# new wheels! bad tires.....



## pete? (Jul 6, 2004)

ok i just got new wheels (15in. se-r wheels) came with some dunlop sport's on them about 25% tread left it is absolutly great on the dry pavment but if its wet.............bad ok so i was wondering what is the best tire (relativly cheap i dont need any 200 dollar super tires) and also the size i have no idea what the size is now also how do u read the numbers what do they mean i know the last one is wheels size but the others? thanks alot and they wont be used in the winter if that helps its


----------



## Pat200sx (Jan 29, 2004)

1.6pete said:


> ok i just got new wheels (15in. se-r wheels) came with some dunlop sport's on them about 25% tread left it is absolutly great on the dry pavment but if its wet.............bad ok so i was wondering what is the best tire (relativly cheap i dont need any 200 dollar super tires) and also the size i have no idea what the size is now also how do u read the numbers what do they mean i know the last one is wheels size but the others? thanks alot and they wont be used in the winter if that helps its


I was asking that very question not long ago because I bought myself the same rims for my SE... I recommend the Toyo Proxes4, they are perfect all season tires, i've used them at the track and they are great. #2 on the consumer reports best buys for tires. heres a picture of them on my 200. The size is 205/50/15...










I paid about 115 per tire i believe. They are well worth it IMO. :thumbup:


----------



## RivStar (Sep 5, 2004)

I've got Potenza RE950... and i love 'em... they're H-Rated tires which means they hold they're grip up to i believe it's 120mph... if i can get there... great traction in the rain even with tread wear, it's because of the compound they use... mine were expensive too... $115 a tire... finding a decent set of tires for $200 a set is tuff... especially if you want something that performs well... you can prolly find a set of Azenis Sports 195/55/15 for like $300 a set...

195/60/15

First number tells you tire width in millimeters... on 15 inch rims you can go 195 or 205 typically... the bigger this number is the more expensive the tire is

Second number tells you tire length from the bead of the rim to where the tread is... mine are 60 where as Pat's are 50... which mean his tires look thinner and more aggressive... the smaller this number is the more expensive the tire is

Third number tells you the size rims they fit on in inches... looks like all of our rims are 15"... the bigger this number is the more expensive the tire is


----------



## pete? (Jul 6, 2004)

oh i fully expect to pay over $200 for my tires i ment i dont need any $200 per tire tires like hoosiers or pirellie p-zero or anything like that i was thinking about the toyos not to sound shallow but i love the tread pattern on them as well they look awsome, not that that will sway my desition but it will help :cheers:


----------



## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

Falken Azenis Sports. Less then $90 per tire and are amazing for the $$$ especially if they won't be used in the winter.


----------



## RivStar (Sep 5, 2004)

actually... my boy who owns a 240sx got a set of hoosiers for like $500... and he's got 18" wheels... crazy wide wheels... his car pics are on my domain page... but then again... we do have connections like that...

but yeah... azenis are prolly fine for ya... they also seem to be the most popular... almost anywhere you go they're somewhere in the range of $75-$100 depending on where you go... note that i've only seen them for $75 online... and that doesn't include shipping... you've got some options now... ^_^


----------



## RivStar (Sep 5, 2004)

oh yeah... here's a pic of the Firstone Firehawks GTA 02's on my Celica GT-S

these seem to handle okay out here in the desert where the roads are always dry... it might be because i'm so partial to my 200... these tires were fairly cheap tho... like $100 a tire...


----------



## Elbow Greese (Feb 22, 2004)

Check out the BFGoodrich Traction TA's
Not sure what size you're looking at, but they've been an excellent tire for me.
They grip in the rain like nothing I've had before, H rated, and they have a 60k mile warrenty.
Tirerack has the details on them, and if you have a BJ's wholesale close to you, they can get a good price on them.
Todd


----------



## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

Yokohama AVS ES100 for about 50 bucks a tyre in your size. A fantastic tyre in dry and even better in wet. 280 = decent tread wear.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...rch=true&partnum=955VR5ES100&fromCompare1=yes
^I think that year has the wheels you have but dont hold me to it.


----------



## pete? (Jul 6, 2004)

ok another question for ya the first number (three diget) number in the tire size what is that? myne is 255 wat is the difference between that and a 195?


----------



## niky (Jul 20, 2002)

whoops, no way is your tire 255!

255 is the tire width in mm. 195 is about the narrowest you can get sports tires in... 195-205 should be good for street, 215-225 good for some performance... but 255? That's wide enough to scrape the wheel-wells if you turn your steering wheel even halfway!


