Need new tires

[SVXGIRL182]

I need a set of new tires. I have(had) Toyo Proxes on the front and Yokohama something or others on the back. Today on my way home from work, my front driver side tire exploded @ 65mph. I got the car off the road, but the front driver wheel is toast. I'll post pics of the wheel and tire. It was insane. Someone helped me put the spare on, which had hardly any air in it. I made it another 2 miles or soo before that tire came off the wheel due to low pressure. So now my car is awaiting rescue. What shares the same lug pattern as me so I can just put another wheel on to get it home until I get another SVX wheel?

Also, I need 4 new tires. I mostly highway, and some backroads. It snows a decent amount here in the winter. So I need something I can use year round, and will have good traction in the snow. But I also want something that has some performance to it. I don't want H rated tires or anything like that. I was looking at Bridgestone Potenza 910's I think. What do you guys think of these? Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Thanks

[Shadow248]

I have the 910's on my GTP...very impressed especially considering the price...though im not sure that they'd be particularly quiet on the SVX (wider tread than the GTP). The X currently has a set of Kumho Ecsta Supra 712's ...im very impressed performance-wise and ride quality is decent...but again they are not the quietest tires. They are Z-rated though, and handle high speeds well (funny though they actually seem quieter upwards of 100mph, though i don't recommend you test that theory yourself). Your best bet, if you can afford them are the Yoko AVS db's...if not, the Kumho's are great, Dunlop SP Sport A2's are also popular on the SVX, and i'm sure the Bstone 910's wouldn't be a bad choice.

The lug pattern of the SVX is the same as most GM vehicles (my GTP rims fit the X) but i wouldn't recommend that sort of use for more than a couple of miles. It's very important that you maintain a consistent rolling diameter between all four wheels. If one is bigger than the rest, it turns slower, and thus forces the differentials to take alot of stress. Not good.

Seeing as i am only about 25 minutes away (Nazareth), I would help out...but the SVX is in the shop right now getting body work and paint. Sorry.

After looking at your pics page, it has just now occured to me that you are the owner of the mysterious blue SVX i have been seeing on occasion. I passed you just the other day in fact. I THINK it was on route 100...but im not positive. In light of this new info, if you need any help/advice/technical info, feel free to PM me.

this is important so listen up:

the svx NEEDS snow tires in the winter.

if you attempt to drive through a winter on "all-season" tires, you WILL lose control at some point and it will NOT be pretty.. I absolutely cannot stress this enough.. it really sucks to have to buy two sets of tires (it's not worth running snow tires in the summer--they'll wear down way too quickly on hot tarmac) but it's the only way to safely and predictably drive an SVX in the winter.

I highly recommend the Kuhmo Ecsta Supra 712's for summer driving.. if you look on Tire Rack, you can get them pretty damn cheap. When it comes to snow tires, just about anything will do, so long as it's a dedicated mud & snow tire and not just an "all-season"

hey, nobody said this would be cheap

-adam

[Subafreak]

Or, just spend the other $500 on a cheap winter car. SVX's have to many chips on the hood and winter driving doesn't help.

[SVXGIRL182]

Or I could just buy a set of tires that ARE mud and snow rated. I used a set of toyo proxes that were directional V rated tires, and drove through snow with no problems. So I really don't understand what you just stated about seperate tires. Unless there is something I'm missing. What do you guys think of Sumitomo(sp)? tires? I bought a single one that I had mounted on the broken wheel, just so I can get it home. I paid like $89 for the tire, and am considering getting another 3 so my $90 doesn't go to waste. They are Z rated, although I just drive highway 90% of the time. The treadwear is 360 which I think is fairly decent. What do you guys think?

Originally posted by alacrity024
this is important so listen up:

the svx NEEDS snow tires in the winter.

if you attempt to drive through a winter on "all-season" tires, you WILL lose control at some point and it will NOT be pretty.. I absolutely cannot stress this enough.. it really sucks to have to buy two sets of tires (it's not worth running snow tires in the summer--they'll wear down way too quickly on hot tarmac) but it's the only way to safely and predictably drive an SVX in the winter.

I highly recommend the Kuhmo Ecsta Supra 712's for summer driving.. if you look on Tire Rack, you can get them pretty damn cheap. When it comes to snow tires, just about anything will do, so long as it's a dedicated mud & snow tire and not just an "all-season"

hey, nobody said this would be cheap


-adam

I 100% disagree with you. I've driven about several thousand miles this past winter in harsh and slippery conditions in all-season tires and have not had a problem. I think it all depends on the tire, and on your driving habits (if you drive hard in winter conditions, obviously you're going to slip around). I've been nothing but impressed with these tires, both in snow and rain. I've never even heard of them before and have not been able to locate them anywhere else. Cooper Cobras is what they're called.

But if you have an all-season tire that you find performs poorly in the snow, then I can see how it would behoove you to purchase snow tires for the winter.

[Ron Mummert]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by alacrity024
[B]this is important so listen up:

the svx NEEDS snow tires in the winter.

if you attempt to drive through a winter on "all-season" tires, you WILL lose control at some point and it will NOT be pretty..


This may be true in the traditionally very snowy states, but in the east, where winter snows are USUALLY infrequent (last winter excepted), all weather tires should be fine. I played some "games" in unplowed 6-10 inch stuff with my "poor in snow" Yoko AVS dbs, last winter in hilly suburban roads, without getting stuck, no matter how hard I tried. No, I didn't go out to the interstate, & try to hit 70 mph, but I would hope most sane people here would also stay home & let the plows do what their taxes pay them to do.

