rear tires and front tires are different. you guys ever do this?

fiveoho

15 Year Member
Apr 28, 2005
1,958
16
69
TN
i have a NIB set of 18x9 and 18x10 silver FR500s for my car. can not for the life of me decide on a set of tires. originally, i planned on getting the 285/35/18 & 265/35/18 sumitomo combination from tirerack for $546.60 shipped ( Sumitomo HTR Z II ) . that price is hard to beat for new set of matched tires. im just fearful the 285s wont look wide enough on those 10" wheels. i have heard the sumi's run narrow :( - anyone know?

i have found a NEW set of BFG G FORCE T/A KD 295/35/18s for $344 shipped for both. they even still have the stickers still on them. heck of a deal considering they are on tirerack for $312 EACH! heres my dilema: i dont want to spend the money to buy the matching front 265/35s in these that are $270 each.

you guys ever mix n match brands running a different tire on the front than on the rear? i know one is SUPPOSE to keep the same tire all the way around so that the characteristics of grip, tire wear, handling, etc is equally shared. speed ratings -should- match also. having said that, i know there are lots of guys and gals out there who run a mismatched setup. my car is not a daily driver. i dont autocross it or drag race it. just a cruiser.

just for example, if i bought tireracks cheapest 265/35/18 tires @ $122 each, i could have 2 BFG 295/35/18s and 2 sumitomo 265/35/18s for $618.88 shipped to the door.

thoughts?
 
  • Sponsors (?)


the odd thing is that the sumitomo htrz II rates overall better on the performance chart than the bfg g force t/a kd . tirerack supposedly tests all the tires they carry on their test track

:shrug:


ive had two other flavors of sumitomos on 17" wheels and liked them both very well
 
I have the Sumitomo HTR-Z+ I think they're called, in the rears, and they're absolutely terrible. First week having them on - AWESOME. Went to track cutting consistent 1.9 60' times all day long. After that.... They suck. I can't even launch at 1,200 rpms without revving through first instantly and that's with a freaking 2.73 gear in my car... Wet traction for this street tire? Forget it. I've heard that Nitto 555r's are equal to my tires in the rain, and that's just flat out said that a drag radial can do what my cheapo streets can do... All in all, I'd say avoid them. Those BFG's shouldn't do you wrong at all!
 
I have the Sumitomo HTR-Z+ I think they're called, in the rears, and they're absolutely terrible. First week having them on - AWESOME. Went to track cutting consistent 1.9 60' times all day long. After that.... They suck. I can't even launch at 1,200 rpms without revving through first instantly and that's with a freaking 2.73 gear in my car... Wet traction for this street tire? Forget it. I've heard that Nitto 555r's are equal to my tires in the rain, and that's just flat out said that a drag radial can do what my cheapo streets can do... All in all, I'd say avoid them. Those BFG's shouldn't do you wrong at all!

i guess this a example of opinion and individualized driving characteristics. i had the sumitomo htr+ tires on all 4 corners on my 95 and loved them. imo, they rode well, handled well and they were a high performance all season to boot. sold those wheels and tires and my next set was the sumitomo htr z's. was very pleased with those also :shrug:

as you mentioned, lots of ppl seem to like the bfgs
 
yea you can do it no problem. Lots of people run drag radials out back with a regular street tire up front...(including me)


no adverse effects anything, right?


guy i know here in town has a daily driven 04 mach with sumi's up front and 315 555r's out back. not issues to date other than not wanting to get caught in a rain storm. car rode well.
 
fiveoho, I'm surprised you have a good review on the Sumi's, as around here I've never heard anything but 'eh' about them! I'm glad you're happier with them than I am though, it's all about personal preference when it comes to tires. Like I said, they were GREAT at first, but after a few trips to the track and, I can't lie, a few smoke shows, they died out very, very quickly.
 
fiveoho, I'm surprised you have a good review on the Sumi's, as around here I've never heard anything but 'eh' about them! I'm glad you're happier with them than I am though, it's all about personal preference when it comes to tires. Like I said, they were GREAT at first, but after a few trips to the track and, I can't lie, a few smoke shows, they died out very, very quickly.


you are exactly right, to each his own. my car was driven pretty casually with them and it wasnt powerful enough to make smoke show :( . ive been told i drive like im 70 years old.


any experience with bfg's bud?
 
you are exactly right, to each his own. my car was driven pretty casually with them and it wasnt powerful enough to make smoke show :( . ive been told i drive like im 70 years old.


any experience with bfg's bud?
Personally, I do not. And as for the grandma driving, I'm with you there now! It takes a lot of will power for me to take the car past 2,500 rpms now. :shrug:

I've heard a lot of reviews from local guys about the KDW tires BFG has, and all have been good, but I heard they're a little pricey - not sure on that. Are you looking for an all season tire, or more of a drag radial/summer only type tire?
 
