Local Tire Advice [Archive]

Raacerx

07-07-2009, 05:50 PM

Need a second or third opinion. I need new tires. I grabbed a new Pilot Sport as a flat replacement and/or spare (thanks washyourhands) because I got an irrepairable flat, but the rest of my tires are worn and desperately need replacement with my driving style.

I cannot afford to get 3 other Pilot Sport; I need new TREs and an alignment already. So, my question: Is it better to get 4 new Kumho Ecsta SPT tires and use the Pilot Sport as a spare (I need a spare), or should I get a 2nd matching Pilot Sport and then 2 front Kumho? I figure with the AWD, I should stay away from different tire make/model on the same car, but I also figure front to rear isn't as bad as side to side.

Any opinions? Im going from PS2's but just cant afford to drop $600+. I can get the Kumho 4 for $360 out the door. Car won't be ready to track for awhile anyways, so as long as they arent that bad...

Thanks. Prefer a local opinion if yall don't mind.

LimiTed

07-07-2009, 06:17 PM

i went from PS2's to Pirelli pzeros. honestly i think i like the pirellis better. i've never tried kumhos, but i've tried falken fk-452 and for the price they were great. whatever brand u decide on, i say get the 4. why waste money on another pilot sport if ur not gonna get the set. if u get 2 kumhos and 2 ps's, ur going to be replaceing 2 tires sooner than the others. keep it as a spare. that way all your tires will wear evenly.

2BblkAudis

07-07-2009, 10:05 PM

I have had good experience with Pirelli P-Zero Nero M+S when I had my 04 UPS on 18's. I drive to Tahoe quite often in the winter so it was a good balance of wet and dry driving.

I currently run Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS on my S4 and my wife's TSX and we both love them. Def. not cheap, but cheaper than Michelin.

My $0.02 for a balance of wet and dry.

davidv3@comcast

07-07-2009, 10:24 PM

I got the Pirelli Pzero Nero M&S and just forget about it. I got it when it was $155 a tire for size 235/40/18 3 months ago from discountireS with the S, because is actually two different company with the same name. Its now listed for $215[o_o]

3ohAvant

07-08-2009, 02:18 AM

SPTs are really good tires esp for the money.

you should never use different brands/ models of tires front to back or anywhere, on any car.

the PS2, i think is overrated. I'd take certain dunlops, bridgestones, or yoks over that.

Raacerx

07-08-2009, 08:12 AM

Thanks guys. I wouldn't get PS2, I would get normal Pilot Sports. I just have PS2 on there now.

Pirelli and such are out of my price range. Im looking to spend less then $100 a tire, otherwise I might as well get something nice and that I trust. The only cheapo tires I've ran were Fuzion and I wasn't impressed with them at all. Not horrible, not bad wet weather, but otherwise I was not impressed.

Its either 3 new Pilot Sport at $188 a tire, or 4 new Pilot Sport All Season at $150 a tire, or 4 new Kumho SPT at $80 a tire. Considering I wear tires out around 10,000 miles or less, Im willing to sacrifice some grip to save money, as I could replace my tires TWICE with Kumho compared to Pilot Sports.

Otherwise, I might just buy some 17" A4 wheels that have good tires, and throw some spacers on them and call it a day.

PS. I will never buy a Pirelli tire ever again. The last set I bought of PZero, at an outrageous price, only lasted a little over 6000 miles. Never even went to the track.

Stubek

07-08-2009, 09:10 AM

I have been running Khumo's for years, life is not as long as the more expensive brands, but when I calculate cost/mile of the khumo vs what I use to get with Pirellis the khumo are less expensive per mile and less expensive over time despite getting about 10k less miles.

If you track the car though, they might not be best for you.

Wolfie351

07-08-2009, 09:41 AM

I've only been an Audi owner for a short while, but I see a tendency by others to avoid going the bargain route...as if it makes you less worthy. I get the vibe that Raacerx is going through that dilemma. There is no doubt that some of the tires listed here are better than your bargain brand. But, there comes a point to where you have to ask yourself, does spending double or triple get you twice or three times as good of tire?

