Tires .... which are best ?

[PaulPDX]

Originally posted by gp_eagle
What is wrong with the nitto 555's or the Nitto 450's? I heard that for the money they are the best tires you can get.

Tire Rack doesn't sell Nittos. That's why they didn't make the list. The ratings are based only on the scope what they sell.

 

[PaulPDX]

Luke,

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Pirelli&tireModel=PZero+Nero+M&S

Is this a mistake?

The PZero Nero M+S has better dry and wet traction than the Max performance PZero Nero... much higher tread wear too. And best of all, it's cheap!

I hope this isn't a mistake on your site... I think I may have uncovered a gem! seems almost too good to be true.

-paul

 

[shadrach]

What is wrong with the nitto 555's or the Nitto 450's? I heard that for the money they are the best tires you can get.

I've had the 450's for a couple years, and although they have lasted a long time with quite a few autox and some drag runs, their performance is not all that great. Too hard.

For an Auto-X street tire, they suck. I slide all over the damn place.

I'm looking at getting Yokohama ES100's next year...

 

[CowPimp]

I just wanted to throw in my experince with Khumo Ecsta 712s.

Dry grip is not outstanding, but for under $90 per tire, it is pretty good. Compared to other tires in the same price range, grip seems decent.

Wet grip is simply exceptional. These tires hold better in the wet than some crappy tires hold in the dry. In combination with AWD, these tires just ask me to drive through large puddles.

The treadwear is pretty good. I already have 13000 miles on them, but there is quite a lot of tread left (Half or more). For a daily driver on a budget, these are some pretty good tires.

I think after these tires wear down I'm going with some Khumo Ecsta MXs. From what I have read, they improve on the 712s a lot for only $30 more per tire. Also, they maintain decent wet grip and reasonable treadwear (220).

 

[PaulPDX]

Pirelli P Zero Nero M&S.

Tire Rack ratings:

Dry= 9.1
Wet= 8.8
Hydro resistance= 8.6
Snow traction= 7.6
Cornering stability= 8.9
Steering response= 8.9
Ride comfort= 8.9
Noise comfort= 9.1
Tread wear= 8.8

400 AA A tread wear

245/45/17 = $141

Looks pretty damn good to me. Good all around tire.

Tires I've owned:
Goodyear GA (God Aweful)
Yoko A520 (Awesome tire, short life 180 tread wear)
Yoko Parada (not as good as the A520, but with longer life with 300 wear rating, and less noise and softer ride)

I'd say anything under 300 tread wear would wear too soon. Even if they are cheaper. Think about it this way, you'll need to replace the tires sooner, so the cost saving isn't really there in the long run.

 

[boostle]

Originally posted by PaulPDX
Luke,

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Pirelli&tireModel=PZero+Nero+M&S

Is this a mistake?

The PZero Nero M+S has better dry and wet traction than the Max performance PZero Nero... much higher tread wear too. And best of all, it's cheap!

I hope this isn't a mistake on your site... I think I may have uncovered a gem! seems almost too good to be true.

-paul

Those ratings come from online surveys that customers submit. Those aren't "hard" numbers from controlled testing.

 

[Groomz]

Sumitomo's I've had good experience with. The S-03's are awesome tires, but they wear quickly. Yokohama AVS ES100's are the best all-around tires I've driven on. These are all tires that I've owned and I would recommend the AVS ES100's. I autoX'd a Miata on the Yokos and they worked well.

 

[Thamobster15781]

im hearing these kuhmo ecsta supras are the way to go...im interested in getting them but i have 18 inch rims so any tire gets kinda pricey...where can i get them the cheapest with possibly free or cheap shipping...and if anyones got a better tire to recommend let me know..thanks

 

[jtmcinder]

The best place to get Kumhos is the Tire Rack. But I'd suggest the MXs over the 712s. MXs are better in the dry and wet. (Both are suicide on snow.) MXs also stand up to camber better (as long as toe is zero), because of the larger shoulders. The only drawback is that MXs are louder, but they trammel less, so I even like them better for daily driving.

Note: my experience is with 235/45/17 712s and 245/40/17 MXs. That might be playing a role in my opinion.

Of course, if you never see rain or snow, 225/45/17 Azenis are cheaper and have better grip than 245 MXs in the dry. However, Azenis don't stand up to camber very well (even with zero toe), because of the placement of the circum-cut in the tread.

- Jtoby

 

[Revolution]

When considering a tire its probably the most underestimated performance upgade. I purchased a set of four Kumho ecstas 711 the block tread version and boy let me tell you , in corners the stiffer side wall made for better cornering with just the right amount of slide, in the 1320 these things griped pass after pass alowing nothing but traction and very little spin.To top it all off its the only performance tire I know that will let you drive three full weeks with nails yup NAILS in them. The fact that I work construction (explains why)and failed to relize I had a nail in both my front tires, amazed me because after repeated traveling the tips of the nails were almost gone. No leaks were found.Kumho ectas 711 are by far the ultimate tire I have gotten to drive , better then the azeni and aswell as the parada spec 2.

 

[CowPimp]

Funny that you mention the ability to withstand nails. One of my Khumo 712s had a nail in it for a small road trip, plus some additional unknown amount of time. The road trip consisted of 4 total hours of driving at 85. The tire didn't get low on air. The only reason I even noticed is because I took my car in to get swaybars installed. The mechanic saw it while the car was up on a lift. He could tell it was in there for a while by the wear on the nail.

 

[MNGSX]

Originally posted by jtmcinder
MXs are better in the dry and wet. (Both are suicide on snow)
- Jtoby

I wound'nt go that far... Then again I am a native minnesotan who has spent so much time in snow I can drive damn near anything thru a blizard.

My 712's are the best Z-rateds I have ever driven thru 10" of snow :laugh:....

All kidding aside. They are not meant to be a winter tire, get some blizaks for that. In a pinch they do pretty good on ice and snow for a high performance tire.

But maybe thats just 14yrs of MN driving experience and AWD talking..

 

[CowPimp]

We just got a pretty good amount of snow around here, and my Ecsta MXs did alright. I sort of got stuck once, but some high throttle first gear action eventually got me out. Also, I had some trouble on a steep hill or two. However, spinning my wheels @ 6K RPMs in first gear slowly got my car up the hill. Donuts are pretty fun too!

 

[PaulPDX]

The beauty of AWD. Sliding into parking spots is pretty fun too. That said, I still don't like snow. >:

 

[Defiant]

Good god, two years later. Let's see what tires are best in THIS decade, how about?