i was looking up some tires for my bugeye, and found three excellent tires for daily drive + sprited drive (the requirement would be best performance for the buck, and tirewear, and of course, the appearance) 1. Falken RT-615 2. Hankook Ventus R-S2 Z212 3. yokohama prada-2 here is my dilemma. i WANT the ventus for performance, but it seems that it wont last very long. prada-2's look like they will last longer, but i hear bad things about them in wet condition. Falkens have similar treadwear with the hankook's, but not as good in rain and much more noisy, yet, everybody loves falkens. would i be able to drive on the ventus for 20,000 miles if i drive less aggressive? my good-year rs-a is rated at 280 treadwear, and i`ve been driving on it for around 16000 miles, and i think i can pt another 15000 miles or so. maybe i am more biased towards the hankook tires, cuz i am korean, but i`m trying to be very subjective. BTW, hankook means south korea in koean if you guys didnt know haha. if any of you guys have experience with these tires, please let me know. thanks!
o and, what is the widest + shortest tire size that i can run on a stock bugeye 16"? it`d be sweet if i can run 225/40/16 hehe.
Wouldn't 40 series tires on a 16 inch rims increase the amount of wheel/fender gap a bunch? What's the stock width/sidewall on a wrx 205/55?
205 is stock I think. Maybe 195??? 225s on a stock rim squirm too much unless you went with something that has a STIFF sidewall. The 615 in 225/50 is probably a good bet. Vulcantire.com has the best prices I know of for those. The 615 is a KILLER tire, but with a 200 tread wear rating they don't last long. Another down side is that the tread pattern seems to attracts nails. Expect around 12K out of them. I've never had the Hankooks or Pradas.
From personal experience, the Falken RT-615s are the grippiest tires I have ever run on the road. I had them on my car, until I corded my tires. They had a decent tread life. Highway noise was excellent, they were quieter than the Potenza S03s I had previously. I got about the same treadlife as the S03s, about 15,000 miles, give or take. Excellent grip in the Dry and wet. Only downside was their standing water ability. They are great when the road is wet, but any puddles will cause you to hydroplane, any puddles, large or small. I am trying to decide which way to go with tires now, as I am looking to get some in the next couple days. Now that I have a spare set of Rims, I think I may look at the Falkens for my Auto X tires, not sure I am really ready for a straight R Compound, especially without the GPJames used R-Compound deal that I was about to take advantage of.
Discount Tire has really good prices on the the 615 by the way. For a local place, $140 each for 245/45s and that includes road hazard and rotations for life. No shipping either... My theory- Start from the ground up. The only thing that touches the road is the rubber. Tires are often the most overlooked and most important part.
i learned my lesson from how much difference of a handling it makes from just adjusting the air pressure, so i cant imagine if it wont be any more of a difference if you get a new set of tires. as far as my favorite pick, i think i`m gonna try the hankook ventus; i just hear very good things about them whether it be on dry surface or wet.
www.edgeracing.com is the best prices, hands down. I'm looking at the Falken FK-452's or Hankook Rs2 212's for my next tyre. and for size, you can EASILY squeeze a 225/45/16 on with no rubbing. 225/50 will rub.
hmm, what was that website that sold tires for a fairly low price?..I believe Alex posted it up before.. if that helps any.
I love the Kumho MX's 220 tread wear for cheap! On the stock wheel I would a 225/45/16 or maybe a 50 side wall! I run 245/40/17 MX's on the wagon!