Tyres...

[Penga]

Hey guys,

I just got a minor defect for bald tyres... the tyres arn't even bald... zzzz anal cop....

so now im in the market to get new tyres what would you guys recommend for a performance tyre??

Regards,
Andrew

[Adrian2627]

It's all going to depend on your budget. The standard Bridgstones or Yokohama equivalents are going to set you back $350-400ish per tyre or you can go to Toyo/Hankook/Maxxis for $200-300. If you do a search on tyres there are a lot of threads and info to be read that should at least point you in the right direction.

[SegR]

There are probably a few threads covering the topic already but I'm happy with the ride, noise level and handling of the Kumho KU-31's (for street driving) in 225/40R18. I thought the RE001's which were on the car when I bought it were pretty decent, despite people complaining they're sloppy compared to the RE050A. I'd have bought RE001 tyres again but they seem to be discontinued.

[Ben]

tirerack.com

[drndrn]

tirerack.com

Definitely, even though the dollar is less than great atm, you'll still probably get your tyres cheaper from the states.

[swingn]

Kumho KU36's are a good thing for the money... Or maybe look at Toyo R888 (R Spec), but that's only if your not overly concerned about the level of mileage your going to get out of them on the road.

Tirerack.com is fantastic for pricing, especially if your looking at pricey tires... For KU36's, have a look at Option Garage (QLD) as their pricing is pretty much exactly the same as tirerack once you incorporate freight.

For the Toyo's, St George tires in Sydney have been known to give pretty damn good pricing for them.

[GT_Tony]

i got my tires from Option 1, but i got Federal 595's. i like the tires (altho Federal's seem to be a wider tire). wasnt to impressed with Option 1 as they pinched/ did not put back on my hub centric spacers. and sold me a tire that wasn't suited to my rim. (235 on a 7.5 rim)

[neilgero]

tirerack.com

+1 for tirerack.

bought a full set of Hankook Venstus 112 (k110) in 225/45 r18 delivered to melb for 730 or 740. FARKING CHEAP!!! ive had k110's before and they were awesome but they were replaced by the K112 when it was discontinued and its pretty much the same deal. AWESOMENESS! lol

i dont rate KU36's nor ku31's. ku36's are more of a summer tyre and are horrible in the wet, Ku31's the entry tyre i guess.

wheeltech down in dande south have federal 595's on speial too if u care to take a look.

[drndrn]

I was looking at the hankook k110's as well, but have read that the sidewalls are very soft and are prone to bubbling which I have seen for myself.

That said they're still a great performing tyre, but probably not for my purposes (stretching) which require a rather strong sidewall.

[GT_Tony]

That said they're still a great performing tyre, but probably not for my purposes (stretching) which require a rather strong sidewall.

what tires would you recommend for that purpose?

[drndrn]

To be honest with you I wouldn't know, hence I'm still searching lol. KU31's are my fall backs in case I can't find anything.

[SegR]

Kumho KU36's are a good thing for the money... Or maybe look at Toyo R888 (R Spec), but that's only if your not overly concerned about the level of mileage your going to get out of them on the road.

Tirerack.com is fantastic for pricing, especially if your looking at pricey tires... For KU36's, have a look at Option Garage (QLD) as their pricing is pretty much exactly the same as tirerack once you incorporate freight.

When I was looking into this I found a few references to the KU36's wearing quickly and lasting bugger-all km's so decided to go for the KU31's based on reviews and price.

I bought from another store in Brisbane who matched Option 1's price on the KU31s. (including fitting & balancing)

[neilgero]

To be honest with you I wouldn't know, hence I'm still searching lol. KU31's are my fall backs in case I can't find anything.

how much stretch are you planning?

i have 225/45 on 8.5", they seem to strech ok. Ku31 is the better strech tyre, but again, i dont rate it, i hate it LOL.

[AndrewCowley]

I got a set of 4 RE001's fitted about 6 weeks ago. Surprised to hear they are discontinued. I think they are ok for a street tyre. Price is good. Only thing is though, my previous set lasted somewhere between 25 and 30,000 kms which is pretty poor.

[swingn]

i got my tires from Option 1, but i got Federal 595's. i like the tires (altho Federal's seem to be a wider tire). wasnt to impressed with Option 1 as they pinched/ did not put back on my hub centric spacers. and sold me a tire that wasn't suited to my rim. (235 on a 7.5 rim)

Just for reference, being in Sydney, I've never actually been to Option 1 Garage, but have bought multiple sets of tires from them (Bought 7 sets in one hit once ) & have found their pricing to be quite good.

Also, when it comes to tires, I would always go in knowing what I was after in terms of brand, make, size etc - IE: It pays to do your research. Considering your tires are such a major safety component, it's not something you should take a risk on IMHO.

When I was looking into this I found a few references to the KU36's wearing quickly and lasting bugger-all km's so decided to go for the KU31's based on reviews and price.

I bought from another store in Brisbane who matched Option 1's price on the KU31s. (including fitting & balancing)

Well, you have to expect a high performance tire, which are generally softer, not to last as long. I know many people with various different cars (MPS3, WRX, multiple Liberty's, etc) who have been getting 20,000 kms + out of their KU36's.

To me, 20,000kms or more is a good amount of mileage, but if you expect more - which is fair enough - then you'll need to go for a harder compound which of course isn't going to perform as well.