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Nov. 11, 2009 1:32 p.m. Dr. Hess PowerDork

OK, I've read the reviews in The Mag. Now it's time for actually picking a set of tires for the Rolla. I'm not quite down to cords, but I'm down to wear bars and checking the weather report before deciding which vehicle to take to work, and they're hard enough so that I'm breaking the drive wheel loose sometimes when I hit the VVT in 1st.

So, 195-50/15 Falken Ziex ZE912's are $59/ea delivered from Discounttiredirect. Kumho Ecsta AST are $63. Over on onlinetires, the ZE912's are $45.59/ea plus shipping. Hankook RADIAL K106 87H are $40.80/ea, and Kumho ECSTA AST 82H are $41.42/ea. I'm not sure what the shipping on a tire is from them, but I'm going to guess it's probably a wash versus discounttire, at least on the the ZE912's, but might be a bit cheaper on the ECSTA's. I wish onlinetires was upfront about their shipping so I could compare. I hate having to click all the way through to find out there's a "handling" fee which wipes out any percieved price advantage.

My needs are for a tire that will last a long time, gets decent gas milage and, uh, sticks like a racing tire. Well, something has to give. The rolla needs to stick, but I don't exactly track it. I got about 45K miles from the last Falkens, 512's or something like that, and I'd like at least that out of the next ones. A summer only tire is what I'm looking for, as I have real Graspic snow tires for the winter (getting ready to go on shortly), which which I can run down soobies.

Do the Ecsta's last? Can I get 40-50K communter miles from them? What about the Hankook K106's? I figger the ZE912's will probably do what I want, but are the others a better tire? Last longer, grip better, etc.?
Nov. 11, 2009 1:39 p.m. Gearheadotaku Reader

Check vulcantire.com for some more prices
Nov. 11, 2009 1:43 p.m. 93celicaGT2 SuperDork

What size do you need, and how cheap is cheap?
Nov. 11, 2009 1:50 p.m. Dr. Hess PowerDork

195-50/15, and $60 delivered is cheap. $65 is still kinda cheap, but starting to get there. $100 isn't cheap at all anymore.
Nov. 11, 2009 1:58 p.m. MiatarPowar HalfDork

I have no experience with any from your list except the Ziexs. I had 502s on my '88 SPG, 512s on something and most recently a set of 912s on the Miata and the 900. They last a while, grip well for a tire of its class and the price is right. I'm definitely interested in seeing what others have to say about comparable tires.
Nov. 11, 2009 2:06 p.m. 93celicaGT2 SuperDork

Dr. Hess wrote:

195-50/15, and $60 delivered is cheap. $65 is still kinda cheap, but starting to get there. $100 isn't cheap at all anymore.

I'll look around. I have the 912s on the Escort right now, and i really dislike them. Everytime i mention it, though, i'm the exception rather than the norm, so we'll ignore my thoughts for the moment.

I was going to suggest the Kumho ASX, but if the AST is where your budget is, the ASX will probably be slightly over.

I'll see what i can dig up, i've had a lot of cheap tires on my cars before i bit the bullet and starting running RS2s.
Nov. 11, 2009 4:19 p.m. Matt B New Reader

If you are looking for a summer only tire, why are you looking at all-seasons? Had to ask.

I'm running the Ziex 912's on my mr2 and they're great for the street. Excellent wet weather behavior and more than acceptable dry stick for anything I should be doing on the street. Relatively quiet as well (so far). However, when I autocrossed them they really showed their all-season roots. They were borderline terrible at autox. Made for some interesting drifts though, if not good lap times. Still quite controllable at the limit in my little MR.

I have not heard great things about the AST and they also came in a far and away dead-last in testing on Tirerack.com. I would stay away.

For a summer tire with a decent lifespan, relative ride comfort, and low road noise I might suggest the Yokohama S.drive (dumb name, I know). I'm using a set on an Integra gsr and like them so far. They feel comparable to my old Kumho SPT on the butt dyno. Haven't autocrossed with them yet. Don't know if they'd last 45K though. I can't think of a really good performance tire that would though. lol
Nov. 11, 2009 4:31 p.m. P71 SuperDork

At that size and price you can grab Falken Rt615's. Not the most advanced summer/ST-class tire, but way grippier than the 912's and company plus they wear well. I got 259 autocross runs and 18 months out of mine (around 6,000 miles, mostly autocrosses!). If I street-drove the car more and raced less they would easily go 15-25K.

