very Toyota 86 a couple of months ago. The semi-slick tyres (they aren’t meant to be semi-slicks) mostly contributed to the lasting memory. The little Toyota was latched onto the throttle pedal as if by a leash, tugging and pulling every which way it could, but never getting far out of my reach.
This week I’ve been driving an entirely different car. And not in a good way, because the culprit is a set of brand new tyres — stock 205/55 R16 sizes. Now the strained power from the 200bhp engine can’t hope to break traction on a dry surface unless you start sawing at the wheel pretending you’re Scandinavian, or clutch-kicking like a ninja.
Now there’s no fun to be had pirouetting round a turning circle at 15kph — with fresh rubber you have to fly into it at ten times the speed and grip all the way around it, and if you break traction the tyres just might bite into the road again, abruptly, and then you’d better be Scandinavian, or a ninja.
I’ve spoken to a couple of 86 owners this past week and they’ve both changed the wheels and tyres on their cars. Let’s face it, the entry-level 86 looks like it’s riding on a set of space savers. The way to go is some 17s (anything bigger on lower profile tyres will further ruin the ride), 215/45, which is coincidentally also the same wheel and tyre size of the higher-spec 86 you get straight from the dealer (but those ugly rims look more aftermarket than aftermarket ones).
Choose a reputable brand and that means you’ll also benefit from less unsprung weight, and even though the wheel is an inch bigger the tyre rolling circumference will actually drop by 20mm — i.e. more speed everywhere.
Then all you have to do is a half-hour burnout, and job done; ghetto semi-slicks. Now do the rain dance.
