tires?

[Pascal]

Trying to find a set of new front tires...215/45/16....seems like every tire I look for is unavailable....wanted to try the kuhmo's,but not having any luck tracking them down...anyone out there buy anything they are happy with recently...I would like to use a Canadian retailer if possible,but willing to try anything at this point.thanks in advance

 

[fai16888]

Falken RT-615s have them. Sorry no price yet.

Dunlop Direzza DZ101 I can get for $170 tax in cash n carry..Let me know..

 

[BioBanker]

If you cant find the same type you have in the back, you need to get front and rears.

 

[nsxtasy]

You can use 205/45-16 in front instead of 215/45-16. There's a lot more selection in 205/45.

If you want really sticky tires, choose one of these:

Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 205/45-16 and 245/40-17
Kumho Ecsta XS 215/45-16 and (245/40-17 or 255/40-17)
Toyo Proxes R1R 205/45-16 and 245/40-17

If you want tires that are still pretty good but will last a bit longer than the ones above, consider these (which are way better than those crappy DZ101'S):

Continental ExtremeContact DW 205/45-16 and 245/40-17

And, for great handling "feel", note that the OEM Bridgestone Potenza RE010 is still available in 16"/17" sizes.

 

[warrenw]

I have the same 16 -17 issue.
Yes the RE010 are available, so are the Yok-A022, and they sure do handle well, but they really do not last on the car. Plus they are expensive. I am loooking for that tire sweet spot and have come up with the attached data below.
Ignore the rating as it based on reviews of the tires and nothing scientific.

I am leaning towards the Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 as they seem to be a good tire with medium cost and a middle of the road 240 rating so they should last and stick somewhat.

Take a look, let me know your thoughts.

 

[nsxtasy]

First of all, the Yokohama A022H is no longer available in 16"/17" sizes. If you go on the Tire Rack website, you'll see that they only have left-side tires, on closeout.

If you're looking for maximum performance, you're going to want either the OEM tires, or one of the "really sticky" tires I mentioned above. It's true that they won't last as long as some other tires you can get.

If you're willing to trade off a little bit of performance for a longer-lasting tire, then get the Continental ExtremeContact DW. The Tire Rack considers this a "maximum performance summer tire", in the same category as other top performers like the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 and Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric (neither of which is available in 16"/17" sizes for the NSX).

The other tires you have listed are all in the "ultra high performance summer tire" category, and are a significant step down in performance from the ExtremeContact DW. These tires are more suitable for an economical sports compact than for a supercar like the NSX, unless you are willing to compromise the performance of your NSX in order to save a few dollars on tires. (On a performance basis, you'll get more for your money getting a cheaper car and putting better tires on it.) Within this category, the Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 is way overpriced considering that it's similar to a lot of tires costing half as much. Remember, these are NOT the top-of-the-line Pilot Sport PS2. There's no point in spending twice as much as the Yokohama S.drive or Fuzion ZRi for similar performance.

Also, you have copied user ratings (presumably from the Tire Rack website). Those user ratings are useless because they are only rated by those who own one specific tire. Some of the best ratings are actually for some of the worst tires, because the only people who buy them are unsophisticated buyers who don't do research and don't know any better. There are actually tires with worse ratings whose performance beats tires with better rating by every possible measure.

If you want the best performance, choose one of these:

Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 205/45-16 and 245/40-17
Kumho Ecsta XS 215/45-16 and (245/40-17 or 255/40-17)
Toyo Proxes R1R 205/45-16 and 245/40-17

If you want very good performance in a longer-lasting tire, get these:

Continental ExtremeContact DW 205/45-16 and 245/40-17

If you don't care about performance and primarily care about how much you spend on tires, then you can get one of the others (e.g. Yokohama S.drive) - but I still don't recommend them for an NSX.

 

[warrenw]

First of all, the Yokohama A022H is no longer available in 16"/17" sizes. If you go on the Tire Rack website, you'll see that they only have left-side tires, on closeout.

