97MaximaSE97

iTrader: (3)

Okay I have these POS Winston Californian II tires that lose traction with even mild off the line acceleration. Now I want new tires do I have to stay with 205-65-15 size or can I go to 225-60-15 will the wider tires provide better grip for off the line acceleration? I don't know too much about tires soo if you guys can help me out it will be appreciated. Oh and some tire recomendations woulld be great also. I want massive grip and good treadlife. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!

fstepanov

iTrader: (1)

I don't know the details of your wheel size, but I would guess that most likely you cannot put 225 on your rim, because the rim is too narrow. Usually you can only go one step higher, like 215/60-15. If you want to go 225, I'd suggest a 16" or 17" rim - you can get an OEM one for not too much either here or on eBay. I suggest you use www.tirerack.com to check tire specifications to determine the correct rim sizes needed for each tire. Also keep in mind an important 'revs per mile' number, getting too far away from the original size will throw off your speedometer and either affect your gas mileage or your acceleration.

97MaximaSE97

iTrader: (3)

Yeah I may have to stay with the 205/65/15 unless there is a size up that will fit safely. Has anyone heard of Winston tires? They sound like an old geezer brand.

z32drifter

I had 225/60/15s on my stock wheels.... they worked fine. Performance was increased but going from a crappy no name tire to Yokohama AVS DBs, I would have expected that even with the same size tire

z32drifter

BTW ....... BFG shows 225/60/15 fit rims 6" to 8" so if your rim is 6" or larger the tires should fit the rim

97MaximaSE97

iTrader: (3)

Have you guys heard of Fuzions HRI's? 45 bucks a tire DAMN!!!!! Do any of you guys know if this tire is any good?

Tosh

iTrader: (1)

The 97 Maxima SE shipped with 16" wheels, so I guess your posting name does not accurately reflect your Maxima. It is difficult to find a good 15" replacement tire these days; you would do well to search your local wrecking yards for OEM SE 16" wheels; if you get 16" wheels, your horizons open considerably. (225/55-16s work well on the Maxima.)

As for "massive grip" and "good treadlife," pick one. All tires are compromises, and one of the most direct trade-offs is between soft rubber compounds (good grip, poor treadlife) and hard rubber compounds (good treadlife, less grip). Similarly, there is pretty much a direct trade-off between all-season or 4-season tires and wet handling and braking. You want good braking/handling in the wet? Get a summer, or 3-season, tire. You want a tire that has decent performance in light snow? Be prepared to sacrifice wet braking and handling.

The highest correlation you can find between an objectivecriterion and tire performance is actually a cross-correlation. Find out what the carcass, or casing, fabric (listed on the sidewall of the tire, as required by the federal DoT, as "sidewall plies") is. The cheapest junk tires in the world, those that sell "four for $99" new, all have polyester casings. The very top of the line tires from Michelin, Pirelli, Goodyear, Yokohama, Continental, et al, never, ever, have polyester casings; most commonly, they have rayon casings. (Sometimes, high performance tires have more exotic casing fabric: high-tensile steel fabric, or aramid -- the most well-known trademark for aramid being DuPont's Kevlar.)

Now, while rayon does have some technical superiority over polyester -- the reason the big tire companies tend to use rayon in their top tires -- you are not likely to realize any advantage, in legal street or highway driving, from rayon over polyester. However, the very fact that a manufacturer has chosen to employ rayon for the casing of a tire -- rayon costs more than polyester -- is an indication of what the _manufacturer_ sees as the market for the tire, and how seriously the _manufacturer_ has targeted the tire at the informed performance market. So you might regard "rayon" for the DoT-mandated listing of "sidewall ply" on the sidewall of the tire to be the manufacturer's "secret code" as to what tires are serious and what tires are merely marketing commodities.