Decent & Cheap (All-Season) Tire Recommendations?

[rory_a]

I'm looking to replace the 235/35/18 Continental Extreme Contact DWS tires on my daily RPF1s for a 255/35 or 265/35 tires on the cheap, hopefully all-seasons.

I wish I could afford another set of the DWS as they're awesome tires, but I'm poor, and considering I'm a few months away from being a dad, getting poorer by the minute.


Any recommendations on a decent 90% year-round tire on the cheap? Best I've come up with was a 255/35/18 Federal SS559 - just under $100/tire, UHP, summer. Enough people have recommended the Federals on Nasioc, EvoM, etc., that I figure they'd do the trick. On snow days and ice day's I'll roll the Jeep.


Considering my budget and the fact that I'm running 3*+f/2*+r camber I need to stick to as cheap as I can get

[Dean]

I just did this research for ScottyC... Don't go super cheap. you will regret it from a safety, tire life, and performance perspective.

Kumho Ecsta 4x all the way... And it will do fine in the snow. I would also suggest 225/40-18. $116ea at TR. It is a perfect size for the '04 STI which has a speedo that reads high anyway. The 235/35s will read way high! 255/35-18 is the other good size, but prices are crazy high.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

Oh, if you buy them from a Ford dealer before the end of the month, you get $100 rebate and they price match TR (Print the coupons). Have to have them M&B, but you have to pay for that anyway and they can't gouge you a full $100 over others to M&B 4 tires.

http://owner.ford.com/servlet/Conten...iceCouponsPage

[rory_a]

Thanks Dean, I had forgotten about the current Ford deal. I haven't found anything within budget on TR, so I've been scouring eBay, OnlineTires.com, etc. I'll have to recheck TR and see if anything comes back to within budget after $100 off.

225/40/18 would substantially exacerbate the current issue of stretching the tires on the 18x9.5s. I'm currently thinking (not likely going to happen) of finishing the rebuild on my SSRs to run in the fall/winter/spring with the 235/35 until they die, and picking up Federal 595s in 255 or 265/35 for the summer. The original plan was to sell the 235/35s and the SSRs to offset the cost of 255/35 all seasons.

Considering my camber, and the fact that I've already worn down the insides of the Contis a bit after only a couple thousand miles, I think cheap-ish is the only way to go - I'm not able to dump big money on tires that won't last.


A main concern here, besides the wheel gap that will be an appearance issue once I raise the car next week, is that I already have a crap ton of chips in the rips of the wheels that were mounted on the rear after a semi ran me off the road into the soft shoulder during a snow/slush/rain storm. If that wasn't the case, I'd pick up some substantially cheaper and more readily available 245/40s.

[Dean]

Sounds like you are trying to solve an alignment problem by throwing tires at it. I really think you should adress this before doing anything with tires.

I'm also confused about your objectives. You want to put really crappy street tires on a 300HP track aligned car? You have expensive wide 18 inch rims, but those require typically more expensive and less available tires. You want wet/winter performance from a over cambered tire = not going to happen.

If it was me, I'd sell the 18s. Buy some 17s if you don't have any. Put a street alignment on it and then buy 1/2 decent tires or If you just want really cheap tires, buy used on Craigslist.

Now if you have a means of adjusting camber, especially plates, and want to have a street and track alignment, you can by documenting where each belongs and adjusting them yourself. Best if if you have caster and camber adjustable plates. since you can keep the tow in the right place. Otherwise, it changes about 1/4" for every degree of camber.

[cody]

YouTube

YouTube

[rory_a]

Essentially, the only thing I'm trying to fix by throwing another set of tires at the car is wheel gap. For that purpose, cheap will suffice.

[Nick Koan]

Camber won't wear down the insides of the tires, but toe will. Be sure to have your car aligned after you raise it.

[Dean]

Originally Posted by Nick Koan

Camber won't wear down the insides of the tires, but toe will. Be sure to have your car aligned after you raise it.

Yes it will, as will toe, combined they can destroy tires in short order.

[cody]

I get uneven wear from zero toe and anything above -2 camber, especially with larger wheels and tires that I don't race on. I get even wear on my 16's with snow tires since they're narrow and tall, and on my race setup, they wear even. But when I ran a set of 215/45/17's Yokohama AVS ES100's on 17X7.5 wheels, the inside inch of tread wore down pretty bad. Those tires were awful though. They were the 2nd reason I spun it in turn 1 at RFR.

[Dean]

Typically, cars have 1-2 degrees total negative camber adding the front and rear on one side. that makes up for the load/wear on the outside shoulders when turning. The harder you drive in the corners, the more negative camber you can use and still wear fairly evenly. Rotating tires is of course key as well. Rears almost always wear slower in general, and less on the outer edge than the fronts.

So on Imprezas pre '07 or whenever it was they redid the rear suspension. Rear camber was -1 degrees which wears the inner edge and the front was 0 which wore the outside and -3.35 caster all as I recall.

[rory_a]

I should probably make sure I get my car aligned...


Yes, excessive camber, toe, tire pressure, driving style, etc., alone can unevenly wear tires. Two or more of these causes together make the effect exponentially worse.


Considering the one shop and one person that we all trust to do the alignments on our cars is the only one that's touched mine, and aside from the rear strut slotted hole popping during the afternoon session of the Mother's Day event, the alignment is "perfect" = 3.2* front, 2.6* rear, 0 cross camber, 0 toe, 0 cross toe, approx. 4* caster (GC camber plates maxed without rotating). Alignment is not an issue. Tire pressures are spot on at 36lbs all around (remember, street/daily set), and not an issue.

