Have 88GT wheels right now that need new tires. I would love to get some staggered 17" rims (looking at Konig Dekagrams and maybe Hypergrams), but I do not have the cash right now so I need a set for what I've got. Very spirited driving and commuting is the main use case. 250whp.
I have done a bunch of research, there are not too many tires available for these rims unless you want grand touring SUV tires, or you want to run some high performance rubber bands. Trying to keep at least a 50 series tire. Here are my current two I am looking at.
This less expensive ultra high performance summer tire in a 195 55 up front and 205 55 in the back - $495:
I could go R888R and run 225 up front and 235 in rear, but they seem to die fast with commuting (sub 8000 miles), and they are not cheap.
I would like to mainly not die, I am worried I will lose the rear end all the time with the 205s and that my braking performance will suffer with 195s up front. But I am sure the Yokohamas are great tires and it will help me save up for some wheels. My car is on the lighter side with power nothing, no AC, no cruise control, half stripped interior, and engine weight is basically stock 2.8 (LZ9 swap).
Thoughts?
[This message has been edited by zkhennings (edited 01-11-2023).]
First, keep in mind that the Fiero is approx' 75 % of the weight of a C8 Vette. So 205 front (Fiero) tires are equal to 285 wide on the Vette, while 225 rears are equal to 310s on the rear of the Vette. Do not over-tire and try to keep your unsprung/rotating mass down.
For some reason the stupid Tire rack website will not allow me to look for tires in the sizes of 205 & 225 /60-15....General does have them in those sizes in their Atlimax RT43 all season tires. Warning; Do NOT buy the BFGs; They are substantially heavier and do not perform very well.
(Tirerack started working again- tried "Another session")
Thanks for the suggestion their prices are pretty good.
I definitely do not want to over-tire it but I am worried about under-tiring it with reducing the width from stock.
I did see the General RT43s and 45s but I definitely want a tire with predictability. My WRX runs 225 PS4Ss and that tire is so informative about when you start to lose grip, and it gradually lets go, still giving lots of traction even when sliding. I am trying to get these characteristics for the Fiero's tires, and I imagine the Generals feel numb and lose traction suddenly in comparison from my experience with other General tires... But it is a pretty highly recommended tire so I would be interested to hear people's experience with them. They are actually more expensive than the Yokohamas though... and definitely will perform worse than them...
There are also these Falken SINCERA SN250 A/S which I can get in the stock tire sizes, and it would be $400 for a set...
I use the General G-Max AS-05 tires on mine- they rate very highly in testing, and reviews...But they don't make them in your sizes. I wish they still made the wheels I have on my Fiero (VOXX Monzas- light (13 lbs), sharp looking and cheap at $75 each (Back in 2010)
[This message has been edited by cvxjet (edited 01-12-2023).]
Since you list 'Very spirited drives', I would ABSOLUTELY buy great tires. It is a sports car we're talking about here.
The RE71RS is a great tire. They will not last much longer than the R888R though. I've had both. Getting 8,000 on the rears of either would be good for fun driving. If you cruise on the highway all day, you'd get more.
The RE71RS is a better street tire to me because they don't need to be warmed up as much as the R888R to be sticky. You can come out of the garage on a warm day and they are pretty much good to go. The R888R take an entire lap at a track to really start getting into their desired heat range.
Also, the RE71RS is VERY predictable.
[This message has been edited by fierojp (edited 01-12-2023).]
Any experience with the Yokohamas? I think they are a 300TW tire so probably similar to my PS4Ss? Good to know about the Bridgestones, I am really not sure which direction to go. My commute that I do 3 times a week is 52 miles each way, all highway. I don't plan to commute the Fiero full time, but I gotta rip the Subie apart and do some major rust repair and rear subframe replacement, and pretty much freshen up anything I find, I would imagine I may daily the Fiero for a couple months come summertime.
If the tires were both going to last the same amount of time I would go with the Bridgestones no questions asked. But it would suck to only get a single season out of them. Predictability matters a lot too though, few hundred bucks is way less cost compared to repairs if I put the car into a ditch. The PS4Ss are perfectly adequate, not sure how the Yokohamas would compare. Wish I could go try out tires somewhere.
