Tire discussion and choices [Merged 11-7] which size what tires tiretire

[Dream On]

I've also got Kuhmo's. Mine are all seasons, Ecsta ASX's. I've had them less than a year, and I really like them. They were just tested in the snow, and I went up and down hills with multiple inches of snow with no problems at all. (AWD helps of course) I only ever slid if I went around a turn and hit the gas a little too much or if I was braking too much. Currently, my car doesn't make enough power to actually have to worry about traction in dry conditions though, but so far they're fine for that.

 

[Splitpi]

I have Avon Tech M550 A/S ~ $80 each, W rated. Good tires, but it takes a bit to get used to them after swaping from summer's (obviously better dry traction).

 

[boosted_91_tsi]

I use Kumho ASX's for DD and I do not have a single complaint. Great reviews and awesome tread wear. I would definitely go with an All-Season tire though, they will last you longer and will still get traction in the snow.

 

[gsxAWDdsm692]

I have also used Kuhmo ASX's and they do a tremendous job on my car. I Wreck-o-mend them haha kidding.

 

[1gcrazy]

Ok well I'll tell you guys this. I have 2000 Maxima SE rims on the car. They came like that. They actually look pretty sick. Anyways, I'm looking at a tire calculator and assuming the stock tire size was 215/50-16, assuming because I never got a straight answer and the woman keeps calling me to bed. So I searched TheTireRack.com and I looked up 225/50/17 which is whats on there now. I wanted to go maybe a little bit wider and try and lower it back to keep the stock speedo correct since I tend to have a heavy foot. I was looking at 235/40-17's, they're .03% off of the stock tire size as opposed to like 8% which I thought was a pretty good deal.
Anyways, I've never bought tires since every car i've bought had a set of good ones on there. I've found the Kuhmo ASX's and Sumitomo HTR+'s in size 235/40-17. The sidewall should be about an inch smaller than the stock tire but I dont want to have to worry about bending a rim and cutting a tire.
I like both the ASX's and the HTR's because they have a somewhat aggressive pattern and they're still all season. To add some icing, THEY'RE CHEAP!!! 89 and 79 a tire.

**NOTE: I'm VERY open to suggestions if you all think I should go a different size.** AS IN GIVE ME SOME SUGGESTIONS ON SIZES.

 

[Talesin]

I've heard good things about the Goodyear 'triple tread' series, in regards to all-season driving.. living where I do, I haven't had too much reason to pick them up and try them out though.

AWD really doesn't matter as much as it'd seem if you're using a high performance summer tire... they aren't meant for snow, and even (especially?) the best ones out there are going to slip. Had a set of Eagle F1 GS-D3s for a while (true E-ticket rides), and the car started sliding around terribly when I hit some snow going through a pass to visit some friends; almost ended up going off the road at one point, before I realized how bad it really was.. had too much confidence in them, as they gripped like crazy dry or wet. Soon as they hit snow though, they were gone.

 

[1gcrazy]

I've heard good things about the Goodyear 'triple tread' series, in regards to all-season driving.. living where I do, I haven't had too much reason to pick them up and try them out though.

AWD really doesn't matter as much as it'd seem if you're using a high performance summer tire... they aren't meant for snow, and even (especially?) the best ones out there are going to slip. Had a set of Eagle F1 GS-D3s for a while (true E-ticket rides), and the car started sliding around terribly when I hit some snow going through a pass to visit some friends; almost ended up going off the road at one point, before I realized how bad it really was.. had too much confidence in them, as they gripped like crazy dry or wet. Soon as they hit snow though, they were gone.

Well this year has been ESPECIALLY snowy, like crazy snowy. Usually the roads are cleared within a day and getting to and from work shouldn't be an issue with summer tires. I think i've made up my mind though, this is the DAILY driver and it needs to be well suited towards DAILY driving. I doubt i'll even raise the boost. I might add a gauge or two in the stereo bezel to keep dibs on things. I might add a 2.5'' exhaust and a KnN for better mileage...Other than that though, the cars staying stock.

What does everyone think about tire choice? Whats the widest I can go on a 7 inch rim? The rims are 17x7 btw...

245/40/17 with a 45mm offset.

 

[Defiant]

I took some Fuzion HR-1 tires through a fairly nasty snowstorm last December. They were excellent. They do great in the dry, and they're holding up well.
I'd run Dunlop A2 Sports before these, and they were terrific as well.

 

[highpsi93tsi]

Michelin pilot exalto's, REAL cheap? hercules has some and kumho 712's

 

[2alpha]

its too late here for me to find out what tires i have on my Eclipse...but i live in Alaska and i have like 4 sets of ties that i got with my two DSMs and i have only tried the set that came on the one car that runs. i know for winter blizzaks work like gods for traction. but its not necessary for you. the AWD helps a lot btw. i deff would know that one after driving both summer and winter here. i'll post later and let you know what i have on my car currently. i know they aren't the best but i have had no problems with them.....they could possibly be summer tires...

