New tire q's

[ZachPDX]

I'm not sure if there would be a better place for this but I normally only post here so why not.

I desperately need some new tires but currently I'am not in the best finical situation, I do IT for a chain of car dealerships and with there current finicial situation my future doesnt look great . Ive tried to wait it out as long as I can but the wet weather here in portland is forcing me to just pull the trigger.

Since portland basically has 2 seasons, summer and wet, I need something outstanding in wet conditions but still grippy when it does get hot. Ive had the goodyear ds3's on my TT and LOVED THEM! but I cant afford them this time around

So Ive been trying to find a good compromise between price/performance. I do get tires at cost but there isn't much markup on on them these days anyway.

Ive used falken's in the past and was reading up on the new fk-452's and they look like a good match at around 500$. Think I will regret it? Anything else I should be looking at?

Thanks guys! Quattro has made me embrace the wet season here but my ESP light is becoming a permanent fixture on my dash

[pismojeff]

i have heard good things about the Hankook winter tires so perhaps they might have something decent... no experience here but thought I would throw that out

[Chapunki]

Have you thought about buying used tires...? They are definitely cheaper than new and some are in really good condition, I just picked up a set of Pirelli Rosso's with 70% tread left for $70, the guy threw in some nice GFG Wheels too!

[Stevelev]

2nd on the idea of finding a good set of used tires. If no luck with that, the Hankook's are definitely a good tire for a very reasonable price. My summers are the K104's and I was very pleased with them both on and off the track as well as in the cold wet weather (I wouldn't use them in winter though). My mother has a set of the ice bears for snows (MB C230) and they're actually not bad on that car ... many suggest they're great with quattro.

[Louis J.]

I wouldn't recommend buying used. I've bought used twice and both times it turned out to be a bad transaction.

I would most certainly go with the 452s. I used to only buy Michelin PS2s until I tried Falkens and have not gone back. I've gone through a set of 912s and two sets of 615s.

Here's a clip of a B7 2.0T at the track running 452s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHexdrm5wpo

[ABanT]

I've been running the Falken 452's for the summer and they've been great. Haven't had any traction issues with dry or wet conditions and here in Canada with the current colder temperatures they've still been great. Although, if there is any snow at all or really cold temps in the forecast I would definitely not recommend them.

I've had them for about 6 to 7k km's on them so far and they still look brand new. You will be pleased with the Falken's.

[gjc]

Sorry to jack the thread --- any thoughts on the standard Pirelli P6's to use as snow tires? I have an extra pair and thinking about throwing them on the S for the winter.

[Stevelev]

Sorry to jack the thread --- any thoughts on the standard Pirelli P6's to use as snow tires? I have an extra pair and thinking about throwing them on the S for the winter.

Here are my thoughts ... P6 = "no-season" tire

Would you like to have safety and control in the winter? Boston does get its fair share of the white stuff so get a winter tire if budget allows.

[ZachPDX]

Thanks for all the input everyone! I was half expecting to come back to this thread with everyone telling me that I don't deserve my car if i cant afford the best tires, just a tough time right now.

Anyway I don't really want to go used, these wont just be my winter's they will be all year for me so I need the most life out of them but it couldn't hurt to look, where would be some good places to hunt? just classifieds?

You guys have basically confirmed my idea that the Falken 452 are the way to go for me right now, now I just need to find a good extended warranty i can finance.

Thx again and ill post a quick review here when I get a few hundred miles on them

[sakimano]

You raise a good point...why do you have an S4 and a TT if you can't buy a$400 set of tires?

I think your guilty conscience is telling you to ditch one of your overpriced German hotrods!

anyway, get used tires. The deals I've scored on great used tires in the past always blow me away. I bought my winter Pirelli Snowsports for $150 with 1 season on them from a guy whose wife was up his ass to get them out of the garage.

cheers

Thanks for all the input everyone! I was half expecting to come back to this thread with everyone telling me that I don't deserve my car if i cant afford the best tires, just a tough time right now.

Anyway I don't really want to go used, these wont just be my winter's they will be all year for me so I need the most life out of them but it couldn't hurt to look, where would be some good places to hunt? just classifieds?

You guys have basically confirmed my idea that the Falken 452 are the way to go for me right now, now I just need to find a good extended warranty i can finance.

Thx again and ill post a quick review here when I get a few hundred miles on them

[gjc]

Here are my thoughts ... P6 = "no-season" tire

Would you like to have safety and control in the winter? Boston does get its fair share of the white stuff so get a winter tire if budget allows.

That's why I threw it out there...never used them before just got a free pair off my boy's A4. They claim to be all season but apparently you have different impressions?

[Stevelev]

That's why I threw it out there...never used them before just got a free pair off my boy's A4. They claim to be all season but apparently you have different impressions?

