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A021R to be discontinued!


Drumster

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Started my Caterham ownership with the standard Avons , hated driving it when wet but then changed to AO21- transformed the car both dry and in rain. Now need to replace the rear AO21s .but unsure if to go with what seem like standard tyres such as the Rainexpert or to stick with more 'track' like tyres such as the Nankang.Want to stick with 14 inch so limited choice and only a standard 1.6 k motor. Seem to be one review on ChitChat of the Nankang but this doesn't make a clinical trial--. Any other thoughts?

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Like Martin  I have two new on the front and two MOT doubtfuls on the back, and I am not sure it is  safe to mix with another brand, so it looks like a complete new set?  But of what  given my location......?

Do the new  AO21s actually bear the the legend  "Not for Highway use"?    er, just enquiring*whistle*

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I have chosen Uniroyal RainSport3 for the 21. This morning I drove 50 miles (having let the tyre pressure down from the fitters 35 psi to 18psi).

Obviously it's too soon to comment, as there will still be release fluid on the tread but I was delighted that the roads were dry despite the mist.

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  • 1 month later...

Hi Guys,  I have read through the 84 posts on this topic, I found the discussions interesting but with what do I replace my worn-out 185/70 x13" AO21Rs, used for occasional track days and road?

The problem appears to be the fact that there are no comparable tyres available in 70 profile.  Changing to 14" rims to use 185/60 ZZS tyres seems to be overkill! (and expensive)

Thanks for any suggestions.

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I've been struggling with this conundrum for some time.  I'm fortunate enough to have two sets of wheels one R13 (which had the AO21s 185/70s) and the other R14 (which had Avon ZV3 185/60s).  The difference in tyre profile and wheel size just about cancelled each other out so I didn't have to worry about changing ride heights/speedo settings each time I swapped them over.

Now the AO21s have come to the end of their life, I've gone for a set of Uniroyal Rain Expert 3 in 185/70 R13 (about £40 from Black Circles) and intend to use these for my 'touring' tyres and to deal with the wet stuff.  For dry days and track days I aiming to get a set of Toyo R888Rs in 185/60 R14 (about £97 from Demon Tweaks).  I did consider the Avon ZZS's but the sizes are limited and the nearest sizes to my requirements were 185/55 R13 or 195/50 R15 which doesn't suit my tyre strategy!  From the Avon website (see http://www.avonmotorsport.com/road-legal/performance/zzs) I didn't think they do them in R14 size?

Bob

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Hi Bob,

Thanks for your reply.  It was really useful.  Thinking through the arguments a bit more, I think you have come to the correct conclusion.  In fact, I have ordered the Uniroyals from Black Circles today.  This gets me over an immediate problem.....my AO21Rs were shot (6 years old) and had the grip of blocks of wood. I have a track day coming up May 1st, and, although not that  'racy' the Uniroyals should be ok for that.  More importantly, We are also off for the IOW Blat soon, so they will be ideal for this.

I too think the R888s look good and are popular.  The tricky thing for me will be the selection of wheels to go with them.  I have a live axle so the studs need to be Ital/Triumph pattern - I don't know how easy these will be to find.

Anyway, thanks very much for your reply, I found it really useful and have followed your strategy.

regards,

Nick

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  • 2 months later...

I`ve been running A021s for several years on road and track and they were getting thin so I bit the bullet and fitted a set of NS-2Rs for road use. Tried them out at Cadwell and they are OK!  Grip limit is lower than the 21s but is quite progressive and drifts quite well. Turn in is less positive but OK. Side walls are a lot stiffer so they require much less negative camber on the front than the 21s. They are over a kilo heavier than the 21s and you can feel in on rough roads but general ride quality is OK. Felt OK in the wet, which it was on the way there. Put the 21s back on after a few laps as the track was damp and the armco close but I would be happy to use them for `fun` in the dry and they are certainly OK for the road. 

I did encounter an unexpected, wrongly marked, 180 degree, downhill, damp, hairpin bend on the way home but I still had the 21s on the car and we made it,  I suspect the NS-2Rs may not have.

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  • 1 month later...

Finally made a decision and bought rainexperts to replace both the not very worn front AO21 and the very worn rear. No track days yet but they certainly feel different to the AO21s, done about 100 dry miles on them running at 19 psi. Grip seem fine but harder ride. Interesting that the car doesn't feel as ' stuck' to the ride as it used to but the tyres are new, the AO compound I presume was softer so it's only a feel rather than a real difference. Shame the AO re classified for non road use- cos they were too noisy? Have they ever heard a Caterham!

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  • 7 months later...

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