Tires
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From: Chicago
Re: Tires (AllstockSIke)
If you provide more information, we can recommend a tire that best meets your specific needs:
1. What kind of car (year, model, version)?
2. Will you use these tires on snow in winter, or do you have other tires (or another vehicle) for that purpose? Keep in mind that if you use the same tires all year round (all season tires), your performance won't be as good as winter tires in the winter, and won't be as good as summer tires the rest of the year.
3. Will you use these tires on the track or dragstrip or autocross? If so, competitively or just once in a while for fun?
4. How much do you care about value (low purchase price and/or long life)? Are you willing to trade off some ultimate performance for better value?
1. What kind of car (year, model, version)?
2. Will you use these tires on snow in winter, or do you have other tires (or another vehicle) for that purpose? Keep in mind that if you use the same tires all year round (all season tires), your performance won't be as good as winter tires in the winter, and won't be as good as summer tires the rest of the year.
3. Will you use these tires on the track or dragstrip or autocross? If so, competitively or just once in a while for fun?
4. How much do you care about value (low purchase price and/or long life)? Are you willing to trade off some ultimate performance for better value?
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Joined: Dec 2005
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From: I drive really, slow, US
lol, i didnt think tires could be that far detailed. Its a 98 civic ex coupe. It will be used for daily driving, and i will put the stock wheels back on in the winter. Im willing to spend $150-$275 range
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From: Chicago
Re: (AllstockSIke)
Thanks. There are a lot of great tires out there, but they're all different in many ways, so the best tire for one person's needs isn't necessarily best for someone else's.
Your car came from the factory with 185/65-14 tires. The best 16" size is 205/45-16.
Your $150-275 price range (I assume that's for four tires) is pretty tight if you want tires that offer really good performance. Remember, 16" tires are a lot more expensive than 15" or 14" tires. My recommendation would be to get the Kumho Ecsta SPT, which is $74/tire in 205/45-16 (I realize the total of $296 is slightly above the range you stated). It's an excellent tire for the money, with very good traction on dry roads, great in the rain, lasts a reasonably long time, and it's a reasonable price as 16" tires go. You've probably heard of the Yokohama ES100, and this tire is similar, slightly better in the rain, and slightly less expensive (the ES100 is $82/tire in 205/45-16).
If you absolutely cannot spend the money for the Kumho Ecsta SPT, then you could get the General Exclaim UHP for $58/tire ($232 for the set), which is within the price range you stated. However, its performance isn't quite as good as the SPT. You can see a side-by-side comparison test of all three tires (Kumho SPT, Yoko ES100, General UHP) on the Tire Rack website (click here). My recommendation is to spend the extra money and get the Kumho SPT.
Your car came from the factory with 185/65-14 tires. The best 16" size is 205/45-16.
Your $150-275 price range (I assume that's for four tires) is pretty tight if you want tires that offer really good performance. Remember, 16" tires are a lot more expensive than 15" or 14" tires. My recommendation would be to get the Kumho Ecsta SPT, which is $74/tire in 205/45-16 (I realize the total of $296 is slightly above the range you stated). It's an excellent tire for the money, with very good traction on dry roads, great in the rain, lasts a reasonably long time, and it's a reasonable price as 16" tires go. You've probably heard of the Yokohama ES100, and this tire is similar, slightly better in the rain, and slightly less expensive (the ES100 is $82/tire in 205/45-16).
If you absolutely cannot spend the money for the Kumho Ecsta SPT, then you could get the General Exclaim UHP for $58/tire ($232 for the set), which is within the price range you stated. However, its performance isn't quite as good as the SPT. You can see a side-by-side comparison test of all three tires (Kumho SPT, Yoko ES100, General UHP) on the Tire Rack website (click here). My recommendation is to spend the extra money and get the Kumho SPT.
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From: Chicago
Re: (AllstockSIke)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by AllstockSIke »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have one more question i forgot to ask you. Will i get any wheel spin with those tires. (Kumho Ecsta SPT)</TD></TR></TABLE>
If you floor the accelerator, you will get wheel spin with ANY tire. The better the tire - meaning, the higher the performance - the lower the chances of wheelspin. But the higher the performance, the more it's going to cost you.
The SPT is a very good tire, great value for the money. If you're looking for maximum traction, such as if you have a high-horsepower application or you're taking your car to track events or autocrosses, there are other tires that will give you better traction than the SPT, but they will cost more and/or won't last as long. You're just not going to find a single tire with a low purchase price, that lasts a long time, and gives you the maximum performance possible. The SPT has a low purchase price and lasts a long time, and its performance is very good. But if you're REALLY concerned about traction, then get a tire that offers even better traction (but will cost more and wear faster).