 

[Dream On]

Ok well I'll tell you guys this. I have 2000 Maxima SE rims on the car. They came like that. They actually look pretty sick. Anyways, I'm looking at a tire calculator and assuming the stock tire size was 215/50-16, assuming because I never got a straight answer and the woman keeps calling me to bed. So I searched TheTireRack.com and I looked up 225/50/17 which is whats on there now. I wanted to go maybe a little bit wider and try and lower it back to keep the stock speedo correct since I tend to have a heavy foot. I was looking at 235/40-17's, they're .03% off of the stock tire size as opposed to like 8% which I thought was a pretty good deal.
Anyways, I've never bought tires since every car i've bought had a set of good ones on there. I've found the Kuhmo ASX's and Sumitomo HTR+'s in size 235/40-17. The sidewall should be about an inch smaller than the stock tire but I dont want to have to worry about bending a rim and cutting a tire.
I like both the ASX's and the HTR's because they have a somewhat aggressive pattern and they're still all season. To add some icing, THEY'RE CHEAP!!! 89 and 79 a tire.

**NOTE: I'm VERY open to suggestions if you all think I should go a different size.** AS IN GIVE ME SOME SUGGESTIONS ON SIZES.

Stock tire size is 205/55/16 I believe.

 

[TSIMonsteR]

I would go with the ASTs or the Exclaim UHPs.

The Exclaim UHPs (General) handle the snow well, but beat the AST and ASX in wet/dry traction, as well as treadlife (according the TireRack) Look into them. I just bought 8 of them for 2 different cars, and they are great. 235/45 should fit nicely.

 

[matthewdesigns]

I'm on my third set of all-season Toyo Proxes FZ4's and I abutely love them. Incredible in the dry, great in the wet (shed water like a duck), and good in the snow. I'm down in the Springs and have driven them for the last 5 winters with no issues...and this one's really put them through the paces. Of course they suck on ice, but they are not studded or siped. But on packed or loose powder, they perform pretty well.

http://www.toyo.com/docs/tires/tires.asp?lpid=18967&name=Proxes FZ4™&category=sport

I drive them hard on my "daily racer", and end up with about 25K miles out of a set. For a daily driver with less action I bet you'd see quite a bit more than that.

 

[out there]

my girlfriend has kumho ecsta's on her prelude, and i think they are very nice tires. i bought bridgestone potenza g009, iirc, for my dsm. really nice summer tires, great in wet conditions and pretty good snowy/icy handling. i don't drive this car much in the winter (yet), so i can't tell you that the potenza's are excellent or crud. the only better bridgestone all-season tire, when i purchased mine, was the traction t/a. i think you'd love these tires for a variety of reasons; i really like the braking capabilities. mine have a 55k mile warranty, so that has you covered in the life-of-tire dept. the ecsta's have been rocking for a couple of years now, but a lot of that car's driving is on the highway

 

[blackGSX2g]

I've had the Proxes FZ4s and they had horrible treadwear, I'd spin all 4 through 1st on dry pavement, horrible traction in the rain, and non-existant in the snow. I switched to Proxes F4s and have been more than happy with them.

When I used by 17"s, I had Sumitomo HTR+ tires and loved them year round. Cheap and they worked great.

That being said, if you are using this as a daily driver through snow conditions, I would STRONGLY recommend getting a dedicated set of snow tires. Up until this year I always used all seasons and it was ok, but it is a NIGHT AND DAY difference driving with Blizzaks through the snow. Not cheap, but definately worth it.

 

[wret]

I nearly bald Falkens this past fall and was faced with buying up to three sets of tires: winter tires, summer road tires, and autocross tires. I ended up postponing the decision and just replaced the Falkens with the cheapest thing I could find: Nexen N3000. Actually I'm very impressed with them. Great on dry pavement, outstanding in the rain, and surprisingly not too bad on snow and ice.

 

[TKW#13]

I had the Kumho ASX 225/50r16 and I live in SLC, UT. I was impressed being a performance tire at how well they actually performed in the snow.

 

[1gcrazy]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/235-...ryZ66475QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

So I found these in my size. I dont mind buying used, i'm more anxious to get my other project finished at the moment.

Does anyone object to me using a 235/45 on a 17 with a 45mm offset on a 91 gsx with a stock suspension? I'm hoping that it doesn't rub...

Is the gap gonna look goofy? Should I stick with the 225/50-17 thats on there? The odometer would be off by 3.6% too fast...er something...

 

[eclipsh]

Don't buy used tires. There are only two in the listing and you are AWD. You need even tread wear and height to avoid destroying your center viscous coupler. Besides, the lower part of the tire tread is the worst performing AND you have less tread depth to handle the snow.

Compromising quality on tires is never worth the money. A hundred bucks could mean the difference between staying on the road and totaling your car and yourself.

That said, stay away from the Bridgestone Pontenza G009. I had a set for two years. They are awful in snow. I got through two winters on them but I sure as hell wouldn't want to do it again. Summer traction was pretty bad too. I was just never very happy with them.

