need long lasting grip?

[rewmomi]

So i been doing some research for some tires i want to buy but i want something that performance wise would be excellent and also a tire that has a tread rating of 600 to 800. most of them have very low tread ratings.

[SleeperSolara]

the more gripper the tire the lower the life.
You can have both of 2 worlds.

[Chinky420]

^^ yes

higher grip rating = softer rubber
softer rubber = more grip
more grip = friction between tire and road
friction between tire and road = wear
ergo,
high [grip rating] = [high] wear

right now i'm running michilin pilot exalta (i think) and have been very happy with them. grip is good in both wet and dry conditions, and they've lasted over a year and a half (long time for me). over 30k miles.

my falken ziex had better wet grip, but they also wore out 3x faster than the current tires.

considering the performance limitations of the solara, i'd say that you'd be alright with around a 480 grip rating. anything more and the heavy front end is going to kill your front tires really quickly.

just my $0.02

[ThatVietGuy]

Coilovers will solve any grip problems.

[philosophicaljt]

^^lol.

seriously though, I prefer about a 500 treadwear rating, but its really personal prefence

[LEE337]

Coilovers will solve any grip problems.

X2

[gnegroni]

I understood that the lower tire rating #, the softer the rubber and lower tread life.

The car originally came with 160AA rating tires. They lasted me 25k miles with the corners almost flat.

My next set of tires lasted me 38k with a rating of 260. I expect the current tires to last a bit longer than that, since the treadwear is even higher.

With recent advancements in tire manufacturing, you can get tires with a lot of grip and low treadwear characteristics (higher number).

[jetbtkng]

i just put falken FK452 tires on my solara today, they have a 300 wear rating, but im going to the streets of fire event on the 20th in lancaster so i should get some good traction....

[gnegroni]

i just put falken FK452 tires on my solara today, they have a 300 wear rating, but im going to the streets of fire event on the 20th in lancaster so i should get some good traction....

Remembered my current tires rating...340 on the Dunlops. I don't believe the car has lost any traction compared to my first tire set. Can't even get them to squeal yet. You should be OK.

Another thing I'd like to point out...those treadwear numbers can only be ACCURATELY used to compare tires from the same manufacturer. You could use it to compare tires of diff. manuf. but the same principle no longer holds true.

[Eye8Pussies]

coilovers do not solve traction problems when your tires suck

and what gnegroni said is also one of the most important things- tread ratings don't really mean that much per se. just know that if it's low, it's going to wear fast and if its high, it's going to wear slowly, but there's no definite mileage. especially when everybody drives differently and under different conditions- i.e. highway vs in town.

and as everybody's been saying...there's no such thing as good tire rating and good grip.

[SleeperSolara]

I'm thinkin' about gett Falken ZE-912's or BFGoodrich G-Sport tires.

[gnegroni]

coilovers do not solve traction problems when your tires suck

and what gnegroni said is also one of the most important things- tread ratings don't really mean that much per se. just know that if it's low, it's going to wear fast and if its high, it's going to wear slowly, but there's no definite mileage. especially when everybody drives differently and under different conditions- i.e. highway vs in town.

and as everybody's been saying...there's no such thing as good tire rating and good grip.

Thanks for the backup, Eye8Pussies. My trustworthy tire salesman keeps reminding me that those treadwear mileage stated never really come close to manufactures rating.

Back to topic, do keep in mind that if a tire states traction AA > A, but not exactly as you might think:

"Traction grades represent the tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions on asphalt and concrete test surfaces. As of 1997, the traction grades from highest to lowest are "AA","A","B" and "C". A tire graded "AA" may have relatively better traction performance than a tire graded lower, based on straight-ahead braking tests. The grades do not take into consideration the cornering or turning performance of a tire."

Source: DiscountTire.com

"Traction: Tire traction is rated AA, A, B or C, with AA at the top of the scale. This rating is based on the tire's ability to stop a car on wet concrete and asphalt. It does not indicate the tire's cornering ability. According to this NHTSA page, the Firestone Wilderness AT and Radial ATX II tires that have been in the news have a traction rating of B."

Source: HowStuffWorks.com

Not all is that bad...having AA vs A where it rains most of the time like my homeland is a definite plus.

In the end, best for traction might be wider size tire & rim (going from 6.5" to 7" or 7.5" - bigger contact patch (more suspension strain though which translates to having worn-out bushings ahead of time). I've also read that the best performing tire is one that is not much wider than the rim (better tire structural stability). Not sure if using spacers adds to traction (spreading out wheel stance).

LOL I do have a question though, what is the correct way to spell it: tire or tyre?

[rewmomi]

wow thanks for the info everyone well i drive the car hard and i wanted something that would last a couple of years but id know if its possible with performance tires lol thanks for the info though

[gnegroni]

wow thanks for the info everyone well i drive the car hard and i wanted something that would last a couple of years but id know if its possible with performance tires lol thanks for the info though

No problemo!

[CamryOnBronze]

wow thanks for the info everyone well i drive the car hard and i wanted something that would last a couple of years but id know if its possible with performance tires lol thanks for the info though

It is possible, you just arent going to have crazy good grip. There are tires out there with decent grip and long wear characteristics, you just have to choose the tire that is right for the kind of driving you do and what exactly you are looking for in a tire.