Looking for opinions and suggestions on tires and options for replacement

[sylcurt]

View attachment 126826Hi all, been doing a lot of scouring over numerous threads in this Tire section for some help. Seemingly I have gotten myself more confused (through varying threads and posts) , so thought I would just ask the question of the experts here on Prime.

So here's the story....my wife and I ventured out on our annual "longer" NSX trip that we do each year. Typically, our NSX is a May to October weekend ice cream cruising car, or the occasional car show. When I bought the car about 6 years ago, it had 17" Enkei GT01 in front and 18" (same) in rear. the tires were the Toyo Proxes T1R. Fronts were like new,215/40/17 and rears were worn, so I immediately bought a new set of rears. (255/35/18)

I put less than 2000 miles a year, so you can do the math over the last 6 years...yes, garage queen and very babied. But, we do take one longer 1200 mile trip or so a year just for fun, and to see if we can still go a week on an NSX worth of luggage.

A couple of weeks ago, about an hour into the trip, I felt a shaking, and immediately recognized a flat tire...and pulled over as quickly as I could. (from 65 mph) huge smell of burning rubber. Got out and saw this:View attachment 126825

Basically it shows the entire tire cut completely around the entire circumference about 1" in from the inner edge where the sidewall meets the tread. And chewed up really bad...obviously the rim cut the tire completely when I slowed down under no air pressure. After closer looking there was a large spike in the tire I ran over. I am hoping the rim is all ok...should be, since there is still the piece of the sidewall still attached all the way around.

So, after limping home on mini spare, and still wanting to take the trip in the NSX rather than another vehicle, I fortunately had a set of OEM wheels with tires that were basically brand new (still packaged in the foam and cardboard) I had never installed these on the car since owning it, but they were included with the car when I bought it. so, changed all 4, and proceeded to have a great trip. Only difference is that they were a 16 /17 configuration on the same Toyo T1R tires.

Now ,back to my predicament. With all the tires off, I could not believe how much the inner edge of the rear tires were worn, compared to the outer edge...is this normal? ...(about 12,000 miles) and even the fronts, although the treads are still very deep, you can see a difference from outer to inner edge a bit. The car handles great, and does not shake or pull one way or another, so is this the normal way rear tires (and fronts too) wear on NSX's?

So, I guess the plan would be to replace the rear tires, as fronts are very good (with the Enkei 17" 215/40/17 T1R's.) . the rears are 18", and I need 255/35/18 on them. turns out that Toyo does not make this size anymore in the T1R. so, what to do??? Suggestions?? Here are my own options, but willing to hear more, as well as comments on my options.

1. Retain use of the fronts, since they are still very good, and try and find a dealer that might have 2 rears in 255 or 265 /35 18" configuration in the T1R's (although my searches thus far have been unsuccessful)

2. Consider going to a different rear tire series altogether and "bare with it" until fronts wear out, which likely would be when the rears also need changing , then change all 4 at once to same series. Is there issues with mismatching tread patterns...if not a huge deal, what would you recommend to go with these fronts I have?

3. Get the matching T1R's in some size that they DO still make in 18"...thinner such as 225 might mean wheel spacers, larger might mean rubbing?? What can I get away with on OEM suspension as far as width maximums...and from there I can do some searching?

4. Replace all 4 right now, and discard the fronts (sell on ebay or prime, etc....) Budget is a bit of a consideration here, but if so, what do you recommend? I drive only in summer, heated indoor storage all winter on jack stands, rarely drive in rain unless totally unforeseen. Never track car, or even drive very aggressive like hard corners or full open starts....will drive say 85 mph on interstates where allowed. comfort and quiet is probably as or more important than all out max performance, but still want a tire that can "keep up" with the capabilities of car. I have seen the tire rack reviews on performance tires...
Toyo Proxes T1 sport, Pirelli , Hankook? are a few I have thought of...other favorites for summer performance tires?

