I need new tires. I've been unhappy with the stock tires - re92's - they are terrible in the rain...

It seems that the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S are highly recommended by this board. But 200/ea is a bit expensive for me. Are there any other tires available that perform nearly as well. BTW, it rains a lot and snow occasionally where I live. I was also disappointed that tirerack.com only offered about five tires for my max. Any other sites worth looking at.

Thanks, TMcD.

 

I'm figuring you are looking for a 225x50x17 size tire, right? There are very few options for that size from Tire Rack or anyone else.

Use the search if you can. There are many threads about tire/rim size. Your best bet may be to get different rims in a 7.5 or 8 inch width. (factory rims are only 7 inches wide) There are tons of tires that will fit the wider rims. Good Luck!

 

New rims? just to get more tire options? ouch.

 

Yeah, I'm keeping the oem rims for now.

 

Yea i have the same question about new tires. And also, how long do you guys think i should wait before changing from the stock tires. I have about 18,000 Miles on them right now on a 2002 GLE.

 

All about the Bridgestone Potenza pole positions S-03 144each @tire rack

 

On the prelude forum those s-03 were the rage. everyone swore on em that they would outperform almost any tire for the price.

 

I just bought Falken ZE-512's in 225/50/17 for OEM rims. I paid 109.00 per at discount tire. I got a break in the price because they were late in arriving from the warehouse. They seem to be great so far. No rain yet (or snow)

Just another OEM size option that isn't on tirerack

Bemis

 

This is from the FAQ.

Can I run oversized tires on my stock 17" SE Rims? quote:

All right, Flash2k2. Let's use your inquiry as the basis for a tutorial on tire upsizing.

First, I'm only going to deal with four aspects of upsizing: overall wheel/tire diameter, rim width, speed rating and load rating. These are the most critical parameters in terms of safety.

1. OVERALL WHEEL/TIRE DIAMETER: You should maintain an overall wheel/tire diameter that is no more than 3% greater or less than the OEM wheel/tire diameter. Otherwise you'll incur an unacceptable speedometer error. An excellent tool for comparing overall wheel/tire diameters is located at:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

The OEM wheel/tire diameter is based on a tire size of 225/50R17.

2. RIM WIDTH: The acceptable rim width ranges for various tire sizes are posted on the manufacturers' web sites. NEVER EXCEED THE MINIMUM OR MAXIMUM ACCEPTABLE RIM WIDTH FOR WHATEVER TIRE YOU SELECT. And never accept anyone's advice on what constitutes acceptable rim widths OTHER than the manufacturer's. The word "anyone" specifically includes tire DEALERS and people on this forum. Both are notorious for providing dangerous and irresponsible advice in this area. If you're interested in knowing why you should not exceed acceptable rim widths, take a look at the discussion under the topic of RIM WIDTH in the following article from Dunlop:

http://www.dunloptire.com/tiretech/...=tire_width.txt

Pay particular attention to the words, " . . . could result in failure."

3. SPEED RATING: NEVER PURCHASE A TIRE WITH A SPEED RATING LESS THAN THE SPEED RATING OF YOUR OEM TIRE. Speed ratings are designated by letter (i.e., H, V, Z, etc.) and are imprinted on the tire's sidewall. The speed rating for a 5th Gen Nissan Maxima SE with OEM 17" tires is a "V".

4. LOAD RATING: NEVER PURCHASE A TIRE WITH A LOAD RATING LESS THAN THE LOAD RATING OF THE OEM TIRE. Load ratings are designated by number (i.e, 89, 91, 93, etc.) and are imprinted on the tire's sidewall. The load rating for a 5th Gen Nissan Maxima SE with OEM 17" tires is a "93". In general, the lower the aspect ratio, the lower the load rating. (The Dunlop article referenced above underscores this point. It says, "[c]hanging tires on a vehicle from one aspect ratio to another also influences section width, which relates directly to the load carrying capacity of the tire. The load carrying capacity of the original equipment tire must always be maintained or increased.")

For a complete definition of all major tire sidewall markings and their locations, take a look here:

http://www.dunloptire.com/sidewall.html

Now that you know what to look for, here are a few questions to test your knowledge.

1) Is it OK to mount 235/45R17 tires on OEM 5th Gen Maxima SE rims? The answer is NO! The reason is that the 5th Gen SE rim is only 7" wide. The minimum acceptable rim width for 235/45R17 tires is 7.5". There are no exceptions to this regardless of the tire's make or manufacturer. Once again, check the manufacturer's web site for confirmation.