Yes, I experience slightly accelerated tire wear from camber. Yes, I experience slightly accelerated tire wear from driving like an asshat. No, I do not believe that either of these reason a change of setting/behavior.


All the bs aside, I'm poor, and would rather be an idiot and get cheap tires that I can afford that fill my needs than cry about not being able to afford something I can't afford, and end up with expensive tires that wear just as fast as the cheap tires, and cry about the fact that I just burnt through a set of tires that I couldn't afford.



I have, of course, given this no thought whatsoever, and am haphazardly attempting to find crap tires because I like to buy all the crap parts I can.



With all that said, I'm trying to find a reason to not sell everything I have in order to buy two sets of 17x9 RPF1s.

[sperry]

Dude, if you want cheap tires, get some 17x7.5 Rotas in a low offset so they line up with the pulled fenders and run some 205 tires.

There's just no such thing as a cheap 255/35/18.

[rory_a]

I guess I was asking a question that I had already found an answer to, hoping that someone had previously found an alternative option/source.

At $95 a piece in 255/35/18 this would be a decent, affordable option, assuming that I drove the car less on cold days:
http://www.onlinetires.com/products/...5+90w+bsw.html

I was hoping to find similar without cold limits.

[rory_a]

So, yes, there is such a thing as a cheap 255/35/18. Just, apparently, not a decent, cheap all-season 255/35/18.

[cody]

Originally Posted by sperry

Dude, if you want cheap tires, get some 17x7.5 Rotas in a low offset so they line up with the pulled fenders and run some 205 tires.

There's just no such thing as a cheap 255/35/18.

There's also no such thing as a good candidate for president. Doesn't mean we don't try to vote for the least evil candidate. And buying low offset narrow Rotas would be the equivalent of moving to a country where the gov't has collapsed.

[Nick Koan]

Originally Posted by cody

There's also no such thing as a good candidate for president. Doesn't mean we don't try to vote for the least evil candidate. And buying low offset narrow Rotas would be the equivalent of moving to a country where the gov't has collapsed.

Like California?

[cody]

Originally Posted by Nick Koan

Like California?

Owned.

[k-dogg39]

Originally Posted by Nick Koan

Like California?

[rory_a]

After finding there were no all season 18" tires worth buying in a size worth fitting I sold the 18x9.5 RPF1s, and am now on a hunt for another set of 17s, specifically 17x9. They'll have 255/40 Conti DWS.

Any suggestions? 1500ish to spend. Thinking another set of RPFs. I have an RPF problem.

[Dean]

Why 9" and 255s? The wider will make them float more in snow and just lower your gas millage. 225/45s are fine for AS street tires.

Since they are not race wheels, 8" MOTEGI RACING MR122, or maybe Sparcos at TR, not sure what DT has site is down! Order them with the tires and get free M/B and save $1000 and get center caps.

[rory_a]

Because that's what I want!

But in all seriousness, I'm super happy with the way the 245/40 on 17x9 feel, fit, and look, and looking forward to replacing them with 255/40 *Specs or RS3s (probably RS3s if they keep being so cheap, I'll never compete enough to be competitive).

Not worried about snow/float, but after all seasons as I drive the car 97% of the time and need a tire that doesn't throw a fit when temps drop below 40* - I'll still be taking Jeep on snow days.

And I'm a fan of aggressive fitments, but definitely more a fan of track inspired look rather than dumped, one of two reasons behind selling the 18s - tire cost, and they were going to get powder coated with tire change, might as well coat something that tires are reasonable.


Currently looking at the group buy for WedSport TC105N, but they're out of my price range a $2k. Found a set of used Rays RE30s, but they're also out at $2500. Probably going to end up with another set of RPFs, but in no rush.

[Dean]

There is a 17x9 Rota I think.

Hope you don't think I am picking on you. I am just the resident cheap bastard and am always trying to help people get the best bang/buck and function over fashion.

There are no 9" 5x100 RPF1s, only 8s. Size chart. I have 255s on my 8" RPF1s and they fit fine. I think If I had 9s, I would have clearance issues on the strut and fender maybe.

[rory_a]

Scott has a set of 17x9 +45 5x114.3 RPF1s on his Bugeye. I have a set of 17x9 +35 5x100 RPF1s on my '04, everybody was drooling over them last weekend

(as seen in the Fine Line Powder Coating review thread)





I'm currently looking at picking up a set of these in 17x9 +35 5x100:




No worries. But I'm 50/50 - form with function. The 18s didn't provide that. They're on their way to a new owner in Canada right now

[sperry]

Man, too bad you're 5x100. I've got a set of 17x9+43 fn01rc in SBC that I really don't need for my wrx since I'm going with the rpf1s for track/street tires. Those are a pretty decent alternative to the enkeis for a DD wheel... Light, strong, affordable, and easy to clean 5-spoke wheels.

BTW: I'm literally sitting in the back of my truck at the tirerack loading dock right now for the next 30 min or so waiting on some tires to get heat cycled if you want me to pick up an order for ya.

[Dean]

Originally Posted by rory_a

Scott has a set of 17x9 +45 5x114.3 RPF1s on his Bugeye. I have a set of 17x9 +35 5x100 RPF1s on my '04, everybody was drooling over them last weekend

Thought those were 8s. You would think Enkie's web site would show a 17x9 5X100 if they made one. Guess not.
It only shows 8s in the 5x100.