5. Forget using the Enkei plus sized rims altogether and just drive on my OEM rims from here on in....

6. Park the car and just look at it, look awesome ...ok, not an option...unless the dead of winter.


If going to a narrower tire, and using spacers, can that impact the wheel bearings due to extra stress? I read a lot on here of numerous guys who use them for a wider stance...does that potentially create issues on the drive train at all?

And in case anyone needs to know, I don;t know the offset of the Enkei wheels.

Looking for suggestions, that are not "just go out and buy 4 brand new Michelin super sports" ... (there is a budget on a car I drive only a few months a year on weekends that must be considered):


thank you...

 

[nsxtasy]

With all the tires off, I could not believe how much the inner edge of the rear tires were worn, compared to the outer edge...is this normal? ...(about 12,000 miles) and even the fronts, although the treads are still very deep, you can see a difference from outer to inner edge a bit. The car handles great, and does not shake or pull one way or another, so is this the normal way rear tires (and fronts too) wear on NSX's?

That's not really normal. In my experience, uneven wear, with the inner edge wearing more than the outer edge, is common in the front (especially on a car that is not track driven or spiritedly driven), but not all that common in the rear. At a minimum, I would suggest having a four-wheel alignment done on the car, preferably by a shop with experience with the NSX. Maybe it's aligned properly, but maybe it's out of alignment.

Even after the alignment, though, it's still important to check the condition of your tire tread on a regular basis (say, every 500-1000 miles). Just take a close look at it. If the tire is very worn, even on just the inside edge, you need to replace it, to avoid another blowout.

So, I guess the plan would be to replace the rear tires, as fronts are very good (with the Enkei 17" 215/40/17 T1R's.) . the rears are 18", and I need 255/35/18 on them. turns out that Toyo does not make this size anymore in the T1R. so, what to do??? Suggestions?? Here are my own options, but willing to hear more, as well as comments on my options.

First of all, I would go with the same sizes, 215/40-17 front and 255/35-18 rear. (265/35-18 rear will also work.) Suggestions in a moment...

Never track car, or even drive very aggressive like hard corners or full open starts....will drive say 85 mph on interstates where allowed. comfort and quiet is probably as or more important than all out max performance, but still want a tire that can "keep up" with the capabilities of car.

I think this is the key. You need high-performance tires, maybe ones that will last a while, but pretty sticky. Note, the Toyo Proxes T1R is not a great performer.

Using the Tire Rack's nomenclature, there are two tire categories you should be looking at. Their "extreme performance summer tires" category will give you the most traction of any street tire. Here are the choices in that category, in 215/40-17 and 255/35-18 or 265/35-18:

• Dunlop Direzza ZII Star Spec 215/40-17 ($158) and 255/35-18 ($264) or 265-35-18 ($269)
• Yokohama Advan Neova AD08R 215/40-17 ($189) and 255/35-18 ($278) or 265-35-18 ($295)
• Falken Azenis RT-615K 215/40-17 ($119) and 265-35-18 ($264)

Their "maximum performance summer tire" offers slightly less performance than the extreme performance tires, but is still very good indeed (way better than the Toyo T1R). These tires last longer and are less expensive. Here are the choices:

• Kumho Ecsta LE Sport 215/40-17 ($105) and 255/35-18 ($186) or 265-35-18 ($184)
• Pirelli P Zero Nero GT 215/40-17 ($132) and 255/35-18 ($186)

So these are the tires you should be buying in each category. My guess is that you'll be very happy with either the Kumho or the Pirelli in the latter category, and probably don't need to spend more for the faster-wearing extreme performance tires.

