Tyres

[cdx2k1]

Hi all.I have to purchase a new set of tyres.Tell me what you think about these brands and which I should buy.I getting various prices from $1,300-$1,900 so i'm not worried about prices although I won't mind saving some blues . Profile 205/60/R13

Toyo Proxes
Kumho (Don't know the model>$1,700 @ Milage Mack for 4 + some goodies)
Nitto NT255
Dunlop SP4GT
Goodyear (Don't know the model>$1,300 @ Master Serve for 4 + some goodies)[/b]

[bleedingfreak]

Regardless of the Brand of tyre you choose for your car, some of the most important specs about tyres that you need to understand are:

1) Temperature
2) Traction
3) Treadwear

Temp and traction are in A, B, or C. (And some cases AA)
The temperature setting tells how must heat the tyre can dissipate. A is best, C is worst.

Traction would be, well, how good the tyre holds the road. Same as temp: A is best, C is worst.

Treadwear is a number and is an indication of how long the tyre should last. Higher numbers usually indicate longer tread life. However, higher treadwear numbers also means a harder compound tyre. Lasts longer but bad grip. Lower numbers *generally* mean better grip, but, of course, less tread life.

There are other factors that will bring up discussion on this issue, but I'll leave that for later

[belalegosi]

Hi all.I have to purchase a new set of tyres.Tell me what you think about these brands and which I should buy.I getting various prices from $1,300-$1,900 so i'm not worried about prices although I won't mind saving some blues . Profile 205/60/R13

Toyo Proxes
Kumho (Don't know the model>$1,700 @ Milage Mack for 4 + some goodies)
Nitto NT255
Dunlop SP4GT
Goodyear (Don't know the model>$1,300 @ Master Serve for 4 + some goodies)[/b]

go wit the toyo proxes. they're great tyres
dunlop and goodyear are also good tyres.
i dont know much bout kumho and never heard of nitto though

[bleedingfreak]

go wit the toyo proxes. they're great tyres
dunlop and goodyear are also good tyres.
i dont know much bout kumho and never heard of nitto though

There are different speed ratings of tyres so there are H, V & Z rated Toyo Proxies... Doesnt make them better than any of the others... *shrug*

There are also S & T rated tyres...
The letters refer to the max speed which these tyres are made to take.
S is up to 90-something mph I think
T is up to 107 (?) mph
H is up to 119 mph
V is up to 149 mph
Z is anything above that

[fafrumlosin]

go meilage mack an ask vish or christian to hook uh up there are different models of proxes as well as the kumho..i put some proxes F08 on my moms car an they hold preety well the only thing i dont like are the treadware its 180 so they goin by by with me driving it periodically the front anyway...ALWAYS try to get tires that are traction A temp A.oh an kumhos are preety nice bang for the buck as well had those on the old car for a while held up preety well

[bleedingfreak]

oh an kumhos are preety nice bang for the buck as well had those on the old car for a while held up preety well

Had some Kuhmos from Laughlin & De Gannes a few years ago. They were somewhat noisy. If that doh bother you then...

[janfar]

yo, i see yuh naming some big name tyres there, i runnin the same size tyres on my b11, on that dotish guaya road everyday, i bout 4 new hercules for 1000, in october last year and they seriously looking like they could give me a good 10 months again before wanting a change, even the man by the tyre shop surprize to see how they standing up to the road, is the best i see, of course alignment have a lot to play with it too, see what you like, thats my 2 bobs.

[cdx2k1]

Keep it coming.I have until tomorrow morning

[hjchinw]

Hurcules HP 4000........ I have 205-60-13 and I it going in 15 months with over 400 kilos of driving each week.

[cdx2k1]

^^Where can I get them?

[fafrumlosin]

oh an kumhos are preety nice bang for the buck as well had those on the old car for a while held up preety well

Had some Kuhmos from Laughlin & De Gannes a few years ago. They were somewhat noisy. If that doh bother you then...

yeah they really kinda noisy same problem i have withe the ts1 proxes on my car right now but only at high speed

[4G63Turbo]

never heard of nitto though

these are like the mount everest of mountains, the tomatoes choka of chokas.