The Toyo Proxes R888 are super great in the dry but are lethal in the wet! They are semi-slick trackday tyres, and I don't daily my Fiero. You'll spin out on cold wet days!!
Unfortunately they don't have them in 15s, I was looking at the Continental ExtremeContact Force tires, but the rear is only a 225 45 series which is a 2.2" reduction in diameter compared to a stock rear tire size.
The Bridgestones at 225 50 series is only 1.3" reduction, and the Yokohamas are 205 55 series are the same diameter as the 225 50s.
With the front tires, the Yokohamas 195 55 is 1.3" reduction from front stock tire, and the Bridgestones are 205 50, which is a 1.6" reduction.
So that's the reasoning for these tires being more ideal than any of the others I found. They are the only non racing slicks (or R888Rs) or grand touring tires that have these more desirable sizes.
Any comment on issues with understeer or braking with 195s up front? Or traction issues with 205s in the rear?
Thanks for the input on the R888Rs Rafe, I used your car as inspiration to look into those, but they seemed not very street friendly. But best size options with the 225 50s up front and 235 50s in the rear, I wish the other manufacturers would offer those sizes.
Sometimes I post without fully thinking things though.
I now see you are in MA and I am in the desert part of AZ. This will make a big difference.
As the tread gets lower on the RE71's, they will be a little more scary in the rain. Same with the R888's. I'm usually the slowest guy on the road when it is raining (which is rare here).
More importantly are the ambient temps where you are. None of these <=200TW tires will fare well when stored below 40*F. These tires usually have a warning somewhere about that. Even on the coldest nights in Phoenix, my garage is still over 40. I've heard that once they go below 40 they are never the same grip wise. Also, if you drive hard below freezing with them, they could chunk.
Do some research on this temp thing before buying. Maybe you'd be better with a more normal tire after all.
Sometimes I post without fully thinking things though.
I now see you are in MA and I am in the desert part of AZ. This will make a big difference.
As the tread gets lower on the RE71's, they will be a little more scary in the rain. Same with the R888's. I'm usually the slowest guy on the road when it is raining (which is rare here).
More importantly are the ambient temps where you are. None of these <=200TW tires will fare well when stored below 40*F. These tires usually have a warning somewhere about that. Even on the coldest nights in Phoenix, my garage is still over 40. I've heard that once they go below 40 they are never the same grip wise. Also, if you drive hard below freezing with them, they could chunk.
Do some research on this temp thing before buying. Maybe you'd be better with a more normal tire after all.
I can always store them in my basement, I thought I read that if you store them below 40, you need to wait for them to be warm for 24 hours before driving on them and as long as you do that they are ok. I also read the wet performance is not terrible, but as someone who has driven them I will take your opinion into account. I am definitely leaning towards the Bridgestones.
I can always store them in my basement, I thought I read that if you store them below 40, you need to wait for them to be warm for 24 hours before driving on them and as long as you do that they are ok. I also read the wet performance is not terrible, but as someone who has driven them I will take your opinion into account. I am definitely leaning towards the Bridgestones.
Okay cool, it sounds like you have it planned out with the basement storage idea. I don't have experience with cold weather and those tires since I'm in AZ. They are great tires though and I prefer to have ultimate grip on any sports car. I think you'll be happy with them.
Price, ohtsu 215 f&b are based on falken tires. Same company. Still under $100,00 and the grip is very good too. I have falken tires on 3 cars I own. I have had the fiero on circle track and was very happy with the grip.
Price, ohtsu 215 f&b are based on falken tires. Same company. Still under $100,00 and the grip is very good too. I have falken tires on 3 cars I own. I have had the fiero on circle track and was very happy with the grip.
I would love to run some RT660s, but my rear tires would be really low profile due to the sizing options. I will definitely be sizing my new rims to make sure I can use those because they are probably the cheapest high performing tire you can get with a good selection of sizes. My friend has them on his 300whp big turbo Fiesta ST and it is scary being the passenger with how many Gs those things can pull.
