I live in Lexington, KY and get just a little snow, well really more ice. I have only a small drop with the HFP suspension setup on my ep3 and will for the time being continue using the stock 16" rims. I am looking for the most aggressive all season tire. Something that will feel much better than the oem tires for spirited driving, and maybe an odd scca run (maybe, didnt make any this year). Of course I don't want to spend more than I need to, so no Mich Pilot Sports, OK. Next year I want to pick up some different rims with a summer tire and keep the stockies and whatever tires I buy now as the cold weather setup, but that must waite, my wife only lets me spend so much at a time and summer is almost over.

I would also like advice on size. Of course I want maximun contact patch and dont want the sidewall to appear any smaller than a 205/50/16 due to my small drop. Why add gap?

Thanks for any advice!

 

In the 215/50/16 size the Kumho ASX is available. It is a good performing all-season tire at a good price point. $87 each plus shipping. Please let me know if you are interested. Thanks.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...A+ASX

 

I agree with Clay that the Kumho Ecsta ASX is a very good all-season tire for the money. But for a Civic Si (stock tire size 195/60-15*), I think you are better off getting 205/50-16 than 215/50-16. The outer diameter is closer to stock (0.6 percent smaller instead of 1.0 percent bigger), so your speedometer and odometer will be more accurate. And you'll have less chance of rubbing.

The Kumho ASX is available in 205/50-16 for $85/tire at the Tire Rack.

EDIT: 195/60-15 is the stock size for earlier Civic Si's. For a more recent Civic Si, the stock size is 205/55-16, and this size is available in the Kumho Ecsta ASX, for $70/tire.



Modified by nsxtasy at 3:05 PM 8/12/2005

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I agree with Clay that the Kumho Ecsta ASX is a very good all-season tire for the money. But for your Civic Si (stock tire size 195/60-15), I think you are better off getting 205/50-16 than 215/50-16. The outer diameter is closer to stock (0.6 percent smaller instead of 1.0 percent bigger), so your speedometer and odometer will be more accurate. And you'll have less chance of rubbing.

The Kumho ASX is available in 205/50-16 for $85/tire at the Tire Rack.
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I have an '05 so my stock size is 205/55/16, do you really think 215/50/16 would rub with the modest drop that the HFP provides.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by giff74 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have an '05 so my stock size is 205/55/16</TD></TR></TABLE>

Oops! My bad. I had incorrectly assumed that yours was an earlier one.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by giff74 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">do you really think 215/50/16 would rub with the modest drop that the HFP provides. </TD></TR></TABLE>

No, I don't think 215/50-16 would rub, since it's smaller in diameter than the stock size.

But then why not just get the stock size? The Kumho Ecsta ASX is available in 205/55-16. It will maintain the accuracy of the speedometer/odometer, and it's significantly cheaper, too ($70/tire). For an '05, I think that would be the best choice of all.

 

I havent made any decisions on anything yet, just that my oem tires suck. I want to get as much contact patch as possible, so I was inquiring about sizes.

Does anyone have experience with the ziex 512's?

 

I have ASX's on our TL and will be buying them for my Integra. Good high performance all season tire at a very resonable price.

 

Falken ziex 512s are also a popular all season tire to consider. I have a set about to be mounted on my stocks pretty soon that will be used in some snow as well.

 

I'm running the Falkens right now, but I had the ASX's on my other set of wheels. The 512's only have about a 1,000 miles on them, so they still feel a bit floaty. My other friend told me that his Falken St115's also took a while to break in, so maybe this is unfair comparison for the time being. Anyways, the ASX's felt much more stable and planted to the ground, but not quite as quiet and comfortable as the 512s. Here's the weird thing, when I first had the ASX's mounted on my other wheels, I don't remember any sort of break in period. They didn't feel much different new compared to several thousand afterwards.

But, the falkens are 205-15-50, whereas the ASXs are 205-45-16s. Would the tires still exhibit the same driving characteristics if they were the same size? Or would the different sizes throw off my personal comparison?

 

I think the difference in rim size and tire height in itself caused most of the difference in feel, there is going to be a big difference in road feel as well as percieved grip, roll etc with that large of a difference in aspect ratios. Still, I have heard the falkens are a little softer and less of a "performance" tire than the kumhos, but its a tradeoff for ride quality so it just depends on what you want. For ultimate performance, get 2 sets of tires, 1 summer and 1 winter set.

 

I have the ASX on my EM1, they are 205/50-15. I love them, they are a great tire for a good price. They are pretty quiet too

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by redlude503 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I think the difference in rim size and tire height in itself caused most of the difference in feel, there is going to be a big difference in road feel as well as percieved grip, roll etc with that large of a difference in aspect ratios. Still, I have heard the falkens are a little softer and less of a "performance" tire than the kumhos, but its a tradeoff for ride quality so it just depends on what you want. For ultimate performance, get 2 sets of tires, 1 summer and 1 winter set.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I am not in a rush, but with summer coming towards an end I am planning on going the two set route. I want to mount something on my stock wheels for the winter. The oem Michelin's suck in the wet and the dry not to mention the snow. Then next spring I want to get aftermarket wheels with a more aggressive summer tire.