[cheese pie]

had kuhmos on the daewoo , ah bit of noise but an all round good budge tyre

[cdx2k1]

Ok fellas>Well I bought the Proxes H08.They fixed some problems that I was getting:
1) Hard steering
2) Tire screeching noise when taking certain corners at certain speeds
3) Slight wheel vibration is now gone but i still fellin' a little ting>Need to change some other parts
4) No noticeably noise at certain speeds when compared to older tire.
Now lemme tell u fellas..them tires was reallll bad .I mean like it had no threads and smooth as a baby's bottom bad

I guessing this good ride feeling will go away as the tires lose their life.

But hear dis one...and I know I might get some screams for this..Today I was testing the tyre>lets just say that with my older tires I took the corners harder and the ride felt better/more stable (this is not in the stage where the older tires were at their worst though so don't get confused>it was more like a month ago).With the Proxes I got a wobble that felt like if the car was going to give up on me! I also got this feeling when I was turning somewhere *can't remember* at a normal speed.What is this? Does the tire need a break-in period or something?

[belalegosi]

never heard of nitto though

these are like the mount everest of mountains, the tomatoes choka of chokas.

ohhh i have some readin to do then

2) Tire screeching noise when taking certain corners at certain speeds
4) No noticeably noise at certain speeds when compared to older tire.

i think that prob is from noisy tyres.. i use to get that till i changed tyres

cdx2k1 wats the profile of the new tyres u bought?
u said the old ones were 205/60/13. did u put back same size?
ifu changed maybe thats why ure gettin the wobble feel around corners.
the increase in height of the tyre added instability.

[cdx2k1]

^^Its the same profile im using.205/60/13

[janfar]

Something as simple as the air pressure in the tyre could affect the ride, how much psi are you running in the tyres. And also the composition of the tyre, i.e. the positions and patterns in which the steel is run. When i installed the new Hercs the improvement was drastic, no more vibration, no more pulling, and definitely no more screeching. The things really performing.

[Notorious Scullman]

never heard of nitto though

these are like the mount everest of mountains, the tomatoes choka of chokas.

DON'T get carried away by the branding. Nitto 555's are supposed to be very good but they're high performance tyres and have an extremely low treadwear.

Some of the other Nittos have absolutely TERRIBLE reports online about them....be sure to use google and check the reports on the Nitto tyres before buying them.

I almost bought some for the Cefiro from Auto Village, while thinking that all were as good as the 555's...Thank God I didn't.

[cdx2k1]

I think they put 40 PSI in the tyres while the max is 44.Any ideas?Do I need to 'break it in'?

[4G63Turbo]

DON'T get carried away by the branding. Nitto 555's are supposed to be very good but they're high performance tyres and have an extremely low treadwear.

Some of the other Nittos have absolutely TERRIBLE reports online about them....be sure to use google and check the reports on the Nitto tyres before buying them.

I almost bought some for the Cefiro from Auto Village, while thinking that all were as good as the 555's...Thank God I didn't.

I understand where you're coming from, not all perform like the other, there will be the ones with less capabilities. But the 555's really made it big internationally. It goes the same as with the other tire brands as well there'll be the tires that are total crap but......

[bleedingfreak]

With the Proxes I got a wobble that felt like if the car was going to give up on me! I also got this feeling when I was turning somewhere *can't remember* at a normal speed.What is this? Does the tire need a break-in period or something?

I think the break in period is about 2 miles or so! By then, that top layer of smooth rubber will wear away.

Did you run those tyres cold? Temperature affects tyre performance.
What's the treadwear? The tyre may be a harder compund.

I have 195/55R 15 Federals on the Trueno.

