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iTrader: (2)

rate my tires on a scale of 1 - 10 based on the cracking (1 being low, 10 high)

http://i451.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/P3020077.jpg

http://i451.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/P3020078.jpg

http://i451.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/P3020079.jpg

http://i451.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/P3020080.jpg

jaysz2893

Car sit alot? My car had tires like that when i got it and they were pretty new, but the previous owner never drove the car. They just started to rot. I replaced them soon after some chunks fell out. Overall i would say a 3 and is about time to replace them

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iTrader: (2)

yes it does sit a lot. I want to get back in it. I just haven't driven it since I bought a pickup truck. I usually take it for road trips, about twice a year and it sits other than that. I'm looking at the Kumho Ecsta spt. I have BF goodrich t/a kdw on there now and I really like those for dry weather, but when it rains I feel I could barely creep over 60 without hydroplaning. I'm interested in the BF goodrich t/a kdw 2's, but they don't seem to carry 285 on tire rack. Anybody know if they make those in 285 40 17?

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

they look very old and im sure have hardened up quite a bit. thats the reason why theyre squirrelly in the rain. tires need to be soft, as well as have the proper tread, to be good in the rain. remember the W in KDW stands for wet.

are you saying its used just twice a year and nothing more?

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iTrader: (2)

I wasn't impressed with the wet performance of them even when they were new. Dry, they are great. Anyway, I think these are my choices:

bf goodrich kdw 2's
kumho ecsta spt
nitto nt555

what are the running opinions on these 3?

Red Devil 99'

whatever tire you choose I'd recommend getting them nitro filled. this should help prolong the life of the tire just a little bit, and you won't need to worry about loss of pressure after it sits for the amount of time you say it does.
My brother had mine done for me when I got my current rubber 2yrs ago and tires still look like new.

Eskimo

iTrader: (9)

My 4 year old tires still "look like new" also.. I've NEVER seen a tire rot on the inside first. Even the 40 year old ones that came attached to my military axles looked good on the inside, where N2 would help.

Nitrogen fills are such snake oil for a street car.

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

snake oil in the fact that they wont make the tires last any longer.......however it IS true that nitrogen is less affected by temp. change then air, and for what little difference it makes, it is also dryer then compressed air.

leadfoot4

iTrader: (1)

If you still don't plan on driving the car on a regular basis, I'd go with a "budget" performance tire. Something like a Fuzion ZRi or Falken ZE502. I've used both of them with good results. No sense in spending a lot of money if they won't be used....

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

exactly. people wonder why ive got so much money into my suspension and brakes, and have sumis for street tires. no one cares to realize that i might put 500 street miles on my car a year. i HAVE good tires and slicks for the track, where the suspension does its job. no need to have $1K tires for 500 miles a year.

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iTrader: (2)

I'm looking to drive a little more this year. Maybe around 5k miles. I don't want falkens, I had them on my 94 and I would rather drive on bicycle tires than those things.

Who makes Fuzion? Have they been around a while? Never heard of them, maybe I'll do some searching.

What about my 3 original choices for a good street radial?

nitto 555
bfgoodrich kdw2
kumho ecsta spt

anybody have opinions of these 3? pics?

Dom

iTrader: (2)

Get Firestone Firehawk Wide Ovals. Better then all those. I never had any issues in the rain and they hook great.

leadfoot4

iTrader: (1)

It's Bridgestone's budget performance line....

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iTrader: (2)

OK,

I'm looking at Firestone wide ovals now.
Here is my potential setup:

17x10 with 285/40/17 rear
17x8 with 255/45/17 front

The guy at the local Firestone shop said he can get me out the door for just 1k. That is for tires/road hazard crap/mount/balance/disposal/tax and alignment.

This is the size I'm running now, should I stick with this size?
Sound like a fair price or sound like I'm getting ripped off?

Dom

iTrader: (2)

Compare prices with tirerack and you'll know if you're getting a good price.

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

if you dont put that many street miles on the car, theres no need to get top notch tires. sumis do just fine for lots of people, me included.

SOMSS1LE

My gforce ta's did the same exact thing.. My car sat a lot as well.. My Nitto's have not had the same problem and the car has sat even more with the new tires.

Mike454SS

iTrader: (4)

EVERY tire shop I've ever been to where they advertised nitrogen fills for more money...I've followed the air line (while they were doing other work like mounting/balancing) back to the air compressor...if you really believe that your nitrogen fills are worth it, more power to you, but you're most likely just handing them money, and they're laughing at you behind your back when you leave...because they most likely just used a different air line, hooked up to the same supply, to fill your tires...and unless they pulled a complete vacuum in the tires first also (after seating them on the bead) there's still quite a bit of natural atmoshpere in there anyways.

Even if you have verified that the line is coming from a tank that says "nitrogen" on it...unless you've verified that they have that tank filled by a gas supply place (like a welding gas supply house or something), you still don't know...for all you know before they open the shop in the morning, they just fill that tank up with the tire air line. Totally unnecessary on any streetcar, especially one thats going to sit idle all the time...controlling the environment surrounding the car is far more important than controlling the environment inside the tire for longevity...if you're racing (lots of high speed turning and such) and actually know you're filling them with nitrogen...yeah, then it's going to keep a more consistent pressure in the tire...but thats it.

As for it being dryer than compressed air...that depends on the compressor and dryer (if they use a dryer) as well as the humidity level in the environment while the compressor is filling, and how well/often the compressor see's regular maintenance.

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

and where did i say i ever get my tires done at a shop??? if i ever did want nitro in my tires, id get my own tank. calm the **** down pal.

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iTrader: (2)

OK

Anyway, the tire rack price and having a local shop put them on is the same as what the Firestone guy quoted me to just buy the tires through him and have him put them on.

Is that road hazard stuff worth it? Is it another ploy for them to get some extra $ out of the customer?