Ralow Posted August 4, 2003 Posted August 4, 2003 I have been spending entirely too much time researching tires for 18" after market rims and I keep getting differing views on the same tires. So if anyone has some real life experience with tires for 18" rims it would help. Basically, I've been looking at Pirelli PZero Nero M&S , Continental ExtremeContact, Nitto's, Falken's and Sumitomo's. The only one's that I've read up on are the Continental's and the Pirelli's. All the other one's are part of "wheel and Tire packages" from various websites or local wheel dealers. One local guy here kept going on so much about the Sumitomo's it made me think he was gettin a kick back from them or something. So I'm a little skeptical since I can't find anything on the net. Anyway, my criteria is basically: good all-season handling, pretty good tread wear, quietness, and most importantly price. I didn't want to go over $200 for a tire. Any suggestions would help, Thanks.
SKperformance Posted August 4, 2003 Posted August 4, 2003 not sure on what is the best tire for the 200 price cap but i have toyo t1-s they are summer only and are amazing not sure on american dollar pricing though
steviej Posted August 5, 2003 Posted August 5, 2003 I have the Toyo Proxes FZ-4. They are a low profile tire with an aggresive directional tread pattern. Sidewall says M+S but I am only going to use them until late Sept/Oct. They are very nice for traction on wet and dry. They have very strong reinforced sidewalls and do absorb some shock. Actually better than I thought. I have nailed a couple of potholes that I thought for sure ruined a rim and to my surprise....NOTHING. But I try not to make a habit of this. I was warned that they may be a bit loud. I can say they are louder than the stock RE92 bridgies. But I cannot compare them to any other low profiles. These are my first. USD: $179 each for 235/40-18 steviej
bbsal Posted August 7, 2003 Posted August 7, 2003 i have yokohama ultra high performance.perfect perfect perfect!rain shine,cornering etc..feels awsome and no road noise from them!235/40-18 will cost somewere around 170 each but thats from a wholesale place and without a warentee.figure around 185 190 for the all season.
Ralow Posted August 7, 2003 Author Posted August 7, 2003 Thanks for the feedback...I think I'm leaning towards an All-season tire thats reasonably priced...either the ContiExtremeContact, Sumitomo HR+, or the Yokohama's.
bbsal Posted August 8, 2003 Posted August 8, 2003 im not sure about the others but i know first hand the yokos are very good.give them a shot and you should love them.but its really up to you and what you feel is best so dont let me convince you!lol
madness999 Posted August 29, 2003 Posted August 29, 2003 I got the contacExtreme on my lexus. Tirerack.com buyers gave them very good review for all weather and quietness.
braheem Posted December 6, 2003 Posted December 6, 2003 Here's a pic of my old car with 18" Kumho, they lasted long drove smoothly and were well worth the price.
SKperformance Posted December 6, 2003 Posted December 6, 2003 From the tread pattern they look like kuhmo 712's ,to me they are pure junk and not worth a red cent. they don;t handle an the side walls buldge.They are only good for the sake of getting a set of rubber to run bettween the road and the rim,and have ZERO performance or reliability worth. I wouldn;t even use them for a tire swing.
SKperformance Posted December 6, 2003 Posted December 6, 2003 NO problem ,i just don't want anyone else to have to suffer from a defective tire manufacture not backing there product up when it fails and miserable at that.
arsmtts Posted March 4, 2004 Posted March 4, 2004 Any new opinions here? I have 18's Nittos and was looking to move up to 245/40's. Any problem there for a 99 gs4?
93LSOwner Posted March 4, 2004 Posted March 4, 2004 Braheem, I have to say thats one hot Lexus you had there.
Neo Posted March 4, 2004 Posted March 4, 2004 Any new opinions here? I have 18's Nittos and was looking to move up to 245/40's. Any problem there for a 99 gs4? What do you mean by problem? 245/40 is a very good size for 18s. Your wheel should be at least 18x8, optimally 18x8.5 for that size.
