I'm thinking now might be a good time to get new summer tires for next season because there might be deals going around. Discount Tire is offering $100 off any set of 4 tires (or wheels -- or $200 off if you buy both -- offer good till 10/20). I'm going through the list for tires for 17" wheels and here's what they got (all prices before discount):

Plus Two
205/40-17

Nankang NS-1 Radial
205/40R-17XL 84H BSW
$53

Kumho Ecsta AST
205/40R-17XL 84H BSW
$62

Falken Ziex ZE-512
205/40ZR-17 84W REIN
$66

Falken Ziex ZE-912
205/40R-17 84W XL B
$67

Kumho Ecsta ASX
205/40R-17 84W BSW
$74

Nitto NT NeoGen ZR
205/40ZR-17 84W BLK
$76

Kumho Ecsta SPT
205/40R-17 84Y XL B
$79

Yokohama Parada Spec-2
205/40ZR-17 84W B
$83

Yokohama AVID H4S
205/40R-17 84H BW
$86

Falken FK 452
205/40R-17 84Z BSW
$91

Nitto NT 555 Extreme Performance
205/40ZR-17 84W
$103

Falken Azenis RT-615
205/40R-17 84W XL B
$108

Yokohama S.drive
205/40R-17 84W XL B
$110

Bridgestone Potenza RE960 AS Pole Position
205/40R-17 84W XL B
$158

Plus Two
215/40-17

Falken Ziex ZE-512
215/40ZR-17 87W REIN
$83

Falken Ziex ZE-912
215/40R-17 87W XL B
$85

Falken Azenis ST115
215/40R-17 87W XL B
$89

Nitto NT NeoGen ZR
215/40ZR-17 87W BLK
$92

Kumho Ecsta ASX
215/40R-17 87W BSW
$94

Yokohama AVID H4S
215/40R-17 87H BW
$99

Falken FK 452
215/40R-17XL 87Z BSW
$99

Kumho Ecsta SPT
215/40R-17 87W BSW
$100

Hankook Ventus Sport K104
215/40ZR-17XL87Y DSB
$101

Falken Azenis RT-615
215/40R-17 87W XL B
$114

Hankook Ventus R-S2 Z212
215/40R17 XL 87Y DSB
$119

Yokohama S.drive
215/40R-17 87W XL B
$121

I'll be using these for mostly summer driving in Chicago for my 2000 Integra daily driver (switching tires for winter). I'm not a huge car fanatic like most of you guys, but I like a little fun while I drive around. I do not autoX, track, etc etc.

If it matters, I have my car dropped to have no gap between the wheel and wheelwell. As you can tell, I'm a nooB, so dumbing down your reasoning will help. Are these prices they got any good? Sorry for the long post.

-L-

 

The proper 17" size for an Integra is 205/40-17. Don't get 215's; they'll just make your acceleration slower and throw off your speedometer/odometer. If you're looking for better performance, buy better, stickier tires, not wider tires.

As for which tire, that's a big list. Some of those listed are excellent tires and great deals, but others are just plain crap by comparison (worse performance and/or higher prices). Which ones are best for you? As I often post (such as in this topic):

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Roughly 90 percent of the time, people fall into one of the following three categories:

a. People who want the maximum traction on dry pavement, and don't care about anything else. These are usually people who sometimes use their street tires in autocross or on the racetrack or in brisk drives on curvy roads. The best tire for such folks IMHO is usually the Falken Azenis RT-615, which is available in Integra sizes of 195/60-14, 205/50-15, 215/45-16, and 205/40-17, depending on your wheel size. These tires don't last all that long - treadlife of 10-12K miles is typical - and they are only so-so in rain. But if you only care about dry grip, they're the bomb.

b. People who want good traction on dry pavement, but also want good traction in rain and also care about value (purchase price and/or treadlife), and who DON'T use these tires in snow (either it doesn't snow where they live, or they have separate tires or another vehicle for winter conditions). These are usually people who use their tires for everyday driving. The tires I most often recommend for these folks are the Kumho SPT and the Avon Tech M500, which are available in Integra sizes of 195/55-15, 205/50-15, 205/45-16, and 205/40-17. I recommend the Yokohama ES100 in 195/60-14 for those with 14" wheels. All of these tires have very good grip on dry pavement, are excellent in rain, and last a reasonably long time (25-40K miles).

c. People who need to use the same tires in snow during the winter as well as in moderate to warm temperatures the rest of the year. These folks need all-season tires, which are a compromise; they have the flexibility to be used in a wider range of weather, but they're not as good in winter as true winter tires and they're not as good the rest of the year as summer tires such as those mentioned above. For these folks, I recommend the Kumho ASX in 195/55-15, 205/50-15, 205/45-16, and 205/40-17. For those with 14" wheels, I recommend the Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position in 195/60-14.