IMO, you cant go wrong with BFG KDW2's. They are the best tire in their price range. The KD are a good summer tire, but I think I read that they aren't that great in the rain?

Sumitomos on the other hand, I had the HTRII on my old 95, & I was NOT impressed. They wore out quick, looked horrible, & even with a slow stock 95 GT, the rear tires felt like they were made out of margarine when punching it from a dig....

Nothing wrong with mismatched tires front & rear, lots of people run them with no adverse affects...
 
I WAS going to get 4 new sumitomo's, but after reading too/40 many times for my comfort of unexpected, unexplained blow outs from the sidewalls giving out I decided not to chance it just to save a couple hundred bucks.

I've had the BFG KDW's (1st gen), BFG KDWS's, and I'm now riding on 275/40/17 BFG G-Force Sports (new wheels). Shipped to my door for $600 for the set from tirerack. So far, I'm happy. About $150 cheaper than the KDW2's that I really wanted, I just didnt want to spend the money. I rarely go to the strip, and I doubt I'll ever push these to their limit anyway. So far I've been happy with every set from BFG, and I'll continue buying them.

No problem with different tires. Just keep the tires on each axle the same.
 
There is a problem with mismatched tires. It might not be present with every possible combination, but problems do exist.

Long story short, had one kind of tire in front and another in back. Handling was spooky - grooves in the pavement on the highway would make the car dart unexpectedly far worse than just tram-lining. Finally was able to find two matching tires for the rear, and the issue disappeared.

I've not had this effect before, but it was seriously annoying and I would avoid it at all costs in the future by staying with the same tire front and back, same brand and model if not size. It's probably dependent on the exact tire combination, as some combinations might be better than others. But I won't be doing it again if I can help it.
 
Personally, I do not. And as for the grandma driving, I'm with you there now! It takes a lot of will power for me to take the car past 2,500 rpms now. :shrug:

I've heard a lot of reviews from local guys about the KDW tires BFG has, and all have been good, but I heard they're a little pricey - not sure on that. Are you looking for an all season tire, or more of a drag radial/summer only type tire?


all seasons are nice but i guess a summer tire would match the rear bfg kdws if i get those. honestly, price is a big role player. looking to spend the least amount and not compromise safety
 
I've been running sumitomos for a while now and like them. I don't think they handle that bad and I actually ran a 13.9 in bone-stock form (except for a midpipe) with them. If i want to go to the track i slap on my drag radials that are mounted on my stock wheels.

What I like best about them is they are cheap so you can burn the crap out of them and have fun, get the nice wide stance of the 315's, and not worry about your wallet...

Fun fact: Sumitomos are actually made by Dunlop incase anyone was wondering...
 
There is a problem with mismatched tires. It might not be present with every possible combination, but problems do exist.

Long story short, had one kind of tire in front and another in back. Handling was spooky - grooves in the pavement on the highway would make the car dart unexpectedly far worse than just tram-lining. Finally was able to find two matching tires for the rear, and the issue disappeared.

I've not had this effect before, but it was seriously annoying and I would avoid it at all costs in the future by staying with the same tire front and back, same brand and model if not size. It's probably dependent on the exact tire combination, as some combinations might be better than others. But I won't be doing it again if I can help it.

which specific tires were you running?
 
new Kumho AST's in front and just under half-tread BFG KDWS's out back.

Now it's the Kumho's all around, and as an aside, I think the KDWS was a better tire in every way. The Kumho ASX's might be pretty good, but they weren't available to me at the time. The AST is quiet, I'll give it that. Pretty much no tire noise, which I can't say about the KDWS's.
 
The G-Force T/A KD is pretty much the best gripping street tire ever offered by BFG. Do not confuse it with the KDW, KDW2, or the KDWS as they have a lot more tread pattern cut into them and are wet driving capable and all season respectively. The KD is a "dry weather only" summer tire. To my knowledge it is no longer made, or at least is no longer listed on BFG's website.

If you are wondering about the legitimacy of this tire, look no further than what the 2000 cobra R (a true factory racer) came with from the factory. Their grip is absolutely ridiculous for a street tire both in a straight line and when you are forced to use the steering wheel or brakes. On top of that, if you can avoid regular burnouts you can easily get 12,000 miles or more out of them. However, don't drive in any conditions that involve water on the road, it might end up being the last drive you take.

I have 17x9 steeda ultralites on all corners, and use 275/40/17 on all corners. On your setup, barring any modifications you would have to do to your fenders or fender wells, you could easily run 315/35's out back...maybe more.

Hope this helps.