tC needs new tires

[Minpin]

So at 20,000(!!!!) miles my tC is in a desperate need for tires. My tire size is 215/45-17.


I have no idea what to get, basically. Helps.  Some decent wet traction would be nice, the ones that came with the car (bridgestone some or others) are absolutely dreadful in the wet. Cheap would be nice too.

[S204STi]

Kumho Exsta ASX seems to be the el cheapo tire of choice at the moment. 

[Minpin]

Well, not necessarily el-cheapo but not ridiculously expensive either. I mean, these things are going to be keeping me alive... 

[NomisR]

Go wider with a

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/findTireDetail.do?c=3&rcz=90503&ar=45&rf=true&rd=17&rc=CAOINT&cs=225&dVeh=dVeh&tc=FALHZA&yr=2009&pc=18502&cf=false&vid=014513&sw=false

Since your not tracking it.. it's great road tire that has excellent dry performance with good wet.. and you don't have to worry about heat cycle or over heating on the road.

[Minpin]

I really am a nub when it comes to tires, but if they are wider does that mean they won't fit on the rims?

Those seem like racing tires, by the way.  (Not that that's a bad thing....)

[NomisR]

I really am a nub when it comes to tires, but if they are wider does that mean they won't fit on the rims?

Those seem like racing tires, by the way.  (Not that that's a bad thing....)

These are AWESOME tires for the money.  I had them on the Rx8.. big improvement over the OEM tires, less noise and better dry/wet performance.  They shouldn't rub and offers the similar diameter as your stock.  And should provide additional  protection for the wheels as well.  But your car might be slower due to the additional rolling resistance and possible additional weight, not sure how much your stockies weigh.

[MrH]

You live in texas right?  In that case, go with Nomis's suggestion.

I have Kumho's on the Protege, and they're pretty good in the dry, ok in the wet, pretty awful in snow, but it makes things fun .

[Raza]

Need a little more information than that.

What kind of life do you want out of the tires?  Because even though wear ratings aren't exact, I wouldn't expect much out of 200 rated tires.  Since you were surprised to need new tires at 20K, I think tire life is one of your concerns (I'm surprised I still have legal rubber at 14,900, even though they're close). 

All seasons?  Summers?  Is ride comfort an issue?  Gas mileage?  What size wheel?  Actually wheel size isn't that big of an issue, since you're running 215s, I can only imagine 225s will fit on the width.  If you do go wider, remember, for every 10, you go 5 in the opposite direction for the aspect ratio.  So going 215/45/17 to 225/40/17 won't mess with your speedometer.

Personal experience here, with built in biases:  I hate Michelin tires.  They're too expensive, have poor life, and poor grip levels compared to other tires of the same price.  I am absolutely not considering Michelin for my next set of tires.  I've had great experience with Bridgestones and great experience with Continentals (although, they were ContiSportContact2s for my Boxster, and they weren't really ever stretched mileage-wise.  The car had under 10,000 when we traded it). 

Can you get the exact model of the tires you have now?  Knowing what's on there now will give me a good baseline on which to make a recommendation.  On my Passat, I went from Michelin MXV4s to the cheaper Bridgestone G009s and they were so much better, I couldn't begin to tell you the difference it made in spirited driving.  And they were just your run of the mill touring A/S tires. 

[Minpin]

Bridgestone Potenzas is what it says on them. 

[S204STi]

Bridgestone Potenzas is what it says on them. 

There are several variants of the Potenza... what number comes after it?

[S204STi]

Anyway, my favorite tires would probably be these or these.

[Raza]

Bridgestone Potenzas is what it says on them. 

Potenza is a model line, not a specific model. 

If they're RE960AS Pole Positions, then a cheaper replacement with similar performance is going to be tough to find.  But if they're G009s like I had (I think that was the model) then there is a myriad of options out there.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Potenza is a model line, not a specific model. 

If they're RE960AS Pole Positions, then a cheaper replacement with similar performance is going to be tough to find.  But if they're G009s like I had (I think that was the model) then there is a myriad of options out there.

