I have a '97 GXE auto with the stock 15" steelies. I dont have money to drop and i am not very concerned with the look.
We bought the car about 2 weeks ago, and it had the Potenza RE930i's in the rear and a mix match in the front of good year and general. The rear's are the only good tires but i want to replace all 4 of them so i start with a brand new set.
I was thinking either Potenza RE950 or the RE930i. I read reviews that the RE950 was noisy and that MPG was lost with this tire. I read review on the RE930i and it was a very good a/s tire with good performance for the money. The RE950 is obviously better performance but it sucked in the snow, and was noisy like i said. I definately dont want a noisy tire. Also what size should i go with? Stay stock 205/65-15 or got 215/60-15???
Please can anyone shed some light upon me?
-Jalal

 

I recently purchased a set of 4 RE930i tires on stock wheels, they run smooth and are not noisy. They also provide good traction, but I haven't tested them in harsh weather yet.

Can you put 215/60-15 on stock wheels?

 

I've had both the 930 and the 950. The 950 is better in every way. It was not noticeably louder than the 930. I havent driven them in the snow, but the 950 is vastly superior in the wet.

Get the 950s in 215/60-15. The other stock size is 205/65-15.

 

I am going to have these tires for a while, and i read the reviews at tirerack and some people said that their gas mileage went down after installing the RE950's and that they also were not good at all in the snow.... well they said something along of the lines of alright and ****ty... between those two in terms of snow handling. I am also considering getting snow tires for the winter with 15" steel wheels for them from the tire rack as well, because the snow sucks big fat cocknballs. (<~~lets see them blur that out!)
sblax2000, yes you can put 215/60 on stock wheels.
Is it true about the RE950's that you will lose gas mileage??? Can anyone bring some truth to this??
-Jalal

 

I had the 930s and the 950s back to back. I didnt lose any MPG.

 

Ok cool. You sure the noise was not a big difference? Because there were about 5 people that said they had more noise between 30-50 mph, and that it also gave off this annoying hum. Did you experience that?
-Jalal

 

No noise what so ever on my 3.2 TL w/RE950s. And that's after like 10k miles on them. They still look new too.

Peace.

 

If your going to get a set of 4, consider the Dunlop Sport A2's. They perform great in all weather conditions, including light snow but most of all they ride very smooth and quiet. So if thats your biggest concern, look at the Dunlop Sport A2's, there probably one of the smoothest and quietest performance all season tires out there.

 

i love my RE950s...the wet traction is phenomenal..and dry is decent. Best all season tire IMHO

 

yep.

 

Thanks guys for the responses. I am a fast and aggressive driver, as tire rack would characterize me as in terms of their reviews. I do not burn out alot and try to avoid doing so, so what kind of tread wear am i looking at? I do not plan on taking this car to the track, but i will put alot of miles on those tires just because i drive alot.
I appreciate all the help you have given me already!
-Jalal
P.S. Should i go from stock 205/65-15 to 215/60-15? I mean the difference in price from the tire rack is only like $6 on each tire so its not a big deal, would it fit without any problem? Any advantages by doing so? Thanks again!!!

 

950's are good for over 40K miles.

 

Thanks man!

The more i think about it, the more it comes apparent to me that these are going to be crucial when it snows. How do they perform in the snow? I have heard mixed reviews. Does anyone have personal experience?
-Jalal

 

I live in CO, and we got a lot of snow this winter, and my 950's are awesome!! Honestly, a great tire. Im getting another set when this set runs down.

 

Thanks man!
Anyone else???? Keep the opinions coming!!!
-Jalal

 

Awesome in snow??? For me they are barley good enough not to have to switch to winter tires. I can get through a winter with them, but I don't drive if there is more than a three or four inches on the roads.
Dry traction very good, wet excellent, and snow is adequate. They are a tire that does everything fairly well, dry and wet being their stronger point. I have 235 45 R17's, so the size your looking at is probably going to be better in snow, so keep that in mind
My next set will probably be RE750's then use snow tires in the winter.

 

Thanks man!
-Jalal