Federal Fz201S On R34 Gtr Rims

[MrStabby]

Given that 595 RSRs appear to have some weird compatibility problem with R34 GTR rims (apparently the tyre cant be fitted to this particular rim) i'd like to know if anyone has fitted FZ201s to them before I buy a set...

[Duncan]

I have *not* fitted them. Tyre shop (very good one) managed to get one on a rim using over 120psi to seat it before the manager caught them using that much pressure lol.

My theory is that it is a very aggressive tyre bead shape, combined with a very aggressive rim shape. I later fitted Federal 595SS to the same rims no problem, I've fitted FZ201 to 2 other sets of rims, and obviously billions of people have fitted tyres to R34 rims. But the combination just does not happen.

BTW federal were great about the problem, sent a tech to the tyre shop to check it out, and swapped for another tyre at no cost.

[simpletool]

What what??? Surely there are Evo owners out there running RSR on R34 GTR rims? How bizarre !

[MrStabby]

I have *not* fitted them. Tyre shop (very good one) managed to get one on a rim using over 120psi to seat it before the manager caught them using that much pressure lol.

My theory is that it is a very aggressive tyre bead shape, combined with a very aggressive rim shape. I later fitted Federal 595SS to the same rims no problem, I've fitted FZ201 to 2 other sets of rims, and obviously billions of people have fitted tyres to R34 rims. But the combination just does not happen.

BTW federal were great about the problem, sent a tech to the tyre shop to check it out, and swapped for another tyre at no cost.

Thanks for the info Duncan. I guess i'll just try cheapo R888s as my first R specs then, unless anyone wants to suggest something else in the cheaper end of the scale in 255-35-18s.

[Duncan]

ahh this won't help either....but I've heard nothing good about 888 under heavy cars like GTRs.

If you can't go different rims or a different size FZ201, I'd look at kumho v70a as the next best reasonably priced semi.

[zebra]

wasnt it only 1 size of the federals that didnt fit (255s if I recall)

I know a guy with R888's under a Porsche 928, seems to do ok

[Duncan]

yes, only 1 size (255/18), and only 1 rim (r34 gtr).

Chris ran the 888 on his mx5 and was very happy to. But plenty of people have tried on GTRs and been unimpressed.

[MrStabby]

yes, only 1 size (255/18), and only 1 rim (r34 gtr).

Has any other size been tested? There's no reason to think a 245/35 would fit, right?

[zebra]

IIRC, federal said all other sizes were fine

[zebra]

here you go

Hi everyone,

Mick from Federal (NTW) here. Firstly I would like to thank everyone who has ordered Federal Tyres through the NSW Club, we really appreciate you and the club supporting Federal Tyres!

I have some important info for anyone considering purchasing 595RS-R tyres for their R34 GTR wheels that I thought I should share... It appears that there is a compatability issue between these particular wheels and the way that the sidewall/bead area of the 595RS-R is constructed.

There have been 2 members who have recently purchased 255/35R18 595RS-R's for their R34 GTR wheels and unfortunately on both occasions the tyres have either been extremely difficult to fit or have just not gone on the wheel at all. We now know that the reason for this is that the 595RS-R has a more "aggressive" bead angle which is built into the tyre to help it seat on to the wheel a lot firmer than regular street tyres (this reduces the risk of the sidewall and bead area being damaged under extreme loading commonly caused by track driving) normally this would not present a problem, however we have now realised that the R34 GTR wheels were also built with this in mind as they have a bead seat area that adopts quite a large and aggressive bead retaining lip (which also helps keep the bead in place a lot firmer than normal). When these two aggressive bead areas are put together it makes the tyre extremely hard to fit to the wheel (not impossible though) and it is only made more difficult by the extremely stiff steel reinforced casing in the 595RS-R.

This issue is only evident when these two products are put together (R34 GTR wheels and 255/35R18 595RS-R's), we have not seen this occur with any other sizes of 595RS-R's or even with the same size on different wheels so don't be discouraged as this seems to be strictly limited to this particular combination of wheel and tyre.

Please don't hesitate to ask me any questions, I'm happy to answer any queries or concerns by either PM or within this thread.

Once again, thankyou for supporting Federal Tyres, we hope that we can continue to support SAU NSW for many more years to come!

Cheers,

Mick

[MrStabby]

Tnx Zeb, SAUNSW deals with a Mick, so I assume its the same guy and he'll be able to offer advice on what does and doesnt work.

[Duncan]

bloody hell...thanks for finding that post Zeb.

Important point....the issue was with 595RSR and R34 GTR rims, not FZ201.......so take back all my earlier comments in this thread!

I've used FZ201 on 2 other sets of rims without any problems, and was very happy with them, especially for the price

Adam it is definately the same Mick (NSW club member), he was super helpful when the issue happened.

[ahhbee]

Kind of glad you brought this up, i was planning this as my new tyre/wheel setup, which leave me wondering what tyre to use instead. Ku36's dont come in 255/35 so anyone got any reccomendations for a street tyre. Cheers

[MrStabby]

FYI, Mick doesnt know if the FZ201s will fit and has not agreed to take them back if they dont. Thats not good enough for me so I will go for something else.

[Bullet32]

FYI, Mick doesnt know if the FZ201s will fit and has not agreed to take them back if they dont. Thats not good enough for me so I will go for something else.

Hi guys,

Mick from NTW (Federal Tyres NSW) here... I apologise for not getting involved in this subject sooner, I have been reading your posts but unfortunately havent found the time to reply to them all.

Hi Adam - When I read your post (above) I realise that there must have been a break-down in communication and I apologise... I do remember discussing these tyres with Owen when he contacted me to see if they would fit on to your rims but I don't really remember the exact wording in the discussion so I'll try to clarify for you now.

What I would have meant to say is that it is our company policy to not take returns of special order tyres (tyres that are not a regular stock line) which the 255/35R18 FZ-201's are... However in this case I am happy to make an exception as we are unable to advise whether or not they will be compatible with your rims.

Adam, I don't usually do direct sales as I primarily work in marketing, but will be happy to personally look after this order from start to finish for you if you choose to go ahead and will be happy to talk to you directly over the phone or via e-mail when it comes to fitting the tyres (whether they do fit the wheels or not).

I will ensure that if the tyres do not work on your wheels and they are in returnable condition (no damage to bead area or sidewall) that you get a full and prompt refund.

Again, I'm sorry for the break-down in communication and I hope that we can still help you out with some new rubber!