Best tires for my oem 15 and 16 wheels

[Jin1976]

I've been going to several tire shops Michelin, Bridgestone and Goodyear. Only Bridgestone comes with the proper size for the small rims (Bridgestone Potenza G3). Is there other brand that I should be aware of that also have the oem sizes?

205/50R15
225/50R16

 

[CarCrazed4Life]

I always thought Kumho Ecsta MX was a decent tire for the price in those sizes. Toyo T1-Rs and Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 are good alternatives. If you want the racing slick style Falken 615s, I beleive they are also available in that size.

 

[Mark G]

I use Falken RT615s. Great dry traction tire and since I don't drive my car in the rain wet traction is not a problem for me. Picked up a set a month or two ago on sale from Discount Tire for $399 installed.

 

[Jin1976]

Thanks. I'll check the shops if those tires are available. Falken 615 I'll have to skip because we have heavy rains at the moment.

I always thought Kumho Ecsta MX was a decent tire for the price in those sizes. Toyo T1-Rs and Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 are good alternatives. If you want the racing slick style Falken 615s, I beleive they are also available in that size.

 

[L8apex32]

The OEM tire is available from Tire Rack (Yoko A022H). They are expensive but probably the best. I say best because, I believe, that they have a softer compound in rear that was chosen to go with the performance of our cars. Other tires have the same compound front to back.

YMMV

 

[0ctan3]

The OEM tire is available from Tire Rack (Yoko A022H).

The A022H was discontinued about 6 months ago. :frown:

 

[angus]

if you want a tire good for rain , try the toyo proxes ra-1 , it will SCARE YOU ,how well it works on a wet surface! I have never seen a tire stick to a wet road like this - 100 mph corners in rain!

 

[nsxtasy]

These days, the very best top-of-the-line street tires (e.g. Goodyear F1 GS-D3, Michelin Pilot Sport, etc) are often not available in 15" sizes for the NSX. The supersticky tires like the Falken Azenis RT-615 and Kumho Ecsta MX are, but those are designed only for performance on dry pavement. They are relatively poor in rain, so they are not suitable for your needs. They also wear quickly.

Thus you will need to get "budget performance tires", which are a step down in performance from the previous group. There are a lot of tires in this group. The best performance and value are the Kumho SPT and the Fuzion ZRi. (The SPT is also known as the KU31.) The Toyo T1-R is slightly more money and offers similar performance. All of these are good in rain and last a long time.

The Bridgestone Potenza RE750 is available in these sizes for a little more money, and the previously-mentioned Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 for a lot more money. They are good tires too, including decent rain performance, but not worth the large price difference for only a small overall difference in performance, IMHO.

Also note that the tires available in your market may be different from the above tires, which are available in North America.

if you want a tire good for rain , try the toyo proxes ra-1

Wow, that's just about the worst recommendation for rain use, and for street use in general. I have extensive experience with the RA-1, mostly on the track but also on the street. It's an excellent track tire. Track tires are made to grip on dry pavement, period. Yes, in rain the RA-1 is better than other track tires, but it's worse than just about any street tire, even the supersticky tires like the Azenis. When new, it comes with less tread depth than most street tires, and when it wears down to 4/32" tread there are no lateral tread grooves whatsoever, and it's like driving on ice. Furthermore, like any track tire, it wears extremely rapidly. That's just a terrible choice for street use in a rainy climate. Use track tires on the track, and street tires on the street.