I've been using winter tires on my cars for decades and have driven many cars without them. IMO all season tires are "no season" tires due to the fact that they are truly a compromise in all seasons. No question they're better than summers in winter but still don't have the traction in cold, wet and slippery weather that a true winter tire has. When the difference between having an accident and avoiding one could be a matter of inches, why compromise a few hundred dollars for what will last several seasons? Also, although they'll be much better than winter tires in the summer, don't expect to get the grip and performance from them that you'll enjoy from a set of summer tires (you don't need to get expensive high performance tires to feel the difference!).

With respect to the 452's they are great tires (albeit a bit heavy) but are not intended to provide traction on snow nor shorter braking distances in the cold slippery weather that a true winter tire will provide.

I'd try selling the P6's and put the money towards a season specific tire. Safe driving !

edit: I just realized you're not from Boston (my bad) and I am not familiar with Portland's winter weather ...

[Beelzeebub]

For the best savings in $$$, i would strongly recommend getting a set of Bridgestone Potenza RE960 AS Pole Position all season tires. They're currently ranked #1 on Tire Rack.com. Ive had very good experience with these tires on my other car; they last long, excellent ride, quiet, grippy in the wet and dry.

But be aware that as with all AS tires, they are a compromise. they will not handle to the same adhesion limits as a dedicated summer tire or a dedicated winter tire. In real world driving, All Season tires are fine. Of course, if you're the kind who likes to take 25 mph curves at 80 mph on a rainy day, then these will not help your cause. But given your stated financial situation, bite the bullet and get a set of these. Here's a link just in case you want more info:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....+Pole+Position

The bottom line is, if you drive like a stunt driver, then AS tires are not for you. But if you drive like normal law abiding citizens do, they will do a good job.

[EYE4SPEED]

My two cents... I ran Pirelli PzeroNero M+S during the winters. While we have lots of snow here in Michigan, there were also times where we had clear highways and you could drive 80 in the winter. Plus, our snow comes and goes. So once Nov hits, on go the all-seasons. When the snow doesn't fly, the all-seasons are quieter and do better at high speeds.

I ran General UHP's in the summer (highly ranked on Tirerack), but they are a little loud. I am planning on running Falken 452's this year. For all seasons, spend a little more on a good high quality tire (quiet and long lasting). Afterall, you will only be buying on set (most of us in the snow need two).

[FastB7S4]

My two cents... I ran Pirelli PzeroNero M+S during the winters. While we have lots of snow here in Michigan, there were also times where we had clear highways and you could drive 80 in the winter. Plus, our snow comes and goes. So once Nov hits, on go the all-seasons. When the snow doesn't fly, the all-seasons are quieter and do better at high speeds.

That's why you should run a winter tire like the Dunlop Wintersport M3's or 3D's. They are made for performance cars and are V rated to perform well when there is no snow on the ground but yet still tear it up when there is. If you want all season, they you should look into the Nokian WR which is an "all weather" tire that meets the severe weather requirements (snowflake on the mountain).

[blur510]

sorry not to thread jack, but I have a winter tire question. How is the thread wear on them when driven in a dry freeway? I live in San Diego and will be doing a bunch of traveling (about 400 miles each way) to mammoth mt. Expecting (hoping) to see some fresh snow on the road. Or should I just go with all season tires?

[FastB7S4]

sorry not to thread jack, but I have a winter tire question. How is the thread wear on them when driven in a dry freeway? I live in San Diego and will be doing a bunch of traveling (about 400 miles each way) to mammoth mt. Expecting (hoping) to see some fresh snow on the road. Or should I just go with all season tires?

wear is more than a typical all season due to the softer compound of rubber for winter tires. in your case, since you'll only see snow when going to mammoth and will be in warmer conditions the rest of the time, i suggest you get the nokian wr's. they are awesome in the wet and snow and pretty good in the dry (sidewalls are a little soft, though). you can run year round since they are an all season (nokian calls them all weather), but i would rather have a set of summers for the rest of the year for better performance.

http://www.nokiantires.com/tyre?id=1...e=Nokian+WR+G2

[cjperformance]

i went to ebay and found the cheapest 19 inch tires. they came out to like 110 bucks a piece shipped. ive dont everything from trying to do donuts in the rain and it wont break them loose. good speed rating. dont be afraid to buy offbrand tires. there all mad eout of the same rubber. im happy with my purchase

[Louis J.]

i went to ebay and found the cheapest 19 inch tires. they came out to like 110 bucks a piece shipped. ive dont everything from trying to do donuts in the rain and it wont break them loose. good speed rating. dont be afraid to buy offbrand tires. there all mad eout of the same rubber. im happy with my purchase

Great advice
.
.
.
.
NOT!

[blur510]

wear is more than a typical all season due to the softer compound of rubber for winter tires. in your case, since you'll only see snow when going to mammoth and will be in warmer conditions the rest of the time, i suggest you get the nokian wr's. they are awesome in the wet and snow and pretty good in the dry (sidewalls are a little soft, though). you can run year round since they are an all season (nokian calls them all weather), but i would rather have a set of summers for the rest of the year for better performance.

http://www.nokiantires.com/tyre?id=1...e=Nokian+WR+G2

Thanks.. I have a set of summer tires so it will be strictly used when I go to the mountain..