Tyres you use(d) and how u would rate them

[Onthehunt]

3-6 month wait!?!? sounds like the tyre shop don't want to sell them did they/have you tried elsewhere? ring the Toyo distributor for Perth and ask who their dealers are 1800 897 373

Yellow Pages Toyo Link

yeh i tried like 4 places and tried toyo distributor. they said the fronts about late november was the best and rears after christmas. i ended up ordering a set of advan sport v103 today so will put them on some time next week.

[guesty]

I run a 385/645/18 Pirelli D4 slick on the back of mine. great tire when warm. stupidly expensive though at about $800 a tire new.

[342Four]

ha - this is why i love my excel

got some pirelli p400 tourings 175/70r13 the other day for $80 a corner

actually pretty decent grip, and they let go when i want them too

understeer is not so bad anymore, but thats partly because of the suspension work done to it (shocks, swaybars and bushes)

gotta live with the pull to the left tho....

dry: 8/10

wet: 8/10

value: 9/10

[dangerous_daveo]

$80 for a 13inch tyre!!! Dude, they would want to be good!

[Trust33]

ive been using used 17/235 potenza re030 on the front for a few weeeks and have had the texikahna to test them out at.

they are pretty good tyres to drive on in the dry and the wet compared to the federal 595ss's i was previously driving on.

rate:

dry:8/10

wet:7/10

they still have their limit in the wet but for normal driving in wet weather they are grippy enough to have controll of the car.to put them in comparison.there is a road that is notorious for understeer in the wet near home and when i had these on it was not understeering at the same speed.

[Stevie_R33]

Now:

Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD-3 (235/40/17, 245/40/17)

Dry: 9/10

Wet: 11/10

Value: 10/10

Before:

Falken FK452 (235/40/17, 255/40/17)

Dry: 6/10

Wet: 5/10

Value: Were on the wheels when I bought them. Glad I didnt have to pay for them.....shocking

[Mid_Nite_R33]

does anyone know where to get a good price on Federal ss595's in Melbourne?

cheers

[Kinks]

(wonder if anyone will buy a tyre with 99% tread and a decent flat spot, flat spot is down to the marker)

never again. A mate flogged a set to me saying it wasn't that bad and if I put them on the back I'd never notice.

yeah, right. I started to evaluate just how good a mate he was after that

[Paradizzle]

never again. A mate flogged a set to me saying it wasn't that bad and if I put them on the back I'd never notice.

yeah, right. I started to evaluate just how good a mate he was after that

maybe it was your driving style.. joking.. at least lie and say it wont be a problem so i can flog my tyre off lol.

[jmac]

Thought you guys would be interested in the results from the latest Evo (UK) magazine tyre test - November 2007:

Tyre size tested was 225/45 R17, test vehicles were VW Golf GTi's. They used Bridgestone's proving grounds outside of Rome, but also included scores from a road loop -- and it should be said that 40% of a tyre's total score came down to subjective results in the "handling" and road-loop categories too.

Prices are as quoted in the magazine and are in GBP, so not necessarily relevant here.

1. Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric (GBP 116)

2. Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta (GBP 100)

3. Continental Contisport Contact 3 (GBP 125)

4. Bridgestone RE050-A (GBP 123)

5. Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 (GBP 133)

6. Pirelli PZero Nero (GBP 130)

7. Kumho Ecsta STP KU31 (GBP 89)

8. Dunlop Sport Maxx (GBP 117)

9. Yokohama S.Drive (GBP 106)

A couple of interesting things here: the Bridgestone and Dunlop recently won tests in Australian magazines, so the new Goodyear especially must be pretty damn good. It topped the tests in the dry AND the wet. The Yokohama was a "low rolling resistance" tyre but basically came last in most of the tests (except rolling resistance which it won, and dry handling where it mid-pack or worse). Yoko make heaps of other probably better tyres (Advan A046? - OEM tyre on the Evo IX) but... there you go.

I've never heard of "Vredestein" either - would be interesting to see if you can get them in Australia given they're cheap and did so well (and look very cool too).

The Kumho is interesting given the price and a lot of people in Oz use them. Basically they said it wasn't far off the pace but the handling feel and confidence just wasn't good - lacked feel in the wet and felt twitchy in the dry, and lacking in steering feel.

