New Tires: What to Get

[Dekk70]

I am looking for some new tires but don't know what brands/styles are best. I am looking for a aggressive looking summer tire (don't drive in winter) that wont wear out right away. It will be on my DD mustang so no need to worry about great traction at the strip.

I was thinking BFG's but does anyone else have any good tires that fit my criteria.

I had Sumitomos but they wore out pretty fast.

Thanks
Ethan

 

[txredgt]

Do a search on here, but your best best will be the Nitto 555's and 555r's in the rear if you want a DR. NT05's are good choices as well but a bit more pricier and softer compound.

 

[flstang65]

Whatever you do, if you value your safety...stay the hell away from Nankang, or any other Chinese knock off.

 

[flstang65]

My answer from a previous thread with the same question back in Feb of this year...

I sell tires at my shop. I always tell people to get the best tires that they can afford. IMHO I like to stick with any tire that is made in America. Why you may ask? Tires that are imported, especially from Asia, have huge tariffs placed on them to bring them into the country to be sold. You can get a MUCH better quality tires for the same price as you would pay for an imported tire.

Also, the mark up on tires is generally between the 1-25% range in a retail store. The better quality the tire, the less the mark up. You can haggle a little with the prices on tires in person. Going with tires from a website might seem like a good deal but, you still have to pay shipping and mount/balance, which puts you pretty much at the same price as buying them in a retail store.

Tires at Wal Mart may have a name brand on them but, pay attention. They are generally generic tires with a name brand on them. They are made specifically for Wal Mart to Wal Mart specifications. What this means is that a Goodyear at Wal Mart has a different name, tread compound, tread design and warranty than a Goodyear at an authorized dealer. The same goes for any other brand sold at a "big box store".

Lastly, dealing with warranty issues on a tire bought at one of those "big box stores" or tires bought online at a true authorized retailer of a name brand tire is nothing but a hassle and headache for everyone involved.

Like I said earlier, get the best tires that you can afford, get them at a authorized retailer so that you can have nationwide coverage on your warranty and try to buy American made if at all possible.

 

[mransr]

I've had real good luck BFG Super Sport A/S. They ride nice, are quiet and seem to be wearing very well.

 

[sneaky98gt]

Whatever you do, if you value your safety...stay the hell away from Nankang, or any other Chinese knock off.

There were Nankang's on my car when I bought it. They were the biggest, no good, pieces of **** that someone calls a tire that I have ever seen. I wouldn't put that brand of tire on my push-mower.

My answer from a previous thread with the same question back in Feb of this year...

That being said, I currently have the Nitto NT555s (which I'm pretty sure are made in Japan) all the way around, and I absolutely love them. They have great dry traction (I can barely spin my 275/40-17s over without using the brakes, even with a positive displacement blower making 335 rwtq), great wet traction (I've never hydroplaned to the point where I couldn't control it), they handle great around turns, they are quiet, they last a while for a performance tire (got 35,000 miles out of my last set with no alignment and over 200 passes at the drag strip, and the occasional burnout), and they aren't expensive. I don't think there is a better tire out there for the money, or at least I haven't come across one. The ONLY complaint I have about them is that they track a little on the highway, but it is certainly not bad at all. I've driven lots of vehicles that track worse than my car does.

The only tire I've ever personally been around that competes with the Nitto NT555 is the BFG KDW 2, but they are a good amount more expensive and don't last nearly as long.

Bottom line, if you want a GREAT tire for the money, get some Nitto NT555s, you will not be disappointed. If you want to spend a little more and get an American made tire with an AWESOME looking tread pattern, go with some BFG KDW 2's.

 

[GDawg]

That being said, I currently have the Nitto NT555s (which I'm pretty sure are made in Japan) all the way around, and I absolutely love them. They have great dry traction (I can barely spin my 275/40-17s over without using the brakes, even with a positive displacement blower making 335 rwtq), great wet traction (I've never hydroplaned to the point where I couldn't control it), they handle great around turns, they are quiet, they last a while for a performance tire (got 35,000 miles out of my last set with no alignment and over 200 passes at the drag strip, and the occasional burnout), and they aren't expensive. I don't think there is a better tire out there for the money, or at least I haven't come across one. The ONLY complaint I have about them is that they track a little on the highway, but it is certainly not bad at all. I've driven lots of vehicles that track worse than my car does.

The only tire I've ever personally been around that competes with the Nitto NT555 is the BFG KDW 2, but they are a good amount more expensive and don't last nearly as long.

