Tyre recommendation with a twist

[cyber_scriber]

The stars have somehow aligned and the Galant is in the country earlier than expected.

The compliancing shop intends to put some cheap and nasty death trap Korean tyres on the standard 16 inch rims. I'm going to instruct them to put on better tyres.

I've read through the mega tyre recommendation thread and it doesn't really address my specific concerns.

I am after tyre recommendations with the following in mind:

a) The car will never see the track or drag strip so I'm not after anything with insane grip i.e. will not need Michelin Pilot Sport Cup etc.

b) The tyre will go on the stock 16 inch rim and as you know, some tyres are great in certain sizes but not so flash in others.

c) The primary focus is on good grip, low noise and longevity at a reasonable price.

d) I don't need the absolute top shelf tyre as once the 16 inch tyres wear out, I'll probably upgrade the rim size and tyre. Therefore, I just need something that is markedly better than the crappy compliance tyres.

Your thoughts?

 

[Mortz]

I'm using Nankang 225/18's and they are an excellent tyre, grip very well wet and dry and have reasonably low road noise. Godzilla (Trev) on here is using them as well and he agreed with me that they are a good tyre. Cost me $205 per tyre but thats in 18's so if you can Nankang NS-2 in 16's i'd highly reccomend them.

 

[pu-11-me]

I use Toyo TEO's in 205/55R16 (Don't get 225/60, it'll roll around like a boat!)..... I was quite impressed and I paid about 160 a tyre

 

[pu-11-me]

I use Toyo TEO's in 205/55R16 (Don't get 225/60, it'll roll around like a boat!)..... I was quite impressed and I paid about 160 a tyre

OK, i'm a dickhead lol....

That would be 205/55R16's and DON'T get 225/50R16 as they'll be boaty

 

[cyber_scriber]

Thanks for the quick reply gents.

I've been asking around and looking at some reviews and have instructed the compliancing shop to fit the Pirelli P6000. Seems to be a decent all round tyre at a reasonable price.

Dawso, thanks for the sizing tip. I remember reading somewhere not to go too wide with the stock rim but just couldn't find the thread! I've told them to go 205/55.

 

[bradc]

haha, I was going to correct you there, but you figured it out yourself

Goodyear GSD3's, Falken FK-452's, Toyo T1R's and Michelin Pilot Sport PS2's are 4 good options for you if you want good wet performance and good dry performance. The first 3 will be a bit loud, the PS2's are very quiet but probably more expensive.

If you want tyres that are outstanding on warm dry days and don't care so much about wet performance, consider anything on this page: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/types/extremeperf.jsp

If you are willing to sacrifice outright grip for noise and comfort, I've just put Toyo CT-01's on my ST-R and they are indeed very quiet, reduced road noise to at least half of what it was on the GSD3's I had before. I can only go around my favourite corner at 70kmh compared to 75kmh on the GSD3's though.

 

[bradc]

Bruce - P6000's are fairly old now, I wouldn't buy them. In saying that, one of the options I recommended the GSD3 is now starting to get hard to find as it is being replaced by the F1 Asymmetric. The GSD3 is still a lot better than the P6000 though!

The only size you should run on the stock 5 spoke 16x6" wheel is 205/55/16. On the twin 5 spoke facelift wheels you can run either 205/55/16 or 225/50/16.

 

[cyber_scriber]

Thanks for the advice Brad.

The reason why I went with the Pirellis is because they won the Wheels 2008 tyre test and seem to offer decent all round performance and comfort at an acceptable price. They are also standard fitment on some BMWs, Jags and the old Ralliart Magna (180kW through the front wheels!).

My thinking is that I'm not going to keep the standard wheels for long. I just want something to tide me over util the tread wears out and I can upgrade to larger rims. The concern is that I don't want to be driving around on the cheap and nasty compliance tyres. Surely the Pirellis have to be better than them!

I'm definitely going no larger than 205/55 on the stock rim. No doubt I'll be in touch again once the Pirelli treads are gone and it's time to look at some tasty 17 or 18 inch tyres!

 

[James]

I have Pirelli P6000 on my 18's.... Except they are "out of date" and cracking.. So I'm getting some new tyres when the Rudd money comes through!

 

[Hank Scorpio]

Pu-11-me is right, Toyo Teo's are a top tyre for the price and are really quite smooth and quiet too. I'd go the Toyos.

 

[cyber_scriber]

James.

Aside from the cracking, how did you find the Pirelli's, particularly in terms of noise, comfort and mileage?

 

[James]

Just realised they are P7000's.... But yeah, been good, pretty quiet, good grip, never heard them squeel.... Good comfort.. And there is HEAPS of tread left still.... I had the car for almost 9 months, the tyres were almost "new" when I got it - it's just they must have been old stock, hence the cracking... or could be that when i got the car the pressure was quite low... Im talking 23 psi when they should be around 40!!