Need help choosing tires, can't decide Options

[6strngs]

so, I'm looking for people who have tried any of these tires so I can get some input on them. I'm looking for something that offers a ton of grip for not too much money. ride quality and noisiness don't concern me as I won't be able to hear them over my engine, and my ride is bumpy as hell as is. lol. in terms of longevity, they don't need to last forever, but don't want to replace tires every 4 months! hopefully something that'll last around a year, assuming I keep them properly inflated and get a rotation every few thousand miles. anyway, some I was considering:

Kumho Ecsta SPT
94Y 320 AA A

Hankook Ventus HRII H404


Dunlop Direzza DZ101
94W 300 A A

Yokohama AVS ES100
94W 280 AA A

BF goodrich G-force sport
340 AA A

now, before anyone even says it, I'm not getting toyo tires. I know, I've heard plenty of great things about them, but they're made by les schwab, and I work for America's tire... so I can't get a discount on them. lol. anyway, there was also some Falken Azenis and Falken Ziex tires I want to add to that list, but I don;t know the exact model numbers and what not. anyway, I don't want to spend more than $450 on tires. and after spending over $600 on wheels, I think that's fair seeing as that's more than a grand. anyway, for the size I'm looking at (245/40/17) I can get those kumhos and hankooks for about $75-80 a tire, which is the only reason they're on the list. I could afford to go through them real quick if they're only $300 for the set. plus I heard the hankooks are really soft tires, which should grip better than a stiff tire. I can get both falken's, the yokohama, and the dunlop for for about $90-95 a tire, and the BFG for about $105 a tire. of course, I'm still not sure if I'll be able to fit that size. if not, I'm 90% sure I can fit a 235/40/17, and the prices are cheaper for those, and if not those, then 225/45/17, and the prices are cheaper yet for those. but I really want grip here, which is why I want a wide tire. sure, a top of the line 225 could probably grip better then a bottom of the line 245, but the way I see it, a lower-mid-range 245 could out-grip a upper-mid-range 225. just going from 205's to 195's, even though I got a better tire, I've lost a lot of traction. anyway, if anybody could give any advice on those tires or even recommend some others, I'd appreciate it.

[pnoywitmustrdsau...]

dont get the g-force tires...i wouldnt recommend them becuase i had them for only 2 years and 19000 miles they dont do well in rainy days either. it just depends on how you ride on them

[woatherekilla]

do u have access to cooper tires???? cuz u might also wanna consider the zeons... last time i checked they were in that price range, n i've used them b 4... pretty decent in the rain 2

[DEATH]

For my money you can't go wrong with Yokohama. The AVS ES100's are great but I still prefer the Parada Spec II for the sideways grip around corners and in the wet.

[6strngs]

dont get the g-force tires...i wouldnt recommend them becuase i had them for only 2 years and 19000 miles they dont do well in rainy days either. it just depends on how you ride on them

that's more than enough time. and I had a buddy who had them say they gripped really well. I don't know if he drove them in the rain though.

as for ES100's, that's what I've got on my car now. Except I have 2 195/50/15 and 2 195/55/15. got them for free at work, two came off an integra, and two off a miata. anyway, they all had about 4-5/32's of tread left, and I got them like 2 weeks ago, the front left tire as of 2 days ago was down to about 2/32's just because I was constantly spinning them. spinning into third, spnning everytime I launched, spinning anytime I get above 4500 RPM, etc. I don't like the grip, but I equate that mostly to going from a 205/55/15 BF goodrich traction T/A to 195's. they handle way better in the corners though!

[DEATH]

Yeah they are def not a long lasting tire. You're gonna have to get used to that now that you have a car with much ncreased HP and everything else being the same - you're gonna eat tires or clutch [by excessive feathering off the line].
I really reccommend the Parada Spec II's - give them a shot and see if you're not as impressed as I am.

BTW - don't you get a discount for working at the tire shop? Those prices you listed are pretty close to what anyone would pay at Discount tires. I figured you guys could get a $100 tire for $75 + no mounting/balancing fees.

This post has been edited by DEATH: Jan 31, 2008 - 11:28 AM

[illneversellmyce...]

i ahve nitto neo gen 215/40/17 they are the first tire i ever had that lasted all the way through their thread life with no problems what so ever. great in rain and dry and cornering and grip. Plus reasonable priced , i can usally get them for 330 a set new on ebay. I had these tires for two years and rotated twice, im down to 2/32's on the thread and they still grip lol. im buying a new set in two weeks.

i orginally had kumho ectsa, they were decent but one blew out on me, and the thread didin last long anyway.

also have had falken too, dont even get me started i hated those tires, problems from the start

hope i helped a lil bit

[Batman722]

I would suggest getting 45 for the sidewall. Go either 245/45 or 225/45. It will give you much better ride quality than the 40s.

Stef has 225/45s and they look perfect with her set up, and me, Manny, and Jeff (and others) all have 245/45s. If you're gonna get good tires, get a good size.

I have Yoko Avids and I've been impressed with them.

[playr158]

khumo is poop

[GriffGirl]

khumo is poop

I have those Khumos, 225/40R17 and they're fine in the summer I suppose, but if you're in Northern Cali, you probably have similar weather to me in Portland. These tires SUCK on anything other than dry pavement. They are what were on my car when I bought it in July, and while it's sucky that I have tires that won't last long too, I'm almost GLAD they won't because it'll give me an excuse to buy new tires sooner. I can't believe anybody who lives anywhere where it isn't sunny and dry most of the year would buy these tires (or anything similar).