----------



## pete? (Jul 6, 2004)

niky said:


> whoops, no way is your tire 255!
> 
> 255 is the tire width in mm. 195 is about the narrowest you can get sports tires in... 195-205 should be good for street, 215-225 good for some performance... but 255? That's wide enough to scrape the wheel-wells if you turn your steering wheel even halfway!


.....maby its 225 i know it starts with a two an ends in a five its lunch so ill go look


----------



## RivStar (Sep 5, 2004)

tire width on 15"... is usally 195 or 205... the reason why you would want wider tires is so you have more traction on the ground and better handling around corners... the other advantage is that the tire will appear more flush with your rims giving it a much cleaner look...

and like i said before, the wider the tire the more expensive it is... usually by a couple bucks per tire... nothing earth shattering, but something to consider when you're picking out new tires...


----------



## pete? (Jul 6, 2004)

ok i got it you were right its deff not 255 not even 225. the exact tire i have is dunlop 205/50/zr15 sp sport 8000 should i stick to this tire size or get something different?


----------



## RivStar (Sep 5, 2004)

that's actually a really good tire size... looks clean and sporty no matter what tire you get... that's actually a popular size for BMW's with the same size rim...

all you need to do now is pick out some tires... everyone's already made some really good suggestions and it's hard to say that one tire is better than the other... i don't have that much experience with different with tires... but some characteristics you may want to look for are

Speed Ratings - this tells you how fast you can go in these tires in a straight line before you start loosing grip... speed ratings are lettered... and the higher the letter the more grip you have... Z rated tires are the fastest you can get, they are usually more expensive tho... most racers stick to H-rated... these hold their grip up to 120mph... other ratings are W and Y and a few others...

Wet Traction- when you walk into a tire shop, (i.e. Firstone, Bridgestone etc.) they usually have all their tire info with the tire displayed... the tires will include this info also... typically unidirectional tires will have better traction on wet roads vs. normal tread tires... unidirectional tires basically mean that when you get them mounted onto your wheel your wheels have to be going a certain direction when you're cars going forward... the only downside to unidirectional tires is that when you decide to rotate your tires you'll only rotate the front and back ones instead of the pattern that is typically suggested... traction on wet conditions also has to do with the compund that is used for the tire... usually even if you wear down the tread the tires will still have excellent grip during wet conditions... that is a sign of good wet tires...

that's really all you should try and focus on for now... there are a lot of other small features that tires can offer but the two that i noted for you are prolly the most important ones... IMO anyway...


----------



## RivStar (Sep 5, 2004)

*Tire Speed Rating Chart*

SPEED RATINGS CHART 

M 81 mph 
N 87 mph 
P 93 mph 
Q 99 mph 
R 106 mph 
S 112 mph 
T 118 mph 
U 124 mph 
H 130 mph 
V(VR) 149 mph
W(ZR) 168 mph
Y(ZR) 186 mph

these ratings only apply to street tires by the way...


----------



## pete? (Jul 6, 2004)

ok thanks alot accualy i already knew most of what u jast said but i was mostly confused about tire size but now i got it first is width, second is hight or profile, last is rim size <knew that one lol. but yea i love the way they look and feel the thing grips the road so well i dont think anything ecept a fat mans grip on a hoho compairs but now to find the exact tire i want and its gon be hard but thanks for every ones help :cheers:


----------



## Elbow Greese (Feb 22, 2004)

For an idea of what's available, do a tire size search on tirerack.com
That at least will give you an idea of price ranges too.
You can even get a rating chart and see what is ranked the best, based on customer reviews.


----------



## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

Those Dunlops have a 200 level treadwear rating and costs around 100 bucks. It will wear fast. It is a decent tyre for dry/wet. It is not a radial. In terms of summer tyres, for your car which is front wheel drive, the Yokohama AVS ES100 has better wet and dry grip than your current tyres, a higher level treadwear meaning they will wear slower, are cosmetically the best looking tyre out their and they are less expensive.


----------



## RivStar (Sep 5, 2004)

1.6pete said:


> ok thanks alot accualy i already knew most of what u jast said but i was mostly confused about tire size but now i got it first is width, second is hight or profile, last is rim size <knew that one lol. but yea i love the way they look and feel the thing grips the road so well i dont think anything ecept a fat mans grip on a hoho compairs but now to find the exact tire i want and its gon be hard but thanks for every ones help :cheers:


my bad... i just figured i shold be thorough... ^_^


----------



## nastynissan (Jan 26, 2003)

Sumitomo HTR 200... in a 205/50/15... their $50 a piece on tirerack. Tis what myself and a couple others run on our cars (until I got 17's).. Great treadwear and traction for the price...


----------