All of these tires are reasonably priced, and are the best you can get for your money in each of these categories, IMHO. You can get them shipped from places like Tire Rack, Discount Tire (whose higher prices are offset by free shipping), and Vulcan Tire.</TD></TR></TABLE>

You sound like you're in the category (b) described above. Get the Kumho Ecsta SPT in 205/40-17. Four of the SPT in 205/40-17 is going to cost you $216 including shipping. I just ordered a set of the SPT myself, in 195/55-15 for $192. Yes, between the $100 deal (through Saturday, don't delay!) and free shipping, those prices are awesome, MUCH better than you're likely to find anywhere else.

 

Thanks for the reply nsxtacy (i just posted this question in the thread you just started). I'd be in category B -- I dont autoX or drag; I care (somwhat) about the performance in rain; I am considering cost; I wont be using these in snow. User reviews seem to love the Nitto NT NeoGen ZR on that website, especially for lowered cars... any thoughts?

 

I just edited my post after noticing your stated needs.

I definitely recommend the SPT. For your needs, I do not recommend the Nitto NeoGen, which is an all-season tire. As noted above, all-seasons are fine for those who have to use the same tire in winter as the rest of the year, and are willing to accept the downsides that come with their increased flexibility (don't perform as well in winter as winter tires, don't perform the rest of the year as well as summer tires). Since you have a separate set of tires for winter (like I do, no coincidence since we're both in Chicago), you can get better performance by using summer tires the rest of the year. Go with the SPT. (I recommend the Kumho ASX over the NeoGen for those who need all-seasons.)

Oh, and I have generally found that user reviews are not very accurate, because you are only hearing from people who bought that tire. Some of the best user reviews come for some of the worst tires, because only people who have never tried anything else are buying them. Side-by-side comparison tests tend to be more informative, but I've only seen them on the Tire Rack website, and they don't sell Nitto.

 

Did you get the "certificates for free replacement" ($42) and/or valve stems ($12)? Total for the tires and both of those would be $270 after the discount.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DJLikwid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Did you get the "certificates for free replacement" ($42) and/or valve stems ($12)?</TD></TR></TABLE>

No, I deleted them. In my experience, the road warranty (that's essentially what those "certificates" are, although the terms vary somewhat from other dealers like the Tire Rack) isn't worth spending money on, and the place that mounts the tires can replace the valve stems if they need to (and it may be less than that anyway). Your choice though.

 

Should be putting my order in tomorrow.

Anyone else have any advice? Agree/disagree with nsxtacy?

 

I've gone 10k miles this summer on my 195-55/15 SPT's. On stock height with no bad wear whatsoever. It's as sticky as the first day I got them. Even when the weather dipped to 40 degrees a few days ago, they still hug the road pretty good. Waaay better than the all season Falken 512's I replaced, although that's apples and oranges.

Buy the SPT's. At the $100 off mark, best $216 you'll ever spend.

 

I'm running the SPT's also in 205/45-16. The only problem I have, just like the ES100's I had before, is that they are pretty loud at certain speeds.

I only have about 5K miles on them, about to rotate them this weekend.

*edit* WOW $100 off!!! dang I wish they had that going back around the first of July when I bought these tires!

 

how much should I expect to pay to put the rims on the tires with balancing, etc.?

 

Daily driver is key.

Kumho Ecsta SPT
205/40R-17 84Y XL B
$79

 

I've got bridgestone Potenza RE750's and I love em. Good for dry and wet (snow is suicide though)

 

I'm such a dumbass -- I forgot to put in my order till today and the deal is now expired.

 

Sorry to thread jack but his question was going to be what I wanted to ask too how much when u order off a site like this does it cost to get the tires put on the car?