Treadwear is 260. The tyres start whinning (screaming/bawling) at about 135-140 km/h around the big corner by MOBS2 in Chaguaramas. (Yeah, that's meh lil testing ground). When I come off the Barataria fly-over heading into POS, my the tyres start breaking out at about 95km/h.

With a softer compound (say... 180 treadwear) you should be able to go FASTER around those bends (with the same machinery, of course). And You will go slower with a harder compound (400 treadwear). Hence why treadwear is important.


Secondly, I remember an article in R&T about a RENNTech SL600 Mercedes Benz. The Benz had Pirellis rubber but only after 3 runs around a circuit the Pirellis were blistered! When contacted, the manufacturers DID recommend warming up the rubber prior to hard running. They changed tyres and did the tests again, but warmed up the Pirellis first. After the testing there was hardly a scorch mark on the tyres.

Now, given that this example highly exxagerates the conditions that normal tyres would be under, it still has alot of merit. It makes sense though because of the characteristics of rubber. When rubber is cold it is more brittle and tends to break easier (lower plastic limit). When heated it's elasticity increases and also increase the plastic limit.

I would say that if you ARE going to be running hard, warm em up first.
Normal driving? Shouldnt matter...

I dont drive too hard when I come out in the morning for this reason. I cant say if it IS working, but I would like to think that it is...

[janfar]

What u fellahs think bout the psi, i run 28 in mine and i get a really smooth ride and really good cornering, my testing ground is the road to Blanchisseuse, if yuh aint able try the cliff . 40 psi would give you and very hard ride and mite cause your wobble on corners. Maybe, i dont know. what you guys think?

[cdx2k1]

bleedingfreak>>
I think maybe I did...well...I was driving al day then took a 1 hour nap then woke up and went at it.Treadwear is 180.Well my ground is D.Maritn hway>Coming out of D.Martin by KFC is where I start.With the older ones I could do 115-130 kinda ok and I wasn't getting the feel compared 2 the Proxes>At 120 I got the wobbles on the Proxes.I'll warm up next time

[cheese pie]

I think they put 40 PSI in the tyres while the max is 44.Any ideas?Do I need to 'break it in'?

lower the tyre pressure to 28 psi IMMEDIATELY

use a guage , buy one , or go to ah tyre shop and let them check it

[cdx2k1]

To tell u the truth I dunno how much they put in it.But why do I need to lower it? It's what's stated on the tire.

[~Vēġó~]

An overinflated tyre is more prone to damage from sharp rocks and similar road hazards.

An overinflated tyre will give a harsh ride on anything but the smoothest road (and yuh eh getting dat in trinidad).

An overinflated tyre can bounce on surface roughnesses. This can cause dangerous interruptions in traction, particularly if it happens during cornering.

And you not carrying no HUGE setta load in yuh car that will cause tyres to bulge at the base appearing flat!!!!!!

[daymean]

so what psi allyah recommend??
35 psi?
30psi
25psi?
them friggin gas station meters does give crappy readings !!!!
how much allyah recommend???

[Mojo2]

Depends on the car. The inflation amount is usually on a sticker somewhere on the car. Like the fuel filler lid or on the passenger or driver door jam. Or check your manual. What Vega said is good advice. Proper tire pressure is important.

[aidan]

d kumho's real good.pops hav a set on the car,excellent handling, best performing 13" tires i came accross.Sumitomo is great also(jus a suggestion )

[venum]

here is my TT$0.02 in addition to everything that everyone else said

when you checking tyres you should check the sidewall flex - old school test for ride quality

press in the sidewalls with your hand or thumb and see how much\how easily the sidewalls flex

a sidewall that doesn't flex much\hard to flex will usually give a rougher ride than one that flexes more easily

the degree of flex will tell how much the sidewall flexes when it rolls over a rough spot\bump\pothole on the road

stiff sidewalls give less flex and a rougher ride - better suited to spirited driving

softer sidewall gives a more pleasurable ride - better suited to comfort driving