wheels

[bdub]

alright it's getting to be that time... i need a good all season tire....any suggestions? and also i'm going to be changing out wheels in the spring and trying to find somthing either black/chrome lip or maybe gold/with chrome lip... again any suggestions?

[zaxrex]

How much do you want to spend?

[Phibs]

Doesn't it always come back to that with cars

[Bluestreak2006]

My vote is some black or gold Rota SVN's.

[WRXWagon2112]

As for a good A/S tire - I'm a Kumho whore so I'd suggest the Ecsta ASX - an ultra-high-performance all-season that I've used in the past. They're cheap and quite effective.

Wheels ... that's more of a personal decision in terms of cost and style.

--Alan

[chicken n waffles]

why all seasons? why not a dedicated winter tire set?

if you must have all-seasons, the kumho ecsta asx's are fantastic. very sticky but without the uber stiff sidewalls (and they're pretty quiet, too).

[Bluestreak2006]

I went with Kumho ASX's and they have been pretty good.

[Mr Kleen]

thread topic is "wheels" but the original post is about tires

if you're looking for affordable wheels check out the selection of Rota wheels. SubyDude is a good place to start. my Tarmac IIs have held up really well and were pretty cheap. come next summer I plan on getting a new set of Rotas of some type...

if you're looking for affordable tires, I can personally recommend the Kumho Ecsta ASX. good handling, great ride quality, very affordable. I don't have a lot of different tire experience but I've been very satisfied with the ASX's. If you want a lot of opinions about tires, talk to a group of hard core auto-crossers. due to rule restrictions on modifications they tend to try a LOT of different tires.

[drwrx]

If your looking for cheap (and who isn't) here would be my recommendation:

The MSW Type 14: 17x8" for $96 each. They weigh 22lbs which is not very light but it certainly isn't heavy.



Than you can pick-up a set of Kumho Ecsta ASX 225/45/17 for $86 each
or Sumitomo HTR+ for $83.

If you want dedicatd snow tires you could get a set of Continental ContiWinterContact TS810 for $124 each.

[drwrx]

Actually, I should probably go on record here with my opinions on "snow tires."

If you do not plan on doing any serious driving in heavy snow or ice than a good set off all season tires (with a M&S rating) will serve you just fine. Most studies I have seen that compare Ultra high performance All Season tires (such as the KUHMO ASX or Potenza RE960AS) against "performance winter tires" such as the Blizzak LM-25 or Continental ContiWinterContact TS810 indicate that the performance winter tires are only a marginal improvement over the all season tires while dedicated Ice and Snow Tires are a marked improvement over both.

To give you an idea, Tire rack gives a traction index for snow and ice testing, the Traction Index identifies the relative performance vs. the best available (higher being better) on ice.

the Blizzak REVO 1 Studless Ice and Snow tires got a rating of 100.
the Blizzak LM-25 Performance Winter tires got a rating of 77.
the Potenza RE960AS Ultra High Performance All-Season tires got a rating of 75.
the Potenza RE050A Max Performance Summer tires got a rating of 62.

Now, throw in the fact that the 225/45HR17 Blizzak LM-25 Performance Winter tires sell for $144 each, while the Kumho Ecsta ASX 225/45WR17 sell for $86 each. That's almost $240 extra a set!

Now, if you live in regions that get significant snow fall, or you plan on making a number of winter excursions to ski resorts with questionable roads than I would highly recomend a set of dedicated Ice and Snow tires.

[bdub]

How much do you want to spend?

not too much but at the same time i usually end up spending way more then intended