Needing new tires.....options, please

[VIPER BIT]

Hey everyone! I guess the time has come to get a new set of tires for my '95. Never "track" this princess, nor does she ever see wet pavement. However, I still want a dependable performance style tire. I have done searches on this subject & found that the Michelin Pilots are very popular (as I have seen as well over the years). But I don't know if these would be overkill for me, considering my driving style. If there is something comparable in performance but not so comparable in price, I would love to know. I spoke to a popular local tire shop & they were telling me about the Sumitomo HTRZ tires. After researching these, I'm not sure if they are worthy of being on a Viper. Anyone have any experience with the Sumitomo's?

Any thoughts or options are appreciated!!

Thanks in advance!
D

 

[Gerald]

17" Khumos.. About 30% to 40% the cost and you'll have a hard time spinning your tires... They dont last as long (about 5,000 to 7,000 miles). Grab some 3M clear tape and protect your painted wheel fender lips (back of tire) from the loose pebbles the sticky tires it will pick up. I'll never go back to Pilots after the Khumo's.. Excellent performace, top speed, cornering, etc.

Do a search on khumos and you'll find all the infomation you need.

Gerald

 

[Russ M]

Gerald is absolutly correct the Khumos are the best tire you can buy for the money. And your car will perform better then ever to boot.

 

[tim721]

the Kuhmos are not as painful on the price.

last time I checked they were around 800 or so for all four, big difference from the Pilots

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Khumos will stick much better but won't last like Michelin. There's always a trade off.

If you upgrade to 18 inch I have three 335/18 Michelin Pilots for sale.

 

[EA6BPilot]

A compromise between the 2 would be the Dunlop Sport 8000s. They don't stick as well as the Khumos, but they will last a lot longer. They won't last as long as the Pilot Sports, but they cost about $400 less ($1000 for 4). Overall, they are decent.

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Does anyone ever spell Kumhos correctly?

 

[RedEnuf93]

Go with the Pilots, you'll get MANY more miles out of them than from the Kumho's. They are cheaper, overall once you count in 8 takeoff's 8 balance jobs, 2 times at the tire place etc. Pilots should last twice as long as Kumhos.

If performance is an issue, expecially accelerating, go with Kumhos.

Do not buy the Dunlop's, I have not seen one who would be happy with them. (There may be actually few out there?)

Check E-bay, you may score some cheaper tires there too!

 

[Roland L-Ocala FL]

This may sound a bit crazy at first, but I have Michelin Pilots on the back of the '94 and BF Goodrich G-Force tires on the front (2 seasons of street driving now on this combination). The G-Force fronts are much less expensive than the Michelin Pilots, and guess who owns BF Goodrich ----
Michelin. The G-Force tires have the highest rubber compound rating of 400 for a performance tire, so the wear will be very good as well, and they have not acted up a bit.
I sent e-mails to both Michelin and BFG when I was thinking of doing this, and they both said that as long as I got the proper (Z)rated tire in the correct size for both the front and rears, there is no problem with mixing brands. I got the Michelins at Sears, believe it or not, they had the best price of anyone locally. However, be wary that their tire mounting machines will work for the 13" wide rear wheels, and make sure you get the best tire man they have at the store so you don't wind up with damaged rims. Their more experienced guys can make all the difference when it comes to removing the old tires and mounting the new ones.
I don't race the car on the track and this tire combo handles much better on the road than the original Michelin XGTZ tires ever did. Very important when you get your new tires, whatever brand you wind up with, get a 4 wheel alignment done at the same time. It can affect the car's handling as much as any of the brands of tires you purchase ever will, and it will also make the tires last longer.

 

[Bonkers]

2AspChuck - what are you asking for those tires?

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

One never mounted, two with less than 2K on them. $500 + shipping. OBO

 

[BlueGTS]

I think the R-compound Kumho's tires everyone is pushing would be overkill for your car. You sound more like a relaxed driver. The sumitomo HTRZ is a good tire for the street, read the reveiws. I run the Pilots only because they were cheaper in 18".