Now, the question is, do you buy four tires now and throw out the Toyo Proxes T1R front tires that still have tread, or do you buy two rears and use them with the T1R fronts? This is up to you. Most tire experts will tell you that it's a bad idea to use tires that don't match, when one is a higher performance tire than the other. Here's why. When you have stickier tires in the rear than in the front, such as using any of these in the rear with the T1R fronts, the car will have a tendency to "understeer" in turns. This means that you will turn the steering wheel and the car will tend to "plow" straight ahead rather than turning where you point it. If you're not screaming through turns and only driving cautiously, then maybe this won't be a problem. But maybe it will. Anyway, that's the reason for not using mismatched tires. It's entirely up to you. One option you might try is to buy only the rears of one of these tires, and try it out with the T1R fronts. Test it out by doing some turns in an empty parking lot. If you don't like the way it handles, you can always then buy a pair of fronts to match the rears; if OTOH you think the handling is acceptable, you can use the mismatched tires until the fronts wear out, and wait until then to buy fronts that match the rears. (In fact, by that point, you may have used up the rears, since the NSX typically wears out two sets of rears for each set of fronts, so you might then get four new matching tires.)

HTH

 

[sylcurt]

That's not really normal. In my experience, uneven wear, with the inner edge wearing more than the outer edge, is common in the front (especially on a car that is not track driven or spiritedly driven), but not all that common in the rear. At a minimum, I would suggest having a four-wheel alignment done on the car, preferably by a shop with experience with the NSX. Maybe it's aligned properly, but maybe it's out of alignment.

Even after the alignment, though, it's still important to check the condition of your tire tread on a regular basis (say, every 500-1000 miles). Just take a close look at it. If the tire is very worn, even on just the inside edge, you need to replace it, to avoid another blowout.


First of all, I would go with the same sizes, 215/40-17 front and 255/35-18 rear. (265/35-18 rear will also work.) Suggestions in a moment...


I think this is the key. You need high-performance tires, maybe ones that will last a while, but pretty sticky. Note, the Toyo Proxes T1R is not a great performer.

Using the Tire Rack's nomenclature, there are two tire categories you should be looking at. Their "extreme performance summer tires" category will give you the most traction of any street tire. Here are the choices in that category, in 215/40-17 and 255/35-18 or 265/35-18:

• Dunlop Direzza ZII Star Spec 215/40-17 ($158) and 255/35-18 ($264) or 265-35-18 ($269)
• Yokohama Advan Neova AD08R 215/40-17 ($189) and 255/35-18 ($278) or 265-35-18 ($295)
• Falken Azenis RT-615K 215/40-17 ($119) and 265-35-18 ($264)

Their "maximum performance summer tire" offers slightly less performance than the extreme performance tires, but is still very good indeed (way better than the Toyo T1R). These tires last longer and are less expensive. Here are the choices:

• Kumho Ecsta LE Sport 215/40-17 ($105) and 255/35-18 ($186) or 265-35-18 ($184)
• Pirelli P Zero Nero GT 215/40-17 ($132) and 255/35-18 ($186)

So these are the tires you should be buying in each category. My guess is that you'll be very happy with either the Kumho or the Pirelli in the latter category, and probably don't need to spend more for the faster-wearing extreme performance tires.

Now, the question is, do you buy four tires now and throw out the Toyo Proxes T1R front tires that still have tread, or do you buy two rears and use them with the T1R fronts? This is up to you. Most tire experts will tell you that it's a bad idea to use tires that don't match, when one is a higher performance tire than the other. Here's why. When you have stickier tires in the rear than in the front, such as using any of these in the rear with the T1R fronts, the car will have a tendency to "understeer" in turns. This means that you will turn the steering wheel and the car will tend to "plow" straight ahead rather than turning where you point it. If you're not screaming through turns and only driving cautiously, then maybe this won't be a problem. But maybe it will. Anyway, that's the reason for not using mismatched tires. It's entirely up to you. One option you might try is to buy only the rears of one of these tires, and try it out with the T1R fronts. Test it out by doing some turns in an empty parking lot. If you don't like the way it handles, you can always then buy a pair of fronts to match the rears; if OTOH you think the handling is acceptable, you can use the mismatched tires until the fronts wear out, and wait until then to buy fronts that match the rears. (In fact, by that point, you may have used up the rears, since the NSX typically wears out two sets of rears for each set of fronts, so you might then get four new matching tires.)

