Summer tires... best deal?

[Vroom]

Well, I need to get my winter tires off, and had to throw away two of my tires that were on the car when I got it because they were bald. The two that are left aren't "ultra-performance" by any means I don't think, but they have plenty of tread left.

I have to either get two new ones and mount the two that I have left over, or get 4 brand new tires (which would be a pain considering I just bought 4 brand new winter tires $$$).

I am by no means hard around corners or driving in the twisties, but I do make my occasional run up to triple digits, like today for example. So, I'm not too sure I'm in need of 4 brand new tires.

Ok, so a search came up with people talking about Yokohama's, Dunlops, and Kumho's (although, not always positive opinions). I want ones that last as long as possible while still being a good/great price. I don't care too much about rain performance... we don't see that much rain. Again, I don't care about snow performance either. Which tire rating should I make sure I at least get?

Thanks.

 

[Slo-Sho]

Continental Contiextreme Contacts are going to be my next set. www.tirerack.com

 

[wuzzzer]

My next tires will be Yokohama AVS ES100s.

 

[Vroom]

Almost forgot... These are for stock chromies...

And a possibly dumb question: If I just get 2 brand new tires, should I have them mounted on the front or back?

 

[stephen newberg]

Many folk posting here have been pretty positive about the Yokos. I tend toward Bridgestones, but I am after very good results on twisty back roads, and hence willing to pay more for it.

Most would say that you want the best tread, that is the newest, assuming equal road holding quality, on the drive wheels, in this case the front. Since for us those are also the steering wheels, I do not think you would get a lot of disagreement that the front is the place to put the better tires, if you are not getting all new, which is often the best way to go since it keeps the tread and compounds matched. And you are going to want to rotate, right?

pax, smn

 

[Vroom]

Yep. That's what I needed to know Stephen. I'm leaning towards the Yokohama's. Thanks for the info!

 

[99V8SHO]

Actually I just read in article in the latest Car&Driver and they wrote about how new tires are tested before they are available for public sale. One of the things they tested was new tires mixed with old tires. They did a few wet road tests and found that the newer tires were safer in the rear. But it is your call.
I think my next set of tires will Be either the Yokohama's or Kumho's.

 

[drivinhard]

I put Yoko ES100's on my 92 last May, and now 18k later, they are totally gone. They got pretty noisy as they aged, and wore very fast, faster than the old SP8000's I used to run. They have good grip, laterally, and in a straight line, but they don't last and they have to be the loudest tire I've ever had on the car. I don't plan on getting another set.

 

[97V8SHO]

I've done some extensive tire research and what I have found to be the best tire that will last for a while is the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3. The Yoko's in the AVS Sports are very nice as well but have no life to them. As for the ES-100's I've heard nothing but good stuff about them and thoughs where going to be my next set but I just had to try the eagle's out. For the longest lasting high performance tire that I found where the Kumo 712's. My bro has them on his Cobra and they have lasted him sence last year in may, but thoughs are only the front ones. The rear ones for some reason went up in smoke .

 

[stephen newberg]

For the longest lasting high performance tire that I found where the Kumo 712's. My bro has them on his Cobra and they have lasted him sence last year in may, but thoughs are only the front ones. The rear ones for some reason went up in smoke .

I have had the Z rated Kumho 712s, and would not suggest them for any location that has cool mornings. Though they do seem to last well, their tread to sidewall interface has problems and they are very poor handling tires in colder weather. I junked mine before they were worn out, simpley because I found them so poor in handling under those situations.

pax, smn

 

[Osiris]

I used Contisportcontacts as OEM tires on my SVTF and they lasted about 35,000 hard and autcrossed miles. They turned into hockey pucks and became as slick as a used car salesman about that time though.

I didn't like the way they gripped too much on the track or in wet weather.

I have AVS ES100's on my SVTF now and they seem to hold the road better in rain.

I'd suggest these as a good cheap summer tire ( I paid $100 each for 215/45/17's. ) or if you want a really good grippy tire, look for Falken Azenis sports.

Those tires RAWK!!!!

 

[Vroom]

All right, everyone. I'm not sure how much life is left on my two tires that I have. I decided to take some pictures of them today and upload them to my website so that maybe someone could help me determine how much life is left on them.

See my site on PAGE 4: http://www.cardomain.com/id/tangerineskye

 

[Vroom]

Did anyone get a chance to look at the tires on my site?

 

[SHOZ123]

I didn't see any pictures on that page.

If you want good, low priced, long wearing speed rated tires get the Nitto 450 Extreme Performance tires. I got 35k out of my last set. About $90 a tire. I was looking at the Conti's till I saw the tread wear rating.

 

[Vroom]

Hmm... I'll have to check out those Nittos.

And did you for sure go to PAGE 4? I don't have page 4 written anywhere, you just have to click on the number at the top or bottom.

 

[Brendan Osborne]

I had a set of Bridgestone Potenza RE730s and they worked beautifully in the rain and dry. The only drawback was they only lasted 20k. I now have Cooper Zeon2XS's on my car. They do a good job in the twisties and the rain and can be found for $85 and they should last alot longer than the potenzas.

 

[Vroom]

 

[Vroom]

Here's what my used tires look like. So, how worn do they look?

 

[stephen newberg]

That does not look to me like a lot of tread left, looking mainly at the top view and the one with the penny. How far are are you from the wear markers in millimeters at the center of the tire there?

pax, smn

 

[DemonNeno]

I HIGHLY recommend the GS-D3 Eagle F1s by Goodyear! It's the ultimate summer tire, IMO. Good at handling, braking, and wet weather. The acceleration is entirely dependent on the mods done to your SHO. Definitely improves traction, but there's only so much that'll tame a FWD car. :headbang: