Quick question about tires. In the next week or so, Im getting new tires to replace the 15's on my 2001 GSR. I was gonna get a set of Falken GR Beta FK-451's (any opinions about these??) over the Kumho Ecsta Supra 712's (Ive heard the Falkens have better tire life and handling as well as less road noise). Do you all have any thoughts on this?

The real question Im asking, though, is this:

What do you do about a spare tire? (Simple as that may sound...) With my car running 17's, the stock spare, obviously a 15" tire, wont work, am I right? Whats the best thing to do? Pick up a cheap sports radial for those times where a flat may occur?

Thanks for your help...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MugenGSR2001 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What do you do about a spare tire? (Simple as that may sound...) With my car running 17's, the stock spare, obviously a 15" tire, wont work, am I right? Whats the best thing to do? Pick up a cheap sports radial for those times where a flat may occur?

Thanks for your help...</TD></TR></TABLE>

Why wouldn't the spare work?

It will definitely get you home if you need it to, there is no reason I can think of as to why it wouldn't.

 

The space saver donut spare is only in place for if you get a flat and need a way home. Those aren't even designed to go over 45mph I believe. If you get a flat the donut will make it to the tire shop (or home). Its not designed for any other purpose. They are not safe. But if you want buy another wheel and tire and find a way to shove it in your trunk.

 

The best tire for your money is probably the Ecsta Supra. I have had a set on my Ls for over a year now and they are just getting close to time to change. If you have your car lowered then any tire is going to wear out faster than if not. Another good tire is the Neo gen from Nitto.

 

i made a thread about this the other day, but it seems like not very many people are carrying a full size spare. i carry one just because of a bad experience being stuck in the middle of nowhere and not being able to use the interstate with the donut. you can put another full size spare in the wheel well, but it obviously the trunk won't be flat. btw, i believe the donut is 14" not 15".

 

The donut will still work even though the other 3 tires would be 17's?? The drive I imagine would be pretty rough but it would still work? I didnt realize that....

I see you mentioned the Kumho's...the prices for both the Falken's and Kumho's are the same from where Im buying the tires. Even with the price the same, you prefer the Kumho's? I plan on dropping my Integra just a little bit (not too much) and am going with 205's to make sure I dont have to use a camber kit...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by carjacker006 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> If you have your car lowered then any tire is going to wear out faster than if not. </TD></TR></TABLE>
not quite. regardless of how high or low your car is, tires will wear evenly assuming you have normal camber and toe is 0. treadwear rating of the tire is one factor (of many) that affects how fast your tire will wear out.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MugenGSR2001 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The donut will still work even though the other 3 tires would be 17's?? The drive I imagine would be pretty rough but it would still work? I didnt realize that....I plan on dropping my Integra just a little bit (not too much) and am going with 205's to make sure I dont have to use a camber kit...</TD></TR></TABLE>
the donut will 'work', but you should change it asap, its not good for your suspension to be unbalanced like that. you can still have camber issues if you use a 205 tire. the only way to be safe is to get your car aligned right after you lower the car.

 

17", ugh

you will really know how slow your car is now, after a month of riding the 17s, put the 15's back on for a day, you will notice a huge difference in acceleration

 

Forget the acceleration factor. You will notice how suck the quality of the ride will get.

 

about the spare - of course it will fit- the suspension will correct for it man.. and yeah i do have a suggestion dont go 17s

 

Seriously?? That big a difference?? Im surprised...

 

bought the car with 17" Tenzo Mean Six rims
I thought they looked good
cracked one real good, nearly have the rim was cracked
bought a new rim
dented another rim twice, had it repaired
sold the set on ebay
got 15" with Falken Azenis
plut them on car
said "Holy ****" is this my car. it accelerates so much faster and handles better
I will never have wheels bigger than 15" on my integra

 

Why would you not go on the interstate just because the spare tire is not regualr sized??? I have pulled a trailor 300 miles with a spare donut on the front (in moded minivan pulling 8000lbs). They ARE designed for short term use, they work just fine.

 

So are you all saying that changing my tires from 17" to 15" will give me faster acceleration and better handling? What's the best brand to get, considering that I'm on a $100 per tire budget?

