Getting new tires

[BadDog]

I searched the forums here for a good long while and couldn't find much info in the way of a decent tire that would fit my stock 14x5 " hubcapped wheels... just a lot of gripeing about how nobody makes a good 14" tire anymore

So I found these Sumitomo HTR200's ... it looks like people like them, and there was a lot of great feedback about some of their other high-performance tires, so I decided to try them. I'm getting them put on Friday morning, but since I really haven't been able to drive my Z much since I got it last week (I haven't been able to register her yet, and the tires that are on her look to be at least 15 years old i.e. Sears Sport Treads, all cracked and nasty) I'll only be able to compare them to tires I've bought for my other cars in the past. I was really hopeing to find some nice Toyo's (I had a set of Proxes T1's on my old 318ti and *LOVED* them) but no such luck.

Heck if I like these Sumitomo's, I might just buy 2 more sets and try to figure out some way to preserve them for use a few years down the road from now, since from Sumitomo's site, it doesn't look like they make them anymore

[Si|v3r72]

I just put new rubber on my 14"x 5" slot mags 2 days ago - Bridgestone Potenza RE950 195/60/14. I went with 60's instead of 70's to lower the car a bit. I haven't had a chance to put them through their paces yet but I can tell you they are very quiet and have a reat ride. They feel better then my old Michelins! Go to www.tirerack.com and read the reviews.

BTW if you search by tire size at TireRack, you'll find plenty of tires to choose from, and you can read user-reviews for each tire. Anything you find there, just ask your local dealer for his price, installed. You can figure on adding $20 or so per tire over the price at TireRack.

[2ManyZs]

Bad Dog, there are still quite a few choices for decent 14 inch tires available from some of the better tire brands. For those of you with 6 inch, 5 inch or 5.5 inch rims there are more choices available to you than there are for the wider sizes. You can run up to a 195 aspect tire on a 6 inch rim, although with the 5 inch you might want to stay below a 185. So as you will see by the Tire Rack web-site there are quite a few choices to be had. The problem now is for those of us who still have 14x7 inch wheels or wider and can't find a selection of tires in the proper sizes. It wasn't too long ago you could choose from half a dozen brands, now it's down to just a couple. Most people have given up and gone to 15 inch rims.

Silvr3r72, I hope those RE950 work out OK. I think those tires may fit into the Z driving style better than the Yoko's you asked me about.

[BadDog]

Funny how the same couple of people answer my posts

Yes, I saw other tires in the correct size range, and was leaning toward some Potenza RE92's when I saw the Sumitomo's. I was really looking for a dedicated summer tire, and trying to maximize the grip of the skinny stock wheels Yes, I *did* find them on Tire Rack while searching by size. My local guy said he'd charge a total of $60 installed, so I figured that'd be about the same as getting them for $33, plus shipping, plus installation, plus "hassle"

It's pretty weird for me to think about tires in that price range... I'm used to trying to find affordable performance tires in sizes like 225/50/16 and up That's why I made the remark about getting 2 extra sets if I liek them

[2ManyZs]

We were quick to respond as we were just discussing tires for his car in the chatroom a couple days ago, so everything was still fresh in our memory.

[BadDog]

Hey, I'm not complaining or anything

I'll post here again Friday or Saturday regarding what I think of the Sumitomo's... at the very least, it may help someone in the future

[BadDog]

Update: the tires, installed, were a grand total of $250... they look good and seem to handle well, steering is a lot better than the old, cracked, bald Sears rubber that was on her before

As soon as she's running right, and I get some new steering rack bushings installed, I'll be able to test them out better