]

G009's are best all-season tires in world

[Eye of the Tiger]

These are AWESOME tires for the money.  I had them on the Rx8.. big improvement over the OEM tires, less noise and better dry/wet performance.  They shouldn't rub and offers the similar diameter as your stock.  And should provide additional  protection for the wheels as well.  But your car might be slower due to the additional rolling resistance and possible additional weight, not sure how much your stockies weigh.

Half of the tread on my RT-615's were gone after about 3,000 miles, IIRC. Thereafter, they were impossible in the rain.

[NomisR]

Half of the tread on my RT-615's were gone after about 3,000 miles, IIRC. Thereafter, they were impossible in the rain.

What the hell did you do with your's?  Just crazy burnouts in the st33m?

[Eye of the Tiger]

What the hell did you do with your's?  Just crazy burnouts in the st33m?

The Jetta was fast.

[NomisR]

The Jetta was fast.

Still better than my Advan AO48, lasted me a good 1000 miles and it's completely heat cycled out... slip and slide baby!  Have plenty of tread left though...

Gonna try a set of R888 next

[NomisR]

Woooo, these come in your size..

http://www.treadzone.com/tireDetails.aspx?tID=5303&tab=0

[Speed_Racer]

I've had good experiences with Kumhos as well, but each model is different. I ran Ecsta 712s which were quite sticky in the dry, average in the wet, and got decent mileage. Then I replaced those with Ecsta SPTs which were even better in the dry and wet, but I sold the wheel/tire set only after about 2000 miles (downsized).

[The Pirate]

]

G009's are best all-season tires in world

I'm thinking about jumping up to a 205/50/16 to get G009s.

[Raza]

I'm thinking about jumping up to a 205/50/16 to get G009s.

Wait, really?  I thought he was joking. 

[2o6]

215's? That seems kinda wide for a compact coupe.

[S204STi]

215's? That seems kinda wide for a compact coupe.

Not really, IMO.  My car has the same size as his, and I think they're a bit narrow to be honest.

[NomisR]

Not really, IMO.  My car has the same size as his, and I think they're a bit narrow to be honest.

I think 215 is too wide actually for that car considering the power.  The Rx8 came with 225, my RSX came on 205s, My old Integra has 195s and upgraded to 205 on 16" .. 17s is probably too big for that car too honestly... would slow it down.

[2o6]

I think 215 is too wide actually for that car considering the power.  The Rx8 came with 225, my RSX came on 205s, My old Integra has 195s and upgraded to 205 on 16" .. 17s is probably too big for that car too honestly... would slow it down.

That's what I was going to say. It probably doesn't want to accelerate or change direction easily.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I think 215 is too wide actually for that car considering the power.  The Rx8 came with 225, my RSX came on 205s, My old Integra has 195s and upgraded to 205 on 16" .. 17s is probably too big for that car too honestly... would slow it down.

tC's are heavy, and have decent power. Being FWD also increases demand on the front tires. 215's with some regular ol' all-season tires won't make for much grip at all, really.

[2o6]

tC's are heavy, and have decent power. Being FWD also increases demand on the front tires. 215's with some regular ol' all-season tires won't make for much grip at all, really.

160HP isn't a lot. I'd think that a 195's would be a better fit.

The Civic si has 215's, but it has close to 30 more HP and is lighter.

[Eye of the Tiger]

160HP isn't a lot. I'd think that a 195's would be a better fit.

The Civic si has 215's, but it has close to 30 more HP and is lighter.

Shush. The men are talking.

[Cookie Monster]

Shush. The men are talking.

[Minpin]

Yea, it is really hard for my car to change direction. I have to be bothered to remove my hands from doing other shit, put them on the wheel, and turn that like there's no tomorrow. It's like I am turning the fucking Titanic! It just keep going and going and going....


And don't even get me started on accelerating! God! I have to push a pedal! Ungh!