If you can afford it, get a set of winter tires now. I have a set of Nitto NT1 snow tires and I am very pleased with them. Check with Discount Tire Direct for a good deal on them.

DO NOT try to run summer tires year round in Colorado. You'll notice that they all say DO NOT RUN in temperatures near freezing. The rubber compound used in summer tires can't handle it.

I only ran the Kumho ASX tires in the summer but I was happier with their performance than the G009s. Wet traction was excellent. I'd try them in the snow for you but I don't have any tread left

My final suggestion would be to find a set of factory swirlies cheap or a set of steelies and throw some snow tires on them. Then you can keep the bigger set for summer rubber or run the tires on them now into the ground if money is tight and swap back to your winter tires when they are dead in the fall.

EDIT: Oh yeah, they already are run into the ground. Meh, get the ASX if you are not pushing the car hard in cornering. They are tolerable for AutoX but something stickier is better.

 

[92TSIEAGLE]

Living in an area close to the rockies myself. I've found that there is no better tire to use then a full on winter tire (in the winter of course). I've used Michelin's in the past and i'm now using BFG winter slalom's for the past three winters. I've autocrossed on these tires and the traction and handling in the snow is incredible. I've used all seasons in the past and have found that most performance all seasons are pretty much useless in the winter.

I'm using the stock tire size 205/55R16 they cut better through the snow than 225's

 

[1gcrazy]

Don't buy used tires. There are only two in the listing and you are AWD. You need even tread wear and height to avoid destroying your center viscous coupler. Besides, the lower part of the tire tread is the worst performing AND you have less tread depth to handle the snow.

Compromising quality on tires is never worth the money. A hundred bucks could mean the difference between staying on the road and totaling your car and yourself.

That said, stay away from the Bridgestone Pontenza G009. I had a set for two years. They are awful in snow. I got through two winters on them but I sure as hell wouldn't want to do it again. Summer traction was pretty bad too. I was just never very happy with them.

If you can afford it, get a set of winter tires now. I have a set of Nitto NT1 snow tires and I am very pleased with them. Check with Discount Tire Direct for a good deal on them.

DO NOT try to run summer tires year round in Colorado. You'll notice that they all say DO NOT RUN in temperatures near freezing. The rubber compound used in summer tires can't handle it.

I only ran the Kumho ASX tires in the summer but I was happier with their performance than the G009s. Wet traction was excellent. I'd try them in the snow for you but I don't have any tread left

My final suggestion would be to find a set of factory swirlies cheap or a set of steelies and throw some snow tires on them. Then you can keep the bigger set for summer rubber or run the tires on them now into the ground if money is tight and swap back to your winter tires when they are dead in the fall.

EDIT: Oh yeah, they already are run into the ground. Meh, get the ASX if you are not pushing the car hard in cornering. They are tolerable for AutoX but something stickier is better.

Well I have the cash to buy a full set but I just dont know how i'm going to finish my project which NEEDS to get done within the next month. I've been out on the current tires in the snow and they dont seem too bad. The tread is hardly there but i dunno. They WERE Potenza RE92's... not sure how good or bad they were.
I found that set on ebay and then theres another guy selling a set on ebay that look to be about the same tread. 5-6/32's on every tire. There is also a guy in Denver thats selling a pair of ASX's and those plus the ebay ones are about 110 which I figured would hold me over for about a year or two. I doubt a few 32nd's is going to ruin my VC.
I still need arp's and a gasket kit for my project and I can start building...

 

[1gcrazy]

Anyone ever thought about getting a good wearing summer tire and having them sipped?

 

[EricGRIT09]

I'm using Nitto Extreme Performance tires... 17" (just bought the car so i don't really know the exact tire size)....

Definitely not meant for the snow, but the AWD does wonders and I'm not having any trouble in upstate NY with foot after foot of snow.

 

[TSIMonsteR]

Besides, the lower part of the tire tread is the worst performing

That is not entirely correct. The tread blocks are shorter on worn tires, therefore, they are more rigid and move less under hard cornering. Worn tires almost always more responsive, in dry conditions of course.

from TireRack

"It is also important to note that your old tires probably had very little tread depth remaining when you felt it was time to replace them. Don't be surprised if your new tires are a little slower to respond (even if you use the exact same tire as before).....Their new, full depth brings with it a little more tread squirm until they wear down."

Just thought that may be helpful to someone.

 

[1gcrazy]

I would go with the ASTs or the Exclaim UHPs.

The Exclaim UHPs (General) handle the snow well, but beat the AST and ASX in wet/dry traction, as well as treadlife (according the TireRack) Look into them. I just bought 8 of them for 2 different cars, and they are great. 235/45 should fit nicely.

I know i'm kind of all over the board here but shit, I just found these guys.
They're top of the board in the Ultra High Performance Summer tires and they're ALSO rated for mud and snow! THEY'RE ALSO CHEAPER!!!!

I kinda had my heart set on the ASX's but hell if the UHP's are better than the ASX's and I can save some cash why the hell not....