2) Is it OK to mount 235/40R18 Kumho ECSTA 712 tires with 18" X 8" rims on a 5th Gen Maxima SE? The answer is MAYBE! Why is that? Well let's break it down. The overall wheel/tire diameter only produces a 1.8% speedometer error when compared to the OEM tire size of 225/50R17, so you're OK there. The minimum acceptable rim width is 8", so you're OK there. The speed rating is a "W", so you're OK there. But the load rating is only a 91 as compared to the load rating of 93 for your OEM 17" tires. So on the surface, the tire is not acceptable for use on a 5th Gen Nissan Maxima SE. However, the standard OEM tire on the SE is a 215/55R16 with a 91 load rating. So in this case, you can probably get away with it.

So here's the final exam question. Is it OK to mount 245/40R18 Kumho ECSTA 712 tires with 18" X 8" rims on a 5th Gen Maxima SE? Do the work yourself, Flash2k2. Then let us know what you find out. (And please don't anyone else help him.) If it turns out that your answer is yes, then tell us which tire is the better fit . . . the 235/40R18 or the 245/40R18?

A final comment: NEVER PURCHASE RIMS UNTIL YOU KNOW WHAT SIZE TIRES YOU'RE GOING TO RUN ON THOSE RIMS. Make certain that the tires you select meet all of the above criteria. Then purchase rims that are wide enough to properly support those tires.

Hope that helps.


Credit: y2kse

 

Yup, I got those too, but I paid more than you did. They're pretty good in the rain and decent in the snow. Hella lot better than the stocks though. I recommend trying the Falkens.

J.

 

i'm in the same boat. I bought my car second hand and I "think" the tires might be the orig. Not sure really, but they are the same tires that came stock and look like racing slicks now.

In my opinion tires are the worst thing about the car, being like everyone said, you have limited options when replacing them due to the Stock 17" rims. Tirerack.com, and discounttire.com, have about the same prices that i am finding locally. If anyone else knows of a better place to buy them, PLEASE post it in this thread.

 

Look to your local Cooper Tire dealer.... get some Lifeliner SLE Touring V rated. Check out this link: http://www.coopertire.com/us/en/dealerLocator.asp

I would expect to pay $120-130/tire. We now have 13k miles on them since November and they are great.

Travis



Just to share... this tire issue has been going on since I joined a year ago and there are about 12 MILLION posts about it. Lots of good comments about all alternatives to the Blotenza. Search the 5th gen forum for tires and read up!

T:attention

 

Y2KSE is currently running 235 45 17s on his car. He was convinced that they will be okay. That is the tire size I would get if I needed new 17"s.

 

Yeah, IIRC, it's on thread he started called "I have joined a new breed of men" or something like that.

 

I have 235-45 nitto 555 and i love them in comparison to the craptacular potenza's. the big catcher is that they are not that expensive. $115 at discount tire or tire rack. you can call an bargain. they also have 225's nitto 555 but whatever

 

on stock rims?

 

Yes I fit the 235-45 on my stock 17"'s. No problem. THe amount of traction that agained was through the roof and also I think they are V rated so you can go real fast if that is what your heart desires

 

I've been looking around here for opinions(via search) for a couple of weeks. I decided to get the Pilos Sport A/S since I want something that will be good in any weather. Nothing is rated better in the all season category.

 

Continental ExtermeContact might be rated better on tirerack. It's new, but looks to compete well with the Pilots. Doesn't come in OEM size tho.

 

I have Kumho ECSTA 711s on my 2K2. They are light years ahead of the stock tires. I found myself hydroplaning every time it rained w/ the craptenzas. Doesn't happen anymore, and they are only around $100/piece. I haven't had any problems.

 

How much is your speedo off?

 

I love my Kumho Ecsta MX series although I am unsure about the snow traction. For $112 a tire there is not much competition. I bought them in 234/45/17 and have had them on stock 7" rims for 6K miles with no problems.

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar...peed_rating=ZR



You just cant beat that price for replacing the stock tire with the 712s I had them on my 99 Sentra SE before it got wrecked good all around tire for real cheap

 

I saw the Conti's and they look like a great deal. They are even higher rated by tire rack customers than the Pilot Sports A/S, but don't come in the proper size for the 17x8 rims.

235-45-17's should work fine but they require wider than the 7" wide rims which the Max is equipped with.

 

I have fit 235 45's nitto 555's on my stock 17's (2001 se).

 

I just check tirerack today.. they have Kumho 711 for 73 each for 235/45/17
time to order me some new tires..

 

just bought my maxima it has brand new mastercraft avenger lsr's on it....cant find any info on this tire but not trusting anything called 'mastercraft'...seem to be okay in the rain, will be buying blizzaks for the winter though...prices are terrible