So spring is coming and sure baby needs new shoes. I've decided on Kosei K1's because I had them before on my Si and I loved them. Plus they're one of the few to come 15x7
The question is this- I'm going to have the wheels ready to go on the car. I get my license back May 15th, and then May 22nd I'm driving to New Mexico (from PA). From there, we're going through Las Vegas, maybe to LA, and back up through CO, Nebraska, and on to PA. I don't plan to drive like my grandparents either. We're not rushing, but on those open, flat roads I think 90+ is not out of the question. Don't flame I'm just being honest. I haven't had a license in 4 years so I'm getting it all out of my system in states with lofty speed limits.
So, I'm going to buy a set of new tires and put like 4000-5000 miles on them right away. They're not going to last until winter, so I really just need dry traction with occasional rain encounters. I can't rule out an Auto-X on the trip, but when I get home they'll be daily-driven and auto-x tires. I'm not concerned if I only get 10k out of the tires. It's more important to me to have good grip than it is to be able to get a year out of them. In my Si, I had to replace tires 3 or 4 times a year.
I don't do any burnouts with my d16 beast (lol - not!) so they'll only see spirited driving and auto-x versions of accelerated wear.

I'd love to have the Falken 615's but I'm concerned about how they'd wear on those long days on the highway. Also, since I'm putting that much mileage on them right away, I think I'd just be wasting money. I'm considering some Kumho's or some Dunlop Direzza's, Kumho ECSTA 711, etc. I'm not interested in spending more than $70/tire. I'd run 205/50/15

I thought I'd get them from Tirerack and get the roadhazard so that if I'm on the road and have problems, they could hopefully ship a new tire to me quickly. How does that roadhazard work anyway?


Anybody have any input? Thanks
B


Modified by 99CivicSiBrian at 10:02 AM 2/25/2006

 

Wow! Lots of questions. I'll try to answer all of them, if I can; others are welcome to chime in, of course...

Well, don't start racking up tickets and risk that license! I'm not going to preach to you about safety. But be careful about law enforcement. Get a good radar detector (like a Valentine 1) and remember that that doesn't make you immune to instant-on radar or laser, if it's not turned on until you're the one speeding past. Most places you can do 5 mph over, and usually up to ten over, without too much trouble. But if you're doing over 90 where the limit is 70 or 75, there's a good possibility you're going to get pulled over, and that could be expensive (as well as risking your driving privileges). Keep it to 5-10 over and you shouldn't have a problem.

These two parts of your post contradict each other. If you want to get the Falken RT-615, then get them! You shouldn't have to worry about how they will wear. They should easily last the 10K miles you mention. And they're better than the RT-215 when it comes to driving in rain. So there really aren't any problems using the RT-615. OTOH they do wear quickly, so when you say that you don't want to waste money and you're concerned about purchase price, again, you are contradicting yourself when you say you want grip and you don't care how long they last. If you use tires up 2-3 times as quickly because it's a rapid-wearing tire like the RT-615, it's just like paying 2-3 times as much for the tire. I'm not telling you not to get the RT-615; I'm just saying that you're going to have to make a choice between a tire as sticky as the RT-615 versus one that isn't going to cost you a lot of money (either because of purchase price or because of rapid treadwear). You just can't have both.

Oh, and the RT-615 costs $78, which exceeds your $70 stated maximum.

The Kumho Ecsta 711 is crap; don't even consider it. The Dunlop Direzza DZ101 is an excellent tire, very similar in performance to the Yokohama ES100 and the Kumho Ecsta SPT. All three of these tires offer very good dry traction (nowhere near as much as the Azenis, but decent), excellent wet traction, pretty long treadlife (you might get three times as many miles as the Azenis), and a bargain price. At the Tire Rack, they cost $75 for the ES100, $61 for the SPT, and $58 for the DZ101. However, Edge Racing still has a special on the DZ101 in this size for $45, which is an awesome deal.

If you want a supersticky tire and you don't mind that it wears fast, get the RT-615. If you want a tire that's going to last a lot longer and you don't mind giving up some performance, I'd get the DZ101 from Edge Racing for $45.

I'll go check on the road hazard question in a minute...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 99CivicSiBrian &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I thought I'd get them from Tirerack and get the roadhazard so that if I'm on the road and have problems, they could hopefully ship a new tire to me quickly. How does that roadhazard work anyway?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Read about the program on their website here, including the detailed terms and conditions in the pdf certificate here.