I've never used any of these tyres so I can't comment from personal experience at all. Just thought people would be interested in the results because Evo isn't as widely read as Wheels/Motor etc.

Cheers!

[Topaz]

Hi, quick question

What are my options for tyres on 18" by 9.5" wide rims? would 235mm wide tyres be a little too small, if so what are my options in a 245mm or a 255mm wide tyre? Also, prices?

cheers

[jmac]

255's or 265's would probably be a better fit. 235's might go on there but it'd be a stretch.

I had 255/35 on 18"x9". Double check your aspect ratios so your overall diameter remains legal.

Price... depends which tyre! In general you get what you pay for, with a law of diminishing returns (a $300 tyre will be heaps better than a $150 tyre, but a $500 tyre might not be THAT much better than a $300 one).

Tyres are what connects your car to the road, my advice is budget as much as you possibly can on tyres (and brakes), set a budget, then shop around a few places for brands in your size. 255's get expensive....

Most brands have Australian websites where you can search to see if they have your size. Most tyre shops will let you know what's available too but in my experience many will try to push a particular brand or sell you what they have lying around at the time.

Then maybe do a bit of reading back thru this thread or try "search".

[T04GTR]

nexan 3000. cheap but no good. refer sig

[N1GTR]

Yes 235's fit 9.5 ok

Little stretched, but meh

Do a search for "tyre stretch" and there's a graph in there that will answer your question

[rsx84]

just bought a set of bfgoodrich g-force profiler's, 235 x 40 18" at $225 each.

went looking with just price in mind $250 a trye, these were the tyres recomended to me by all 4 places i went to. the bloke i finally got them off told me not to expect much for the first 1000km then i should start to feel the difference.

anyone used these before?

[Datman]

just bought a set of bfgoodrich g-force profiler's, 235 x 40 18" at $225 each.

went looking with just price in mind $250 a trye, these were the tyres recomended to me by all 4 places i went to. the bloke i finally got them off told me not to expect much for the first 1000km then i should start to feel the difference.

anyone used these before?

For a mid spec road tyre I was really impressed with the BFG G-Force Sport, I would actually buy them again but usually there's something newer and better on the market by then. Nice chunky shoulder blocks which are a must for avoiding premature worn edges (all depends on driving style of course). They were a step up from Kumho Ecsta which are a great value tyre that will grip well enough (to a point). The BFG is also wearing quite well and seems to be stiffer in the side wall. I'm not sure if they have a 2 ply wall construction - except for the exxy ones, not many tyres seem to.

Anyone have any comments on the Federal 595?

Cheers

[Duncan]

I've just put a set of Falken fk452 on the stagea, 245/45/17 for $200ea from Tempe Tyres.

There are excellent, maybe not 100% as good as the fk451 but almost, and they are a bit cheaper.

highly recommended

[180-go]

Has anyone used the RE55 in the hard compound? I'm tossing up whether to go all out with r compounds or go for something like the rt615.

[Fixxxer]

I was offered the BF Goodrich GForce Profilers, which seemed like a really nice tyre, but they didn't come in a 225 x 18 size for my fronts (235 on backs). I've used the GForce Sports before and they are grippy.

I ended up going for the Federal 595SS for $210 front and $190 (235x40x18) back which seemed like a good price. They initially seemed a little slippery but after doing about 1500km they now stick real well, holds first gear without slipping. I haven't had the chance to test them much in the wet since they have worn in, but are way better than my last set of crap Sonar's (came with the car).

They also seem a little wider tyre than my last 235's, I get a little whine when turning a hard right hand corner.... they keep sticking though.

Federal 595SS - 235x40x18 (225 on front)

Dry: 8/10

Wet: 7/10

Value: 10/10

Fixxxer

[BHDave]

Has anyone used the RE55 in the hard compound? I'm tossing up whether to go all out with r compounds or go for something like the rt615.

They will be rubbish when cold, noisy as hell, have lower tread depth than a more street oriented tyre when new, pretty ordinary in the wet, transmit all the road bumps and are rather expensive for a tyre that might last you 5000kms.

Stick with a more road oriented semi like the 595RS or RT215/615 and save your r compound tyres for the track