Bottom line, if you want a GREAT tire for the money, get some Nitto NT555s, you will not be disappointed. If you want to spend a little more and get an American made tire with an AWESOME looking tread pattern, go with some BFG KDW 2's.

I just put 275/45R17 Nitto 555 on the fronts and 315/35R17 Nitto 555R on the rears. I LIKES THEM!!! Much stickier than the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3s that I had on my stock wheels. I can't wait to take these to the track.

And yes, I can break them loose without too much effort but not as easy as previous tires...

 

[fiveoho]

17s or 18s ?

i HIGHLY recommend the General Exclaim UHP tire. i have them on my car now and have put several miles on them. awesome tire. priced well, very quiet, dry grip, wet grip, longevity. tirerack has them but not sure they come in 17s. best tire i have had, ever.

 

[sneaky98gt]

I just put 275/45R17 Nitto 555 on the fronts and 315/35R17 Nitto 555R on the rears. I LIKES THEM!!! Much stickier than the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3s that I had on my stock wheels. I can't wait to take these to the track.

And yes, I can break them loose without too much effort but not as easy as previous tires...

Yea, I've got a set of 555Rs (275/40-17) on a set of 17x9s that I use for track duty. On the street, the 555Rs aren't that much stickier, but they do pretty good. The trick to the 555Rs is HEAT, and lots of it. If you ever go to the track with them, be sure to get them good and hot, and they'll stick relatively well.

 

[flstang65]

Nexxen are another brand to stay away from

 

[nancygrl]

My Sumitomo's have held up pretty well so far, but then I split my DD between my 'stang and SS. I recently bought Continental DWS for the SS and seem to be holding up pretty well and are rated for 50k miles. Will probably put them on my 'stang once the Sumi's are ready to be replaced.

 

[fiveoho]

My Sumitomo's have held up pretty well so far, but then I split my DD between my 'stang and SS. I recently bought Continental DWS for the SS and seem to be holding up pretty well and are rated for 50k miles. Will probably put them on my 'stang once the Sumi's are ready to be replaced.

+1 for sumi's also. ive had two different sets in 17" form - the HTR+ and the HTRZ. both were very good tires. priced cheap, wore well, rode well. if i had 17s now, i would probably buy them again.

 

[san~man]

I've run Kumhos and now Hankooks, and have been very happy with both.

 

[nancygrl]

+1 for sumi's also. ive had two different sets in 17" form - the HTR+ and the HTRZ. both were very good tires. priced cheap, wore well, rode well. if i had 17s now, i would probably buy them again.

Can't beat the price AM has the Sumi's for. If I change brands it'll ultimately come down to who has the best price.

 

[N8Dogg98]

^ I recently bought 285 35 18 sumi's for my rear FR500's and I agree, you really can't beat them for the price. Especially considering I only drive my car at most 3K miles/year now. It's lame how noisy they are when you spin the tires (they literally SCREAM if you spin 'em) but whatever. I can get 2 Sumi's in that size for less than I could buy 1 fancy name brand tire.

Now I never skimp on tires if it is for a daily driver, but for a weekend toy that is only driven on nice sunny days, why not try and save some money you know?

 

[mransr]

I'm not a huge fan of the Khumos, Sumitomos or even Nittos (or any of the "O's" I guess)...never had a huge issue with any of them, but they all tend to be a bit undersized for their rated size...the BFG 275/40x17 were very noticeably larger than Khumos of the same size...

 

[mransr]

I'm not a huge fan of the Khumos, Sumitomos or even Nittos (or any of the "O's" I guess)...never had a huge issue with any of them, but they all tend to be a bit undersized for their rated size...the BFG 275/40x17 were very noticeably larger than Khumos of the same size...

 

[san~man]

I'm not a huge fan of the Khumos, Sumitomos or even Nittos (or any of the "O's" I guess)...never had a huge issue with any of them, but they all tend to be a bit undersized for their rated size...the BFG 275/40x17 were very noticeably larger than Khumos of the same size...

The Kumho Ecsta SPTs were a very good tire for the money (i.e. cheap). Good dry traction, not as good wet traction. Not too loud either. They did run true to size as you said.

Went from the Kumho to Falken FK452s, and those handled better overall but got loud once they wore down. More expensive than the Kumhos.

I'm on Hankooks Ventus V12's now, and they're the best of both worlds. Quiet, good wet handling, almost as good dry handling as the Falken, and cheaper too. These are my second set and I'm quite happy with them.