Note that the program doesn't get you replacement tires any quicker. If you have a tire problem on the road, you will have to repair or replace the tire any way you need to, and pay for it - and do it the same way whether you have the road hazard coverage or not. The only thing the road hazard program does for you is it gets you reimbursed later on, after the fact, for the repair or replacement of a tire that has been damaged by road hazard. And if you have to have a tire shipped overnight from the Tire Rack while you are on the road, they are only going to get reimbursed for the amount that it would cost to ship it by ground; you'll pay any extra for overnight charges yourself. So the only thing the road hazard program does is reimburse you for the repair or replacement of the tire, under the terms outlined in the pdf certificate.

Now, is it worth getting? That's up to you. What are the chances that you will have a repair - say, a flat tire? If you have a flat and you pay to have the tire repaired, you will get reimbursed up to $25 for the repair. What are the chances that you will have to replace a tire on the road? Well, when was the last time you had to get one replaced at home, other than because it wore out? And how much will you get reimbursed for it? Read the terms and decide whether it's a good deal or not.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Now, is it worth getting? That's up to you. What are the chances that you will have a repair - say, a flat tire? If you have a flat and you pay to have the tire repaired, you will get reimbursed up to $25 for the repair. What are the chances that you will have to replace a tire on the road? Well, when was the last time you had to get one replaced at home, other than because it wore out? And how much will you get reimbursed for it? Read the terms and decide whether it's a good deal or not.</TD></TR></TABLE>


Good information, thank you for summarizing that for me!

I guess in my situation, it's not going to help me instantly, so I'll take my chances that the tires won't have any issues. I guess that part of the question also suggested that I 'could' buy the same tires at NTB/Sears or (ewww) Pep Boys where I could get over-the-counter help. Only problem with them is they charge an arm and a leg to mount and balance. I get that stuff done for like $2 on base.

And I was hesitant to get the NT-615 because if they only have an expected life of 10k-15k, I'm going to put over half of that on in one 2 week period, so it's kinda pointless. AFter thinking about it, how much grip am I really going to need on that trip? Besides, for highway noise and comfort, I wonder how the 615 compares. . . not as much of an impact on my decision, but just nice if it is in my favor. I'll run something slightly cheaper and just wear them out in probably just about the same amount of time and then fit on the 615's at that time.

Thanks again.
B

 

If I may add a few observations.

I think the RT-615 may last longer under straight line constant speed driving. Ken correct me if I am wrong.

Another thing to consider is the availablilty of the RT-615. If you do get a flat on the road like you are worried right out side of East Bumble-expletive, Utah, will the local tire places carry that tire or will it take 2 days to get one in. You may be stuck in East Bumble-expletive for a few days waiting. Just something to consider. I am not sure if it is available in a lot of places or not but if you are worried about getting a flat it might be wise to check in on that. In that case a more common tire might be better. Just more stuff to ponder over.

Good luck and enjoy your road trip.
(And ya, try to keep the speed down, losing your licence again for an even longer time would suck)

 

Where you buy tires is up to you. You can certainly buy them anywhere you want, and you aren't required to get them mounted/balanced where you buy them. In terms of price, the Tire Rack is always one place to check (and their website makes it easy) as well as Discount Tire Direct (which offers free shipping, so make sure you compare prices after figuring shipping and sales tax) and local dealers (who charge sales tax, which you can usually avoid by getting them shipped). If Sam's Club or Costco can get you what you're looking for, that's another possibility.

Well, you understand the trade-off. BTW, most other tires will last a whole lot longer than the RT-615, so don't expect them to wear out in the same amount of time. You can certainly get a set for your trip, and switch when you get back. Some folks get a second set of wheels, so they can easily swap back and forth, one set for daily driving and trips, and the other for autocross etc.

Usually true, but not always. For example, you might be surprised to find out how much faster tires wear if you're doing straight line driving on a long trip, but when you have the car fully loaded with people and luggage, due to the extra weight.

Truth be told, no matter what tire you get, you're probably not going to find it in a small town in the middle of nowhere. On the other hand, if you find yourself in such a situation, you're probably better off just buying whatever crappy tire they happen to have there, in the same size as your other tires, and use it to complete your trip. Sure, it's not usually a good idea to mix different tires, but if it happens, just take it easy (don't drive like a madman, don't drive over 90). I'd rather do that than be stuck waiting around for a long time for tires to arrive. Then again, most of these tire dealers can overnight the tire to you so you get it the next morning, if you're willing to pay the extra shipping charges to do so.

In any case, I wouldn't worry about it too much, and I wouldn't change my tire purchase just to get a tire that you might find on the road. The chances of having to replace a tire on the road are really very low. You can always deal with that if and when it happens; no need to overly pre-plan for it.

