Which tires to get? Need feedback!
 

I have read a ton of tire threads but am not much closer to a decision.

My RX came with Kumho SPT's (225/45/17, IIRC). They have exceptional cornering and grip, are great at high speeds, and feel pretty nice. My only complaints are the noise and the fact that they wear out pretty quickly.

Whatever I get, I do not want a softer sidewall but want something a little quieter. Cornering and road feel are the most important aspects to me.

Some of the ones I am considering are:
- BFG g-Force Sport
- BFG KDW2
- General Exclaim UHP
Toyo T1R

... or Sticking with the Kumhos.


Thoughts and suggestions are appreciated!

dunlop direzza star spec. i've heard good things, and if you get 245s you'll get even more grip, albeit with slightly decreased gas mileage.

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...w=false&cs=245

I looked at reviews for the Star Specs and they have a low mileage rating. Granted, the Kumhos are rated higher yet don't last all that long....

Toyo Proxes T1R

Yep, forgot to add the Toyo T1R's too the list. :)


Has anyone had the Kumho SPT's then switched to any of the ones listed? I'm curious to know what the biggest differences were.

I'm loving my Nitto NT555's

I need new tires as well.. The stockies are crap.. Can't wait to change them. I might go with the T1R's. Heard they're pretty good.

Falken 452s are good

I have these and I like them:

Yokohama YK520
High-performance, all-season handling. V-speed rating.
225/45R-18 95V XL B

Aside from their superb handling in wet and dry conditions, and relatively low noise, I enjoy viewing the unique tread pattern of the T1R every time I walk up to my '8.

Nitto NT-05 245/40/18

I just got a great deal on some Nitto INVOs...$646 for a set of 275/35/18s.

It depends on your true driving style... I got the general UHPs on sale from tire rack. Never hydroplaned, great wet traction and much much quieter than my OEM bridgestones.
Until that point I was very pleased.

I then took them autocrossing. Lets just say that they sucked. Big Time. If you autocross or track your car with street tires, stay away.

They have lasted a very long time with good tread wear. I got them for cheap, so you're good there...

Honestly, it just depends on what you're looking for.

I haven't driven the car with anything but the Kumho SPT's that came with it.

The only other comparison I can make are with the Kumho ASX's and Bridgestone Potenza Pole Positions on my Acura TL. Those two tires are night and day in regards to noise and handling.

I really like the Kumhos on mt RX except for the noise. They are great at high speeds and I have no complaints with the grip.

Are you sure you don't have 225/45/18? That is the stock tire size for the manual transmission and sport AT models.

C&D and a Autobild (long-time German auto pub) really liked the Hankook Ventus V12 EVO K110. They are around $130 on TireRack right now and Hankook has $50 rebate on 4 tires. The tire seems to have great dry/wet results and good ride/noise characteristics. Treadware is 280.

I'd also look at the Bridgestone RE760s. C&D put them 4th. Hankooks were 2nd. Good dry, but less impressive wet, but sounds like better than Hankooks for ride/noise. They are around $150/tire.

Also take a look at the General Exclaim UHPs. They seem to get good reviews from users and are inexpensive, but not autox tires like others mentioned.

Check out TireRack.com. The survey results are interesting.

I would recommend the General Exclaim UHP's to any RX8 owner who wants some added performance on the street. Excellent dry grip, wet grip, tread wear is fantastic.

Best street tire IMO.

However, they are not known for being great on the track. So unless you regularly see the track with your RX8 and want to use your daily tires i would stray away from these.

Seeing as how they are so cheap, you can easily afford another set of tires for auto-X/track.

I bought my 245/40/18's on tire rack for $133/piece + shipping.

You know the 245/40-18 Nitto NT-05s I got were only $164 each ...$656 total. For almost chump change over so-so tires why wouldn't anyone get the best? dunno...seems kinda nuts to go cheap to save a few $s.

Falken 452. 245/40 for $129 each.

I'm really starting to lean towards the NT05s. How is the road noise with them?

If one doesn't live in an area that doesn't get a lot of snow, then don't even consider all-season. Summer tires do better in the wet anyways.

C&D wasn't too impressed with Nitta INVO and BF KDW2s were in the middle. Definitely look at the Hankooks.

very minimal...it's truly a pleasure driving with them, they're so much quieter than anything I've had before (OEM Bridgestones [terrible noisy at the end], Falkens RT-615s [pretty good], NT-01s [nice r-comp noise], Goodyr GS-D3 [worse than your worst nightmare]. comfy, quiet, grippy

I currently have the Kumho SPT's and I'm very impressed with them. A lot better grip then the other tires that I've had. I would buy them again if I were you

I have SPTs and I think they are a good all-around tire. However, I think they could have better dry performance.

Right now Pep Boys is having buy 3 get 1 tire free. The Hankooks are $139 there from a post on a Mazda6 forum.

I would get the General Exclaim UHPs before getting another set of SPTs.

I run the Sumitomo
 

I run the Sumitomo HTR ZIII XL 245/40 18 on all four corners of my car. Check the test results on Tire Rack etc. They are more sticky than the Kumho SPTs. I ran Kumho SPTs on my car after the OEMs wore out but the sidewalls were too soft on the Kumho SPT for me to go back to that tire.

