Tire suggestions?
 

Anyone have any tips for a good looking, relatively long lasting OEM size replacement tire that will fit my 8's stock rims? This is my daughter's car and she wants something safe and sporty but high performance isn't really a necessary pre-req. If there is something that maybe last longer and/or rides better, we'd be willing to give up performance to get it, especially if the price is better than a pure performance tire. It has a set of Kumho's on it now and, though I've heard of them, I really don't know anything about them.

If you suggest a particular make/model of tire and you know a ballpark of what a set costs, please post that as well.

Thanks

The best thing you can do for your Daughter is make it convenient. What tire outlets are near where she lives? You know Costco, Sam's any tire place where she would feel comfortable getting a tire fixed under warranty. Rather than order on line (sure get a good price) and then she or you might have a little more hassle getting things installed and repaired. There are some good brand tires out there that will last two too three times aslong for the same or less money.

Personally a tire is everything from braking to traction. One of the most important components of a car. So I say go with Dunlop Direzza Star Spec's.

I've studied this issue to death, and yeah, those Dunlop Star Spec's sound like about the best real world tire for economical high grip wet or dry, and might last 20k miles.

Also, slightly cheaper around $133. each at Tire rack are Hankook Ventus V12 k110 which also tested with better wet grip than Star specs, and might last about 20k miles.

IMHO that about the best tire for long life that still works good is General Exclaim UHP about $113 from tire rack, and has the benefit of being sold at Discount Tire which I think is also in NC. So you can get quick professional service, and tire mostly in stock if you have trouble (OLD Rotor's idea), and Exclaim's should get 30k-40k miles.

Ah yes I forgot about the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo's. Fantastic tire as well.

I know some people badmouth Nitto, but I'm actually kind of digging my set of Nitto Neo-Gens. They handle quite nicely and look really aggressive. I've put 8000 miles and several autocross runs on them and they are wearing well. I'd not be suprised to get 25-30K out of them. They're an all season high performance tire, so they'll probably be a bit better on those occasional cold mornings than some of the others mentioned.

Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport have tread wear of 340 or Yokohama S.drive have the tread wear of 300, they both are around 150 each, Kumho makes some affordable tires out there I am using a set of Ecsta SPT by Kumho, they have good wet and dry grip and comfortable with 320 tread wear, but the best part is they only cost 124 each. Personally I want to try the RE 760 for my next tire, I've been hearing nothing but good from the users. I know it is a little pricey, but nothing come close to your daughter and her friends safety.

Toyo T1Rs ;) Great tire.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm not looking to buy something online. I'd rather have a couple of brands and models in mind and then go to the tire store and go from there. I don't want to save a few bucks buying the tires and then get reamed when I ask someone to install them because I didn't buy the tires from them. And I'd also like to know I can get them rotated and/or repaired as needed without hassle as most tire shops where I live will do.

We have the Kumho Ecsta somethings now and they do look good and ride good for a low profile sport tire.

I'm not looking to put her safety at risk to save a few bucks. I said I'd give up performance, not safety. She's not an aggressive driver, nor do I want her to be.

Costco offers this service as part of the tire purchase.

Can't performance lead to better safety? Kinda hard to give up performance without safety IMO.

i wouldnt put hankooks on my lawn mower.

that being said, if you want something long lasting i'd look at continentals or yokohamas. they both make some fantastic all season tires, long lasting. and i agree, go to a shop. warranty will be less of a hassle

I guess I should clarify what I mean by "performance". I realize that term can cover some things that would relate to safety. What I really mean is that I'm not looking for a so-called high performance tire that costs more and doesn't last as long. We don't need something that supposedly is made for aggressive cornering or higher than usual speeds. Just something that wears well, is reasonably priced, that would be safe under normal, everyday driving conditions.

Get Yokohama S.Drives.

Generally I don't tell anyone on here to ignore advice of other well meaning members, but most of the suggestions above are NOT what you are looking for. For example, the several posts about the Star Specs. The Star Specs are basically street legal R-Compounds. They have stellar grip in the dry, great grip on DAMP surfaces...but like any rubber designed for the track, it doesn't take much accumulation of water before you start quickly losing contact with the road. (I know. I have them on right now. And It was pouring rain again today, and again I ended up crawling along with the tires skittering around. And I have >80% tread)



I had Yokohama S.Drives put on as my OEM replacements, and got 35,000 out of them before hitting the wear bars, and I drive very aggressively. Your daughter will likely get alot more from them.

