Hi everybody! It's been a while but I'll be back around again from time to time!
Anyhow, I hate to start with such a common question, but I'm looking for some decent performance tire options for my stock GT wheels. I've been using the Eagle GTs (which I have been very happy with) but I can't seem to find anybody that sells them anymore so I'm trying to track down some suitable replacements. The best thing I have been able to locate so far are the Falken Ziex ZE-912s. Has anybody used these tires and were you happy with them? Better yet, does anybody have any other suggestions for a good all-season performance tire in the stock size that is still available?
I know of course that upgrading to some new wheels would help, but that's still a little ways down the road. Thanks, everybody!
We put Falken Ziex ZE-912s on my wife's Infiniti G35x and I hate them. The road noise is pretty annoying and the tire performs sub-par. I had a set of BFGoodrich Advantage T/A on my old GT, those were nice for everyday driving with the occasional spirited driving, but they are expensive.
For "value", I would get either:
Cooper CS4 Touring- $84 a tire Kumho Solus KR21- $86 a tire
I just put a set of BFGoodrich Advantage T/A's on my '88 GT. They ride great, quiet and hug the road. So far, I'm very satisfied. Ensure that the tire shop puts only 30 lbs of air pressure in the tires. I checked my tires (using a round-dial, shop quality tire pressure gauge) after I got home and found that the two front tires had 42 lbs of pressure and the rear tires had 50 lbs of pressure. I double checked the calibration on my gauge and found it to be accurate. I then reset the pressure in all four tires to 30 lbs, which is what is advised based on the sticker on the door post. Rides just great.
I just put a set of BFGoodrich Advantage T/A's on my '88 GT. They ride great, quiet and hug the road. So far, I'm very satisfied. Ensure that the tire shop puts only 30 lbs of air pressure in the tires. I checked my tires (using a round-dial, shop quality tire pressure gauge) after I got home and found that the two front tires had 42 lbs of pressure and the rear tires had 50 lbs of pressure. I double checked the calibration on my gauge and found it to be accurate. I then reset the pressure in all four tires to 30 lbs, which is what is advised based on the sticker on the door post. Rides just great.
Are you using stock wheels, 205s on the front and 215s in the rear?
i have kuhmo ecsta on my car and i really like them .but they are not stock size .the tire rack is a great resource to research tires , even if you dont buy from them .pick a tire you might like and hit the reviews button .usually the comments will quickly show wether a tire is worth considering or not .
Originally posted by craigsfiero2007: We put Falken Ziex ZE-912s on my wife's Infiniti G35x and I hate them. The road noise is pretty annoying and the tire performs sub-par. I had a set of BFGoodrich Advantage T/A on my old GT, those were nice for everyday driving with the occasional spirited driving, but they are expensive.
Good to know you didn't care for this tire. Thanks
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Originally posted by wftb: i have kuhmo ecsta on my car and i really like them .but they are not stock size .the tire rack is a great resource to research tires , even if you dont buy from them .pick a tire you might like and hit the reviews button .usually the comments will quickly show wether a tire is worth considering or not .
I have checked tirerack but haven't been very impressed with most of what I have seen so far for 215/60/15s. In fact, while there are a few touring options available there are only two listings under performance tires. Not much to choose from there.
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Originally posted by fiero5150:
I just put a set of BFGoodrich Advantage T/A's on my '88 GT. They ride great, quiet and hug the road. S
I have seen this tire online and it seemed like one of the better options among the limited selection. Do you do any spirited driving with them?
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Originally posted by Blacktree:
The Tire Rack has Kumho Ecsta all-season tires in that size, with a V speed rating. Those should be pretty good.
They're rated well but a lot of the reviews make them seem unappealing. Has anybody run these yet?
[This message has been edited by GraterFang (edited 01-20-2014).]
I recently put on the falken 512s on my Formula and I dont like them at all. They are ok for daily driving but they suck in the twisties. There is almost no roll in my suspension, its all in the tires. That makes for some sketchy backroad driving. I think Im stepping up to 17s in the spring unless I can find a stiffer 15in sidewall
They're rated well but a lot of the reviews make them seem unappealing. Has anybody run these yet?
I haven't personally used the Kumho Ecsta tires. But they seem to be pretty popular with autocrossers.
