Mid-range tyre choice

[sultan]

Looking at replacing my current triangles with something a bit better. Stopping power and wet performance I guess would be my concern although general "grip" is always of interest. Road noise doesn't bother me what so ever.

I'm looking to spend a bit more than a "budget" tyre, but not a whole lot more. Perhaps around the $700/set mark.

I'm looking at Nankang NS-2 and Federal 595. Would these tyres even be an upgrade over "Triangle, Sunful" etc? Any better suggestions?

215/35/18

[G-unit]

triangles are a big fail, i have them on my 1.3 sentra,there good, on my sti no way, have federal on the back of my sti, seem ok, i never pushed it hard anyway, even kingstars are ok, had them on my last 2 rs's and they lasted awhile and felt sweet as

[pl0x]

kingstar k106's are about 135ea and good in the dry.

no where near as good as my potenza g3's (which are almost on tread bars) in the wet tho

[wildturkey]

for that budget you'll get 4 Toyo T1r's fitted and balanced....aye Jase .......at least in Welly you will anyway ;D ;D

[spark_38]

Yip 4 toyo T1R's fitted and balanced for under $700 incl wheel alignment

But in a 215/40/17 size, other sizes may differ in pricing

[sultan]

yeah i'm after 215/35/18, fair bit more expensive for t1r's in this size

[swiftbrad]

I hate triangles

[zarnah]

I hate oblongs

[sultan]

they do what they need to. they fit on wheels. they go round and round contacting the road preventing damage from occurring to the wheel and traction (somewhat) between the car and the road. not everyone requires cutting edge screaming around corners type grip. a lot of people just "cruise" about with safe following distances doing not a lot, triangle is perfectly fine for this (as it has been for me for some time)

i only want to upgrade as i'm prepared to spend a bit extra on a "safer" solution for my soon-to-be-born. hopefully this is a genuine few metres to the 100-0kmh stopping distance rather than a placebo effect of thinking that i've bought something better ;D

[KTM_GUY]

i can do the T1-Rs for ya but at that size your going to be looking at $900 incl with wheel alignment, so might be a bit out of ya price range.

[G-unit]

had federals on the rear of mine, went got a new tyre before went on a trip, cheng shang?? wtf they reckon better speed ratings then the federal, looks like shit

[GravelBen]

I'd go for a 'touring' tyre from a more reputable brand over a cheap crap 'sports' tyre every time. For example, the Firestone TZ100 is far better than a Kingstar k106 in every way - though I did have a lot of fun with kingstars on the back of the MX5!

[sultan]

federals are probably winning in my eyes at the moment. $640 for a set of 215/35/18s. Toyo proxes 4 for around $780 are also being considered

for me it's pretty much a "what if" type purchase. if i need the better handling and braking i'd like to know that it's there. realistically i couldn't tell the difference between my current triangles and potenza g3's

[Scoobydoo]

I guess you also have to consider if your "soon-to be-born" is worth a couplf of extra hundy in better tyres, since this is one of your main motivations.

[spark_38]

yeah it seems the T1-R's are consistently priced, they about $850 here for set of 4 in that size. A good entry level performance tire - personally I found them better than the Bridgestone RE-001 in the wet.

[GravelBen]

 spark_38 said:

yeah it seems the T1-R's are consistently priced, they about $850 here for set of 4 in that size. A good entry level performance tire - personally I found them better than the Bridgestone RE-001 in the wet.

My T1R's were slightly better when cold and wet, but once the RE001 warmed up a bit they turned that around again. Both have plenty of grip though for the real world, it was the construction and driving feel of the tyres that made the decision for me - Eagle F1s I found similar to T1R, slightly better grip but more expensive ($250 each) and sidewalls sliced up just as easily on gravel.

I got my last pair of RE001's for $204 each, price I was given for T1R at the time was $235 from memory.

[MINTGTB]

I wouldn't regard Toyo T1-R's as a mid-range tyre.. They are a pretty mean tyre! and yeah feels very similar to older Goodyear Eagle F1 directionals. I got a set of 4 for $765.00 ;D

[sultan]

looks like i'm going t1r. 215/35/18 fit balance, and wheel alignment, $780. going on some gunmetal dtm blitz's. mean.

[Hailz]

You mentioned nankans - I can vouch that theyre crap in the wet!!

[sultan]

last minute change due to availability - going with proxes 4

[subiv5]

 MINTGTB said:

I wouldn't regard Toyo T1-R's as a mid-range tyre.. They are a pretty mean tyre! and yeah feels very similar to older Goodyear Eagle F1 directionals. I got a set of 4 for $765.00 ;D

Ah! How come everyone gets the t1r's so cheap? I am clearly getting ripped off haha!

[ODB]

linglongs afre clearly the best tyre in the land in both wet and dry, on both gravel and on road!

plus they obviously rule on the track.

look no further!

[Guest]

 sultan said:

last minute change due to availability - going with proxes 4

Big difference between the Proxes 4's and the T1R's... the Proxes will last longer because they're a harder compound but they're not as grippy either.

[sultan]

that sounds ok. i imagine they're still extremely grippy compared to other tyres. lasting longer will be a good thing for my requirement too

[funkytown]

 SpotMe']

[quote name='sultan said:

last minute change due to availability - going with proxes 4

/quote]

Big difference between the Proxes 4's and the T1R's... the Proxes will last longer because they're a harder compound but they're not as grippy either.

come for a ride some time - as i've said to lots of folk when this pops up. I think you'd be quite surprised how well a proxes4 can go.