new tires

[Creeper]

well its that time. The stock tires are shot and I need some new tires. I wanted to go with something about .7-1 inch smaller in the wheelwall on my replacments and was thinking about yokohama s-drive 195/50R15. ITs only .6 smaller but what do yall think about it? Any experiance with these tires? I heard these were quiet, and thats a plus! Any info or advice would be great!

[Tamago]

why would you go smaller, is my question..

oh and dollar for dollar, considering that you're buying smaller tires, i'd buy a kumho ASX

[Creeper]

well I have wheel well lights, and the south has bad roads ( I didnt quite think that through at the time) and the extra half inch would be exactly what I need to keep them from hitting the lights on a bad bump or thouse hidden pot holes you cant see till its to late

[Tamago]

so in effect you should go to a LARGER tire










and do your yaris a favor ;)

[Creeper]

yeah I know not many are a fan of lights under the yaris but I like them. If that was indead the joke you were pushing :)

[Tamago]

back on topic, if you're buying a tire simply because it's shorter, go out and buy the cheapest tire you can... within reason

[Creeper]

Well I want a good quality quiet tire that is good in dry and rain sense that is basically all we get here. I have heard alot of good things about this particullar tire from a few friends but thought I would ask on here.

[Tamago]

Well I want a good quality quiet tire that is good in dry and rain sense that is basically all we get here. I have heard alot of good things about this particullar tire from a few friends but thought I would ask on here.

between the two i'll still maintain, if you can get it in the size you want, the kumho ASX is a better value.

[Creeper]

alright ill check them out when I can get by the shop or grab their inventory/order lists. the yokohamas arnt bad sense i can get them at the shops price with no mark up from the shop but if the kumho asx are better value I will check on them as well.

[Tamago]

fyi they weren't bad at autocross either

[Creeper]

are these the right type? http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/tires/kumho/product/byName.do?tmn=Ecsta+ASX&typ=Passenger%2FPerformance


I cant seem to find them in 15's anywhere :( but ill have to check at the shop later

[Tamago]

looks like the ECSTA AST is your only option in that size.

but on a very interesting note, you could get a hankook RS2-Z212 in that size.

now THAT is a tire! (and only 11 dollars more than the S drives)

i'm on www.tirerack.com

[Creeper]

may have to check into these thank you for all your help

[kimona]

205/50's will be short enough for your application. If you want a very decent quiet tyre, you could go with the Falken 512, next the Falken 912. IMHO, the best all 'round tyre, but not the most quiet is the Nitto NeoGen, which offers outstanding handling.

[Tamago]

i will have to say that out of every tire i've ever purchased the falken 512 was the absolute worst tire of them all.

[BLAZINBLUEVITZ]

205/50 or is it 205/55? i have mine narrowed down to Yokohama AVID V4S BW or Dunlop DIREZZA DZ101 BW. reason being its what i get through work and cost is minimal.

[kimona]

i will have to say that out of every tire i've ever purchased the falken 512 was the absolute worst tire of them all.

Depends what you're looking for in a tyre. The OP doesn't seem to be looking specifically for a high performance tyre. I've had a set of 512's on my spare set of wheels, and I find them very good for low noise, smooth ride, improved handling, and decent wear. Yes, there are better tyres available, but for a budget tyre, the 512 is a good choice, IMHO.

[kimona]

205/50 or is it 205/55? i have mine narrowed down to Yokohama AVID V4S BW or Dunlop DIREZZA DZ101 BW. reason being its what i get through work and cost is minimal.

205/55's would be a better choice with stock suspension, but the OP is looking for a short tyre to accommodate his under-lights.

[BLAZINBLUEVITZ]

so a 205/50 is better for lowered suspension

[kimona]

so a 205/50 is better for lowered suspension

Depends on the drop and the wheel specs.

[Tamago]

Depends what you're looking for in a tyre. The OP doesn't seem to be looking specifically for a high performance tyre. I've had a set of 512's on my spare set of wheels, and I find them very good for low noise, smooth ride, improved handling, and decent wear. Yes, there are better tyres available, but for a budget tyre, the 512 is a good choice, IMHO.

they have too-soft sidewalls and get REALLY bad in the rain at about half tread.

[eTiMaGo]

interesting.. I am using FK-512's, although on these wheels they have pretty much no sidewall :laugh: Thread's about a third gone and our rainy season'll be starting soon, I'll have to be careful but honestly, so far they've served me quite well... Of course, the day I put on some better tires, I may change my mind about that :biggrin:

[Tamago]

interesting.. I am using FK-512's, although on these wheels they have pretty much no sidewall :laugh: Thread's about a third gone and our rainy season'll be starting soon, I'll have to be careful but honestly, so far they've served me quite well... Of course, the day I put on some better tires, I may change my mind about that :biggrin:

here's my take on the tires i've had on my car.

nankang NS1 205 40 17: awful tire, perhaps one of the loudest, least grippy tire i've ever owned, but not bad in the rain.

Kumho ASX 215 45 17: not a bad tire, decent grip at autocross but nothing near a proper 'street touring' tire

dunlop Direzza DZ101 205/55/15: good street tire, confidence inspiring in the rain, but not so great when pushed to 9+/10

Falken 512 205 55 15: following the DZ101, a very squirrely feeling tire, mushy, and scary in the twisties. only tire i've ever purposely sold before they were worn out

Fuzion ZRI 205 55 15: does what the DZ101 did, and improved on it for overall grip, and confidence inspiration at 9+/10

Toyo RA1 205 50 15: well, i bought these used, and no, they should not be driven on the street when shaved to race depth (no tread), so don't go trying this at home. phenomenal grip (duh, it's an R comp), but took some serious beating just to get them warm enough to perform well. i recollect at an autocross event asking my roommate to make a quick run in my car and "get some heat in them" for me.. well he did, spun the car at about 50mph, brought it back into the pits, jumped out, i jumped in, buckled up and put down 1.2seconds faster lap :D

Hoosier R6 225 45 15:.. yes.. yes i drove on road racing tires on the street. probably not the smartest thing i've done in my life but i'll be happy to report that in any weather or condition (barring actual standing water) the non-treaded R6 provided the absolute best grip of any tire i've driven on. even in the wet, it had a linear breakaway point. issues with a treadless tire though are serious tramlining tendencies. you have to pay attention on the highway. oh and i put about 2000 miles on them (bought them used as well) before re-selling them.

Hankook RS2-Z212 225 50 15: i love this tire. at $99 apiece, i feel it's a great bargain for someone wanting the best of both worlds. kinda spendy though if you consider that if you really aren't going to be driving the balls off your little car, you're wasting it's potential. i'd recommend this tire to someone who autocrosses.

Yokohama A048 245 40 17: i HATE this tire. it's loud, didn't provide nearly the grip of the RS2 (which is awful) but consideration needs to be made considering the tires had definitely been abused before i purchased them.

anyway, my take on tires, hope it's helpful :)