If you're looking for maximum performance, you're going to want either the OEM tires, or one of the "really sticky" tires I mentioned above. It's true that they won't last as long as some other tires you can get.

If you're willing to trade off a little bit of performance for a longer-lasting tire, then get the Continental ExtremeContact DW. The Tire Rack considers this a "maximum performance summer tire", in the same category as other top performers like the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 and Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric (neither of which is available in 16"/17" sizes for the NSX).

The other tires you have listed are all in the "ultra high performance summer tire" category, and are a significant step down in performance from the ExtremeContact DW. These tires are more suitable for an economical sports compact than for a supercar like the NSX, unless you are willing to compromise the performance of your NSX in order to save a few dollars on tires. (On a performance basis, you'll get more for your money getting a cheaper car and putting better tires on it.) Within this category, the Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 is way overpriced considering that it's similar to a lot of tires costing half as much. Remember, these are NOT the top-of-the-line Pilot Sport PS2. There's no point in spending twice as much as the Yokohama S.drive or Fuzion ZRi for similar performance.

Also, you have copied user ratings (presumably from the Tire Rack website). Those user ratings are useless because they are only rated by those who own one specific tire. Some of the best ratings are actually for some of the worst tires, because the only people who buy them are unsophisticated buyers who don't do research and don't know any better. There are actually tires with worse ratings whose performance beats tires with better rating by every possible measure.

If you want the best performance, choose one of these:

Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 205/45-16 and 245/40-17
Kumho Ecsta XS 215/45-16 and (245/40-17 or 255/40-17)
Toyo Proxes R1R 205/45-16 and 245/40-17

If you want very good performance in a longer-lasting tire, get these:

Continental ExtremeContact DW 205/45-16 and 245/40-17

If you don't care about performance and primarily care about how much you spend on tires, then you can get one of the others (e.g. Yokohama S.drive) - but I still don't recommend them for an NSX.

Thanks for the info. I mentioned to ignore the ratings. Purely subjective and not scientific. You seem to be really sold on the Continental EC DW. I have never run a pair or know of anyone that has. I do not track the car and driving is just daily driver, so these do look attractive. My wife has high performance sticky RE01s on her S2000. The car really drives well with these and I guess the replacement would be the RE-11s for a similar drive experience. I may go with a set just because I like the feel of the car with a great tire under it.

 

[Caveman]

I have been running the Toyo TR1 for several years now and I’m very happy with their performance and ride. I still have the original alignment which I’m told is hard on tires but I was able to get over 25,000 KM on the rears. The car had the original Yokohama tires when I bought it but the rears were worn out and they only had 9200 KM on them. No way was I going to replace the tires every 2 years, especially since I don't track the car.

I know some folks don’t like the Toyos for various reasons and Tirerack doesn’t sell this brand so it’s hard to do a direct comparison with other tires. The TR1s generally get good reviews on the net from owners and for my type of driving, they are a good balance between performance, ride, and tread life.

I would like to try different brands of tires to do my own comparison but since I just replaced my rears last year, I have another 4 to 5 years before I'm ready for new shoes.

Dan

 

[nsxtasy]

The Toyo Proxes T1R (that's what it's called - not the TR1) is not one of the better tires on the market. It's similar in performance to budget tires like the Yokohama S.drive. Not dreadful, but a significant step down from those "max performance" tires like the Continental ExtremeContact DW, Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric and its GS-D3 predecessor, Michelin Pilot Sport PS2, etc. And it's not as inexpensive as the S.drive, either. I don't recommend it.

The T1R should not be confused with the Toyo Proxes R1R I mentioned above, which is one of the stickiest street tires you can buy.

 

[Caveman]

The Toyo Proxes T1R (that's what it's called - not the TR1) is not one of the better tires on the market. It's similar in performance to budget tires like the Yokohama S.drive. Not dreadful, but a significant step down from those "max performance" tires like the Continental ExtremeContact DW, Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric and its GS-D3 predecessor, Michelin Pilot Sport PS2, etc. And it's not as inexpensive as the S.drive, either. I don't recommend it.

