first road trip in svx

[radad]

I got all the fluids changed out to mobil 1 oil,trans, f/r diff's. Also got the trans filter kit installed. Was able to replace 6 qts in tranny. Shifts seem a little softer.And oh yea I did find the trans cooler under the rad's. So I'll save a little there. So it was time for a road trip.

Went down to the new river gorge in wv via 250. The svx did great no problems at all except the crappy tires. I really felt the weight of this car on wv 250 trying to throw the thing around the sharp turns there. 55 mph speed limit there was crazy insane, but a great place to test any good car out.

Still got half by budget left and need new tires bad. I'd like new wheels too. I looked everywhere for new 16 x 7.5 x 5 x 114 I guess they don't exist. I really like to stay with 225/50/16 tires but don't think thet would fit 16 x 7 wheels properly. 215 is the biggest for 7" width no? So here are my 3 choices:
1 225/50/16 kuhmo ecsta asx on stock wheels
2 205/55/16 kuhmo ecsta asx on new 16 x7's ???
3 225/45/17 kuhmo ecsta asx on new 17 x7.5's ???
Any suggestions appreciated !!!

[mythrenegade]

I kept the stock wheels and installed Yokohama S.Drives in the stock 225/50/16 size and this car is amazing now. The handling is great, but the most astonishing difference is how much quieter the road noise got. I'm sure my old tires were extra loud, but I'm astonished at the difference.

I paid $485 out the door after rebates and such at america's tire for a set of four installed.

Joel

[BoxerFanatic]

225/50-r16 should fit on a 7" wheel. It will look a tad wide, rather than a 215 looking pretty much vertical... but the difference is only 5mm per side of the wheel rim. That is only .2 of an inch.

That, I consider to be curb insurance...

You could go with 16x8s, if you could find the proper high-offset wheel... I think RX7 FD3S wheels are that size... and go with an even wider tire.

Which ASX model are you looking at? the KU21 model has info here:
http://www.kumhousa.com/Tire_SizeCha...5-6cccb4ac8e1e

It lists the 225/50-16 as ranging from 6 to 8 inch width rims, 9.2 inches section width on a 7" rim. The 215 size is rated as .3 inches narrower in section width. hardly a deal breaker.

Those Kumhos look nice... they are asymmetrical, but they don't say if they are directional... I figure they probably are, though.

[Crazy_pilot]

Originally Posted by BoxerFanatic

Those Kumhos look nice... they are asymmetrical, but they don't say if they are directional... I figure they probably are, though.

Those aren't directional. Directional tires have a V pattern to the tread. Tires that are directional AND asymmetrical are almost non-existent (Pirelli Corsa is the only one that comes to mind)

[SoCal LS-L]

Dude! Go to Tirerack.com and get the Kumho Ecsta AST, my set of 4 cost $252, I picked them up but you can get them shipped for $50, for a total of $302. They are directional, and mine handle great, are nice and quiet, and glide on the freeway. Check them out http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...er=16&x=57&y=8

Pic of tread:
I sold almost exclusively Kumho at my old shop and everyone loved them. Keep in mind though the AST's are H rated so keep it under 130

[BoxerFanatic]

A tire doesn't have to be V-shaped in the tread design to be directional, although V-shaped tread is directional.

The Kumhos pictured are asymmetrical, which means that the inside shoulder and outside shoulder tread blocks are different.

Depending on how they behave, especially in the wet, reversing the tread pattern, even on those tires, could cause reduced performance.

The documentation mentions asymmetry, but not directional, and the tread pattern *might* be reversable...

The only thing that would undeniably show it is whether the sidewall has a rotational arrow on it, or not. If there is an arrow, then the tire is directional, and shouldn't really be run the other direction (as in rotating it to the other side of the car without re-mounting the tires on the wheels.)

[radad]

Originally Posted by SoCal LS-L

Dude! Go to Tirerack.com and get the Kumho Ecsta AST, my set of 4 cost $252, I picked them up but you can get them shipped for $50, for a total of $302. They are directional, and mine handle great, are nice and quiet, and glide on the freeway. Check them out http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...er=16&x=57&y=8

Pic of tread:

I sold almost exclusively Kumho at my old shop and everyone loved them. Keep in mind though the AST's are H rated so keep it under 130

for $10 more each the asx's have much better survey results and top speed 168 vs 130 w/ast's. Not that I would ever go over 130 mph much

[SoCal LS-L]

Originally Posted by radad

for $10 more each the asx's have much better survey results and top speed 168 vs 130 w/ast's. Not that I would ever go over 130 mph much

The ratings are subjective, depending on peoples moods at the time.... I went through and read the actual reviews before deciding. The AST's have a better traction rating as well. Whatever your choice is, Tirerack is the way to go..... The idiots at PepBoys here quoted me $589 for a set of 4 "General Tire"....

[K_Dub]

I've got the ASX tires on 17x7.5 wheels(option 3), and I love them. According to the kid at America's Tire Co they are the only all-season, z-rated tires they carry. I looked at the ASTs as well, and have heard from others that they grip like crazy. But I got sold on the ASX for three reasons.

Z-Rated
All Season
Unidirectional

You never know what kind of fun these cars might get you into. I might be fast, it might be snowy, or you might be rotating tires on the roadside.