I do, however, have a set of Kumho Solus KR21 tires on my daily driver. I wouldn't consider it as a performance tire. But it's a pretty decent passenger car tire. But since you asked for performance tires, you may not like them.
the ecsta tires i have are high performance summer tires and have been good for my car .SPT is the model designation but i run 16" wheels .my 2011 focus came with a set of kumho solus KH16 all season tires .these have been very good performing tires , even pretty good in snow .they have about 70000 KM on them now and are due for replacement .one tire is shot and the others are close to the wear marks .but i would buy them again just because they really suit the car .but again this is a different size than you are looking for my focus has 17" 40 profile tires . i was looking for a set of all season tires for a 14" rim in 70X175 size and i had a pick of 4 different tires .there isnt much choice in the smaller wheel diameters these days .
I have used the Falken Ziex 912 on my Lincoln Ls and found they were quite similar to the Michelin they replaced, good ride, good grip, a nice touring tire.
You asked for performance tires, but what is your definition? Ultimate dry grip, tread wear, wet performance? At the stock size you will not find many tires, if any, that have good grip. Look at the tread wear rating. Tires In that size are built for long life and comfort.
For a fun comparison, look at tires 225/50-15 and then you get into some interesting differences in performance. If you ultimately plan to go 17", then buy a decent tire at a good price, I think the Sumitomo looks like it would work well and doesn't cost much at all. Save your money for the next set on 17's.
If you are looking for performance get hankook rs-3s or BfGoodrich GeForce rivals. Both are sold in a 225/45/15 and I have ran both in autocross with good results. If you are looking for performance, do not get all season tires
I ran a Yokohama Avid series directional tire on my 87GT, my wife's 2000 Grand Prix GT, and even on my Dodge Dakota. They were very quiet, smooth, and great in wet weather. Never managed to break them loose while running the 87 on the Road Atlanta track. Really good performance in the curves, both on the Fiero and Grand Prix. Never played with the truck or had to deal with much snow.
I'm currently running Kuhmo's on both my 87 and on my Sport Trac. They aren't performance tires, but they do hold the mountain curves very well when playing with the 87.
You asked for performance tires, but what is your definition? Ultimate dry grip, tread wear, wet performance?
Dave
I'm not looking for absolute top end tires since I'll be upgrading to new wheels eventually but want at least a decent all-season performance tire in the meantime. To me, this means good/great dry performance, likely poor tire wear, and fair wet performance. I know the best performance tires are going to be summer tires, but you can find tires that find a nice compromise between dry and wet performance, especially with mixed tread types.
Rivals are realty good in wet conditions too. I have ran all these tires on my SCCA track car(Fiero GT) with great results. Came in 6th overall out of 70 drivers and won my class for the season
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Originally posted by GraterFang:
I'm not looking for absolute top end tires since I'll be upgrading to new wheels eventually but want at least a decent all-season performance tire in the meantime. To me, this means good/great dry performance, likely poor tire wear, and fair wet performance. I know the best performance tires are going to be summer tires, but you can find tires that find a nice compromise between dry and wet performance, especially with mixed tread types.
Rivals are realty good in wet conditions too. I have ran all these tires on my SCCA track car(Fiero GT) with great results. Came in 6th overall out of 70 drivers and won my class for the season
What about Toyo Proxes? I only ask because they used those for spec miata for a while, and those cars are running the same rim size as the stock fiero gt.
Remember that Tire Rack sells what is popular at that moment. They do not list or sell all possible tires that are available. You have to do some searching with tire sizes etc to find what is truly available.
------------------ Rodney Dickman
Fiero Parts And Acc's Web Page: All new web page!:www.rodneydickman.com Rodney Dickman's Fiero accessories 7604 Treeview Drive Caledonia, WI 53108 Phone/Fax (262) 835-9575
I just put a set of BFGoodrich Advantage T/A's on my '88 GT.
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Originally posted by Gall757:
Are you using stock wheels, 205s on the front and 215s in the rear?
I'm wondering about that as well... as the stock staggered rims which came with my '88 Formula have decent 225/60/15 tires on the wider rear wheels, but the front tires are toast. Maybe I'm looking in all the wrong places, but it seems that 205/60/15 tires aren't as readily available.
