I just bought some stock 17" rims (2002) for my 4th gen max. Assuming that I stay with the 5th gen OEM size of 225/50/R17...Which is the best tire of the following 'reasonably priced' tires?

Nitto NT-450
Falken Ziex ZE-512
Kumho ECSTA KH11

 

j/curious, b/c im thinking of doing the same....how much did they cost you? the stock 17"'s?????????????

 

I would get 225/45/17, tyres in this size are cheaper and there are far more choices

 

what's your budget like? what are your common road conditions throughout the year? more summer months, few winter-like months?

I'd go for used tires and get S-03's, Kumho MX, or Pilot Sport's for under $70 a pop with around 80-90% tread left.

If you go used, make sure the shops have a 30-day warranty

 

i haev nitto 555's and i payed about 115 at discount tire(I hagled with them) I love them and the tread rating is 300 so they last a while. I recommend these above all else for the price.

 

Are Nankang a good tire? I haven't heard much about them. Thanks

 

nankang/kumho=

Falken Ziex 512=

 

Falken, Nankang, Kumho, Hankook = the eBay way

Sumitomo ownz in that price range, look into those.. HTR+

 

I had nitto 450's installed on my 01 se and with 10k miles on them now i love them in all conditions thus far tested. sure, none of these are snow tires. but in rain they're MUCH improved over the stock bridgetone b.s. crap tires. they're cheap, treadwear is top rated in the class, and so far they're handling and sounding great.

gotta rotate now though.

t

 

Nittos all the way. I have had NT450s and 555s. They are the best tires I have ever owned.

 

I'm in a similar situation...after asking around alot, I'm going to go with the Falken's. Priced very resonable at discount tire too.

 

No. Get the Nitto's. The are the best for there price and tread rating not to mention to dramatic increase in handling you get. the only understandable reason you would not get these is if you get a tire made to handle snow. Any other reason is BS

 

I can't much agree with you on the Nitto 450's. I had them and they didn't much impress me. Dry weather I had no issues, but in the rain I would have preferred to walk. Got the HTR+ now and love them....highly recommend them.

 

I have the 450's and they hold very well, in dry conditions they really stick. I have heard the difference in traction between these and the 555's is night and day, I will be putting the 555's on this month and cannot wait.

 

i guess nittos and falkens are all good... just stay away from CumHoes

 

how much per tire are you willing to pay ?

 

I use to have Nitto 450's when I had my Honda Accord and I absolutely loved them. What do you guys think about Toyo Proxes FZ4? I heard they rule.

 

i like my nitto 555's. my friend had the 450's and he said mine were a much better upgrade. i love how they handle, in wet and dry weather. They are not the best wet weather tirer but aquatread isnt the best dry tire. I dont like to drive aggressive at all in the rain so i dont mined them but when its dry watch your rearview mirror for a bolt of silver lightning

 

Proxes were decent, but the tread wear was uneven and they only lasted about 20,000 miles. I wasn't too impressed.

 

i have a set of RE040 for sale.. heres the link. they are practically new

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....hreadid=239887

 

I just traded up my 450's for 555's and can honestly say it is like night and day. These things stick hard, no high sqealing around corners in these, and off the line traction is great. Another thing I noticed is that these tires are silent compared to the 450's. If anyone is thinking about getting new tires I would jump all over the 555's.

 

I know Yokohamas aren't in the list. But I HAVE to say that my 225/45ZR17 Yokohama AVS ES100 tires are AWESOME. The dry traction is UNBELIEVABLE. The wet traction is GREAT too. One night it rained in Las Vegas... yes, it rains here like once a year. I was cruising at 35mph and I tried my best to lock my wheels up. I couldn't do it. I have stock worn suspension with stock brakes.

With my old tires, Road Hugger 215/60HR15, those tires sucked for performance. If I didn't have the steering wheel perfectly straight when I got in the high part of 1st gear, (in dry roads) I would spin the tires and understeer in the curb. With the new tires, I can take a VERY VERY hard turn at 35 mph and drop it down in 1st gear and it holds perfectly! I can't believe how much of a difference better tires are.

I researched these tires and compared them with Khumos and other cheap 'performance' tires. Yokos and Nittos came out on top for bang for the buck. The Yokos on tirerack were like $107. I called Discount Tire in Vegas, and they quoted me $140. I'm like screw that, I found a better price. It turns out they can somewhat match prices. I got them to do the installed price for $120 a wheel. That came out much cheaper than if I went with tirerack and got a shop to install and balance them.

Enjoy your new wheels. And check out www.tirerack.com and read all the consumer reviews. The Yokos had great reviews. The Khumos, everyone was not satisfied.

 

Well, it finally rained here in Arizona and I must say that my NT-555s absolutely suck in the rain. They are an AWESOME dry tire, but both the NT-450s and NT-555s suck in wet weather.

 

Amen....the 450's suck in the rain. I think they did me fine in the rain for the first 2 months or so (had them for 2 years). I got the htr+ (i know they're not an option), and it's like going from a sled to cleats...wonderful. forget the 450's.

 

well i think i am gonna get a set of Nitto 555 and it does rain here alot but i think they are the best bang for the buck i can get.
Hopefully i wont have many problems

 

Just posted my review of Falken Ziex ZE-512
after 5000 miles on my SE 01 in the 5th gen GD. They eat Nitto 450 for lunch, I've not had 555's though. I hear they're nice.

The only reservation I have about Nitto is build quality. Mine blew out a sidewall, luckily going slow, in the REAR left no less. It could have been a bad accident. when I inquired with a new shop (i had moved with the nittos here to Texas from maryland) they said Nittos have had many problems of sidewall malfunction, etc. Anyway, you might check with a few shops on that issue. Maybe it was just the 450's.

t

 

So 555's are good in rainy/wet weather (of course NOT including snow) or no, they're not so good?