I looking to replace my stock tires with a decent set of performance all season tires. Should I stick with the stock 195 or move up to 205? What is a good tire to get? Thanks.

 

Well if it is for all season then go with the 195/55/15. But I would consider get a nice set of steelies for the winter and the 205/50/15 for the summer with some nice tires such as the ES100 or something like that but if you would tell us a bit about what you are looking for in a tire we could help you out more.

Dave

 

Yes, it all depends on what you need the tires for. Do you have a separate set of winter tires (or another vehicle to use in winter), or are these tires for year-round use? Do you autocross or take your car to the track, so you're primarily interested in performance, and/or are you willing to pay more for a tire that performs better and might not last as long? Or is this for daily driving, and/or do you also care about the cost of the tires and how long they last (in addition to performance)?

The best matching 15" size for an Integra is 195/55-15, which is the stock size on the GS-R and ITR. My advice is to get 195/55 if the tire you're considering comes in that size, and otherwise get 205/50. The performance difference is negligible, you won't have any speedometer/odometer error with 195/55, and the tires usually cost less than 205/50.

Brief recommendations:

If you need to use the same tires on your car all year round, including snow as well as summer, then get the Kumho Ecsta ASX all-season tire in 195/55-15 for $65. However, I agree with Dave; it would be much better get a separate set of wheels so you can use winter tires in the winter, and summer tires the rest of the year. Even inexpensive summer tires like the SPT or ES100 will give you much, much, MUCH better performance in moderate to warm temperatures than all-season tires.

If you're looking for a summer tire with very good performance and a bargain price that will also last a reasonably long time, then get the Kumho Ecsta SPT or the Yokohama ES100, both in 195/55-15 for around $60.

If you want a bit more performance than that and you don't mind paying a bit more for it or having summer tires that don't last quite as long, then consider the Toyo T1-R in 195/55-15 or the Kumho Ecsta MX in 205/50-15, both for around $80.

If you want even better performance because you take your car to the track or autocross and you don't mind replacing your tires 2-3 times as often, get the Falken Azenis RT-615 in 205/50-15 for $78.

 

Thanks for the info! I do have a set of 17' summer wheels where i'm running p7000ss. We get only a few really snowy days, so I don't really want to buy winter tires. I was searching this site and everybody is ranting and raving about moving up to 205/50/15 and if its a real noticable difference than I'll go with them.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 2000GSR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I do have a set of 17' summer wheels where i'm running p7000ss. We get only a few really snowy days, so I don't really want to buy winter tires.</TD></TR></TABLE>

That doesn't make any sense at all! You are running 17" (I assume you mean 17 inches and not 17 feet ) summer wheels and tires. The Pirelli P7000SS was discontinued years ago, but that's beside the point. You are presumably using those tires for spring, summer, and fall, yes? And so you are looking for a recommendation for tires to use in the winter ONLY, yes? Then why wouldn't you want to use a winter tire? Winter tires are way better, not only when it snows, but also when it's very cold - and in Toronto, you get plenty of both. Your average highs in January are 30 degrees F and your lows are 18 degrees F - that's cold! And you average 44 inches of snow per year - that's a lot! This is a no-brainer. Just get winter tires.

I recommend that you get the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 in 195/55-15, USD88/tire at the Tire Rack.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 2000GSR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I was searching this site and everybody is ranting and raving about moving up to 205/50/15 and if its a real noticable difference than I'll go with them.</TD></TR></TABLE>

It's not a noticeable difference. Besides, for winter use, you want tires that are NARROWER, which are better on snow.

 

No I want an all season performance tire. We only get a few snowy days in Toronto, the rest of the time its is virtually dry. Don't want a winter tire for a 3 or 4 heavy snow days.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 2000GSR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">No I want an all season performance tire.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Are you aware that some winter tires give better performance on dry days than others? The Tire Rack has several categories of winter tires. Their "Studless Ice & Snow" category has the maximum grip on snow. They also have the "Performance Winter" category of winter tires, whose grip on snow is still good (while not quite as good as the "studless" category), but whose ride quality on dry days and on the highway is much better than the "studless" category. Examples of the "Performance Winter" tires in 195/55-15 include the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22 ($113), Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 ($106), and the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2 ($108). Based on what you're saying, I think one of these "Performance Winter tires" would be a MUCH better choice for you than any all-season tire; it will give your car better performance on cold days and on snow, and it will also give your car better performance on moderate temperature winter days on dry pavement.

I think it would be foolish to buy anything other than a true winter tire to use ONLY in the winter in Toronto.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 2000GSR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">We only get a few snowy days in Toronto</TD></TR></TABLE>

You're kidding, right?

According to Environment Canada, downtown Toronto averages 112.8 cm (44.4 inches) of snowfall per year. That's more than the averages for Chicago (37.9 inches), Boston (42.6 inches), New York City (26.7 inches), Detroit (41.2 inches), or Fargo (40.9 inches), as noted here. You can get whatever tires you want for your car, but don't try telling us that it rarely snows in Toronto.



Modified by nsxtasy at 2:06 PM 1/30/2006

 

Sorry to bring this from the dead and hi jack, but nsxtasy (not to offend anyone, but i've followed his posting here and on prime and he is very knowlegable when it comes to tires and autocross):

I am really considering moving up to 205/50/15 on my stock rims; My question is how will treadwear, performance, and ridecomfort be different from that of 195/55? I probably won't autocross, but i do occasionally like to enjoy heading to the mountains twisties for a bit of fun on the less frequently travelled roads (group drives and so fourth). I do understand that the 205/50 will have a very small overall difference in size (i believe it's within 1-2% smaller) which will give better gearing.

I cehcked out tirerack and compared a few tires. The tires i'm going after are most likely the Kumho MX which are under 80/tire for 205/50 and they do not make them for the stock size. I looked at the spt also but the 10-15 dollar difference doesn't bother me to go a step further and get the mx.

Do you have any other recommendations for me? these will be my year round tires but in the winter i'm more of a conservative driver because of the rain (sacramento), so from what i understand summer tires make a good rain tire (or i've heard).

Thank you in advanced,

Josh

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Freshazzburu &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I am really considering moving up to 205/50/15 on my stock rims; My question is how will treadwear, performance, and ridecomfort be different from that of 195/55?</TD></TR></TABLE>

None of those - treadwear, performance, and ride comfort - will be significantly different between 205/50 and 195/55. They will be far smaller than differences between tire makes/models. So pick the tire you want, and if it only comes in one size or if it's cheaper in one size than another, go for it!

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Freshazzburu &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I cehcked out tirerack and compared a few tires. The tires i'm going after are most likely the Kumho MX which are under 80/tire for 205/50 and they do not make them for the stock size. I looked at the spt also but the 10-15 dollar difference doesn't bother me to go a step further and get the mx.

Do you have any other recommendations for me? these will be my year round tires but in the winter i'm more of a conservative driver because of the rain (sacramento), so from what i understand summer tires make a good rain tire (or i've heard).</TD></TR></TABLE>

Summer tires can indeed be good rain tires, although some are better than others. The MX and the SPT are both very good tires in their respective price ranges. The MX offers better dry traction; the SPT offers better wet traction as well as greater treadlife (and, of course, lower price). So it's just a matter of your priorities.