New shoes for the wife's car

VroomVroom · 05-13-06, 06:38

Hi Folks,

Got some American Racing 'Split' wheels installed today. My first experience with Kumho tires (225/45-18) and I'm hopeful they'll be durable performers.

Following a bath, another coat of Poorboys NB on the paint, wheel sealant on the rims, and one light coat of BnB on the tires (shoulda' applied a second), here are some pics...

BigAl3 · 05-13-06, 06:50

clean, looks nice!

Sherman8r44 · 05-13-06, 06:57

Beatiful car and nice job with the detail! That is some serious wetness

toyota2 · 05-15-06, 12:14

My brother's last set of tires for his BMW are kumho's and he really likes them says they are quiet, good wet traction, and wear well.

Car looks great!

Shawn

Danase · 05-15-06, 01:47

Kumho's are supposed to be a lot better than they used to be. I had a set on an old car of mine and they tracked all over the place and where loud. But I know a ton of people that have had them since me and oved them. Keep us posted.

-Lebowski- · 05-15-06, 09:22

Update the brakes now!

VroomVroom · 05-18-06, 07:41

Don't think I haven't considered that.

But...it's the wife's daily driver...also the same reason the car won't receive a mild suspension drop. The braking performance is excellent - no noticeable degradation with the new wheels & tires - so I think everything is staying stock. At replacement time I might look at some quality aftermarket rotors, but I doubt we'll do anything exotic. I'm running a set of Brembos on my SUV (the "cheap" set - larger rotors, but stock calipers) and they're a bit tempermental. While I can live with that...and the increased performance was a necessity...I don't want my wife to have to give anything a second thought, if that makes sense.

victory · 05-18-06, 10:09

What are those, KH11's? Kumho tires are pretty good. there's better out there, but nothing better for the price.

VroomVroom · 05-19-06, 06:45

They're Ecsta SPT's. 225/45 is not a common size, unfortunately. The offerings out there are mostly summer performance tires. There are a lot more options in 225/40 and 235/40, but I really wanted to run this particular size for a number of reasons - ride quality, overall diameter, and certainly, looks (this one fills the wheel well more than a 235/40). The only real requirements I had were the best treadwear rating I could find and excellent wet traction.

You're absolutely right about price. I really wanted to go with the Toyo Proxes 4, but they were $80 more. Per tire. Anyway, thus far there are no regrets. No difference from stock in the driving experience - these are quiet, ride well, and the car handles just fine.

Hondaph00l · 05-20-06, 10:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by VroomVroom

They're Ecsta SPT's. 225/45 is not a common size, unfortunately. The offerings out there are mostly summer performance tires. There are a lot more options in 225/40 and 235/40, but I really wanted to run this particular size for a number of reasons - ride quality, overall diameter, and certainly, looks (this one fills the wheel well more than a 235/40). The only real requirements I had were the best treadwear rating I could find and excellent wet traction.

You're absolutely right about price. I really wanted to go with the Toyo Proxes 4, but they were $80 more. Per tire. Anyway, thus far there are no regrets. No difference from stock in the driving experience - these are quiet, ride well, and the car handles just fine.

Are you talking about FZ4's? Maybe you have had them before and are speaking from experience but I wasnt impressed by them. Luckily Im switching to yokahamas this week! Yay. Or in other words, nice rims and the khumos will probly turn out better than the toyo's would have

Alex

RTexasF · 05-28-06, 06:19

The car and the wheels look great. The wheels compliment the car nicely.