 

[angus]

These days, the very best top-of-the-line street tires (e.g. Goodyear F1 GS-D3, Michelin Pilot Sport, etc) are often not available in 15" sizes for the NSX. The supersticky tires like the Falken Azenis RT-615 and Kumho Ecsta MX are, but those are designed only for performance on dry

Funny thing is the kumho MX is REALLY good in the rain, check the reviews

Wow, that's just about the worst recommendation for rain use, and for street use in general. I have extensive experience with the RA-1, mostly on the track but also on the street. It's an excellent track tire. Track tires are made to grip on dry pavement, period. Yes, in rain the RA-1 is better than other track tires, but it's worse than just about any street tire, even the supersticky tires like the Azenis. When new, it comes with less tread depth than most street tires, and when it wears down to 4/32" tread there are no lateral tread grooves whatsoever, and it's like driving on ice. Furthermore, like any track tire, it wears extremely rapidly. That's just a terrible choice for street use in a rainy climate. Use track tires on the track, and street tires on the street.

It is OBVIOUS by your comments that you do not have "extensive" experience with the ra-1 on the street and in the rain - it sticks easily twice as good as any street tire in the rain , the treadwear on the street is also not nearly as bad as one would expect (I have friends who get a year and a half of street/highway driving from a set (at least 50 miles a day everyday)
I too was sceptical of this until i tried it , I now have them on my daily driven turbo integra, I live in the pacific northwest, it rains alot here and I would not drive on anything but ra-1s if I had to drive fast in rain
I FULLY REALIZE that these tires , according to theory ,should not work that good in rain , they just do.
I have a friend with a supercharged viper , he asked me what tires he should replace his michelin pilots with , I recommended ra-1s . After a few weeks of driving on them , I asked him what he thought - his response was " i can drive faster in the rain with ra-1s than I could in the dry with the pilots , even when the piolots were new"
I agree on one point , and that is , the ra-1 will hydroplane at high speeds, in deep water , but if you had any other tire you would not even reach those speeds in the rain!

 

[RP-Motorsports]

Well then I must be a fluke then. Hands down, with the NSX I will beat EVERY single car equipped with RA1's in the rain while using oem Yokohamas with full tread. I would not run any brand comp tire in the wet on the street. No heat, no deep rain grooves for puddles, low pressures when cold, uneven blocking due to dry use heat generated rubber shift, reduced tread life (thus faster time to being a full slick)=no grip.

 

[stuntman]

On a track, unless the entire track has a substantial amount of standing water, I'd take the RA-1s (unshaven) over any street tire. If their are just a few puddles of standing water, hands down the RA1 will be faster on a track than a street tire. If most of the track is a lake with a lot of standing water, then obviously the deeper channels of a street tire would be better.

I had some luck even with saved RA1s during a Time Attack in a Turbo NSX against almost everyone who put their street tires back on at a wet track with a few standing water puddles in a few corners.

But on the street, again it comes to the standing water-hydroplaning issue. The RA1 has more grip than a street tire and for those with rediculous amounts of HP with forced induction applications, it may be a good choice for dry street use -if you're looking for more grip than what street tires have to offer. The RA1 is better still has more grip in the wet on the street IMO, but only if the road is wet/damp. The RA1 can easily hydroplane and could be potentially dangerous in deeper water where the grooves of the RA1 aren't deep enough to channel the water away from the tire causing it to hydroplane. But for street use, unless you have a rediculous amount of HP and need the added dry grip, or have plenty of track time to be able to prevent putting yourself in a bad situation, the RA1 would not be a good choice because it gets worse mileage (wear wise), and poor deep water traction, and with inexperienced hands, could be less predictable than a street tire.

I can see where both opinions above come from, neither is technically 100% 'right', but a safer bet is street tires because the only thing you'll lack is a little performance over the RA1 in less wet/damp conditions.

 

[angus]

Well then I must be a fluke. Hands down, with the NSX I will beat EVERY single car with RA1's in the rain with oem Yokohamas with full tread. I would not run any brand comp tire in the wet. No heat=no grip.

Ya - a fluke - on five different cars! the thing about the ra-1 vs. other "r" compound ties is that it still works extremely well when cold - where others are just plain slippery, i have also tried to run my hoosiers on the street (dangerous) however nothing I have tried beats the ra-1 on the track or the street !

everyone is entitled to their opinion , and ,yes , everyone should weigh information for themselves , but I beleive that peoples' opinion of the ra-1 on the street/wet is a little arbitrary,

If some of you guys already own them, why not actually try it, then get back and let us know your opinion, every person I have recommended the ra-1 to , has liked them better than anything(these are people who complained that other hp tires weren't good enough) in two cases they even bought them for their other cars after trying them!

