FAQ: Which tires work best?

I like the tread patten on those bridgestones, along with some of the higher end dunlops, Michelin PS2's and Continental contact 3'sbut the price range is out of my budget. ($200+ on tirerack)

Has anyone ever bought tires for tirerack? they have the BFG's for 155ea and BJ's has them for $200. difference is BJ's price is all inclusive, and w/online tire places S&h is like $75+mount and balance+other crap. Im not entirely sure what to total would come out to be.

Mr.Riviera wrote:

I like the tread patten on those bridgestones, along with some of the higher end dunlops, Michelin PS2's and Continental contact 3'sbut the price range is out of my budget. ($200+ on tirerack)

Has anyone ever bought tires for tirerack? they have the BFG's for 155ea and BJ's has them for $200. difference is BJ's price is all inclusive, and w/online tire places S&h is like $75+mount and balance+other crap. Im not entirely sure what to total would come out to be.

I bought from TIreRack and DTD. Had to get warranty support from TireRack, not too much of a hassle but essentially required buying a 5th tire then getting reimbursed. Warranty has fine print you'd *better* read, makes sense due to it's mail order but it's a 1-shot.

Might want to shop around locally - if a local dealer has "remaindered" tires for whatever reason you can strike a decent deal.

Albertj

A few years ago I read this article from C&D. Good stuff to know when you're shopping for new tires:

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparisons/05q4/tire_test_the_quick_and_the_tread-comparison_tests

Just invested in a new set of Dunlop Durezza DZ101 245/45 18s for the summer rims. I wanted something that would compare to the Wide Ovals on my 16"s. These seem to be an affordable tire aimed at dry performance. I've read some horrible reviews on these tires, most of which I think were made by people who bought the wrong tires for their needs (driving in snow, and expecting ultra-long life). Some of the reviews I really don't understand - people saying the tires don't grip well, or that they're bald after 10k. I'm hoping these problems were isolated instances.

Need to replace rear trans mount, front struts, and cradle mounts, then get an alignment as soon as I put these on the car. My winter tires are about done, so buying the new set gives me an incentive to get all that stuff done!

New rubber:

I just took them off and bought some generals,they lasted 10.000 miles like said junk!!!

Yeah, I hear ya, but I am also seeing reviews from people getting 20, 30, even 40k out of a single set of these tires. I want to know how the BMW 5-series owner ran them for 2 years including 2 track days to 28k miles. If I can do that I'll be happy.

I'm sure you can if you drive nicely,i liked the tire, but they only lasted 1 summer.Hope i get at least 2, out of the generals? Maybe very soft rubber? good in hot weather,sticky but wear way to fast ,o ya, don't bunout or that will be the end of your new sneakers!!!

Michelin Pilots Smooth & Quiet Touring Tire

I love my Falken FK452's. 1 of the best tires I have owned to date bang for buck. I won't think twice about replacing the old 1's with a new set of the same.

Those Falkens are exactly the same price as the Dunlops I bought, and the tread pattern is very close. Maybe an alternative if the Durezza's don't work out.

I've never known Dunlop to make a crappy tire (not impossible tho). I used to ride dirt bikes alot as a youth and the best hard compound tires you could buy were Dunlop hands down. That said, I realize it is apples and oranges between a car (made to roll) and a dirt bike (made to dig+grab)), but my point is Dunlop has been at it awhile, and I'm pretty sure they build their automotive tires to roll, not burnout. Drive accordingly.

That's what led me to buying the Dunlops - price and the fact we run the track version on our LeMons race car. The track version really isn't practical for everyday, nor wet roads, so I went with the DZ101, which is supposed to be better for that.

FWIW, my OEM Michelins failed catastrophically at highway speeds (two of them at different times). The walls were badly cracked. I replaced them with better Michelins, and although not a terrible performing tire, they showed cracking by the end of their 2 year life.

Interesting how so many people have this problem with Michelins cracking/highway blowouts. I've had 4 different sets of Michelins on various cars and none have ever cracked or anything, never had a flat, always had great performance... I guess it depends a lot on WHICH Michelin you get. I have a very high level of trust from the Michelins I've purchased.

deekster_caddy wrote:

Interesting how so many people have this problem with Michelins cracking/highway blowouts. I've had 4 different sets of Michelins on various cars and none have ever cracked or anything, never had a flat, always had great performance... I guess it depends a lot on WHICH Michelin you get. I have a very high level of trust from the Michelins I've purchased.

I run differetn tires in summer vs. winter.

My first Michelins (the XW4) and second (X - DL from Sams Club) had sidewall cracking before I retired 'em due to tread wearing down to the wear bars. My Michelin X-Ice did not. My Goodyear UltraGripIce (I *Just* swapped these off) have not but I will have to get new winter tires for the upcoming winter. My summer Uniroyals are on their 3rd season. No serious gripes. Can't decide if Back To Black, Aerospace Protectant 303 is better for them on the blacksidewalls.

Albertj

buying a set of BFG G-force tires. they seem to get good reviews and i have liked how previous sets of BFG's have worn. getting them in 245/45/ZR18 but they also make a V rated one.