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Originally posted by Blacktree:
I haven't personally used the Kumho Ecsta tires. But they seem to be pretty popular with autocrossers.
Keep in mind there are several designations of Kumho Ecsta tires. I have the XS version, which I use and love at autocross, but I don't think I'd want them on my car year round, especially in the cold and wet.
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 01-22-2014).]
Anything is better than Eagle GTs. BFGs are great like mentioned but I think expensive. For my own cars, and prices I like Dunlops and Bridgestones best. I never had any problems with them. I never even had any of them rebalanced the whole time I owned the cars.
Anything is better than Eagle GTs. BFGs are great like mentioned but I think expensive. For my own cars, and prices I like Dunlops and Bridgestones best. I never had any problems with them. I never even had any of them rebalanced the whole time I owned the cars.
It's kind of a moot point now, but I'm surprised to hear somebody dislike Eagle GTs so much. I've had some less than great Goodyears before, but I've always been very happy with the Eagle GTs. They aren't exactly top-end tires, but for the price they've always performed very well for me (even compared to some newer "performance" tires of similar size/price), and I also have never had to have them rebalanced or the like.
I've yet to try Dunlop, but I've heard good things about them, and would personally agree that BFGs do well most of the time.
[This message has been edited by GraterFang (edited 01-23-2014).]
I have some Summit DS806 205/60R15 91V TL tires on the front and some Sunny SN880 225/60R15 96V TL BSW tires on the back. they are both rated for speeds higher than what a 2.8 fiero with a th125c spinning 6k in 3rd can go.
I got them off ebay from "discounttiredirect" 67.28 shipped for each of the fronts, and 76.85 shipped each. then 10 bucks (price matched) each mounted and balanced with new valves and stems from the local tires plus. I havent tried to do anything in the rain, since its my project d/d and my only streetable car, and will not chance it. so I dont know of thier ability in wetness.
BUT they have done very well for me in the dry and I dont mind taking some racy turns at WOT. that may be because I'm also running -1.5* of camber on every corner. but hey, lol. thats what I can say. the sidewalls jiggle more than the suspension do, so the negative camber definately helps.
Originally posted by mattman134: If you are looking for performance get hankook rs-3s or BfGoodrich GeForce rivals. Both are sold in a 225/45/15 and I have ran both in autocross with good results. If you are looking for performance, do not get all season tires
IMHO, a 225-45-15 would be far too short for street application.
Unfortunately, most performance tires have a lower profile (or aspect ratio) than the 60 series tires that were stock on the Fiero. You get somewhere near the same diameter as the stock 215-60-15, you will likely need to go to a 17" rim and something like a 225-50-17. Personally, I think a 245-45-17 on the rear with a 225-45-17 on the front would be a good combination.
I think it might be time for some new rims if it was me because the tires you have to choose from don't seem real exciting I have 245/45/17 on the back and 225/45/17 on the front both Continental Conti Extreme Contact DW and they are really amazing tires check those out for sure if you end up getting some rims also. My wife has the same tires on her car only the DWS (Dry Wet Snow) and they are amazing in the snow and dry ground! I love Continental tires.
BFG Sport Comps are a real nice tire, or Nitto Neogen. Ive run many falkens on different cars and while they arent a bad tire they are a very finicky tire. But I wouldnt be to terribly opposed to doing another falken if I had to. Yokohama also makes abunch of good tires, I forgot the set i have on my subaru but it is a good tire.
I had Eagle GT's that were a bit aged and the rubber had lost grip, especially in wet weather. After a couple of attempts at switching ends in wet weather I said goodbye to those babies (still had lots of tread) and installed Cooper CS4 tires all around. They made a huge difference in ride and especially in wet weather. They may not be "performance " tires, but they have been a good investment for my 86 GT.
------------------ '86 GT 2.8 4spd, a very slow work in progress, but fun to drive
Thanks for all the good replies everybody. I knew the options were pretty poor for stock wheels, but after this new wheels are moving to the top of my to-get list. In the meantime, I'm going to give the Kumho Ecsta platinums a try. I'll update later on with my impression of them. However, I may not get a chance to try them in inclement weather for some time.