Do yourself a favor and get yourself a good set of all-seasons. And the advice to get a 45 sidewall is probably damn good advice, and is advice I myself will be taking when I get these stupid things replaced. (Oh, and for the record, I know you work somewhere else, but the Toyos I had on my 4Runner were the best tires I'd ever had. I LOVED those tires!)

[woatherekilla]

... think about it

[6strngs]

I would suggest getting 45 for the sidewall. Go either 245/45 or 225/45. It will give you much better ride quality than the 40s.

Stef has 225/45s and they look perfect with her set up, and me, Manny, and Jeff (and others) all have 245/45s. If you're gonna get good tires, get a good size.

I have Yoko Avids and I've been impressed with them.

really? are you sure? I was pretty sure you were all running 225/45, not 245/45. I was going for the 40 series to get a rolling diameter closer to the 225/45's because I thought you were all running those with no rubbing. I know that the skinniest wheel you can fit a 245/40 on is 8". 245/45 can probably go on a 7.5". and I thought manny, and you, and jeff, all have 17x7.

also, I do get a pretty good discount. but in that size, an ES100 isn't a $100 tire. it's about $125, and I'm getting them for about $90 or so. I get better discounts on certain brands. I get a really really good discount on yokohama, pirelli, and hankook a moderate discount on dunlop and kumho, and a kinda-sorta discount on BFG and others. it depends on the brand.

I know we can get cooper tires, because we just sold some 305/40/22's to a guy with a tahoe yesterday. but I think they need to be special order and we'll have to pay full price for them. (same with toyo)

[Batman722]

whoa you are right , I made a big mistake there !!!

stef has 215s, the other I listed have 225s, including myself. But we all have the 45 sidewall.

sorry for the confusion, I had screwed up the #s.

[presure2]

all these cheaper tires will work well, for a while...
i went thru 4 sets of falkens, over 4 years (basicly a set a year) @ ~400$ a set, mounted.
a little over a year and a half ago, i ponied up and bought a set of michelin pilot sports a/s, and needless to say, ill never buy a set of cheap tires again.
sure, the michelins cost twice as much, but, they will last twice as long, and i still get more grip now than i ever got with the falkens.
i used to hate how once the falkens got some miles on them, the wet handling would just go to total crap.
the michelins still grip incredibly well in the wet, even after like 20K miles.
and yes, get the 225/45 at the minimum on a 7.5" rim.

[airfron]

i have had sets of 205/40/17 and 215/40/17 avs es100's and 225/45/17 g-force sports and i have been more satisfied with the bfg's than the yokohama's for several reasons: they're more quiet, grip better and are significantly cheaper

Definitely get a set of 225/45 for 17's the difference is huge between the 40 sidewall

[6strngs]

all these cheaper tires will work well, for a while...
i went thru 4 sets of falkens, over 4 years (basicly a set a year) @ ~400$ a set, mounted.
a little over a year and a half ago, i ponied up and bought a set of michelin pilot sports a/s, and needless to say, ill never buy a set of cheap tires again.
sure, the michelins cost twice as much, but, they will last twice as long, and i still get more grip now than i ever got with the falkens.
i used to hate how once the falkens got some miles on them, the wet handling would just go to total crap.
the michelins still grip incredibly well in the wet, even after like 20K miles.
and yes, get the 225/45 at the minimum on a 7.5" rim.

no worries, the wheels I'm getting are 17x8 wider wheels, even in the same tire size, put more of the rubber on the road actually. kinda minimally, but still. in other words, a 215/45/17 on a 8" wheel has more rubber contacting the road than the same exact 215/45/17 on a 7" wheel.

as for tire sidewall size, the number indicates an aspect ratio. meaning, a wider tire with the same aspect ratio has more sidewall than a skinnier tire of the same aspect ratio. basically what I'm saying is, a 245/40/17 has about the same amount of sidwall height as a 225/45. the rolling diameter of a 225/45 is 25", while the rolling diameter of a 245/40 is 24.7". only .3" less, meaning the sidewall is .150" inches shorter than a 225/45. barely any noticable difference. for reference I'll post the rolling diameter of some other tire sizes:

Stock 205/55/15 - 23.9"
225/50/15 - 23.9"
225/45/17 - 25"
235/40/17 - 24.4"
235/45/17 - 25.3"
245/40/17 - 24.7"
245/45/17 - 25.7"

I know most guys here favor 225/45/17, and I've heard no reports of rubbing at all from this size. so, I don't want to have a bigger diameter for fear that I could have some rubbing, which I definately don't want.

as for more expensive tires, I feel a cheaper 245 will out-grip a higher end 225, which is why I'm looking at these tires. if I do end up getting 225's, I'll be able to get a higher end tire for about the same cost because it's a cheaper size. I just don't have to funds for a high end 245/40/17. this size came stock on a lot of BMW's, so tire prices are pretty high. I could spend $300 a tire on some run-flat tires! lol. we had a person with a BMW that was supposed to only use run-flat tires ask us for the price on our cheapest 275/30/19 run-flat. it was $372!

[LewFX]

i miss my dunlops fm sports, these toyo proxies dont have the same bite i want