Help me decide on a tire

[godspunk32]

235s should work (although I have a very minor rubbing issue at full lock on my lowered Sable with 225s) but 245s will be too wide. You will probably have to run spaces on the hubs to move the wheels out far enough to get 245s on there, though I think I remember one person running them.

JR

 

[SHO5]

I had 225/55/17 for the summer but i'm getting some soon and I'm only going 225/45/17. Aren't the 235 too wide. The 225/45/17 Kumho MX's are what i'm getting $103 a piece. They arent's as heavy and won't have a large of a sidewall for flex.

 

[wood_e]

I had 225/55/17 for the summer but i'm getting some soon and I'm only going 225/45/17. Aren't the 235 too wide. The 225/45/17 Kumho MX's are what i'm getting $103 a piece. They arent's as heavy and won't have a large of a sidewall for flex.

True, but that gives a harsher ride, and your speedometer will be off more.

 

[stephen newberg]

235s should work (although I have a very minor rubbing issue at full lock on my lowered Sable with 225s) but 245s will be too wide. You will probably have to run spaces on the hubs to move the wheels out far enough to get 245s on there, though I think I remember one person running them.

JR

That is probably me. I was running 245 Bridgestone 930s for one set. I had no rubbing issues, even on very hard use on winding back roads. The critical factor is the sidewall stiffness. That model had -very- stiff sidewalls, and with almost no flexing, there was no touching. I am running 235s now, and the tire never comes close to the strut. All this is also effected by wheel offset and by the wheel height as well. A taller wheel is moving the tire further from the strut, which allows more width, but at the same time this gets the tire closer to the wheel well rim. Offset does the same thing, though more directly by moving straight in or out for the center point of the wheel.

pax, smn

 

[hoboprodigy-]

225/50/17 seems to me to be the best fit for a taurus on 17's. if the rim is 7.5 or 8" wide i'd go with a 235/45/17

 

[stephen newberg]

I think you will find most 17 inch rims are at least 7 inch width, and even those are not hugely common, compared with 7.5 inch, it being the size that seems to be made most often. Similarly, you will find 8 inchers, but again, they are not as common. It is worth remembering that the idea is, within the limits suggested by the manufacturer for each particular tire model, to keep the sidewalls as close to vertical as you can manage. Too narrow a tire for a particular rim is just as much a problem as too wide a tire.

pax, smn

 

[SHO2NV]

The General Exclaim UHP's have gotten rave reviews and are inexpensive. I was going to go with those but opted for the Kuhmo Ecsta Supra 712's. Nice tread pattern, great reviews, but a little more $$ than the ones you've listed. We'll see how they go, I haven't been able to put any miles on em yet.

 

[godspunk32]

That is probably me. I was running 245 Bridgestone 930s for one set. I had no rubbing issues, even on very hard use on winding back roads. The critical factor is the sidewall stiffness. That model had -very- stiff sidewalls, and with almost no flexing, there was no touching. I am running 235s now, and the tire never comes close to the strut. All this is also effected by wheel offset and by the wheel height as well. A taller wheel is moving the tire further from the strut, which allows more width, but at the same time this gets the tire closer to the wheel well rim. Offset does the same thing, though more directly by moving straight in or out for the center point of the wheel.

pax, smn

I'm actually not talking about rubbing the strut, I'm talking about rubbing the inner fender well liner. I have two marks on either side of the strut from where the tire rubs just a tad at full lock.

JR

 

[SHO5]

my 225/55/17 rubbed on the inner fender wall and they have stiff sidewalls

 

[AREA 91]

COme on, you own a SHO! Money's no object.
I have:
Good Year Eagle F1 GS3's
225/50/16 on slicer's.

Simply put the BEST tires I have ever owned, and I have burned off a few in my day.

 

[hoboprodigy-]

I have a set of 225/50/17 Eagle F1 GS-D3's ready to go on my car when I get it back..

 

[avocadoman1]

i've made my choice...
don't try to stop me

Kumho ECSTA SPT
Size: 225/55WR16
Blackwall
WR Speed Rated
Price: $76.00 (each)

Kumho ECSTA SPT

 

[stephen newberg]

The real question is, on a cold surface windy road at speed, will they stop you?

The Ecasta 712s I had were the worst performance tires I have ever owned, and that is a lot of tires over 40 years of driving 'sports' vehicles. Hopefully, Kumho has improved some since then, but bitten once, twice shy.

pax, smn

 

[JoesSHO]

Tires?

I have these (245's) on my car, and they stick like flypaper... May be cheap- don't know... Got them with the car...

CLICK FOR DIRT'S SHOES

Just a thought

 

[avocadoman1]

The real question is, on a cold surface windy road at speed, will they stop you?
pax, smn

fortunately, for me, i don't give a rip about a cold surface. it's 70 and dry here nearly everyday of the year and always dry and warm when i drive my pampered SHO on SoCal roads.

i just cannot see spending the $$$ for the Good Year Eagle F1 GS3's. i'm sure that the F1 GS3's are really great tires. however, i don't drive my SHO on the track & i can now buy two sets of Kumho's for every one of the Goodyear's.

the other choice is the Fusion which has been recommended on this site and is probably a great tire as well at a reasonable price. yet the customer survey data on Tire Rack lead me towards the Kumho's.

i'll let you all know about my experience.

 

[stpidhoser]

i've made my choice...
don't try to stop me

Kumho ECSTA SPT
Size: 225/55WR16
Blackwall
WR Speed Rated
Price: $76.00 (each)

Kumho ECSTA SPT

Good tire selection there. I had those on my 18s and got an EASY 22k out of them.

 

[avocadoman1]

i've currently got the Michelin Sport Pilot. great for the first 10K miles or so. but with 20K+ miles on them now, the noise level is horrible. plenty of tread left but the noise mann...the noise!
also, they're $180 each.

again, i can buy two set of Kumho's/Fusion's and have beer money left over for the price of one Michelin.

 

[Ishodu]

I am not sure the cost now but I picked up Firestone fire-hawk wide oval last summer and I am very impressed, 3 times the wet traction as the 711s I had on there.

 

[BodylessSHO]

I've got Michelin MXV4's that I'm pretty happy with.

 

[avocadoman1]

KUMHO tires are now officially installed. Great purchase for a summer/Sunday tire!
quiet...very quiet.