HTH

thank you for this information.....I was actually thinking of the Pirelli's you referenced as well, since 4 of them are not far off the cost of 2 T1R's. And given the way I drive, I am certain they would perform just fine...heck, probably Michelin MX4V's that come on Honda Accords these days would be fine in all honesty. Any opinion on Continental's line of performance tires? There seems to be a lot of high end cars with these from the factory....possibly even the new NSX ?

As far as tire wear, yes, I typically check them pretty often, but that usually involves feeling under the wheel well and the center of the tire is just fine. My fronts do have marginally more wear inside than out...but you would have to really look to see that...but the rears, yes, quite significant....I don;t have an Acura dealer really close, but I will be taking my MDX and TL to the nearest one for a recall on the airbag module soon, and I will asks them about how comfortable they are doing a 4 wheel alignment and checking the camber . I also want to ask them about the timing belt....it was done at about year 8 with about 32,000 miles (just prior to me buying it) now its at year 15 with about 44,000 miles and want to get their opinion if it should be done again, as well as checking condition of coolant hoses and considering changing all of them (15 years old)

Otherwise, the car has been so amazing mechanically....smooth as silk, and with my Prospeed exhaust I put on last year, it sounds amazing also....

**your comment about the Proxes T1R's not being very good....inteesting, given that there seems to be a lot of NSX'ers who had them at one time (both sets of my wheels had them on them)

*** if all things being equal, would you go with the 265 width?...I've always liked a wide tire, and if it all fits, why not go just a tad bigger overall (3/8 " wider and 5/8" or so in diameter, right?)

 

[nsxtasy]

Any opinion on Continental's line of performance tires?

They don't come in NSX-friendly 17"/18" sizes. They used to have the ExtremeContact DW, an excellent Max Performance Summer Tire, but those sizes have been discontinued. The tires listed above are the only major-brand tires in these sizes and categories.

As far as tire wear, yes, I typically check them pretty often, but that usually involves feeling under the wheel well and the center of the tire is just fine. My fronts do have marginally more wear inside than out...but you would have to really look to see that...but the rears, yes, quite significant....

Hence my comment, you need to check the tread depth along the whole width of the tire. The fronts are actually easy to check, as long as you remember to turn the steering wheel all the way to one side before you get out of the car. It's the rears that you really have to bend down to see.

I don;t have an Acura dealer really close, but I will be taking my MDX and TL to the nearest one for a recall on the airbag module soon, and I will asks them about how comfortable they are doing a 4 wheel alignment and checking the camber .

It's actually more likely the toe that could be wearing them unevenly.

I also want to ask them about the timing belt....it was done at about year 8 with about 32,000 miles (just prior to me buying it) now its at year 15 with about 44,000 miles and want to get their opinion if it should be done again, as well as checking condition of coolant hoses and considering changing all of them (15 years old)

That's all a good idea at this point. If you're going to put the car away for the season in a couple of months, I suppose you could wait till spring, but I wouldn't wait any later than that. And if you're going to the dealer anyway, well...

**your comment about the Proxes T1R's not being very good....inteesting, given that there seems to be a lot of NSX'ers who had them at one time (both sets of my wheels had them on them)

It's an older tire and wasn't all that competitive even when it first hit the market. I think some people use them because they're not very knowledgeable about tires and tire dealers pushed the Toyos, perhaps because they may have been the only tires that dealer carried in NSX sizes.

*** if all things being equal, would you go with the 265 width?...I've always liked a wide tire, and if it all fits, why not go just a tad bigger overall (3/8 " wider and 5/8" or so in diameter, right?)

Wider is not necessarily better, at least not for performance; if you're looking for the best performance, consider those "extreme performance" tires listed above. I generally prefer the 265 on a '91-93 NSX, and a 255 on a '94-05 NSX, because it's a slightly closer match for the TCS. But either size should work on any year NSX. If you want to get a 265 instead of a 255, there are no significant downsides. Just note, though, you said you were going to get the Pirelli P Zero Nero GT, and that tire is not available in a 265/35-18, only 255.