 

[nsxtasy]

Funny thing is the kumho MX is REALLY good in the rain, check the reviews

User reviews are notoriously biased because they are written only by people who bought that particular tire, and typically never try any other tire for comparison. A much better basis for comparison, in addition to personal experience, is side-by-side comparison testing. That way, all tires are tested - blind - at the same place and time, at the same tread depth, on the same car. For example, the Kumho MX was included in the December 2005 Car and Driver test of eleven top-of-the-line summer tires, and in wet performance, it came out dead last.

It is OBVIOUS by your comments that you do not have "extensive" experience with the ra-1 on the street and in the rain

You are dead wrong about that, too. I've gone through five or six sets of RA-1 tires, on the NSX as well as other cars, mostly on the track but also quite a bit on local roads in the vicinity of the track. I've driven the RA-1 on the street and in the rain, at full tread depth and at less than that. At full tread depth, it's better than other track tires, but worse than any street tire I have driven, and I have driven many. At partial tread depth, it's treacherous.

I can only conclude by your comments that you do not have extensive experience, probably no experience at all, with the RA-1.

(I have friends who get a year and a half of street/highway driving from a set (at least 50 miles a day everyday)

That's over 20K miles on a set of RA-1. Frankly, I don't believe it. There's no way in hell anyone can get that many miles on a set of RA-1. It's simply preposterous. Again, I can only conclude that you are making this up.

If some of you guys already own them, why not actually try it, then get back and let us know your opinion

That's what I just did. Based on my experience, I do not recommend the RA-1 for street driving in a rainy climate.

 

[angus]

User reviews are notoriously biased because they are written only by people who bought that particular tire, and typically never try any other tire for comparison. A much better basis for comparison, in addition to personal experience, is side-by-side comparison testing. That way, all tires are tested - blind - at the same place and time, at the same tread depth, on the same car. For example, the Kumho MX was included in the December 2005 Car and Driver test of eleven top-of-the-line summer tires, and in wet performance, it came out dead last.

You are dead wrong about that, too. I've gone through five or six sets of RA-1 tires, on the NSX as well as other cars, mostly on the track but also quite a bit on local roads in the vicinity of the track. I've driven the RA-1 on the street and in the rain, at full tread depth and at less than that. At full tread depth, it's better than other track tires, but worse than any street tire I have driven, and I have driven many. At partial tread depth, it's treacherous.

I can only conclude by your comments that you do not have extensive experience, probably no experience at all, with the RA-1.

That's over 20K miles on a set of RA-1. Frankly, I don't believe it. There's no way in hell anyone can get that many miles on a set of RA-1. It's simply preposterous. Again, I can only conclude that you are making this up.

That's what I just did. Based on my experience, I do not recommend the RA-1 for street driving in a rainy climate.

What is really funny , is , so far three of the people I know who have ra-1s on their street cars have read this ,and are laughing at you.

 

[nsxtasy]

What is really funny , is , so far three of the people I know who have ra-1s on their street cars have read this ,and are laughing at you.

It's not my fault that you have stupid friends who haven't driven on a lot of different tires. I bet you none of them have driven on summer tires that are really good in the rain, like the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 or Kumho SPT.

 

[godfather05]

You mentioned the T1-R as being a good tire but I'm not too sure why if your that much of tire expert. That tire is no where nearly as good as the RA-1's. It's junk, which is probably why they are discontinuing it after a short run. If the RA-1 was no good in wet weather alot of autocross cars wouldn't run them as their wet weather tire. I've ran them on high hp front wheel drive as well as on several high hp rwd cars on the street and the only condition I wouldn't run them is in a monsoon and below freezing temps.