For a small step up in performance and price from the SPT, you can get a "value top of the line tire" like the Toyo T1-R ($103/tire). For another, even bigger step up in performance, you can get the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 for $131/tire, which is maybe the best street tire around. This is the tire that won the comparison test of eleven top-of-the-line street tires in the December issue of Car and Driver. As you can see, these tires are more expensive than the SPT; furthermore, where the SPT (and ES100) might last you 25-40K miles, these other tires might only last you 15-30K.
You can get even better performance than that in the Falken Azenis RT-615, but it's not available in 205/45-16, and 205/40-16 is too small for your car. The 215/45-16 size will work and is supposed to be available in March. But the RT-615 will only last you around 10K miles, so you're going to be buying them 2-3 times more often than the other tires mentioned here, and that winds up being VERY expensive.
Nothing against the Kumho Ecsta SPT - it's a great tire for the money. And the performance is very good, more than enough for most folks doing street driving. But if you are looking to minimize your wheelspin on a high-horsepower application, then you're going to need to spend more money on your tires than that. You need tires to handle the added horsepower; it doesn't make sense to spend a lot of time and money on modding your car's power, only to use inexpensive tires that can't handle that power. The trade-off is between performance and cost, and it's up to you how much you're willing to trade one for the other.
If you floor the accelerator, you will get wheel spin with ANY tire. The better the tire - meaning, the higher the performance - the lower the chances of wheelspin. But the higher the performance, the more it's going to cost you.
The SPT is a very good tire, great value for the money. If you're looking for maximum traction, such as if you have a high-horsepower application or you're taking your car to track events or autocrosses, there are other tires that will give you better traction than the SPT, but they will cost more and/or won't last as long. You're just not going to find a single tire with a low purchase price, that lasts a long time, and gives you the maximum performance possible. The SPT has a low purchase price and lasts a long time, and its performance is very good. But if you're REALLY concerned about traction, then get a tire that offers even better traction (but will cost more and wear faster).
For a small step up in performance and price from the SPT, you can get a "value top of the line tire" like the Toyo T1-R ($103/tire). For another, even bigger step up in performance, you can get the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 for $131/tire, which is maybe the best street tire around. This is the tire that won the comparison test of eleven top-of-the-line street tires in the December issue of Car and Driver. As you can see, these tires are more expensive than the SPT; furthermore, where the SPT (and ES100) might last you 25-40K miles, these other tires might only last you 15-30K.
You can get even better performance than that in the Falken Azenis RT-615, but it's not available in 205/45-16, and 205/40-16 is too small for your car. The 215/45-16 size will work and is supposed to be available in March. But the RT-615 will only last you around 10K miles, so you're going to be buying them 2-3 times more often than the other tires mentioned here, and that winds up being VERY expensive.
Nothing against the Kumho Ecsta SPT - it's a great tire for the money. And the performance is very good, more than enough for most folks doing street driving. But if you are looking to minimize your wheelspin on a high-horsepower application, then you're going to need to spend more money on your tires than that. You need tires to handle the added horsepower; it doesn't make sense to spend a lot of time and money on modding your car's power, only to use inexpensive tires that can't handle that power. The trade-off is between performance and cost, and it's up to you how much you're willing to trade one for the other.
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From: Chicago
Re: (AllstockSIke)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by AllstockSIke »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Can i use these tires also in the winter, just not in the snow?</TD></TR></TABLE>
Yes and no.
Summer tires (which includes all of the above) will just plain suck when it comes to roads covered with snow and ice. Even when it's very cold out but the roads are dry, the traction of summer tires is significantly worse than all-season tires or winter tires. Summer tires are designed with rubber compounds that grip well in moderate to warm temperatures, but not in super cold temperatures. All-season tires are designed for a wide range of temperatures, and winter tires are designed with rubber compounds specifically for cold temperatures.
That doesn't mean that you CAN'T use summer tires in the winter, when roads are dry. You can. But they won't grip all that well, especially if it's really cold (and, of course, if there is snow or even frost on the pavement).
Here's what I would suggest. If you have a car that you don't normally use in the winter, but you just use every once in a while (such as to take it out once or twice a month to warm up the fluids etc), then go ahead and leave the summer tires on and just do it when the roads are dry. But if you are going to be using the car on a regular basis (i.e. daily driver), then you should really either (a) get a set of winter tires on a second set of wheels (even cheap steel wheels are fine) for winter use, and swap them at the start and end of winter, or (b) you can use all-season tires (the Kumho Ecsta ASX is a good choice) all year round, although all-seasons won't perform as well as any of the above tires outside of winter.
HTH
Yes and no.
