I was really looking into getting the GSD3's. But, a local shop has an awsome deal on some new GSD2's for $230 mounted and balanced for two.

I am not really familiar with these tires, and yes, I have searched.

What is the major difference in the two? Or should I just fork up the extra $50 or so for the GSD3s?

 

The GSD2 is a much older tire that has been discontinued. I wouldn't get it.

Why are you buying only two tires? Sounds like they won't match the other two already on the car - not a good idea...

 

Ok. I was looking at some old pics, and don't really like the tread pattern.

Well, I can't afford all four tires right now. The reason I am changing the fronts is because there is a flat spot on the tire, which is making it feel like it's bouncing/wobbling.

Even if the size is exactly the same as the back two tires, would I have problems?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by twilson &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Even if the size is exactly the same as the back two tires, would I have problems?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes, quite possibly. The problem occurs when the two tires at one end are significantly different in performance from the ones at the other end. It can make the handling poor, and unpredictable. For example, if you have two crappy all-season tires on the rear, and two F1 GS-D3 on the front, in most conditions your car will tend to oversteer (the back end won't grip as well and will want to come around on you). Then on a colder day, the rear might grip better, so the car will tend to understeer (will plow ahead when you turn the wheel). That's why it's best to have four matching tires, and if you can't do that, have four tires that are as similar as possible to each other.

If you have a problem with one tire, you can replace it with an identical (but new) tire and all will match, or you can buy a set of four. (And yes, I understand that not everyone can go out and buy four new tires at the drop of a hat. But obviously, you have to do something, and not keep driving with a bad tire on your car.)

What tires are on the car now?

 

Thanks for the info!

I am currently using Falken rt 115's

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by twilson &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I am currently using Falken rt 115's</TD></TR></TABLE>

I think you mean either the ST-115, or the RT-215 or RT-615. (I'm not trying to be picky, just making sure it's clear which tire you mean.) See photos below. I can suggest a similar tire if you can clarify.

Also, what size are you using?

ST-115:


RT-215:


RT-615:

 

Yup. It's the st-115's. Sorry.

I am running 215/40/16's

 

The ST-115 is an okay (not great) summer tire. It's been discontinued by Falken, so I don't think you're going to find a replacement tire (which is one of the problems with buying discontinued tires like the GS-D2). So you're probably not going to find another ST-115 anywhere, especially in 215/40-16, which is a real oddball size. And you really don't want to mix the ST-115 with a much better performing tire like the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 (or even the Kumho Ecsta SPT).

I would suggest deciding what tires you want to keep using on your car, and figure out a way to buy four tires now:

1. If you have a CRX, del sol, or pre-'96 Civic, the best common 16" size for your car is 205/40-16. 215/40-16 might work, but it might rub. The F1 GS-D3 is not available in 205/40-16, and is $134 in 215/40-16. I would suggest instead getting four of the Kumho Ecsta SPT in 205/40-16, which is $72/tire at the Tire Rack and offers very good dry traction, excellent in rain, good treadlife (30-45K miles is typical).

2. If you have an Integra or '97-00 Civic, the best 16" sizes are 205/45-16 or 215/45-16. You could get four of the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 in 205/45-16 for $133 each. But if money is a problem, I would suggest getting four of the Kumho Ecsta SPT in 205/45-16 for $65 each.

Compared to the Goodyear F1 GS-D3, the Kumho Ecsta SPT offers far more "bang for the buck", with 90+ percent of the performance for less than half the price. As you can see, you can get four brand new Kumho SPT tires in the proper 16" size for your car for under $300.

 

if you do decide to get two of the gdy i would suggest that you put them on the rear, but like nsxtasy has stated getting four would be better

 

The Kumho's look pretty good. They also have good ratings. I will give four of them a try.

Four Kumho's for almost the price of two Goodyear F1 Eagle's, sounds like a deal to me.

Thank for all the help nsxtasy. You've been great.


ONE MORE QUESTION: My biggest concern is dry traction. I have a 92 Civic pushing 350whp. How much traction will I gain from switching to these Kumho's?

I don't AutoX and it doesn't rain much here at all. I like to go to the track and an occasional street race.

Will the ECSTA SPT's still be good for the above applications?





Modified by twilson at 8:31 AM 1/16/2007

 

The Kumho SPT will be good, but the question "how good" depends on what you're comparing them against. No, they're not quite at the level of the F1 GS-D3, which is one of the best street tires on the market. Yes, you can take them out on the track, or to the dragstrip, but they won't perform as well as the F1 GS-D3 or tires designed for that purpose.

With that many horsepower, you may want to consider spending more money for better tires. You probably spent a lot of time and/or money to get your car that powerful; it only makes sense to spend more money on tires that can handle all that power, otherwise it is wasted. The SPT is a great everyday driving tire, but other tires are better for handling that much power - and all of them are much more expensive. The F1 GS-D3 is one of them. Another is the Falken Azenis RT-615, which isn't as expensive to buy as the F1 GS-D3, but treadlife is extremely short (10-12K miles is typical, vs 25-40K for the Goodyear and 30-45K for the SPT) so they wind up being expensive because of how frequently you will need to replace them. If you're only going to the dragstrip, not the racetrack, then you might consider buying an extra pair of wheels and getting some drag radials for them.

And don't street race, please. Going fast - safely - is what the track and the dragstrip were designed for.