I am now on my second set of the Sumis. At 120 each for the Sumis there is simply no better tire for the money.

BTW: My performance secret: The XL tires are designed for extra load. This actually results in stiffer sidewalls and provides the responsive cornering experience I crave. They are suprisingly smooth and quiet too. Because nobody wants XL tires they are actually cheaper. On tire rack the 225/45 (non-XL) are actually more money than the 245/40 XL.

If it rains often or snows where you live then you probably dont want the Sumis since they are an extreme performance Summer tire. I live in CA so they are perfect here.

And yes the 245's fit comfortably in the front despite what the manual says.

Cuzzin

I have Michilin Pilot Sport PS2 right now, but I'm swapping out with Nitto NT-05 on my next set. 245/40/18 on stock rims or 8.5 inch rims

Yes, they are 18's. Typo!

Have I told you today that I Really like the Toyo T1R's? (ok, I'll be quiet now) ;)

all weather preferences?
 

this is an informative thread. thanks to all posters. any preferences for all weather for slushy cold weather in mid atlantic states? thank you all.

How much was the set you bought? The T1R's. Me wants. ;)
Were they for stock rims btw?

^ They were a little over $700 for the set this past Spring from Town Fair if memory serves.

Yes, they were stock 225x45 as my plan is to install my rims on my daughter's Mazda6 when her snow tires come off next Spring and get myself some larger rims and 255x40 T1R's. I just love hand-me-down procurements. Win-win. ;)

^^ For all-weather/season I don't think you can beat Michelin Pilot Sport or Goodyear Eagle GT or F1.

Try TireRack.com and look at the survey results for high-end all-season tires. I live in N. California, so no need to put AS tires on. C&D recently tested Michelin winter tires in this month's issue.

If your looking for a great deal on tires, check out onlinetires.com. They really are the lowest priced anywhere and their shipping rates are extremely low.

^^ yup yup. That's where I bought mine!

The Pep Boys buy 3 get 1 free sounds pretty good depending on cost of tire vs. competitors.

What are you getting OP?

good thread.. i am going to get a set of nt05's for 500$

245/40

18 of coarse..

its a pretty good deal if you ask me.. its a brand new set!

I have found that Pep Boys sometimes compensates by having higher prices than competitors, so the Buy 3, Get 1 Free isn't as great of a deal as it seems.

I'm leaning towards Toyo Proxes 4. They seem like the best bang for the buck.

Yeah definitely pays to get price quotes from at least a few places.

Kumho SPT's
 

No complaints for the street, but for the track, I am realy disapointed. By lap 3 at Willow, tires were squeeling like a pig and traction was gone. really twitchy. made several air pressure adjustments with little help when tires got hot. Tire Rack gives them high marks. ultra performance premiun.. guess not. two hundred miles on tires ...$50..each

I was running BFG g force and never had any road noise and they were good in the corners too. Thats what i would go with if i wasnt running the bridgestones i get for free

Anyone have thoughts on Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus? I searched the board and not much for reviews.

I've had mine for 2 weeks - not a lot of time for a comprehensive review. They are terrific in wet and dry, but haven't had them on snow yet. They are quieter than the Kumhos that were on the car when I bought it. The only word that describes the difference is more nimble. The Kumhos were summer tires with very little tread left in the rear, but they grabbed the pavement like nothing else. I don't get the same hugging the pavement sensation from the Michelins, but they seem faster and my commuting mileage is up from 16 to 18 mpg (but that's still a very small sample group over only 2 weeks). Tirerack rates the Michelins very highly, but I got them at Costco for convenience (and the $70 off special in Dec.).

Quick update, I'm still getting 18 mpg on the commute (still less than a handful of fillups, I'll keep checking it). Didn't really want to mess with the snows we've had in MD, but when I had to drive on it the tires were okay. Still love the nimble feeling that I have on dry or wet.

Just got some Bridgestone Potenza RE-11s for $1000 installed. Much better than the stock tires (obviously), but I've never purchased new tires before, so I have no comparison.

The RE-11s are great!

all seasons for snow/ice/cold temps in MD
 

after considering the recommendations from TireRack (those guys really know their business) and the posts on this terrific site, I ordered and installed Dunlop SP Sport Signature tires, 225/18. I live in MD where we don't get deep snow but we just got slammed with 21 inches and lots of ice and now another small 2 inches this week. the tires grip very well on the frozen wet, and on cold road surface it sticks well too. i am very impressed with the Sport Signatures and recommend them.

Yea, I'll be replacing my tires soon. I'm going with the T1-R's. What's the size for the stock rims? 245/40 or 225/40 all around right? I think that's what most people on here go with.. Ah, I'm lost..

245 40 18 or 225 45 18

beers :beer:

Hmm.. lol, I'm lost, 245/40/18 is wider than 225/45/18?

I don't know what the better fit for the OEM wheels would be.

They are essentially the same diameter, so no appreciable effect on the speedo, but you get a wider tire on. Here's a pic of mine w/ 245 on the right, stock on the left.
Attachment 266194

^ Interesting.

the General ones have a softer sidewall so probably another reason they are not good for autox