Opinions on these tires and 1 q. about rims

[Sprockett]

I'm not good at finding good tires. Basically, I suck at it. So, I leave it to you guys to help me, since you will definitely know more than me about this subject. I heard Hankook tires are pretty decent, so I was looking at a few styles. I DO understand the number rating (like 200AA) but I don't know if these are truly good tires. So, does anyone have any opinions on them, and if you don't like them, what would you recommend? Also, these would be going on 17x7" rims, so I also need a little help determining the right tire size. I know it should end in "17" but other than that I have no idea. Would this 215/40R/17 tire work?

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direc ... 6777&ar=40

or would these be any good (considering they're $20 cheaper a tire than the ones above)?


http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direc ... 6777&ar=40

I will be using them for AutoX events and daily cruising mostly...maybe a drag race or two at the track. 90% will just be regular driving

The one question I have about rims is which offset would work the best while still giving the biggest lip possible?
17x7" +35
17x7" +42
17x7" +50

[Jan Niemi]

If I were you, I'd have a separate set of tires for the road course, and a separate set for drag racing (fronts only), and yet a separate set for all weather street driving.

I don't autocross, so I've got nothing there, but I just bought a set of Falken Ziex for the street, I love this tire, it's a perfect street tire IMO. I use BFG drag radials for the strip, another sweet tire, but definitely single purpose.

[Sprockett]

I think canuk told me that the new Ziex is shit, although maybe he said the new azenis. That's why I skipped over that. I had that tire picked out, but he told me that one of them (can't remember) went from being really good to being really crappy.

[Sprockett]

It must have been the new Azenis he was talking about. I like the Ziex, and that's probably what I'll get. Then I'll probably mount some DRs on the stock rims for drag and just run the other rims on the AutoX track.

Any idea about the offset?

[Bbasso]

How about Kumho ECSTA MX in 215/40-17s?

Great tire for most things execpt snow and drag.

lasts a long time and does not mind heat like some.

here is a link: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp ... es&place=7

[George Knighton]

Location: Midland, MI

I don't know how you can think about doing "daily cruising" in a Michigan winter with Hankook R2S Z212.

They're great tyres, but summer-performance only.

They are not quite as good as the newest Azenis, but they're cheaper enough that most of us would give them a try.

The Kumho MX are an older technology. They aren't going to grip as well as the Azenis RT615 or the Hankook Z212.

[Sprockett]

OH NO! I don't drive this thing in the winter...or in the rain (unless by accident). It's a strictly good weather car. I have an 05 Scion xA for the daily driving responsibilities

Thanks for the info about the Hankooks. It's down to those or the Ziex's

Anyone have any idea about the offset?

[George Knighton]

Thanks for the info about the Hankooks. It's down to those or the Ziex's

The Ziex 512 are a spectacular buy for an all weather tyre, and they also grip very well for an all weather tyre. However, the grip will be nothing close to the Hankook Z212.

The Ziex will also get annoyingly noisy as they wear down. It's annoying because they don't provide the kind of grip that other tyres that noisy would provide.

But...they're still a great buy for an all around, all weather tyre.

[Sprockett]

Awesome...thanks for the info. I have a few months to think about it, but it's great that you guys have helped me narrow it down to two. Thank you

STILL wondering about the offset though

[nsxtasy]

First of all, the proper size for 17" wheels on your ITR is 205/40-17, not 215/40-17. 205/40-17 has the same outer diameter as the stock size (195/55-15), which means that the speedometer and odometer will be accurate, and you will minimize the chances for rubbing. It also won't slow down your acceleration the way oversized tires like the 215/40-17 will (like putting taller gears on your car).

As far as which tires to buy, let's start by taking a step back for an overview. Think of tires across a spectrum from the stickiest, fastest-wearing tires to the less sticky, longer-lasting tires, and you come out with a list that looks like this, starting with the stickiest and working down from there:

1. Drag Radials: BFGoodrich g-Force T/A Drag Radial (won't last very long)

2. Other R Compound Tires: Hoosier R3S04 and A3S05, Toyo RA-1, etc (typical treadlife 2-4K miles)

3. Specialty Super-Sticky Street Tires: Falken Azenis RT-615 (typical treadlife 10K miles)

4. Best Top-of-the-Line Street Tires: Goodyear F1 GS-D3, Bridgestone S-03, Dunlop SP Sport Maxx, etc (typical treadlife 15-25K miles)

5. "Value" Top-of-the-Line Street Tires: Toyo T-1R, Kumho Ecsta MX (typical treadlife 15-25K miles)

6. Budget Performance, "Bang for the Buck" Tires: Yokohama AVS ES100, Kumho Ecsta SPT, Dunlop Direzza DZ101, etc (typical treadlife 25-40K miles)

7. All-season tires: Kumho Ecsta ASX, Pirelli PZero Nero M+S, etc (typical treadlife 25-50K miles)

The tires I've listed are the best tires for the money in each of these categories, IMO.

So now you have to decide which category of tires to get. Since you don't plan on driving the car in the winter, there's no reason to get all-season tires. So eliminate "category 7" (which includes the Ziex all-season tires). Remember, all-season tires are really "compromise" tires for people who have to drive on the same tires all year round, in snow as well as warmer weather. In moderate to warm temperatures, all the other tire categories will give you better traction and handling, on dry roads as well as wet, than all-season tires. So don't get all-season tires, and don't get the Ziex.

Since you plan to use the tires for autocross as well as daily driving, you can eliminate categories 1 and 2, which will wear too rapidly to be suitable for daily driving.

So you're left with categories 3 through 6. Now, it depends on how much you're willing to trade off performance against value (price and treadlife). For the best performance, get a tire from a lower category number (although you spend more for them, in purchase price and/or by replacing them more often); for the best value, get a tire from a higher category number.

Here is IMHO the very best tire in each category, along with the price in the correct 205/40-17 size for your car:

3. Specialty Super-Sticky Street Tires:
Falken Azenis RT-615 $102 (at Vulcan)

4. Best Top-of-the-Line Street Tires:
Goodyear F1 GS-D3 $143 (at Tire Rack)

5. "Value" Top-of-the-Line Street Tires:
Kumho Ecsta MX $101 (at Tire Rack)

6. Budget Performance, "Bang for the Buck" Tires:
Kumho Ecsta SPT $67 (at Tire Rack)

Incidentally, the Hankook tires just aren't as competitive for the money as the ones listed. For example, their Z212 tire is the one that gets a lot of press, but it was beaten substantially by the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 in the test of 11 top-of-the-line tires in the current (December) issue of Car and Driver (which did not include the Azenis RT-615). Besides, the Z212 doesn't come in the proper 205/40-17 size. Oh, and the Kumho MX came in dead last in that test, which gives you an idea of what you get for the money by paying more for category 4 than for category 5. Pick up a copy on the newsstands!

[Sprockett]

^greatest post ever. Thank you very very much for all of this info...I copied and saved it all in a word document