I do like the 912's for 3-season, non-competition cars though. Great street manners and lots of life.
Nov. 11, 2009 4:41 p.m. Strizzo SuperDork

the kumho MX's i had on my rsx were as good or better in the rain and cold than the crappy michelin all-seasons that came on it. as long as you stay away from the frozen stuff those, or the XS or whatever they're calling it now, would probably be fine, i think i paid $80/tire at the time. if thats too rich for your blood, whatever replaced the spt should do you just fine as well and be a good bit cheaper and quieter.
Nov. 11, 2009 5:46 p.m. dj06482 Reader

The Kumho XS' are a very good tire, my friend runs 205/50/15s on his '91 SE-R and they lasted most of the track season with a ton of street driving in between. Phenomenal dry grip, with decent grip in the wet...
Nov. 11, 2009 6:37 p.m. iceracer HalfDork

I just bought a set of General Exclaim UHP tires for my ZX2SR. $69each. I've only got a few miles on them but I like them so far.
Nov. 11, 2009 7:39 p.m. Dr. Hess PowerDork

Well, I really need good longevity out of them formost, as this is my DD 3-4 days a week. Next, I want decent grip for when I'm nailing the onramps mostly. For the Esprit, I'd take a tire that had limited longevity for better grip, but for the Rolla, it's the other way. So, an extreme grip, low longevity tire is out for this one, but I don't want junk no grip tires either.

Humm, Discount Tire is having a $40 rebate if you buy 4 Yoko's. That brings the S.drive price down to $62 ea, delivered, or about the same as the Falkens. The Falkens have a higher tread wear rating, but you can't really tell from one manufacturer to another.
Nov. 11, 2009 7:57 p.m. fifty Reader

Falken Ziex ZE912's are $59/ea delivered from Discounttiredirect. Kumho Ecsta AST are $63
I've had both the Falken Ziex ZE912 and Kumho Ecsta ASX (not AST, but in the same price range) back to back on a WRX. Purely subjective, but the ASX has a stiffer sidewall, corners more aggressively and breaks away predictably (and when it does, it's a ton of fun!). I've also had the ASX for around 25K of hell and they still have a decent amount of tread. The Falken was snuffed out pretty quick (I think in around 20K). Wet and snow traction was/is fine for both (I live in Little Rock), though once again this is AWD. Nice quiet ride in the dry. I was happy with the Falkens, but really pleased with the Kumhos.

The next set of tires for the Saabarex are Hankook RS-2s - TireRack had them on close-out for 1/2 price a couple months back - $50 per! If the reviews are correct, these should be the Holy Grail of discount tires.
Nov. 12, 2009 10:10 a.m. 93celicaGT2 SuperDork

fifty wrote:

Falken Ziex ZE912's are $59/ea delivered from Discounttiredirect. Kumho Ecsta AST are $63
I've had both the Falken Ziex ZE912 and Kumho Ecsta ASX (not AST, but in the same price range) back to back on a WRX. Purely subjective, but the ASX has a stiffer sidewall, corners more aggressively and breaks away predictably (and when it does, it's a ton of fun!). I've also had the ASX for around 25K of hell and they still have a decent amount of tread. The Falken was snuffed out pretty quick (I think in around 20K). Wet and snow traction was/is fine for both (I live in Little Rock), though once again this is AWD. Nice quiet ride in the dry. I was happy with the Falkens, but really pleased with the Kumhos.

The next set of tires for the Saabarex are Hankook RS-2s - TireRack had them on close-out for 1/2 price a couple months back - $50 per! If the reviews are correct, these should be the Holy Grail of discount tires.

If they're $50 each, that WOULD be the Holy Grail. They last a decent amount, and they're GREAT on lighter cars like what he's got.

Your thoughts on the ASX are pretty much my experiences as well. I couldn't find any downside to them compared to the 912s. If my Escort is ripping the 912s off in 1st gear, then there's something lacking.
Nov. 12, 2009 10:46 a.m. belteshazzar SuperDork

iceracer wrote:

I just bought a set of General Exclaim UHP tires for my ZX2SR. $69each. I've only got a few miles on them but I like them so far.

I'd like to second this suggestion.

They greatly exceeded my expectations on my P71. 15,000 hard miles so far, plenty left to go. I will definitely buy again.
Nov. 12, 2009 7:09 p.m. wlkelley3 HalfDork

You can try these out for us. Saw these advertised a while back and have never seen any real reviews on them. But they are cheap for what they are prentending to be. Tires
The Ziex 912's are a good all-seaon street tire but not so hot autocrossing. I tried. When they break loose you get backwards fast. The 912's are an updated 512, my Miata came with 512's on it and I replaced them w/912's. The 912's were a bit better than the 512's. Currently running the Hankook RS2's as daily use on the Miata. Very good street tire, works well in the rain but the Azeni's are better for autocrossing, IMHO.
Nov. 12, 2009 7:30 p.m. minimac Dork

I've had great buying experiences from Discounttiredirect. I run the Falkens on the BMW and have been happy. The Kumho ASTs went on the 911 this spring, so I only have 5k on them, but they seem very good so far for spirited summer driving. One other thing, the price you see is the price you pay at Discount, and it's never taken more than two days to get my tires. Tirerack tacks on shipping, so the tires are within a dollar or two, but customer service has taken a little bit of a hit, since they got huge. Not poor service, but just not quite what it used to be.
Nov. 12, 2009 7:49 p.m. suprf1y Reader

iceracer wrote:

I just bought a set of General Exclaim UHP tires for my ZX2SR. $69each. I've only got a few miles on them but I like them so far.