Peachew Posted April 10, 2004 Posted April 10, 2004 I have been spending entirely too much time researching tires for 18" after market rims and I keep getting differing views on the same tires. So if anyone has some real life experience with tires for 18" rims it would help. Basically, I've been looking at Pirelli PZero Nero M&S , Continental ExtremeContact, Nitto's, Falken's and Sumitomo's. The only one's that I've read up on are the Continental's and the Pirelli's. All the other one's are part of "wheel and Tire packages" from various websites or local wheel dealers. One local guy here kept going on so much about the Sumitomo's it made me think he was gettin a kick back from them or something. So I'm a little skeptical since I can't find anything on the net.Anyway, my criteria is basically: good all-season handling, pretty good tread wear, quietness, and most importantly price. I didn't want to go over $200 for a tire. Any suggestions would help, Thanks. I just put the Perelli PZero Nero M&S 245/40-18 on my 98 GS400. They ride smooth, they're quiet and they stick like glue. The car is much more responsive with true performance tires like these, it handles like a completely different car now. I am very pleased with the way they handle in the rain also. I haven't driven in snow with them but they've been rated pretty high at the TireRack. If you want your car to handle like a sports car then these are the tires for you.
BRAKATK Posted April 27, 2004 Posted April 27, 2004 I have owned Goodyear, Pirelli, Continental and Falkens on my GS300. The goodyear Invicta were the stock and they were pretty mushy. The Pirelli were the P6000 Sport Veloce and they improved the handling and steering significantly without harming the ride. They got pretty slippery at the end of their tread life though. The Conti's were ContiExtreme's and they were amazingly grippy in wet and dry, but a bit louder on the hwy at 80mph (i drive fast I guess). I currenlty have Falken Azenis ST115's on 245/40-18 in front on a 18x8.5 wheel and 275/35-18 on a 18x9.5 wheel in back. They are super grippy in dry and wet, and ride very smoothly for this width and profile. They are quieter over seams and bumps than the Conti's. The car is overall quieter than the Conti's also. In a thicker profile, they would be an extremely quiet high performance tire (as advertized!). That is what I know about tires on my Lexus in a nutshell. All these tires were "reasonably priced" in their category (More than Kuhmo and far far less than Michelin). Good luck!
Lexusfreak Posted April 27, 2004 Posted April 27, 2004 Toyo has a brand new UHPAS tire called the Proxes 4 & so far from what I've heard they are getting fantastic reviews & are reasonable in price. The ContiExtreme I also heard (according to Tirerack) are excellent for an all season tire at a fairly cheap price with a fairly long treadlife. Nice tread pattern too!
BRAKATK Posted April 27, 2004 Posted April 27, 2004 To add on the ContiExtremes, they are a real nice performer for an all-season tire and reasonably priced usually. The tread is aggressive, producing good traction and some noise as well. Here is a picture of the tread.
drunkcarlos Posted May 4, 2004 Posted May 4, 2004 Is a 245 the recommended size on a 8.5J wheel? and 275 for the 9.5J? How much were the Falken Azenis ST115 in those sizes? reason I ask is I've always used tires that fit the car not necessarily the required fit for the wheel. I guess you could say necessity over requirement. My Soarer/SC sits low so I've had to stretch 215/40-18's on 9J wheels before... not a fun task, luckily it beaded well and never broke bead. Now I run 225/40-18's for the front as the 215's were a temporary fix for the time and just didn't make me feel too comfortable and 235/40-18's for the rear on 10J wheels... The azenis are wonderful tires though quiet if not abused to badly and they stick well even for 225/40-18's in the front. They have held up to the abuse I put them through. Though even with a 225/40 it still hits inside the fenderwell under hard cornering, this could be due to low offset wheels as well as many different variables, but this leads me to my question... with such a large tire don't you have problems with hitting the fender or inside the fender as you turn?
Lex in Tex Posted May 4, 2004 Posted May 4, 2004 im not sure about the others but i know first hand the yokos are very good.give them a shot and you should love them.but its really up to you and what you feel is best so dont let me convince you!lol Yup, I'm loving the Yoko AVS DB S2 AllSeason. Extremely quiet and soft ride. Though, I haven't tested the traction (wet or dry), but they are supposed to be really good. :D
BRAKATK Posted May 4, 2004 Posted May 4, 2004 drunkcarlos-I will assume you are asking me, so no I have not had any problem with the tires hitting the fender. My car is lowered approx 30mm (not too much). I have the offset that fits my car though. Fronts are 38mm and rear are 45mm. These are sometimes called the staggered Supra fitment. Works great on the Gen I GS300's from what I can research. The Falken Azenis ST115's also have a sort of rounded edge, giving maybe another couple mm of clearance (every bit helps I guess). I am very happy with their performance as advertized. For what its worth, I paid 137 and 190 on tires.com with free shipping. I also got the wheels there and had them mount, balance, ride balance, etc. A great value in my book. I know lots of folks run this fitment, so hopefully they will jump in with their experiences. Here are some pics so you can see the fit-I have since added Chrome Lexus center caps to finish the look off. Good luck.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now