They have great dry grip, so you won't sacrifice any braking or emergency handling, but where they surpass the rest is in their rain traction. Damp, wet, or pooling/standing/running water, they are incredible at hydroplane resistance and overall wet grip. There were a few times over that 35,000 that I have gone from dry pavement to suddenly standing water or instant flash rain at 80+, and not even a hint of losing any traction. Obviously, those speeds aren't recommended, but I point it out as an example of how fantastic they are when your most common low-grip situation is present. Buy the tire for the WORST situation she will be encountering regularly, not the BEST.

Considering you care about your daughter's health and welfare more than sheer dry performance, wet/rain grip and hydroplane resistance should be a very high factor in your decision. I do not recommend all seasons though, as All Seasons compromise between dry, wet, standing water, snow, and ice. A lot of points to cover, and the engineering for snow and ice are wasted if you don't drive it then.

Summers only compromise between dry and wet, and possibly hydroplane, depending on the tire. Much less that it has to cover, so it is better at those points than any all season will be. (Of course, some summers are terrible...but avoid those :) )

Yokohama S.Drives are also cheap for our tire size ~$130-$145 each (or better, I got my set at $119 locally), vs $200-$250 per tire of a lot of these suggestions.

Check around, and there are other tires in this price range, but none of them are as good as this tire. And you have to get to or over that $200 range before you find tires that really start passing them in their points. They aren't "cheap", they are under priced.

You will not be disappointed with them.
(The only people that would be disappointed are the ones with little rain and demand top notch dry grip)

(In case you are curious why I didn't stick with them, I track my car more and more, and my barely used set of Star Specs were $200 for all 4 from another member, couldn't pass up the deal)

Yes S Drives. Nothing but good reviews on them. When I bought mine, I also read alot about the Nittos NTo5s. They good really good reviews as well.

PS Really happy with the Hankook Ventus RS3s. But I dont believe they're what you're looking for.

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus tires its a high performance all season comes with a 48 000 mile warranty able to handle cold temps with out turning it to squares also able to handle a little snow. I've put a few 100km on my set so far and am pretty happy.

What do you do in the winter?

When my OEM tires wore out, I replaced them with Bridgestone RE 960 all seasons. I felt the ability to go out and drive in snow/slush made up for performance in the dry. Snow is not usually a big issue around here, but a couple of years ago I wound up taking my beater, instead of the 8, on some long trips because snow was forecast.

Ken

I have a set of 17" rims with Nokians on them for winter. :) I don't like them on the cold non-snow days, they are two squishy, but in snow, fluff or pack, they are fantastic. I climb one of the steepest hills (and the tallest one) to work, and in the winter / snow I regularly drive around SUVs or trucks that can't get up the hill with their all seasons.



If each tire has X engineering "budget", and they have to split it between every possible driving condition, it won't be great at any of them. Remove snow/ice from the picture, and you can engineer a much better tire for both wet and dry than all seasons can. I've never driven an all seasons with the wet/rain traction, grip, and hydroplane resistance anywhere close to the S.Drives.

And you are not giving up much dry grip in the process.

I'm still on the Ecstas that came with the car, but I used the S.Drives on my old Celica with wonderful results. Will probably continue to do so when these wear down.

I like yokohoma tire

They're not Ecstas. What your daughter has now is most probably Kumho Ecsta SPT's. These are most probably the CHEAPEST tire you can buy in 225/18/45 (at $124 per tire at Tire Rack), the least amount of noise, best wet traction, and longest wear. It has a softer side wall but is still surprisingly good in dry handling and traction, although hardcore enthusiasts of course complain about the soft sidewalls.

Ok, the General Exclaim UHP is a little cheaper at $116 per tire but the SPT's are superior. Below is a 2005 Road & Track comparison between four tires. The SPT's beat the UHP's in EVERY SINGLE CATEGORY. Here's the link: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

I'm really surprised that no one has suggested these in this thread. Over the years, we've had countless tire threads here and a TON of people talking about the SPT's. The decision for your daughter is very simple. Stay with the SPT's. If you drive mild, you can get 50,000 miles on a set of these, as I have three consecutive times. It's the safest bet with least risk.

That makes sense for you in New England. If I lived further north I'd get separate winter tires/wheels. Where I live I've got a real possibility of getting caught out in snow, but not often enough to put up with squishy the other 99% of the winter.

05T's in North Carolina. Depending on where in NC, he might not need to worry about snow at all, in which case your recommendation sounds just right.

Ken

in what category????