Falkens on stock (98) wheels??

[akrs]

Hi guys,

I am running the stock 16/17 wheels on my 98, and am looking at my dwindling tire choices in stock sizes. I am interested in the Falken FK 452 due to price and better wet traction and wear than the Azenis, but they don't make an exact fitment for the 215/45-16 size. Can I use a 215/40 or 215/55 instead?

Other thing I'm looking at is the Dunlop Direzza, but it seems a lot of people are unimpressed with them, and I have had good lucck with Falkens in the past.


Thanks for your help

Andy

 

[nsxtasy]

Can I use a 215/40 or 215/55 instead?

I wouldn't. 215/40-16 is too small, and 215/55-16 is too large.

There are three combinations of sizes that work fine for 16"/17" wheels on all years NSX:

205/45-16 and 245/40-17
215/45-16 and 245/40-17
215/45-16 and 255/40-17

215/45-16 is the "oddball" size for which there aren't a lot of tires available.

I suggest getting 205/45-16 and 245/40-17. There are a lot of excellent tires available in those sizes, including the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 ($136F/$193R at the Tire Rack). If you're looking to spend less money on tires and willing to take a step down in performance to do so - I'm guessing this based on your mention of the budget FK-452, which is not available in 205/45-16 - then I recommend the Kumho SPT ($82F/$103R) or the Fuzion ZRi ($81F/$94R), both of which are better than the FK-452.

 

[Danny]

Andy - stick with what Ken is telling you. He gave me the same advice and I got the Goodyears and couldn't be happier. Have approx 8k miles on the rears and they still look good, traction is great and the price is sweet. tirerack.com rocks and has fast shipping.

I wouldn't. 215/40-16 is too small, and 215/55-16 is too large.

There are three combinations of sizes that work fine for 16"/17" wheels on all years NSX:

205/45-16 and 245/40-17
215/45-16 and 245/40-17
215/45-16 and 255/40-17

215/45-16 is the "oddball" size for which there aren't a lot of tires available.

I suggest getting 205/45-16 and 245/40-17. There are a lot of excellent tires available in those sizes, including the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 ($136F/$193R at the Tire Rack). If you're looking to spend less money on tires and willing to take a step down in performance to do so - I'm guessing this based on your mention of the budget FK-452, which is not available in 205/45-16 - then I recommend the Kumho SPT ($82F/$103R) or the Fuzion ZRi ($81F/$94R), both of which are better than the FK-452.

 

[akrs]

Thanks for the advice. Tire Rack suggested I could go to a 225/45 and 255/45 combination without a problem. That also opens up a number of tires...and goes wider. Anyone got experience with that setup?

 

[akrs]

Also, I am less worried about price, but was hoping to get a little mileage...I am planning to take a summer trip in the car this year and didn't want to kill a set in one go....

Depeending on mileage of the recommendations from Ken...the Falken Azenis is a tire that works for my dry weather california driving, but looks like mileage will be considerably less than your recommendations...even if it is cheaper.

 

[akrs]

Oh, and no one on this site seems to mention Sumitomo (or at least I can't find anything). The Porsche guys are saying good things about the HTR Z II.

Any opinions?

 

[nsxtasy]

Tire Rack suggested I could go to a 225/45 and 255/45 combination without a problem.

They're wrong. The fronts will rub and the rears will degrade your acceleration. Sheesh, I hate it when I hear about anyone getting bad advice like that!

Depeending on mileage of the recommendations from Ken...the Falken Azenis is a tire that works for my dry weather california driving, but looks like mileage will be considerably less than your recommendations...even if it is cheaper.

The treadlife on the Azenis RT-615 will be between one third and one half of what you'll get from the Goodyear F1 GS-D3. That's not only due to the use of a very soft compound, but also they come with much less tread depth when new (8/32" for the Azenis, vs 10/32" for the F1 GS-D3 front and 11/32" for the rear). The Azenis is overoptimistically assigned a 200 treadwear rating; based on comparisons with other tires, it should really be around 100.

The Porsche guys are saying good things about the HTR Z II.

Any opinions?

That's Sumitomo's budget performance tire, comparable to (but not as good as) the SPT, ZRi, etc. Sumitomo's top of the line tire is the HTR Z III, which isn't available in 16" sizes.

 

[davidg]

What about 225-40-16 on the front and 255-40-17 on the rear? Not may tires come in 225-40-16 either though. Will the car understeer more with 205-45-16 versus 215 -45-16? I personally do not like understeer even if it affords some safety. I believe stock tires developed for the NSX had differential grip front to back which favored understeer. Correct me if I am wrong Ken.(Falken RT-615 are one of the few tires to come 215-45-16.)

 

[nsxtasy]

What about 225-40-16 on the front and 255-40-17 on the rear?

I wouldn't. You're going to risk rubbing on the front. And, as you note, 225/40-16 isn't very common, either; I don't know of any tires available in that size.

Will the car understeer more with 205-45-16 versus 215 -45-16?

It won't make a significant difference. (Although that's why I suggest sticking with 245 in the rear when you use 205 in the front.)

As noted above, you have a bunch of good options with 205/45-16 and 245/40-17.