Let's Discuss Tires.

[WHOSHAUNQ]

have you ever had that perfect fitting tire that you never want to get rid of? then time comes around for some new tires and they fit like shit? lets discuss tires. some times you need to switch it up, and it's just a pain in the ass to find the tire you're looking for. lets get some facts on brands and styles of tires.

-which brand runs wide
-which brand runs tall
-which brand has a nice even stretch
-which brand has that weird bubble stretch
-which brand has a nice tread pattern
-which brand has a good selection of sizes


now there might be a thread on this, I haven't searched. but I would like to keep this organized for future reference.

[Byron]

Tires I have had good luck with:

Falken 512 - No longer made (), quiet, grip great in dry and wet for what they are, run very narrow, nice looking tread pattern and stretch, come (came) in rare sizes, cheap, last well

Fusion ZRi - Good grip in dry, run very narrow, good looking tread and stretch, cheap, last well

Yokohama Parada II - Good grip in dry and wet, performance looking sidewall, sizes run true, relitively cheap

Continental ExtremeWinterContact (snow tires) - Great grip in snow, good grip in dry, quiet for a snow tire, run narrow, would have been usable year round, wear well, mid priced


Tires I have not had good luck with:

Nankang NS-II - Loud almost instantly, cupped easily, wore out quicker then others, were out of round from day 1, stretched reasonably, cheap

General Altimax Arctic (snow tires) - extremely soft sidewall, dangerous over 70mph, sawtoothed the tread as soon as driven in dry, run wide, ok in snow, cheap

[metalmonkey47]

I like the Kuhmo AST and Falken 512's, both of which were very affordable and easy to find. Nice tread pattern, good wet/dry traction.

[WHOSHAUNQ]

Byron, nice response.

512's were perfect.

I'm running sumitumo's HTR z 2's now, but I bought two sumitumo HTR A/S same size but they ran taller and wider. waste of money. have them just sitting in my garage.

[WHOSHAUNQ]

we just had to get new tire for my girlfriends car, she had 512's in 215/40 on a 18x9.5 now she has hankook v12's and they run wide when she aired out with the 512's the fender lip would sit In between rim and tire. perfect. now the fender sits on the tire

[Xtra Big Kahuna]

I have some Falken 912s. They stretch nice, alright traction in dry and wet conditions, run narrow, are cheap, don't have a lip protector, and have a nice tread pattern. Only problem with them is that they are pretty loud.

[samblake]

I need tires for wet rim 15 ", but I want to last at least 30,000 miles. Suggest Can you give me some model?

[Dr.AK]

I'll tell you about my previous experiences with various tires:

Nankang NS-2: Had these in 215/35/18s on 8x18 and 9x18 on two cars (both E36s) and my dad currently runs them in 225/40/18 and 255/35/19 on his Chrysler Crossfire non-stretched on 8x18 and 9.5x19. I've had mixed results. The 215/35s on the E36s were okay. Decent in the dry, a bit crappy when it's wet but they stretched pretty well and generally run a bit narrow while offering decent wear and acceptable road noise. On the Crossfire however they are terrible. Loud and they drive crappy even in the dry.

Falken FK-452: Have had these in the following sizes: 215/40/17 on 8x17 all around; 205/40/17 on 8x17 and 225/35/17 on 9.5x17; 205/40/17 on 8.5x17 and 225/35/17 on 9.5x17. They stretched nicely and offered good grip, even in the wet. Pleasant tire do drive on. However, it seems the FK452s are very picky about camber settings. On my Touring with the rear camber maxed out and excentric strut bearings in the front, I've had the insides of the tires bubble extremely after only 9000kms. A friend who ran the exact same tire/wheel sizes with nearly as much camber as me had the same problems. I didn't have any issues on my previous E36 where I ran stock camber. However, they also wear a bit fast-ish.

Dunlop SP9000: Sadly, I can only get these used in the sizes I need as they are no longer available in these sizes. But they are bloody amazing. They stretch incredible, look great and are sticky as hell. Easily the best tire I've had so far. If you can get them in your sizes, I'd strongly recommend them.

[Alexridesabike]

I've had the 512's and loved them. Good grip, decently quiet, nice stretch. I recently had to go to the 912's and so far they've been good. Although they are a bit wider in than the 512's in the same size. I also had the Kumho Ecsta AST and ***** them, they were cheap but the rubber was really hard and they were super loud.

[Chad G]

federal 595's are decent. i get them cheap through work. they last forever, stretch well, great in the rain, but are very loud. i think its just from the hard rubber compund.

[Spirit]

Nankang NS-II on my e36 all round-205/40/17 and 215/*40/17

road noise is ok even on 40 profile and good grip in the dry and ok in the wet and the new batches are light years ahead of old and for the money unbeatable

[KarlSpackler]

federal 595's are decent. i get them cheap through work. they last forever, stretch well, great in the rain, but are very loud. i think its just from the hard rubber compund.

Ya but SS 595 Feddys run 1 size wide. Needs to be noted

[VincentF]

falken 912's are awesome. I could still get a good hook(from a roll) with them.

Federal tires i have been running on my current setup and i like them a lot also. bout the same as the falken but a bit easier on the pocket book.