jcblessing

Been shopping for two new tires for my '07. Being retired I'm waiting the money a little closer. I'm not a real aggressive driver,but I enjoy pushing the 8 at times.
Love the windy back roads and hairy curves. Being in the KC area we get our share of snow and if it's too bad I leave her in the garage. With lighter snows I used a pair of snow tires w/extra wheels. I ran across onlinetires.com. offering an Achilles Atr Sport @$92.67 ea. + Frt. Been reading some reviews-sounds like adecent tire for the money. Tread design similar to Dunlop-good wear rating-400 -Trac. AA Temp. A
Would welcome any comments. Thanks

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

400 tread wear makes me cringe, to be honest. If you love curves that much, you should probably go to at least a 300 treadwear tire, if not more. 400 tread wear is a really hard tire that won't grip all that well.

I use a 400 treadwear tire for my MSM currently, because kicking the rear out is so much fun, and significantly easier than on a 300.

Dirtyswiff

I posted on a thread about these specific tires except I'm running them with 19s unless anyone else chimes in I could be the only one with this set. They are good quality IMO I've had them for a year and a half close to two, and I'm barley starting to see tread-wear. I live in Cali so I can't give you the best advice on how they handle in the snow. But regardless of my review, if your looking for quality. Don't always be fooled by big brand names.

jcblessing

Thanks,Dirty - I think I'm going to pull the trigger on a couple of them next week-It's not a big investment.

Dirtyswiff

No prob, once you run them a couple 1000 miles check back in with the club. Drop your own opinion. Obviously we need more reviews for this brand tire to ensure reliability. Have fun!

godesshunter

Made in china. I'm guessing those are the cheapest tires you could find?

Dirtyswiff

Well, those tires were offered to me as a more affordable alternative to what I originally had which were the bf Goodrich g force set which were a lot better then these although due to the the price difference I was reluctant to try them out, but I thought I'd give em a shot..they're serving me well..and they're tread don't look half as bad either I just wish I had wider wheels.... Any personal suggestions?

godesshunter

You obviously have to stick to your personal means and budget. But I work at a tire shop and what I like to tell people is:

"You didn't pick your car because it was the cheapest one you could find right? Why would you pick your tires the same way. Choose a tire that best suits your driving style and the type of car you have. If you have a high quality sports car you should have a high quality sports tire"

I personally have Sumitomo HTR Z3 tires on my 8. They have been great so far.

godesshunter

Keep in mind also not to place too much emphasis on the UTQG rating. Its more of a guideline. The ratings are manufacturer determined. Its not set in stone that a 400 tw tire will last longer than a 300 tw tire.

I used to have a set of Falken RT 615 200 tw They were so hard that it was very difficult to keep the rear straight on the car while autoxing. They supposedly fixed it with the 615K but I have no interest in finding out.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, i see it more as a grip rating than a lifespan rating, though even then, there are plenty of varying factors.

Dirtyswiff

Spoken like a great salesman... Do u carry the Achillies ATR in your shop? Maybe u can enlighten us in how often they are purchased?

godesshunter

Honestly, I had never heard of them before this thread. We're on programs with Michelin, BFG, Bridgestone, and Firestone. Those are the tires we try to sell most. the cheap Chinese tires typically go in 14" and 15" cars (older cars driven by younger people) Our demographic is mostly mid to late model sedans, crossovers and light truck. Not a lot of sports cars in my area. The few that are usually buy tires online anyway.

Dirtyswiff

I just hate spending so much on tires when u most likely have to replace them every other season anyway. These ones, even if they are considered cheap have really surprised me. But ultimately, I'll be putting on some muy expensivo set of tires when I do my wheel setup and drop my ride.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, I buy all my tires online. Tire shops have a tendancy to have a really irritating flaw that "there is only 1 size available for any one car". I don't mean actually available, but that the service rep won't consider other tire sizes. Even same diameter is rough, downsizing is nearly impossible. (but completely valid, 17" winters or race tires for the 8, 15" or 16" for my MSM that is 17" stock). When I had to replace the winters on my 8 on the last cross country trip, I spent 30 minutes on the phone with a tire shop a few hours ahead of me arguing about the range of possible tire sizes for my winter wheels, which he didn't believe because "the RX-8 has 225/45/18s!"

At least online you can just not give a base vehicle and search for sizing you are interested in. One thing still missing is being able to supply a rim diameter and width, and it gives you all tires that can reasonably fit it, with appropriate other filters.

drum-beats

I currently have ATR's on my 8, I got them cheap from my local as a tester,
I wouldn't recommend them,
In the dry they are fine, as soon as there is a bit of water on the road however its a different story, I find them unpredictable and quite unsafe,
Just my 2c,

godesshunter

There are a lot of variables when it comes down to that argument. And trust me I see your point of view.

9 times out of 10 it boils down to liability. As you can imagine, running a repair shop carries a LOT of liability. There are so many things that can go wrong or at least make us be in the wrong. The federally mandated tire placard in the door jamb is always our reference. It shows tire size, load index, speed rating and air pressure.

Doing something different than what that placard stated just adds one more liability to worry about. Tire manufacturers have responded by offering winter tires in almost every size imaginable.

Hypothetically, if you spin out of control and hit a bus full of children, they will undoubtedly investigate the situation. They look for anyone to place the blame on rational or not. If our shop knowingly put the wrong tires on your car, it will come back to us. We don't need that headache.

There are some auto manufacturers that will specify a winter size option. However there are also steps to be taken onboard in the computer that you are driving on the winder size (MB BMW)

And headache to add to it. Know how many times Ive had to deal with people that have the wrong wheels on for winter? Improper lug nuts or centric rings. The hubcaps are already mostly broken. The tires are 10 years old and cracked or ride rough because they've been used only 3-4 months out of the year, TPMS sensor problems... the list goes on...
---

All that being said, there are exceptions. We (just like any other shop regardless of whether they admit it or not) will show bias to loyal customers. We may bend the rules in some areas based on who you are.

As a company policy, we don't sell used tires. Doesn't mean we don't have them... If a regular good customer is in a bind and needs something to get by for a few weeks, we will give them a set of used tires knowing that they will come back for the new set.

Kind of off the topic at this point, but I'm not surprised that particular shop on the other side of the country had minimal interest in helping you. After profit margin and labor, they probably lost out in a couple hundred bucks. But avoided a lot of potential problems. I'm not saying your setup is flawed. Given your attention to detail that we know about you on the forum, I'm sure its just fine. But they don't know that. And they didn't want to risk it.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, understood. It's why I just bypass the headache for them and me and just order online.

jcblessing

Bought the Achilles-less than $85.00 ea. w/freight! - 2 on the front-have half worn Dunlop Dirzerra on back. I pushed them on dry-no problem. In wet/rain they hold better than the back. I must say on wet I'm still a little cautious,but by no means are they dangerous. I will push them more on wet as times goes by,but I believe they're a heck of a buy unless your on the track.
I will post more later-with more experience.

TFRX8

I was a little skeptical when you mentioned the price, but wow that seems like a great deal, and one you couldn't pass up! How long is the warranty?

wiesel42

I put a set of Nitto motivo tires on my 8. They are good tires they are quiet, grippy in both dry and wet and the ride isn't bad either. They were kinda medium rage in price if i remember correctly.

Dirtyswiff

I done told you guys about the achilles already, matter of fact look at my current pictures and tell me after 1 and a half years if my tires don't look good...and Ive never felt them slip even having 19s in the rain. but your a bunch of cowboys. Lol

jcblessing

I belived you Dirty - Great tires. Greater price! I'll be after two more when the Dunlops quit.