These fellers really do the job for downright beauty, and comfort for the long haul highway cruise. And they are QUIET!!!

got the BFG G-force super sports installed and WOW they really hook up.
I think this is the first tire i have had on this car that i cant spin from a low roll.
seriously, i would have to try to make these spin by holding the ebrake and stomping it from a stop.

I would highly recommend these to anyone looking to dead hook 400 ft-lb of torque
Hold great in the rain and i have yet to find the lateral breaking point. I feel like something else will snap on the car before the tires let go.

Granted it is really hot outside to TQ isnt at a max and the road is hot, but i have the PSI set at 38!

woke up to a flat tire this morning, luckily i needed new tires anyway, so im gonna order some today... im looking to step up the width of my tires a little bit from the stock 225 but still want to retain relatively the same height, a 225/60/16 and 245/55/16 are exactly the same height, would that fit on the stock wheel fine? and has anyone ran these size tires?... im just tired of cutting 2.1 60 foots lol, so i want to step up the quality and size of the tire

My newer 1995 Riv's wheels are looking kinda lazy and flat but are holding the recommended PSi. So I'm looking for newer ones. I'm going to TireRack again since it is way more affordable than most other discount online sources including wholesale clubs and walmart.

Like mentioned before I bought Fuzions for my old Riv and loved'em. Last year I bought replacements for my Miata and Crossfire and wanted to go Fuzions again for both. Consumer Reports rated them excellent all around tires. I don't always trust or honor CR's opinions but it's nice when they agree and praise my original choice.

I was able to get a set for my Miata but the size equivalent for the Crossfire were not available and I would have had to wait 6 months to get them, I settled for the next step up in price. The performance on the Miata has been insanely good. Very capable in wet weather not; no more spinning turtle moments.

Just budgeting now, not planning on keeping the Riv for much longer(even though I love it, it has not returned the favor; repairs). I would like to have a safe fet of tires on the vehicle since I don't know how old the ones I have on there are now. They have enough tread but the car was rarely used by both previous owners and has been out in the winter so cracked tires are something to keep an eye on; havn't seen any though. That's why I had to replace the ones on the Crossfire.

I'm on TireRack.com now and I see their most affordable tire is a Yokohama AVID TOURING-S at $79/ea. The Fuzions have increased in popularity and therefor increased in price at $87/ea. still affordable.

Their most expensive one for the Riv is a Pirelli Cinturato at $229/ea. WoW!

LT1Squirrel wrote:

im looking to step up the width of my tires a little bit from the stock 225 but still want to retain relatively the same height, a 225/60/16 and 245/55/16 are exactly the same height, would that fit on the stock wheel fine?

I'd think those would work just fine. Would probably give you a slightly firmer ride, too. Expect a small drop in MPG with the wider contact patch.

I am in the market for a new set of tires for the Riviera. Stock size on stock wheels. I previously used a set of Kumho Ecsta ASX's, and was pretty happy with them. My only complaint was they rode a bit hard. I asked my GS club director for a recommendation, and he said to look at the Yokohama Avid tires, and the higher line Coopers. I took a look on Tire Rack, and there are 4 or 5 models of Yokohama Avids. The Avid EnVigor seemed to be highly rated in testing, but some of the reviews were contradictory. It's amazing how 2 different people can have such opposing reviews. Some said the tire was quiet, some said they were very noisy. My priorities are quietness, ride, and handling in that order. I want this in an all season tire. Anyone replace their tires lately, and have any recommendations?

Most of the Yokohama Avid's I've driven have stiff sidewalls. Not all Avids are the same though. Generally, the higher speed ratings have stiffer sidewalls.

Reviews on TireRack are hard to sift through. For the bad ones (wore out fast, rides like crap, too noisy, etc) it can be really hard to determine if the people didn't have some other problem with their vehicle, because their issues are generally not normal. Best to find reviews of the tires and pay attention to ones from similar vehicles to yours.

We have been recommending and using the Yokohama Avid TRZ lately, they are on my brother's Riv and Park Ave, it meets your criteria well and are decent in all weather too. So far everyone we've recommended them to has come away happy. Not the highest performing tire, but a very decent all around tire.

deekster_caddy wrote:

Most of the Yokohama Avid's I've driven have stiff sidewalls. Not all Avids are the same though. Generally, the higher speed ratings have stiffer sidewalls.

Reviews on TireRack are hard to sift through. For the bad ones (wore out fast, rides like crap, too noisy, etc) it can be really hard to determine if the people didn't have some other problem with their vehicle, because their issues are generally not normal. Best to find reviews of the tires and pay attention to ones from similar vehicles to yours.

We have been recommending and using the Yokohama Avid TRZ lately, they are on my brother's Riv and Park Ave, it meets your criteria well and are decent in all weather too. So far everyone we've recommended them to has come away happy. Not the highest performing tire, but a very decent all around tire.

Thanks Derek,
I e mailed my GS club director again asking about which Avid tires he meant. He just answered saying that he has gotten good results for the EnVigor and the TRZ. An all around good tire is really what I am after. Thanks again

I ordered the TRZ's just now. Should have them on this weekend. I'll let you know what I think of them.

don't forget to your old tires for fun!!!!!!