[Rob-from-Ottawa]

What model of tire do you recommend for a set of 205/16/45s or 195/16/50s for my ´95 GT?

My preferences: I´d like them to last 3 summers (40K km, say) and want clear steering feel, crisp turn-in, and a progressive break-away. Absolute grip isn´t a top priority --what´s the point of an upgraded rear anti-roll bar if you can´t slide it around a little, eh?

I´m only willing to pay $150 Cdn per tire.

I´m leaning toward the Kumho 712s but, Blade, you said you didn´t like them...? Miatatude recommended AVS Intermediates but I´m not able to find them any more.

What do you recommend, folks?
- Rob

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[ Edited by Rob-from-Ottawa On Date 09-03-2002 ]

 

[stripedmx5]

Hey, Rob. It looks like you have a good selection of tires from which to choose. I am familiar with four of your possibles, Dunlop SP9000, Kumho 712, Sumitomo HTRZII, and the AVSi.

The Dunlops are the best tires I have ever used. Dunlop made a dry traction compromise to get better wet traction, longer wear and softer ride. The only drawback is a slightly softer turn-in than you might expect from a Z-rated tire. The ride was terrific and the wear was unbelievable at 55,000+ miles. They are not the stickiest tires on the planet, but they are very predictable in their breakaway characteristics.

I am using the Kumhos, now, but I am not all that crazy about them. Initially, they were the greasiest tires I have ever owned. I attribute some of that to whatever Kumho uses to allow the tire to release from the mold, either that, or the compound does not respond well to the curing process where the tread touches the mold. The first 1000 miles made the rear end seem disconnected, in a bad way, not in the fun, oversteering way. As they have worn, and I have run more pressure, they are growing on me. I can not, honestly, recommend them at this point. They do seem to be wearing well, although the shoulders do cup rather easily, so I am keeping a short rotation schedule.

I have a buddy who autocrosses his WRX, hated the Kumho 712´s, but uses the Victoracer and loves it. His street, and sometimes autocross tire, is the Sumitomo HTRZII. He can´t say enough good stuff about them. Traction, turn-in, wear and price all have him speaking in glowing terms about his HTRZII´s. They are not quite up to the autocross-specific rubber on the course, but he is very impressed with their overall performance.

As for the AVS Intermediate, it is not available in the sizes you listed, so it really doesn´t matter. That being said, it is a fantastic tire. We are very pleased with in on our Miata. The wet/dry stick, the noise level, the ride and the wear are terrific for any tire, let alone one so cheap.

Good luck with your decision.

Marcus

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[ Edited by stripedmx5 On Date 09-03-2002 ]

[ Edited by stripedmx5 On Date 09-03-2002 ]

 

[Rob-from-Ottawa]

Thanks once again for the expert advice, Marcus. And sorry: that was of course you who had put me onto the AVSis, not the good Mr. Krause. After spending a few months watching for hollow-spokes, I succumbed to a measure of vanity and nabbed some 16X6.5 wheels from the 2001 Miata and they´ve been sitting naked in the shed for a just a little too long. Time to fix that.

Your argument for the Dunlop S9000s has me considering spending a little more to get them. Before this, I had been put off Dunlops by poor on-line reviews of the FM901s and by some rather messy autocross driving I have seen on that brand. Now I´m interested, especially with that treadwear testimonial. (I wish I had heard of them before my mother put Pirelli P6000s on her ´90 Miata; I am unimpressed with their grip given their price.)

In that price range, there´s also the Proxes T1S. I had a set of Toyo touring tires once that I liked. Anyone out there running this model? Are they all hype?

-- Rob

 

[stripedmx5]

I, too, considered the T1S, but decided to try the Kumhos, instead. I have heard that the T1S is not as intuitive, or sticky, as the T1, but is still a terrific tire. They are available in a 195/55-15, so I may do that next time.

I have convinced two buddies to try the 9000´s and have heard nothing but rave reviews, so far. One is my buddy´s S4, and the other is my training partner´s beautiful, Merlot Mica M-edition Miata with the grotesquely expensive BBS´s. Spencer´s A4 ran through the original Bridgestone S-02´s(I think, O2´s) in 16,000 miles! He was very disappointed in them. As for the 9000´s, he thinks they are better than the Bridgestone´s in every way, and appear that they may last more than three times longer.

I like Dunlop´s theory. In the tire wars, tires could just keep getting stickier and stickier, but at what cost? Longevity. I, for one, am willing to trade a little of the ultimate stick for tires that I don´t have to replace every year.

I am on the verge of making my latest suspension decision, by the way. I have considered everything from the ZX2 S/R struts, or the ZX2 racing kit (from Ford Motorsports), to Ground Control/Koni, and a 24-way adjustable Leda coil-over kit. I need to make the decision soon, since my Tokico blues have 137,000 miles on them and they are toast. Has anyone ever put GC coil-overs on the ZX2 S/R struts? It looks as though the plated collar on the top of the housing might need to be removed, so the threaded collar would fit.

Just finished my brake project. Absolutely love my KVR pads, cross-drilled, cad plated rotors, and Techna-Fit lines. I pulled the calipers off, brushed them down, base-coated them in white, and finished off with a bright red top coat. The white is used to brighten the red, as red over the dark brown metal would appear too maroon, or brick red. Man, the pedal pressure is reduced so much, you wouldn´t believe me unless you felt the before and after, yourself.

Well, I need to get back to dessert. Have a great evening, Rob. I look forward to hearing more.

Marcus

 

[TheBlade]

Dulop makes a nice tire...but they get kinda pricey. Even though I´m not a Kumho fan...I do have them on my car. (yeah I know, but...) So, I would even say, give them a try.

 

[RedRocket]

Hey Rob,

I have NEVER had a problem with any BF Goodrich product. The new GeForce TA´s appear to be awesome tires.

I have a buddy who works for Michelin (yes, I have a lot of buddies), and he is running their new Pilot Exaltos on his Sentra. Absolutely loves them. Good wet traction, awesome corner grip, but tread wear might be a problem (about 75,000 kms max).

I´m currently running Crappy Tire brand Michelins on the Scort. But, I have good old BFG Comp Ta´s on the Mustang.

I say BF Goodrich though. Made by Michelin. Ah, whatever. Don´t look at Goodyear at all. Dunlops I´ve never been impressed with, and Kumhos I´ve never tried. I like my BFGs

Ryan

 

[TheBlade]

I agree with everything Ryan said....little bit about me: Yeah, I´m a CompSci major in school but to pay the bills I work at a Sears Automotive selling tires in the evenings.

BFG GForce KDW2´s are AWESOME. All the GForce series are great. Michelin Pilots have a good rep too...

My opinion on Goodyear: The only tire made in America, but everyone knows 365 used rubbers makes a Goodyear...and we know what the world would be like if Firestone made condems.

Likewise too: I´m looking for some feedback on how peeps out there like Falken´s and the new Sumitomo HTR+. So far they are the only two Z rated tires with treadwear warranties. I like the look of the new Ziex 512s and the HTR+s.

 

[Rob-from-Ottawa]

Thanks everyone. I´m all psyched for this: Having neurotically brought my rims to a garage to have the suspension loaded up and measurements taken, I´m told 205s will fit and no spacers are needed. Whoo-hoo! At the moment, I´m leaning toward those SP9000s. I´m compromising on sidewall strength since my girlfriend is already unhappy about the ride.

Marcus, that sounds like a delicious situation to be in, choosing new springs and struts. Wish I had the experience to offer any insight. I´m delighted with my Eibach & S/R struts, as everyone knows. But to a virgin, just about anything feels good the first time.

(While I´m making off-colour jokes, I have to add that if Firestone had made condoms, at least I might have gotten rolled more often than I did.)

- Rob

 

[stripedmx5]

Sounds like you are on the verge of some serious car projectin´, Rob. I love that feeling of excitement over a new car project--tires, exhaust; hell, anything. To drag it into the gutter further (since you guys already brought us there), it is like so much foreplay, as you lead up to the consumation of your latest modification. Sleepless nights reading car-porn, researching every little detail, making the purchase and that everlasting, interminable wait for the UPS driver to deliver your package. Man, that´s heaven. I´m married, so I don´t actually have sex anymore (What everyone tells you is true. Don´t believe me? You´ll learn.), so my car is my sex surrogate. The other woman, if you will. Keep us abreast (huh, huh, huh) of the latest on your tire purchase, and what you think of them.

You may already know this about tires, but I will share it, in case others do not. Do not judge your tire purchase too early. When you first mount you tires, they will need to be broken-in. The first thousanth, or so, of rubber is going to be tainted from the mold process, so it will behave differently (generally greasy) than the rubber further down. Tires will also need to go through a few heat cycles, as well, and that doesn´t mean driving the crap out of them, break them in by driving sedately, especially corners. They, also, need to "roll-in" to your alignment, since, for all practical purposes, they are flat when held vertical, while your alignment will hold them at a somewhat different angle. I traditionally take it easy on a new set of tires for the first 1000 miles, or more. When the tires are new, you will notice by looking at the tire´s flat tread surface that the entire footprint will not appear to be scuffed. As the tires break-in, you will see that more and more of the footprint is being used, and, if you pay attention, you will notice that they feel better and more consistent. Frequent and regular rotations will keep your tires wearing evenly and, if done right, will give you, effectively, a set of shaved race radials, when worn. My last 9000´s were a hoot, when worn in this fashion. There was nary a hint of tread squirm, and, since I had not abused them, they had not been hardened from excessive heat-cycling.

Well, as usual, I have said way too much, but I´m just a wordy old fart. Hope this helped someone.

Marcus

 

[RedRocket]

Yep, break them in properly and they will last forever. Like loudspeakers, hockey skates, and baseball gloves. They don´t feel really good until you´ve used them a few times... Notice how I didn´t mention women!?!?!?

Seriously, breaking in a tire is important, just like breaking in brakes, suspension, and new motors. The all need a shakedown period.

What is it with CompSci students/grads driving Escorts and working retail? degree in computer science, minor in english, graduated when Nortel let go 10,000 from their workforce... So I´m working retail hocking computers and home theatre for Canada´s largest electronics retailer, and NO IT IS NOT BEST BUY OR FUTURE SHOP, but Audiotronic.

But hey, it pays the bills...

Ryan

 

[TheBlade]

Yeah, I´m scared about the whole job thing. I worked in public records doing UnixOp stuff in the past, but my school is mostly focused on DOD type stuff (yeah..I´m an ADA programmer..well, okay so I fake it well).

but then again government compsci jobs are let go more then any others

 

[Rob-from-Ottawa]

Thanks for the advice, Marcus. I´m still chuckling. (And BTW, 10 years with the same woman seems to generate the same effects, I´ve found, so we can conclude that it´s not the marriage certificate per se. And I am of course twice as good looking now and have an even cooler car so it´s a mystery.)

I was aware of the importance of break-in but hadn´t thought about it in quite that way so very helpful, thanks.
- Rob

 

[Shorty]

I work for Firestone, and i would like to suggest either the Bridgestone Eager, or the Bridgestone Potenza. These are the best (and only) z rated tires we carry. however, I dont have any personal experience with these tires. Still, they are supposed to be good tires, and they arent that expensive, either.

 

[mkuchere]

I have Potenza´s on my truck.
Excellent tires!!