Tyre Quality vs Size

[firefox]

Hi

Currently I have 17inch rims with 235/45/r17 tyres (Nankang, hehe) and need to replace them as the tyres are causing steering wheel vibration at speeds over 110km.

I have come up with 2 options, which is 'better'

option 1

Buy 4 235/45/r17 quality tyres such as Dunlop SP3000, Michelin Preceda or possiblay SO3s

option 2

Get 18 rims 8.5" at the front and 9.5" at the rear with Hankook Venus Sport "K104" rubber. 235/40/18 front and 265/35/18 rear.

These rims will make the car look better too

Which option will give me better performance???

[dezzabye123]

better rubber all the way formula one cars are only on 14in rims i think it was.

[dangerous_daveo]

Keep the 17s, and get a wheel alinment.

[NFAA32]

vibration? hrmm have you got the wheels balanced lately?

[GTR32]

check out the maxxis victra in 235 /17 sold by bob jane. came out very well in the recent motor (wheels?) tyre test that included ost of the big name brands and tyre types, and half the price of most of them. 4th overall and there was nothing in the diferences really ie .06 sec through the slalom etc

[dangerous_daveo]

check out the maxxis victra in 235 /17 sold by bob jane. came out very well in the recent motor (wheels?) tyre test that included ost of the big name brands and tyre types, and half the price of most of them. 4th overall and there was nothing in the diferences really ie .06 sec through the slalom etc

And thats not a lot???

[Silver-Arrowz]

Like I said before. You pay for what you get. Something like S03 is THAT much better than the Hankook.

[someonestolecc]

I drive my nankangs over 100kmh no problem.

It ain't cheap tyres.. In fact I like my nankangs

[djr81]

For my 10 cents worth you are much better off spending your hard earned on a better set of tyres rather than set of larger tyres. The most marked difference will be in the amount of wet weather grip the tyres have - ie grip when you need it most.

By and large there are cheap tyres & there are good tyres.

If you want a set of 18 inch rims for looks then that is a completely different argument. Remember though, that for an equal quality rim a 17 inch set up will be lighter than an 18 inch. If you end up with a cheap 18 inch rim then it will be much heavier - to the detriment of your ride & handling.

[firefox]

ok, guys looks like good quality tyres are the go.

Btw, have done 2 wheel balances and 1 wheel alignment. And have rotated tyres (this help a little)

[GTR32]

And thats not a lot???

ummm...under the circumstances no, i don't think it is. we're talking six hundredths of a second slower, such a small amount of time that on any other given day it might have been six hundredths faster. i think that's bugger all. sure if you're trying to shave tenths each lap it's considerable but we're talking a $200 street tyre here. if you can justify spending twice the amount for a street tyre that's .06 sec quicker then either $ don't matter, you are always able to drive at warp speed or you need to drop your card to ferrari. the victra beat most of the better known brands in a lot of areas and all of them in others such as wet braking, which i'd have to say is pretty important in terms of keeping my car and hard stuff away from each other on the street where there are no run offs.

for some reason the noise test, in which the victra did very well, wasn't included in the points score. if you saw how close the overall results were you can't help but wonder why the noise result was left out of the points score.

i simply reckon they're worth a try on the basis of the test results.

cheers

[Interloper]

ummm...under the circumstances no, i don't think it is. we're talking six hundredths of a second slower, such a small amount of time that on any other given day it might have been six hundredths faster. i think that's bugger all. sure if you're trying to shave tenths each lap it's considerable but we're talking a $200 street tyre here. if you can justify spending twice the amount for a street tyre that's .06 sec quicker then either $ don't matter, you are always able to drive at warp speed or you need to drop your card to ferrari. the victra beat most of the better known brands in a lot of areas and all of them in others such as wet braking, which i'd have to say is pretty important in terms of keeping my car and hard stuff away from each other on the street where there are no run offs.  

for some reason the noise test, in which the victra did very well, wasn't included in the points score. if you saw how close the overall results were you can't help but wonder why the noise result was left out of the points score.    

i simply reckon they're worth a try on the basis of the test results.  

cheers

:werd:

I read that test and it looks like that tyre gives by far the best bang for buck performance out of the group.

would be good if someone who had them could report on just how long they last as i think they could be quite a soft compound?

[GTR32]

:werd:  

I read that test and it looks like that tyre gives by far the best bang for buck performance out of the group.

would be good if someone who had them could report on just how long they last as i think they could be quite a soft compound?

Hi Interloper;

my thoughts exactly, not sure about the wear but I've had Yokos go hard after about 60% wear so who knows. but at about $200 per tyre it's a chance i'm prepared to take.

Regards

[Interloper]

Hi Interloper;

my thoughts exactly, not sure about the wear but I've had Yokos go hard after about 60% wear so who knows. but at about $200 per tyre it's a chance i'm prepared to take.

Regards

i will be after some in the near future, so let us know what your thoughts are if you end up buying them.