Ron.

For your pattern of driving, GET BRIDGESTONE POTENZA RE950s.


I now have 22k miles on the set on my SVX... I have 2 Dragon mountain run weekends, a track day at Little Talladega, extensive offroad excursions at very high speed (80 on gravel! ), thousands of miles of highway driving, and extensive use on snow and in icy conditions. The tires have never let me down and I had to work VERY hard to get the back end to step out in the snow, and this was on a mountain road pushing 40mph!

I cannot recommend these tires enough... run pressures of 44f/41r for best results!

[NikFu S.]

just thought i should put my 2 alaskan cents in.
i drive on Akuret GTX all-season performance tires.
good stuff. the beauty of all wheel drive.

only problem is i want some slicks for summer driving. it was almost 90 degrees up here the other day.

[LarryIII]

SVX Girl,

Look at my recent posts about tires. I just ordered 4 Continental Extreme Contact all-season tires from Tire Rack. It did a study and these Conti's just edged out the Yoko AVS dB S-2 tires. Good Luck.

This is for everyone with poor tires on thier car.
Remember the contact patch of each tire is approx. 4 square inches. That puts only 16 sq. inches of contact area between you and the ground. That aint a whole heck of alot at 75 mph. So please play it safe. Put the best tires that you can afford on your car. And, if you can only afford cheap tires, please take it easy.
Body panels are relatively easy to replace or fix. Skin and bones are not.

Hey can someone clue me in on why some people inflate their tires above what the vehicle recommends (33/29)? Is 33/29 recommended only for the stock tires? Does the vehicle perform differently with over-inflated tires?

And Larry, I believe the Continental Extremes were the tires I've been eyeing on Tire Rack as well. They've been reviewed with nothing but 9's across the board and are under $100. Can't beat that.

[SVXGIRL182]

Thanks for the info Larry.

I have a question about that too. I've always assumed you go by the tire pressure indicated on the sidewall of the tire if its not the OEM ones. Am I wrong, or am I right. I get different answers each time on this question.

[mbtoloczko]

Originally posted by FifthElement
Hey can someone clue me in on why some people inflate their tires above what the vehicle recommends (33/29)? Is 33/29 recommended only for the stock tires? Does the vehicle perform differently with over-inflated tires?

And Larry, I believe the Continental Extremes were the tires I've been eyeing on Tire Rack as well. They've been reviewed with nothing but 9's across the board and are under $100. Can't beat that.

The recommended tire pressures are choosen for average driving style rather than for spirited driving. Those pressures will provide a smoother ride while allowing for reasonable handling in emergency manuevers. If you drive aggresively, then more pressure is better (to a degree). During corning, this will reduce sidewall flex and help the tire to hold its optimum shape. I personally prefer about 38r/34r.

[Mr. Pockets]

Originally posted by alacrity024
this is important so listen up:

the svx NEEDS snow tires in the winter.

if you attempt to drive through a winter on "all-season" tires, you WILL lose control at some point and it will NOT be pretty.. I absolutely cannot stress this enough.. it really sucks to have to buy two sets of tires (it's not worth running snow tires in the summer--they'll wear down way too quickly on hot tarmac) but it's the only way to safely and predictably drive an SVX in the winter.

I highly recommend the Kuhmo Ecsta Supra 712's for summer driving.. if you look on Tire Rack, you can get them pretty damn cheap. When it comes to snow tires, just about anything will do, so long as it's a dedicated mud & snow tire and not just an "all-season"

hey, nobody said this would be cheap

-adam

Adam, like others before me, I'll politely disagree with you. I have Dunlop D60-A2s on my SVX, and they performed very well in snow. Now, I also have a set of Nokian tires on steel rims for the SVX, but I've never actually used them. The first reason is that I never felt the need and the second reason is that I now store my SVX in the winter.

Anyway, the D60s handled the extreme winters of Vermont very, very well.

[Shadow248]

The tire pressure thing is an issue I came across last summer. I have always been taught to go by manufacturer's recommendations even if I'm using an aftermarket tire. However, the father of a friend of mine vehemently insisted that you are to inflate the tires to the pressure printed on the sidewall "how does the manufacturer know what tires you will have on your car in it's life?!" he insisted. So I did some research and asked around. The answer was unanimous between tire experts and warranty packets. You are to go by the MANUFACTURERS RATING for the car you are driving. The pressures printed on the tires are for safety regulations only. I told the one tire guy what my friend's dad had said about the manufacturer not knowing about future tires and his reply was "more importantly, how does the tire manufacturer know what vehicles their tires will be mounted on?" Good point. I have a 96 GTP and my recommendations are 32F/30R...the tire guys said for "spirited driving" pressure levels 2-3psi above factory are recommended. So I keep mine at 35F/33R. My tire's max pressure is 44psi. However they also said that it is VERY IMPORTANT to not inflate your tires to within 4psi of the max pressure printed on the sidewall. On very hot days, tire pressure can increase as much as 5 psi at high speeds. So if you inflate a 44 max psi tire to 40 psi (like my friend's dad was doing), and if he were to get himself in some sort of race on a 90 degree day, he could overheat his tires. That's dangerous. Also, that sort of use will actually void the warranty on some tires (so read that little warranty packet carefully).

Just thought i'd share the results of my research. Thanks for listening.