Lik

First of all, what kind of usage do you want those new tires to serve? Do you want something that is extra long lasting? Do you want something grippy and sporty, at the expense of more tire wear? Do you want something that'll be capable of doing winter duty? or do you want something that offers a lot of value (bang-for-the-buck) without blowing your wallet empty? Or do you have separate winter tires, meaning that you should only consider summer tires?

Assuming that you're buying tires locally and don't cheap out on any of the recommended things (which is what I prefer to do since there is less hassle and you get some extra freebies in additional services such as free tire rotations, free flat repairs, etc.), you can expect to spend at least $800 for the whole thing. ($125 for each tire, $100 for balancing, $100 for alignment, and tax). Naturally, if you go for "better" tires, the bill goes up as well.

-Lik

Lik

I heard there are some fuel-efficient tires, are they good?  Any suggustions?
TheAnswera 發表於 2009-8-29 20:46

If you're looking for good value, I rather like the Falken ZE-912. The tire is cheap and has quite a lot of good reviews, making it an excellent value (although 字典哥 here doesn't really like the tire all that much). One weakness of the tire is its softer sidewall, which translates in less direct steering feedback, but it makes for a more comfy ride. Another weakness of the tire is its poorer performance in the snow. You really don't want to be driving these in the kind of snow we had last winter. Kal Tire carries Falkens, and I've been very happy with their service, freebies, and perks. If you do go there for tires, make sure you ask them *NOT* to do the alignment for you. Go to an alignment shop and get it down there. (Advance Automotive is an excellent shop for alignments among other things.)

I've also heard a lot of good things about the General Exclaim UHP. Again, it is not an expensive tires, and represents a good value. Owners are also extremely happy with the wet performance of the tire. But other than Crappy Tire, I don't really know which which shop carries these.

The Kumho Ecsta ASX is another pretty decent choice. Again, it is not an expensive tire, but the performance is there. 字典哥 also happens to like these quite a bit better than the Falken.

My mom's car runs on Pirelli P-Zero Nero M&S, and for the most part, I've been pretty happy with them as well. However, they're an older design, and is a little more expensive than the 3 I was telling you about earlier.

Two tires I would AVOID at all costs are Michelin Primacy MXV4 and Goodyear Eagle RS-A. The Primacy MXV4 is a thoroughly crappy tire with minimal grip. On my friend's Golf GTI VR6, those tires would lose grip so easily that it wasn't even funny. The Eagle RS-A is another thoroughly useless tire. It is slightly more grippy than the Primacy MXV4, but that really isn't saying much. Also, it is loud and sucks in the rain. Another bad thing with these 2 tires are that their treadlife is so good that they just refuse to die, thereby punishing you with their sub-par performance for eternity.

I'm sure others will chime in and give you some good recommendations as well.

-Lik

Lik

for 2003 RSX (應該係205/55R16?), 我會建議Bridgestone RE960 / Michilin Pilot Exalto A/S (除非我個friend做果個warehouse bridgeston冇貨而又back order, 因為michilin都貴幾多), 之前用開Dunlop SP5000 (都唔錯) 不過Dunlop SP Sport Signature就好似唔係好吸引 (好似remodel左既SP5000 = old technology, 我七/八年前已經用緊啦)...

會建議咩tire都好睇你既budget, 我自己就冇stock tire所以只會recommend whatever is available for your budget or if there is an alternative route? pm me if you need help la
字典仔 發表於 2009-8-30 08:21

字典哥's recommendations are really solid here, although the tires he mentioned here are a little more expensive than the ones I suggested (by $20 to $50 per tire). Given that those 4 chunks of rubber are the only connection between your car and the road, and when you look at the price difference as a percentage of the overall tire replacement bill, it'll work out to be an extra 10% to 20%.

Are you willing to pay that extra amount? Will you be able to take advantage of the extra performance benefits in your driving? And what about emergency / sub-optimal situations? These are questions that only you can answer la.

-Lik

Lik

字典哥, for the most part, I agree with what you are saying ga. If the price difference is small, why bother with the cheaper stuff, especially when safety is concerned, and the margin of error is small?

I generally don't like Michelin tires all that much not because they are bad tires (although a good number of them, esp in OE applications, are crap), but because they are vastly overpriced. Quite a few years ago when I was tire shopping, I was considering the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S because of its very positive review. The moment I started looking at prices, however, my jaw just dropped -- the Pilot Sport A/S in my size was around $240, while the Falken ZE-512 was a mere $125. Was the Michelin a better tire? Most probably. But was it almost 100% better? I wouldn't think so.

Another consideration I had at the time was, the Pilot Sport had a longer tread life than the ZE-512 did. However, since I don't usually drive that much, the longer tread life of the Pilot Sport probably means it'll last me more than 6 years' worth of driving. Given that rubber hardens and lose grip over time, I'd rather buy something with less tread life and replace it in the 4th or 5th year at most. So for me, one benefit of the more expensive Pilot Sport didn't really matter.

On the other hand, when I was winter tire shopping last year, I went ahead with the Michelin X-Ice Xi2 even though it was more expensive than many of the other models available. My rationale here is that in the dry (even in an emergency), the safety margin of an above average tire (as opposed to a higher end tire) is still sufficiently large. In poor road conditions -- and especially in the winter -- that margin becomes much smaller, so I'd rather pay more to maximize it.

We all know the benefits of multi-pot brakes la. As good as the massive single piston system I have on my car, I totally wish it was something more, even if it were only a dual piston setup in front!

-Lik