Hey All, I found a great deal on Top Rated tire at Tirerack, the Goodyear F1 GS D3. The only problem is that the deal I found is on the size 215/45/17. Is that too short to fit right on our cars ('89 Max). I have some 17x7" rims that I am trying cover, but I'm on a tight budget. I want the best performing tires, which the GS-D3's seem to be, but the 225/45/17's are just too expensive. I could go with the Falken Ziex-512's from Discount Tire as an alternative. What do you all think?
Thanks.

 

The 215/45s are too small by about 4 percent. That isn't terrible, but they will look a little funny on there and change your speedometer reading. Even the 225/45 is slightly too small. 235/45/17s are the closest tire to stock as far as speedo readings, being 0.6 percent too large.

Those are great tires, but IMO, I wouldn't spend so much money on an ultra high performance tire for a GXE Maxima. You are probably not going to get your money's worth. They will wear out in 10-20k and with your car you will probably not be able to use them to their limit.

I would look for a performance all-season tire a little cheaper and get the proper size for your car. If you look through the tire and wheel section, there are lots of reviews on tires. You are a donating member and using the search feature might be to your advantage.

 

3.4% too fast
speedo 60=57.9 mph actual


try a 215/50/17
they're fairly cheap (depending on which tire you choose) and your speedometer will read the same (there's more difference in diameter in tire brands and inflation pressure then there is by mathematical comutations)

 

Yeah, I forgot about those. That's the size I was going to get, but they didn't make them in the type of tire I got. Nice call.

 

Yes, I was looking to the 215/50/17s. but they didn't have them in the tire I wanted and the 215/45/17s were $88 ea. vs. $158 for the 225/45/17's I wanted.

Yes, your point about the GXE is valid, but intend to mod it as soon as possible, hopefully with a turbo setup, so I do want the best performance I can get. The issue with the 235/45/17 size besides the price is that I have 17x7" wheels and have seen that that size is not recommended for them. I think I would need at least a 7.5" wheel width to take advantage of that size.

I have thoroughly researched the tires I am looking at, mostly through Tirerack, Consumer Reports, Car and Driver, and various Google searches. And the Goodyear F1 GS-D3's just sound like the best choice. Even a more standard tire like the Bridgestone 960AS (which replaced the 950) is not cheap in those sizes. I just wondered if I should focus on getting the best deal on a great performing tire, or go with something lesser that may fit a little better.

Thanks for the feedback so far.

 

For almost 1/2 the price I would either buy the smaller tires you are looking at, or pick another tire that you might find near that price.

I wouldn't sweat having the absolute best tire unless you get an extremely good deal ($88/tire is a VERY good deal). You can do all the research you want, but every tire has some kind of compromise. With tires like that, the compromise is tread life. Personally, I would rather have a tire that will cost less, last twice as long and only perform a fraction worse. If you do turbo your car, you would be looking at DRs, slicks or R compound tires (auto-x) anyway.

 

Well, possibly against better judgement I ordered the 215/45/17 Goodyear F1 GS-D3s from Tirerack at $88 ea. plus the road hazard program. With shipping that comes to $429.88 plus I get a $100 cash card for ordering 4 at once. Not a bad deal!

I know that they will look a little funny, but I think that's OK. It's better that I'll actually be going a little slower than the speedo says, since I tend to speed too much as it is. And I'm installing my Eibach lowering springs, which should help with the look some. And, lastly, with the great performance I should eat up the tires in about 20,000 miles and hopefully be able to make a better decision as to which tires are better for me at that point.

Thanks to All for your help!
-Mrkanda

 

Good deal, and I don't think they will look funny. I recently purchased:

Kazera 225/45/17


and fitted your the F1's to them. They look OMG great on a lowered 3rd gen.

As a side benefit I find that I can reach much higher speeds (120+) with little to no vibration, they are just super smooth all the time.

Shift_Forever

 

Will 215/65/15 size tires fit on stock gxe rims?

 

Yes they will fit..

 

A friend of mine just bought some rims for his '93 E420 so I'm going to take his tires. The rims won't fit, I checked. I need new tires and since he never drives in the rain and only drives it once a week the tires have 800 miles on them.

 

I actually ended up selling those 215/45/17 F1 GS-D3s to my Brother in law for his Prelude and got some 225/45/17 Pilot Sport A/S tires for my Max from someone on the Org. I'm just getting my suspension together before the wheels and tires go on, but that should be done within a month. I'll let you all know how it goes.