 

for max performance, i love falken azenis

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 9000rpms &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Why would you not go on the interstate just because the spare tire is not regualr sized??? I have pulled a trailor 300 miles with a spare donut on the front (in moded minivan pulling 8000lbs). They ARE designed for short term use, they work just fine.</TD></TR></TABLE>

thats not very smart. they say on them not to exceed 45 mph. they are small tires (profile is around 25, width in the lower 100s), so they don't handle a lot of pressure. driving on the interstate with a donut, especially while towing something is dangerous not only for, but for other drivers

 

i say.. dont go with 17's.. go with 16's. a perfect balance between looks and handeling.

sure 17's will handle better, but 16's arent far behind. and i think you have more choices in tires with 17's then you do with 17's

also you wont have as good of get up and go.. car will accelerate slower, and breaking will be a tad bit different. but not by much

i went from 14's to 17's.. and now wished i went from 14's to 15" gsr blades, or 16's from ssr, gram light, or volk..

 

fo real 17s are too big i had them on my civic before im gettin 15s for the LS

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dFreezy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

thats not very smart. they say on them not to exceed 45 mph. they are small tires (profile is around 25, width in the lower 100s), so they don't handle a lot of pressure. driving on the interstate with a donut, especially while towing something is dangerous not only for, but for other drivers </TD></TR></TABLE>


Beleive me I did not want to do it...but I was driving with my boss in his vehicle so I pretty much had to...I'm just saying they are not performance tires but in normal conditions you can drive on them just fine. Companies design stuff for IDOITS so in real life the tire is rated higher than it says

17's= looks
15's= performance...for our cars anyways.

 

i've had 17" adr's on my integra. They sucked. Tires were expensive as hell, $100 a pop compared to $6x.00 for the others. Ride sucked, having wheels balanced sucked. If it came down to 17"s, I'd rather have stock steelies.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by moacsupreme &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i've had 17" adr's on my integra. They sucked. Tires were expensive as hell, $100 a pop compared to $6x.00 for the others. Ride sucked, having wheels balanced sucked. If it came down to 17"s, I'd rather have stock steelies.</TD></TR></TABLE>


x2...I had 17" RS5's and they sucked

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Sack Master &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The space saver donut spare is only in place for if you get a flat and need a way home. Those aren't even designed to go over 45mph I believe. If you get a flat the donut will make it to the tire shop (or home). Its not designed for any other purpose. They are not safe. But if you want buy another wheel and tire and find a way to shove it in your trunk.</TD></TR></TABLE>

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dFreezy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">thats not very smart. they say on them not to exceed 45 mph. they are small tires (profile is around 25, width in the lower 100s), so they don't handle a lot of pressure. driving on the interstate with a donut, especially while towing something is dangerous not only for, but for other drivers</TD></TR></TABLE>

I think many people greatly underestimate the capability and durability of the compact spare. Car and Driver did an extensive test of compact spares a while back, using a Ford Taurus and a Chevrolet Corvette as the test vehicles. The tests (which were performed with the spare in various locations on each car) included 0-60 runs, 70-0 braking, emergency lane change, and the 300 ft. skidpad.

In addition to the obvious conclusion that the compact spare lowers the performance threshold of a vehicle, the magazine's final conclusion was, "Compact spares do not need to be babied. Contrary to what their size and weight might suggest, these spares are competent in normal driving, and are strong enough for severe maneuvers."

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by moacsupreme &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i've had 17" adr's on my integra. They sucked. Tires were expensive as hell, $100 a pop compared to $6x.00 for the others. Ride sucked, having wheels balanced sucked. If it came down to 17"s, I'd rather have stock steelies.</TD></TR></TABLE>

yup.. its just a pain in the ***. and not that many 17's come in a light weight, unlike 16's..

also 16's lightweight are alot cheaper then 17" lightweight

really check into 16's bro.. trust me, it'll be a wise investment. blk/gunmetal w/ polished lip.. yummmm

 

IMO, 17s on an Integra look kinda akward..just look too big and don't flow well with the car's design. I'd try and stick to 15s, or 16s if you want a little more fashion.

And about tires, I'd decide based on your driving conditions. If you want to Auto-X, and it doesn't rain a whole lot, I'd recommend the Azenis. But if it's for daily or sometimes spirited type of driving, I'd look into the ES100s. Hope I gave some constructive input.

 

15's look too lil on a teg imo.
i say get 17's if u want to its your car and i think it will look better.
but if you are concerned about speed get 16's then but dont get 15's.
if u got $$ to spend just get some 17inch volks