doomtoo

I need new front tires... discount charges about $150 to put on the cheapest things they make - while at tirerack.com I can get an average brand tire for about the same price - with shipping. I think that they might be the best place to buy from? (???)

But what tire (and/or size) would you reccomend for performance -> noice reduction -> life -> and traction?

(oh yeh, and I'm in arizona - it almost never rains, and my car will probably never have a chance to see snow - at least for the life of these tires)

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

I got kumho hp4 716s and they're great

ozzombie13

iTrader: (3)

do you have the factory rims? se or gxe? lowered ? (my cars lowered with kyb\ebiach set up) ive got 215 60 15's no name tires and i paid 140 for 2 at pepboys mounted and balanced. ive had them for about 6 months and they wear fine and feel fine.

doomtoo

I've got the stock GXE - not lowered. I first bought "warriors" - which handled and felt terrible, it was like driving on marshmallows, then I got "barum", which feel a bit better, but the tread is gone (I haven't burned out once on them - just normal driving to school and back!) less than a year later. (about 15k mi) I had continentals originally, which so far have had the best handling and tread life (the first ones were allready almost gone - and lasted about a year with ~30% thread), but people say that continentals are pretty sluggish, so I'm looking for something better -

And would 215 or stock 205 would work better?

doomtoo

Yeah, so basically I'm almost always just going to be driving in no rain/ no snow (maybe rains 2x a year), but I also don't want to have to change the tire after 20k miles (or less in my latest case), and I want pretty good handling.
I'm thinking about the kumhos.. but not sure if there is a better tire/ value, even if it's $20 more per tire - if it lasts that much longer and feels that much better..

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

Nitto NT 460 in 215/60/15. They're about $60 each from discounttiredirect.com you'll thank me later.

Cliff Clavin

iTrader: (11)

On my first Max I had a set of Dunlop D60 A2s on there and they were great. I would recommend them, especially in dry or wet conditions (I use studded tires in the snow). I think they replaced them with a similar tire now, though.

I just had the stock size 205/65/15.

A guy at work bought a set of Toyo Proxes TPTs for his Honda and he loves them. They have a 65k warranty and he said they are very soft for tires with that kind of tread life. I don't know the cost on them, though.

doomtoo

Hey MAtt, thanks! They're about $50 there - (without shipping), do you think they compare or are better then "Yokohama Avid H4S P215/60R-15 93H BW"
(which are $10 more)?

ArcticDC5

I just bought Yokohama AVS DB S2, I love them.

doomtoo

The Nitto's are cheaper, shipping is $5 less, but they also charge $9 for taxes (since we are both in arizona), plus $2 for enviromental fees (thats only supposed to be if they're taking your tires! ), and $6 for the two valve stems(do I need them?)

So it will come out to $132 for the nittos shipped.. Think they're worth it? About $10 ($5 a peice) cheaper than the Yokohama's AVID H4s- ?


(and also 215/60/r15 work fine on stock rims?)

doomtoo

Yeah, I think the yokohama's will do pretty good - they have a 500 tread rating, and are a good brand name - and the shipping is only 2day for $25!!! (tirerack.com)

Only thing I need to know - will the 215/60/r15 fit on our stock 205/65/r15's?

Bman

Yes, you may as well change out the valves at the same time - pretty much standard practice in the tire industry.

Which tire is up to you... maybe whichever you feel better about buying. They're both in the same performance category with treadwear ratings too similar to really say "one is better than the other", especially given the unstandardized nature of treadwear ratings anyway. The H4S is a newer design tire than the 460 however, if that sways you at all.

Yes, 215/60-15 will fit fine on both GXE and SE wheels, although the handling difference will be negligible compared to the stock sized tires.

Being in Arizona and you saying you value performance, you may want to at least consider if you want a performance (or "touring") summer-only tire. Some are available in stock size, others only in 215/60-15... there isn't a lot of choices, but there are a few, and they will probably give you more grip than most A/S tires at the expense of treadlife.