So some of your guys are thinking mabye the 512's are a little softer than the ASX's? I can put up with noise or rougher ride for a tire than has some grip and will do well in the rain and ok in the winter stuff.

What size will give me the batch contact patch with the oem 16" wheels and not look goofy as far as the sidewall goes?

 

Yes, exactly. All-season tires are a compromise; they are okay in warm weather, but not as good as a true performance (summer) tire, and they are okay in snow and frigid weather, but not as good as a true winter tire. If you get two sets of tires, you don't have to make this compromise; you can use the best tires for each season. You'll need an extra set of wheels, too, so you don't have to pay for mounting and balancing twice a year. (As long as you know how to use a jack and a lug wrench, you can swap your tires/wheels yourself.) And you'll need a place to store the extra set of wheels/tires, of course.

As long as you are planning to have two sets of tires, then you should NOT get an all-season (compromise) tire like the 512 or the ASX. Get a set of true winter tires (not all-season tires) for the winter months, and summer tires for the rest of the year. You can keep swapping to and from your winter tires each year at the start and end of winter, and use your summer tires the rest of the year.

There are a lot of excellent winter tires on the market. They tend to break down into two groups:

a) tires that have the very best traction on snow and ice, but have so-so ride and handling on days when it's not so cold; examples include the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50, Dunlop Graspic DS-2, and Michelin X-Ice. (The Tire Rack calls these tires "studless ice and snow tires".)

b) tires that have good traction on snow and ice and in cold, although not quite as good as the previous group, but they also have very good ride and handling characteristics on days when it's not so cold; examples include the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22, Dunlop Winter Sport M3, and the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2. (The Tire Rack calls these tires "performance winter tires".)

The choice between these two categories depends on the climate in your area, how much highway driving you do in the winter, how much you care about ultimate snow/ice grip versus ride comfort, whether you have another vehicle to use in the worst of winter, etc. Oh, and the tires in category (a) are usually significantly less expensive than category (b), which may be important. For example, I want the best snow/ice traction and I don't mind sacrificing some ride comfort and handling for those three months a year (mid-December to mid-March around here), and winter weather here in Chicago can be fairly nasty, so I have category (a) tires. But your priorities may be different, and you might be better off getting the category (b) tires.

Remember, with winter tires, you're not worried about contact patch. In fact, with winter tires, narrower widths are actually better. I would advise sticking with your stock 205/55-16 size for your winter tires on your stock wheels, which will look the best as well. Here are Tire Rack prices per tire for that size:

<u>Category (a) - Best Snow/Cold Performance</u>
Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 $100
Dunlop Graspic DS-2 $80
Michelin X-Ice $107

<u>Category (b) - Best Ride/Handling in Moderate Temps</u>
Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22 $146
Dunlop Winter Sport M3 $109
Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2 $118

Just wait until the start of winter before putting them on; use your crappy stock Michelin tires until then (even those will perform better in nice weather than the winter tires). But order the winter tires in the fall (e.g. October) because a lot of sizes tend to run in short supply once the first big snowstorms hit.



Modified by nsxtasy at 5:10 PM 8/14/2005

 

I would agree with you if I was back in Buffalo or Detroit or someplace that really got snow. It gets cold here, but very little snow, some ice, but not tons. Anything like the Blizzaks and so forth will be very under utilized around here. I just need something that will get me through the winter. If I was in Atlanta or any further south I wouldn't even bother with winter or all season tires.

I hate the oem tires, so I am looking for an upgrade and since its mid-August I want something that will get me through the cold weather. Next spring I want to pick up some 17's with summer only tires.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by giff74 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I would agree with you if I was back in Buffalo or Detroit or someplace that really got snow. It gets cold here, but very little snow, some ice, but not tons. Anything like the Blizzaks and so forth will be very under utilized around here. I just need something that will get me through the winter. If I was in Atlanta or any further south I wouldn't even bother with winter or all season tires.

I hate the oem tires, so I am looking for an upgrade and since its mid-August I want something that will get me through the cold weather. Next spring I want to pick up some 17's with summer only tires.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Gotcha.

I would still recommend the 205/55-16 size, now for your all-season tires. That size Kumho Ecsta ASX is $70 at the Tire Rack, and that size Falken Ziex ZE-512 is $72 at Discount Tire.

 

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

Gotcha.

I would still recommend the 205/55-16 size, now for your all-season tires. That size Kumho Ecsta ASX is $70 at the Tire Rack, and that size Falken Ziex ZE-512 is $72 at Discount Tire.
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Thanks for all the help with the research!

 

those falken ziex 512 were just 68 bucks last week when i order another set, it went up 4 bucks...wow