I have gone to Kuhmo exclusively on all my cars, street and track. Don't get me wrong, I've had better performing tires, but the prices ROCK for what you get. This is just my opinion, but my $70 Kuhmos performed just as well as some $200+ tires I have purchased in the past. I use the Ecsta MX for my track car, and whatever lower model summer tire for my S4.

Daddy MO

07-08-2009, 11:24 AM

Raacerx

07-08-2009, 12:36 PM

My buddy just got a deal on some Sumitomos. Dont know the model but they are 18" and going on an IS350. Ecsta SPT's I can say is your best bet on price. If you can fork out $500 then go with Dunlop Direzza's F1 star spec FTW.

Any idea what he paid for them and where? Hoping somewhere can do cheap tires, free install, and an included or discounted alignment.

Yeah Ive been checking out the Direzza, they look nice. They might be a nice compromise between a Michelin and a Kumho or Sumitumo. But I think with my $$$, I am willing to sacrifice some performance with the Kumho's so I can use the money for other stuff I really need, like an entire control arm kit rather then just new TREs. The performance difference I've experienced between cheaper and expensive tires has never been "twice as good" despite double (or more) the price. Its been better, but not twice as good. The track is the only place I notice it, but even there, I may not be as fast with some cheaper tires, but I almost have more fun as I can break loose easier and care less about scrubbing them or destroying them.

However, I don't plan on tracking the car more then once or twice in the next year. Once I am ready for significant track time, I will most likely get a set of track wheels, so Im not worried about track performance at the moment.

Really appreciate the opinions guys. I just ordered a complete CA kit from a guy with new front wheel bearings for $200. So $360 out the door for some tires, plus $200 for CA, plus $50 for alignment. About $600. I think that in the end, that is worth way more then forking out $600 on JUST tires and having to keep my shitty CA which will probably prematurely wear the new expensive tires. I wish I could do coilovers at the same time, but I'll have to stay with the stock suspension for a month or two more. Then I'll get a fancy F/R alignment at Stevens Creek.

skunkoncrunk

07-08-2009, 01:31 PM

Raacerx

07-08-2009, 01:45 PM

I'm running the Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec. Honestly, I think they are great, especially for the price.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?make=Dunlop&model=Direzza+Sport+Z1+Star+Spec

Sounds like you have made your decision though...

Im hearing great things about them, except that they wear incredibly fast. Have you experienced that skunk?

I haven't fully made my decision yet, but I did just order a Macbook Pro (ughhh I'm a sellout, but Ill be running XP too...) so Im feeling the constraint of budget even more. Hopefully I can grab these A4 wheels locally instead, as they have pretty new Falken 452 which I have previous experience with and like. That way, I can get tires better then Kumho, and instead of spending money on mounting/balancing, can spend it on some wheels spacers (already got long bolts) so they can clear my brakes.

ibrow

07-09-2009, 07:29 PM

Totally off subject but does anyone know off hand if they make 19" Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec?

skunkoncrunk

07-10-2009, 02:29 AM

Im hearing great things about them, except that they wear incredibly fast. Have you experienced that skunk?

Had them for a couple months now and haven't seen much wear if any. Granted I've only put about 5000 miles on them, so their shouldn't be much wear and we'll see how I like them in another 5000. I'm about to rotate them since it's time for an oil change and it's the schedule I'm gonna stay on for rotating them.

I've been up and down highway 9 and a few times with them and you can definatly feel when they heat up. They are fairly quiet too when your pushing them. I came from Michelin Pilot Sport A/S so it's like night and day. I'll most likely be buying another set when I'm done with these.

The downside is they are pretty noisy, mainly at freeway speeds. You can definatly hear them a bit but it ain't too bad. They were quiet for the first 1000 though.