You also mentioned before that you don't believe 20k mi out of set of RA-1's but I hate to burst your bubble but it is possible, I've done it. A good driver can get good mileage out of those tires unless of course your roasting the tread off of them by poor driving or a poor alignment.

I'm sure now your going to degrade everything I just said because you are an "expert" but that is fine. Everyone can read magainzes and articles and claim to be an "expert" but by your harsh degrading of people I highly doubt you know much at all besides what your read. Maybe you should let others have some opinions and try some new things besides what your read online and in magazines. I look forward to your degredation of my post.:smile:

 

[angus]

You mentioned the T1-R as being a good tire but I'm not too sure why if your that much of tire expert. That tire is no where nearly as good as the RA-1's. It's junk, which is probably why they are discontinuing it after a short run. If the RA-1 was no good in wet weather alot of autocross cars wouldn't run them as their wet weather tire. I've ran them on high hp front wheel drive as well as on several high hp rwd cars on the street and the only condition I wouldn't run them is in a monsoon and below freezing temps.

You also mentioned before that you don't believe 20k mi out of set of RA-1's but I hate to burst your bubble but it is possible, I've done it. A good driver can get good mileage out of those tires unless of course your roasting the tread off of them by poor driving or a poor alignment.

I'm sure now your going to degrade everything I just said because you are an "expert" but that is fine. Everyone can read magainzes and articles and claim to be an "expert" but by your harsh degrading of people I highly doubt you know much at all besides what your read. Maybe you should let others have some opinions and try some new things besides what your read online and in magazines. I look forward to your degredation of my post.:smile:

Welcome to the world of the "stupid people who like tires that work in the rain"

 

[EK4 hatchback]

I've been going to several tire shops Michelin, Bridgestone and Goodyear. Only Bridgestone comes with the proper size for the small rims (Bridgestone Potenza G3). Is there other brand that I should be aware of that also have the oem sizes?

205/50R15
225/50R16

I am using AD07 in this particular size.

 

[nsxtasy]

You mentioned the T1-R as being a good tire but I'm not too sure why if your that much of tire expert.

It depends on how you are defining "good". As I mentioned, it's comparable to the typical "budget performance tires". Not the best street tires (e.g. Goodyear F1 GS-D3, Pilot Sport PS2).

That tire is no where nearly as good as the RA-1's.

The RA-1 is a track tire, not a street tire. "Good" is relative to the needs of the individual. If you're looking for a good track tire, the RA-1 is better than the T1R. If you're looking for a good tire for street use, meaning one that lasts reasonably long and does reasonably well in rain, the T1R is better than the RA-1.

It's junk, which is probably why they are discontinuing it after a short run.

They are not discontinuing it, and the T1R has been out for several years in overseas markets. Nice job on displaying your ignorance of the tire market.

If the RA-1 was no good in wet weather alot of autocross cars wouldn't run them as their wet weather tire.

Again, you are arguing against what I never said. Here it is again, and I'll say it reeeeeeealy slowly since you obviously have trouble with reading comprehension: The RA-1 is better in rain than other R compound track tires, which means it's a good choice for competition use. It's worse in rain than street tires, which means it's a poor choice for street use in rainy areas.

You also mentioned before that you don't believe 20k mi out of set of RA-1's but I hate to burst your bubble but it is possible, I've done it.

I don't believe it.

I use them mostly on the racetrack, and granted, the racetrack uses tires more rapidly than street use. Still, they typically last me a total of about 1500 track miles plus another 500 street miles in the vicinity of the track. Now, that's driving them from full tread depth (8/32") down to where the belts are showing. For street use in a rainy climate, no sane person would use them down further than 4/32", when only the longitudinal tread grooves are showing, since they are then highly susceptible to hydroplaning. Which means using less than half as much of the tread depth as in track use. With street use, you might get 5K miles to a set. Even 10K is dubious. 20K? Sorry, I think you're posting BS to this forum. Which is not uncommon when someone joins these forums to make one post, and obviously doesn't have an NSX.