Summer tires (which includes all of the above) will just plain suck when it comes to roads covered with snow and ice. Even when it's very cold out but the roads are dry, the traction of summer tires is significantly worse than all-season tires or winter tires. Summer tires are designed with rubber compounds that grip well in moderate to warm temperatures, but not in super cold temperatures. All-season tires are designed for a wide range of temperatures, and winter tires are designed with rubber compounds specifically for cold temperatures.
That doesn't mean that you CAN'T use summer tires in the winter, when roads are dry. You can. But they won't grip all that well, especially if it's really cold (and, of course, if there is snow or even frost on the pavement).
Here's what I would suggest. If you have a car that you don't normally use in the winter, but you just use every once in a while (such as to take it out once or twice a month to warm up the fluids etc), then go ahead and leave the summer tires on and just do it when the roads are dry. But if you are going to be using the car on a regular basis (i.e. daily driver), then you should really either (a) get a set of winter tires on a second set of wheels (even cheap steel wheels are fine) for winter use, and swap them at the start and end of winter, or (b) you can use all-season tires (the Kumho Ecsta ASX is a good choice) all year round, although all-seasons won't perform as well as any of the above tires outside of winter.
HTH
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Joined: Dec 2005
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From: I drive really, slow, US
Ok, i just ordered the SPT's from tirerack and ill use them in the winter and summer just not in the snow. Ill put the stock wheels back on for the snow. Hopefully they will be better than stock in the winter.
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From: Toronto, Canada but from Montreal
Re: (AllstockSIke)
I would suggest you use your SPT until about beginning to middle of November and the put them back on at the end of March. I live in Montreal so I know my 711 which are a high performance tire( that sucks always listen to Nsxtasy) they are fucken useless in the snow. Trust me summer tires= spring summer fall
winter tires= winter.
Dave
winter tires= winter.
Dave
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Re: (AllstockSIke)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 93SiVtec677 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I would suggest you use your SPT until about beginning to middle of November and the put them back on at the end of March. I live in Montreal so I know my 711 which are a high performance tire( that sucks always listen to Nsxtasy) they are fucken useless in the snow. Trust me summer tires= spring summer fall
winter tires= winter.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Yes, but he said he can swap his stock wheels and tires back on when it snows. Which can work - especially if the tires on the stock wheels are some kind of all-season tire, rather than a summer tire. But it can be a lot of trouble to swap them back and forth all the time. If it were my car, I would just leave the all-seasons on all winter, rather than worrying about swapping back and forth for each snowfall. Even on cold days when the pavement is dry, your all seasons will stick much better than summer tires. And then, when the all seasons wear out, I would replace them with a set of winter tires, since I would only be using them in winter - maybe one of the Tire Rack's "performance winter tires" like the Dunlop M3, for better ride comfort, rather than their "studless winter tires" for the ultimate snow/ice performance. Buy a set of winter tires for $280 and they will last you many, many winters.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by AllstockSIke »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yea but the winter where i live is like 55 degrees and it hardly ever snows. And its not like im doing autocross, im just doing daily driving.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Philly? Yeah, it gets cold. And yeah, it snows. Not all the time. Not as much as in Boston. But more than in DC.
Average high in Philly in January: 39 degrees F
Average low in Philly in January: 25 degrees F
Record low in Philly: -7 degrees F
Average annual snowfall in Philly: 21 inches
Modified by nsxtasy at 2:44 PM 2/6/2006
winter tires= winter.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Yes, but he said he can swap his stock wheels and tires back on when it snows. Which can work - especially if the tires on the stock wheels are some kind of all-season tire, rather than a summer tire. But it can be a lot of trouble to swap them back and forth all the time. If it were my car, I would just leave the all-seasons on all winter, rather than worrying about swapping back and forth for each snowfall. Even on cold days when the pavement is dry, your all seasons will stick much better than summer tires. And then, when the all seasons wear out, I would replace them with a set of winter tires, since I would only be using them in winter - maybe one of the Tire Rack's "performance winter tires" like the Dunlop M3, for better ride comfort, rather than their "studless winter tires" for the ultimate snow/ice performance. Buy a set of winter tires for $280 and they will last you many, many winters.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by AllstockSIke »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yea but the winter where i live is like 55 degrees and it hardly ever snows. And its not like im doing autocross, im just doing daily driving.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Philly? Yeah, it gets cold. And yeah, it snows. Not all the time. Not as much as in Boston. But more than in DC.
Average high in Philly in January: 39 degrees F
Average low in Philly in January: 25 degrees F
Record low in Philly: -7 degrees F
Average annual snowfall in Philly: 21 inches
Modified by nsxtasy at 2:44 PM 2/6/2006
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