help me pick new tires! need 18"

[CosmicGrooves]

I was looking for 235/45/18 but Tirerack.com seems to have few choices. I know many of you guys are familiar with this so I thought I'd turn to the pros. I checked the tire tutorial, and determined that this tire size would be my best choice from my current tires/wheels.

I'm looking for quiet, good performance tires. I'm in Texas, so we don't get a lot of snow, but it does like to ice over every other year.

I would also like to find tires that don't cost a grand for a set. High mileage tires would be best too. If they're very high mileage tires, I could justify spending more money.

I know high mileage and high performance don't always mix, but surely there is a good compromise.

Please offer suggestions! I hope to have my new 18's soon.

[JMSinMaryland]

Yokohama Avid H4s, 225/40 18, 500 AA treadwear rating and a 60,000 treadwear warranty. I sold my last set after a year+ and it looks like the day I bought them. I was so happy with them I bought them for my winter wheels and for both parents Camry and mother in laws Avalon (they come in 15",16", etc as well). Jon.

[MrMikeL]

Or the Yoko Avid V4s.

[Jackass-Jeff]

I currently have the Yoko Avid H4S. Great tire. Definitely get some great usage from them.

You may also want to consider the Pirelli P-Zero. They won't last as long... but they handle VERY nicely.

[PhreakdOut]

When I had my Gen2, I bought a set of Essenza (by Goodyear) tires in 235/45R18. I know with shipping for a set of 4 it was less than $500.

Check with this guy. He's out on the west coast and sells through EBay. He currently doesn't list these tires but I'm sure he can get them for you if you contact him.

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZbrknwngs83QQhtZ-1

As for tire performance: I am very impressed. They handled great dry and very well wet. When I moved from the Gen2 to an RX-8, I simply moved the Enkeis with these tires to the 8. After more than a year of agressive travel, the tires are still with plenty of tread. I suspect the compound is pretty hard yet it's still sticky when hot.

The seller was fantastic. He sent them Fed Ex (in two huge boxes.) Excellent communication with tracking numbers and everything arrived in great condition. I highly recommend him.

Here's a shot with the tread pattern and profile.


Here's another shot with the tread. Of course they are directional.

[PhreakdOut]

Crap - sorry about the life sized pictures. Sometimes I hate PhotoBucket.com.

Oh well, the better for you to see the tread.

My apologies to the two members who still use dial-up.

(Before anyone says it, those grills are in the trash. The car went back with stock grills before I switched rides.)

[**PoshPepper**]

(Before anyone says it, those grills are in the trash. The car went back with stock grills before I switched rides.)

I thought you sold the grills...

[PhreakdOut]

(Before anyone says it, those grills are in the trash. The car went back with stock grills before I switched rides.)

I thought you sold the grills...

I didn't sell this set. Just before the Elmhurst, IL show I trashed my first set and installed a new upper. I didn't have time to installing the lower on the morning of the show.

The day after the show I switched back to OE and sold the new grille set to one of your fellow SoCal folks.

[Biggi_e]

sorry to thread jack but phreak, do you know what the ratings are on some of those tires on ebay?

[CosmicGrooves]

235/45/18 seems to not have many tire choices. Some of the tires recommened in this thread do not appear to come in this size... accroding to tirerack.com.

[SPF 0]

Long life and high performance are antithetical. You can most certainly make compromises between the two, but to get one, you're giving up some of the other.

[PhreakdOut]

Long life and high performance are antithetical. You can most certainly make compromises between the two, but to get one, you're giving up some of the other.

I agree. The compound is either hard or soft. (That sounds familiar) Hard compound = long life and soft compound = high performance w/ quick wear.

The question is: "Do you need a soft compound for this car?" These tires offer a large contact patch. I found it to be quite adequate. Going with a soft compound when hard works fine is a waste of money. No one can tell you what tire to use. It's a matter of how you drive. If you don't push the envelope on the interstate cloverleafs, then stay with a tire with longer life.

Noise is also a factor. Harder compound will be noisier. (sp?) This is also a factor of tread pattern. More flat contact surfaces like these tires will be a little louder than all season tires. For me, I always have the radio at cruising speeds or the Injen Intake or TRD exhaust drown out slow speed noise.

I'd checked the sidewalls for the ratings:
Treadwear 380
Traction A
Temperature A
(Made in USA by Goodyear)

See TireRack.com's explanation of the ratings. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=48

sorry to thread jack but phreak, do you know what the ratings are on some of those tires on ebay?

It was a scary purchase. I had a lot of trust in one phone conversation with the seller. He was knowledgeable and didn't try to BS me. (That means a lot to me.) I figured since I was only going to use them in Summer, that the risk was worth a try. Turns out theywork well year around if the snow is a dusting or less.

In this case, I believe it panned out well. Otherwise I'd never recommend anyone to buy tires off EBay.

Sorry, I'm starting to ramble like Crisp. LOL

[PhreakdOut]

235/45/18 seems to not have many tire choices. Some of the tires recommened in this thread do not appear to come in this size... accroding to tirerack.com.

I agree, this size is hard to find. I really struggled with the prices from TireRack on this size. When you do find it somewhere, it's priced insanely. This is a perfect size for the Gen2 so don't downsize to save a few bucks. Keep looking for it.

[PXLpainter]

The day after the show I switched back to OE and sold the new grille set to one of your fellow SoCal folks.

That would be ME!

[PXLpainter]

This is what I've got currently... couldn't be any happier personally!

http://tinyurl.com/yf9uyc

Kumho Ecsta SPT 235/45/18



Great ride - sticks like glue to the road - MUCH quieter than the Michelin Pilot Sports I had previously - and you CAN'T beat the price!! (Even if you get them somewhere besides TireRack).