what tires are best?

JeffP1167

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Joined
Dec 21, 2009
Messages
2,727
Location
Yucaipa, CA.
I am ready to buy some tires for my 90. I basically commute about 300 miles a week and the the car won't ever see more then 80mph. So I don't think I need real high priced tires, I do more freeway driving then anything else with occasional spirited canyon driving.

I have found good deals on these tires and need your opinion on which is best and which you would choose.

the size will be 275/40/17

Falken FK452
Nitto NT555
Hankook H104 4ves
 
How much are the tires you listed?

Tirerack offers the Kumho Ecsta SPT in this size, $115 each. I have these tires on my C6 and they're great. They're quiet, have lots of grip and lasted 17000miles so far (wear rating 320) and I'll probably get another 3000 out of these... "spirited driving"....
My local Discounttire shop matched Tireracks price plus mounting and tax... :D

I've had Falken tires before and wasn't impressed.

Sumitomo tires are cheap but they don't last long (wear rating 160).

Never had Nittos as far as I remember...
 
275/50/17 Nitto on my rears for maybe 10 years now.....love them, run fine....

:thumbs:
 
How about Yokohama S. Drive tires?

One of the guys at the local tire shop recommended these. He's running them on his car and he had the same Kumhos that I have before he switched to Yokohomas ... I'll probably get these for my C6 when the Kumhos are done.
 
How many miles difference in tread wear is there from a tire thats rated at 300 verses a tire at 340?

I found bfgoodrich G force sport tires at 147.00 a tire and if I buy all 4 I get a 60.00 rebate. These have a 340 tread wear rating as well as a Z speed rating. The Yokohama's only have a tread wear rating of 300.
 
I don't think the difference between 300 and 340 is all that noticeable, the 340 rated tires should last longer as they're a little harder... I mentioned the Sumitomo tires above, these are rated at 160 and I've had them on my Z28 and they did not last very long, even with a lot of highway driving.

Read some of the reviews at Tirerack, there are lots of complaints about noisy tires and I think the BFG G-force is one of them. Once you found your vehicle in the review section you can select vehicle specific reviews.
 
Found some good info on the web (some of this was news to me) :

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Uniform Tire Quality Grade Standards (UTQG) were originated to provide consumers with useful information to help them purchase tires based on their relative treadwear, traction and temperature capabilities. While it is required by law for most passenger car tires sold in the United States, it is not required for deep treaded light truck tires, winter/snow tires, temporary spare tires, trailer tires, tires under 12" in diameter and other select tires.

When looking at UTQG ratings it is important to realize that the Department of Transportation does not conduct the tests. The grades are assigned by the tire manufacturers based on their test results or those conducted by an independent testing company they have hired. The NHTSA has the right to inspect the tire manufacturer's data and can fine them if inconsistencies are found. While most new tire lines have their grades established when they are introduced, they are allowed a 6-month grace period to allow the tire manufacturer to test actual production tires. Once a grade is assigned it must be branded on the tire's upper sidewall and printed on its label.

Unfortunately, the rating that is of the most interest to consumers is the one that appears to be the least consistent. While the Treadwear Grade was originally intended to be assigned purely scientifically, it has also become a marketing tool used by manufacturers to help position and promote their tires.

Treadwear Grades

UTQG Treadwear Grades are based on actual road use in which the test tire is run in a vehicle convoy along with standardized Course Monitoring Tires. The vehicle repeatedly runs a prescribed 400-mile test loop in West Texas for a total of 7,200 miles. The vehicle can have its alignment set, air pressure checked and tires rotated every 800 miles. The test tire's and the Monitoring Tire's wear are measured during and at the conclusion of the test. The tire manufacturers then assign a Treadwear Grade based on the observed wear rates. The Course Monitoring Tire is assigned a grade and the test tire receives a grade indicating its relative treadwear. A grade of 100 would indicate that the tire tread would last as long as the test tire, 200 would indicate the tread would last twice as long, 300 would indicate three times as long, etc.

The problem with UTQG Treadwear Grades is that they are open to some interpretation on the part of the tire manufacturer because they are assigned after the tire has only experienced a little treadwear as it runs the 7,200 miles. This means that the tire manufacturers need to extrapolate their raw wear data when they are assigning Treadwear Grades, and that their grades can to some extent reflect how conservative or optimistic their marketing department is. Typically, comparing the Treadwear Grades of tire lines within a single brand is somewhat helpful, while attempting to compare the grades between different brands is not as helpful.
 
I found a deal on new riken raptor 275/40zr/17 tires. I know they probably can't compete with highend priced tires but I really don't intend on running the car at more then 80mph or and harsh cornering. As long as these tires can keep my vette handling as good as my 97 camaro thats fine by me.

I got them for 105.00 a tire

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That's a good tire. I bought 2 of these Riken Raptor tires for the rear axle on my Mustang in 245-45-17. No complaints.... under $200 out the door....

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