I'm sure now your going to degrade everything I just said because you are an "expert" but that is fine.

No, I'm degrading it because everything you said is wrong, shows that you don't know anything about the tire market, and shows that you are posting pure BS.

I am using AD07 in this particular size.

Those sizes are not available in North America. But, as I previously mentioned, the tires available in other markets are sometimes different from those available here.

 

[soullesselantra]

Sumitomo HTR Z FTW!

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...g=W&speed_rating=Y&speed_rating=(Y)&minLoad=S

 

[nsxtasy]

Sumitomo HTR Z FTW!

I'll say this for the Sumitomo HTR Z: The now-discontinued Kumho Ecsta Supra 712 is one of the very WORST performing summer tires you could buy, and that Sumitomo couldn't even beat the 712 in the Tire Rack comparison test in your link! Sure, the Sumis are cheap, but in this case you get what you pay for. For a little bit more, you can get the Kumho SPT, which is orders of magnitude better.

 

[RP-Motorsports]

What are the odds that any given day that it is wet, that it is "just" that. Comp tires may grip fine with some drizzle, but I would NEVER take my chances with anything above a winter beater to risk hitting that "one" puddle that my RA1 can't handle. First of all it is rare that most owners try to actually get caught in the rain, and if you do, do you really want to play the odds that it will not puddle up? Also why waste the $$ on comp tires on the street, when a great treaded tire grips 99% perfect for street apps? I have the SPT's on my car now for the street, and anyone who knows me, I drive very aggressive, and actually like steering with the throttle! I have SPT's on my car, because the way I drive, I want them to last 10k miles. With RA1's, I would get less than 1/2 that if I am lucky. I run comps (RA1 or Victoracers)at the track, because they are better period. Using them on the street is just simply wasteful. I take 90 degree turns at the track at 60mph, but the last I checked, I average about half that on the public streets and that is moving. No need to use comp tires on the street. I guess that if money is not an issue for you, and you enjoy swapping new tires all of the time, and never get caught in the rain, then have at it. But to tell people that the RA1 is the best rain tire out there to people is just plain irresponsible. I ONLY reccomend these tires to very skilled experienced high-speed schooled drivers, and that is in the dry! If you just tell someone to get the RA1's (or any comp tire) for the street, and they are a novice or intermediate owner, and they put their car into a guardrail...... I hope you understand why we are not in favor of letting these suggestions go unfounded. Don't get me wrong, I have used the RA1's, and could handle them in all conditions, but I have a decade of track experience with them. Please keep comp tire suggestions to track experienced owners, not just "sportscar owners". I am not attacking here, just trying to prevent an incident happening to a novice owner.

 

[joe]

I have the bridgestone re 750 from tire rack. They are an excellent choice. I had the factory yokohama tires and since they were starting to get harder to come by went with the bridgestones. no complaints. hope this helps. joe

 

[REDNSXT]

Anybody has any experience with Falken FK-452, replacing FK-451 and it's fairly new. Spec is 300-AA-A. It only comes with 225/50/16 rear tire stock size. I have them on my 18" and they are great so far.

 

[RP-Motorsports]

I'll say this for the Sumitomo HTR Z: The now-discontinued Kumho Ecsta Supra 712 is one of the very WORST performing summer tires you could buy, and that Sumitomo couldn't even beat the 712 in the Tire Rack comparison test in your link! Sure, the Sumis are cheap, but in this case you get what you pay for. For a little bit more, you can get the Kumho SPT, which is orders of magnitude better.

To clarify, there is HTRZ, HTRZII and HTRZIII. The one that Ken is talking about is the plain ole HTRZ tire.

We have excellent luck with the HTRZII. Exceptional price, value, wear, traction, noise, and H20 performance. It has also stood up to HPDE's without a hiccup.