 

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

In any case, I wouldn't worry about it too much, and I wouldn't change my tire purchase just to get a tire that you might find on the road. The chances of having to replace a tire on the road are really very low. You can always deal with that if and when it happens; no need to overly pre-plan for it.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Aggreed. I drive a little over 50 000km a year on what at times can be pretty shitty roads and have never gotten a flat. Hell just bring one of those sealant/inflate cans just in case if you are paranoid about it.

 

Yeah. I've never had a flat, just slow-leaks. I guess I'm just being paranoid. There's always the possibility of hitting some object that found its way into the road and having it cause problems for me. But then again, I've driven, oh, over 100,000 miles for sure, and never had a blow out or anything, but I guess I'm honestly considering manufacturers defects to be the biggest thing for me to watch for.
I won't have much time to road test the tires before we roll, so I'm just trusting them blindly.

All good information guys. Thanks again!
B

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by old man neri &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Aggreed. I drive a little over 50 000km a year on what at times can be pretty shitty roads and have never gotten a flat.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I've gotten several punctures (nails or screws) in normal daily driving, and they can usually be fixed, as long as the tire doesn't get completely flat. I find them because I check my tire pressures regularly.

As for real flats, I've probably averaged 15K miles per year for the past 20+ years. I've only gotten two actual flats (rather than slow leaks from punctures), both within the past year as it happens. In one case, it was a track tire and I had plenty of extra tires with me. In the other case, I just put on the spare.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by old man neri &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Hell just bring one of those sealant/inflate cans just in case if you are paranoid about it.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Those are okay as an emergency measure, but they basically destroy the tire. They spray gunk on the inside of the tire, and it ends up making the tire unbalanced and there are other problems they cause too.

Here's a bit of advice that most people (even many enthusiasts) often overlook: Check the air pressure in your spare tire at least several times a year. Most people never bother, and drive around with spares that have been slowly losing air pressure for years (as any tire will do over time). Then, when they finally get a flat, they go to mount the spare and find that it doesn't have enough air in it to drive on. (Remember, too, that the spare tire often requires pressure much higher than normal tires, e.g. 60 psi for the spare vs ~30 for the regular tires.)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 99CivicSiBrian &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">There's always the possibility of hitting some object that found its way into the road and having it cause problems for me. But then again, I've driven, oh, over 100,000 miles for sure, and never had a blow out or anything, but I guess I'm honestly considering manufacturers defects to be the biggest thing for me to watch for.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Hitting an object can cause a tire problem (that's what caused me to put on my spare) and that's what the road hazard reimburses for (as well as for fixing slow leaks). (FWIW, my case wouldn't have been reimbursed anyway, because the tires were more than three years old.)

There's no need to get road hazard coverage if you're worried about manufacturer defects, because replacement of tires for defects is covered by the tire manufacturer's warranty.

 

I personally think you do not need the falken rt 615's for a road trip. seems like you would be spending money on a performance tire that you dont need on a road trip.

Get the Kumho SPT, Dunlop Direzza or ES100's. theyll lastlonger, probably ride quieter and smoother, there cheaper, and they still have decent performance.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Here's a bit of advice that most people (even many enthusiasts) often overlook: Check the air pressure in your spare tire at least several times a year. Most people never bother, and drive around with spares that have been slowly losing air pressure for years (as any tire will do over time). Then, when they finally get a flat, they go to mount the spare and find that it doesn't have enough air in it to drive on. (Remember, too, that the spare tire often requires pressure much higher than normal tires, e.g. 60 psi for the spare vs ~30 for the regular tires.)</TD></TR></TABLE>

I forgot to mention, I don't have a spare. Perhaps I should look into that. . .
B

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 99CivicSiBrian &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I forgot to mention, I don't have a spare. Perhaps I should look into that. . .
B</TD></TR></TABLE>

Indeed. Those self sealing inflatig cans might be an alternative to consider. I have no personal experiance with those but I know some car manufacturers are giving them out instead of spares.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 99CivicSiBrian &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I forgot to mention, I don't have a spare. Perhaps I should look into that. . .</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes, that might be a good idea. Also, if you're going to do that, make sure you have all the pieces to your jack. It wouldn't hurt to actually try it out (in the comfort and safety of your own garage) to make sure all the pieces are there and you know how to use them.

Also keep in mind that the current generation of space-saver spare tires are designed to be used for limited distances at slower speeds (e.g. 50 mph), just to get you to the next town where you can buy a tire, not for cross-country trips. If you have an extra full-sized wheel and tire, you might consider bringing that with you instead of the space-saver spare...