I really liked mine.
Nov. 12, 2009 7:52 p.m. Greg Voth Reader

I had the Ziexs on my 08 Fusion company car (4cyl auto). Huge upgrade from the Continentals that came on it. Not exactly a powerful so I can't comment on their grippiness in that regard but they held well in the turns very very well.

I have the Yoko S Drive on the 00 Impreza Wagon. Got them for half price when someone ordered them in the wrong diameter. Again not a fast car and it is AWD so I can't comment on forward grip but they seem to hold better than the Nexens they replaced.

Your results may vary. If you can find the S Drives cheap I would say go for it. They would probably be a better dual purpose DD AutoX tire but the Ziex is my default DD tire. The Azenis is my default AutoX/weekend driver tire. You just can't beat the price. Right now discount tire direct is offering $80 per set of azenis.
Nov. 12, 2009 9:33 p.m. P71 SuperDork

RS2's are on ridiculous sale right now. John bought a set of 235/18's for the GTO. They are a nice street tires for sure, but no where near the grip of Rt615's for autocross. We ran them back-to-back with his Falkens and there was a huge difference. The RS2's are very nice on the street so far though.

The Kuhmo SPT's are still made, nothing has replaced them, and they are a great rain/street tire. If you can nab those I would recommend them. I liked the Toyo Proxes TPT's better for wet (as in really wet, Pac NW style) work.

I haven't driven 912's yet, but I hear good things about them for street tires. Falken supposedly has an $80 off thing at discount tire right now. However RS2's (if you can find them) are practically being given away.
Nov. 13, 2009 7:50 a.m. Matt B New Reader

plus 1 on the SPT - like I said I used the S.Drives to replace them and I was happy with both. I would have bought another set, but apparently they stopped making them in the 195/55 15 size. I was curious about the S.Drives anyway. IIRC GRM is using them on their E30 project. I'm pretty sure they handled pretty well at a track day to boot.

The RS2's are very tempting at their current prices, but I don't think they'll last anywhere near as long as the OP wants/needs.
Nov. 13, 2009 9:29 a.m. 93celicaGT2 SuperDork

Matt B wrote:

plus 1 on the SPT - like I said I used the S.Drives to replace them and I was happy with both. I would have bought another set, but apparently they stopped making them in the 195/55 15 size. I was curious about the S.Drives anyway. IIRC GRM is using them on their E30 project. I'm pretty sure they handled pretty well at a track day to boot.

The RS2's are very tempting at their current prices, but I don't think they'll last anywhere near as long as the OP wants/needs.

I think they will.... my last set lasted just about 20k miles, and my current set is on track to do about the same. I've got 10k on them, and it's about time to rotate. The rears show no wear at all.
Nov. 13, 2009 10:36 a.m. Matt B New Reader

Cool, that's more mileage than I thought they would get and certainly acceptable to me. However, Dr.Hess mentioned he wanted more than twice that mileage (45K).

That said, I doubt anything more serious than the Ziex will get that kind of lifespan. I think I got around 30K out of my SPT iirc, give or take a few thousand. Maybe someone can enlighten me to longer lasting tires that you can actually autocross on?
Nov. 13, 2009 10:44 a.m. iceracer HalfDork

I had SPT's and I wanted to replace them but Kumho stopped making them in 15" sizes and I wasn't about to buy new wheels, so I chose the Exclaims.
Nov. 13, 2009 10:45 a.m. Dr. Hess PowerDork

I don't see Azenis or ASX in this size (195-50/15).

So, what I'm looking at here is:

General Exclaim Onlinetires $54 plus shipping

Yoko S.drive discounttire $62 shipped after rebate, onlinetires $59 plus shipping

Falken Ziex 912s onlinetires $46 plus shipping, discounttire $59 shipped.

onlinetire also has some rather strange brands: Diamondback, Antyre, Achilles, Federal, Nankang, Sunny, Hercules. Never heard of those. Seems like I had a General tire before on the MR2 and it sucked. Chunked big time on the track and rolled over a lot. I don't remember which one, and that was 10 years ago. I've bought a bunch of tires from DiscountTireDirect. Probably 4 sets. I like their no-nonsense pricing. Looks like onlinetires wants about ten bucks a tire to ship.

Unfortunately, the closses autocross is two or three hours drive away, so I don't get to do that anymore, so it's mostly for street. Also, I'm going to assume these are all directional tires. I don't really like that because my left front tire takes the biggest beating, as all my aggressive turns seem to be to the right. That means the left side tires wear a lot faster, even though the drive wheel is the right.

Right now, that Yoko S.drive from discount tire is looking pretty good.

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