The T1R should not be confused with the Toyo Proxes R1R I mentioned above, which is one of the stickiest street tires you can buy.

Sorry T1R ... I stand corrected. As I mentioned, I like them but I have not had the opportunity to try many other brand of tires. How are you able to personally try out all these tires? Are you in the business? It would be nice to be able to compare different tires back to back on the same car to get a real life feel for each of them on the roads and climate a person lives in. Unfortunately I don't have this luxury, all I can go by is my experiences and for me the Toyos are a reat tire. Also, a consideration for me is availabilty and customer service of the tire shops in my area.

Dan

 

[warrenw]

Sorry T1R ... I stand corrected. As I mentioned, I like them but I have not had the opportunity to try many other brand of tires. How are you able to personally try out all these tires? Are you in the business? It would be nice to be able to compare different tires back to back on the same car to get a real life feel for each of them on the roads and climate a person lives in. Unfortunately I don't have this luxury, all I can go by is my experiences and for me the Toyos are a reat tire. Also, a consideration for me is availabilty and customer service of the tire shops in my area.

Dan

Dan, I talked to three different Toyo dealers in town, and they agree with you about the T1R. An extreamly good performance tire. The R1R is a very high end performance tire that is track rated, poor wet.
The NSX will handle very well for the driving you and I do with T1Rs. Where did you buy yours?

 

[Caveman]

Dan, I talked to three different Toyo dealers in town, and they agree with you about the T1R. An extreamly good performance tire. The R1R is a very high end performance tire that is track rated, poor wet.
The NSX will handle very well for the driving you and I do with T1Rs. Where did you buy yours?

Believe it or not, I got my last set of rears at West Side Acura. They were by far the best price and I had them installed when I had the car serviced. I also had them quote on a set of tires for my Element and again they were extremely competitive.

Dan

 

[warrenw]

Dan,
I bought the T1Rs on Friday. (Integra Tire - 99St and 51 Avenue) It drives great!
Integra Tire treated me great and went out of their way to care for the car. I would recommend them. They did an alignment as well.

thanks for your help.

 

[nsxtasy]

How are you able to personally try out all these tires? Are you in the business?

I am not in the business, so I don't have any financial interest in encouraging you to buy one type of tire vs another. I get to try out a lot of different tires by instructing at numerous racetrack events every year.

The Toyo Proxes T1R is really not very good, if you compare it to the "max performance" tires sold by competing brands. And that's not just my opinion from having driven them, but also that of the professional tire testers (and their performance measurements) in the tire test of 11 tires in Car and Driver, where it finished dead last in overall dry performance and ninth in wet performance. Here's what they said about the T1-R:

In fact, the Proxes never placed higher than eighth in any test, and in two dry tests, the autocross and skidpad, the Toyo finished last, trailing the top finishers by significant margins. ... it was "soft and imprecise" and didn't "feel like a sport tire". ... In performance terms, there are lots of tires that do better.

Dan, I talked to three different Toyo dealers in town, and they agree with you about the T1R. An extreamly good performance tire.

What a surprise. A tire dealer that praises the tires they sell. There's a first.

Try some other tires, and you'll understand how much better they are than the T1R.

 

[warrenw]

What a surprise. A tire dealer that praises the tires they sell. There's a first.

Try some other tires, and you'll understand how much better they are than the T1R.

I replaced Yok A022s with T1Rs. It seems to drive fine. As tires don't last long on an NSX, I will get a chance to try others in the future.
BTW, the R1Rs were only $50.00 more for the set of 4, however, they are only an 8/32 tread tire.
I went for tire life.

 

[nsxtasy]

BTW, the R1Rs were only $50.00 more for the set of 4, however, they are only an 8/32 tread tire.
I went for tire life.

The extreme performance tires don't last as long, and that's their main downside. If you want treadlife as good as the T1R along with performance that's a whole lot better than the T1R, stick to the "maximum performance" tires like the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric and the Continental ExtremeContact DW.