A little background for those who haven't been following the other thread: I need tires for my '86 SE (the ones on there currently are 215/60R/14 stock and are old and worn out), so I decided to get rims too. After much assistance from fellow PFF members on the pros and cons of getting a staggered set of 17's and 18's, (see other thread https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/057853.html)

I decided to go with 17" rims all around to make life easier, as my head was spinning:

Force AC-6: 17x7, 5x100 (bolt pattern), 40mm offset, silver

After much calculations, I've decided on 215/45/17 tires in the front and wanted to get 235/40/17 in the back. (From what I understand, these will fit the 40mm offset 7" rims okay.) The tires listed below are the ones that come in both sizes that are available from the same company, but I don't know anything about the brands. I'm trying to order them from the same place so I can get them mounted and balanced at the same time (plus it would cost me less to do it this way)

What do you guys know about these? Any suggestions on which one is the best brand for me to get?

Hankook Ventus HR II H405

Kumho EC STA 711

Hankook Ventus Sport K104

Yokohama AVS ES100

Toyo Proxes T1-R

Thanks in advance for your help. I'm trying to get the wheels ordered soon so I can have them in time to drive the car down for Daytona.

~Tress

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I may not know alot about cars...but I make a Fiero look good!

"The Hottie" --drowned by Hurricane Katrina but not forgotten: "Memories are forever"; The Hottie Diaries: (A Tribute to my little car)
Preface: Babes Do It Better Volume I: Checkup Ups and Downs: It Runs, Sort of Volume II: Engine Adventures Volume III: Declaration of Independence ...to be continued (she will live again)

[This message has been edited by Miss-Tress007 (edited 03-04-2006).]

Thumbs up on the ES 100's.
Toyo's are not bad either from what I hear.

Isn't Tire/rim shopping fun though?
Got to be one of the most frustrating things to shop for.
Just when you think you got it ... sorry nothing in your size.

Hope your holding up o.k.
Your almost there.

Tina
.

Yep Yoko's

I really like the Yokohamas on my red car...

i have Yokohama's on one of my cars and Toyo Proxes on the other. I'd say buy the one of these that is cheaper Bcause they are both super tires. Can't comment on wear, though. Kumho's are popular because of their low price but, from my experience, get noisy as they wear. BEAUTIFUL rims, by the way

Although they're not on your list, I've got Kumho 712s on mine, and am quite satisfied with them, except that they seem to wear more quickly than normal tires.
They stick really well, though. Well enough to save my butt when I've done some really... questionable things.

I would be tempted to use 45s on the rear of your car instead of 40s. A 235/45 isn't even really recommended for a 7" rim, but it works...okay. A 235/40 is going to squeeze the sidewall in even worse.
If you're concerned about your speedo being inaccurate, just replace the VSS gear with one from an 86 GT with the same tranny as yours. It can usually be done in a few minutes.

Just MHO, though. I'll be quiet and let others comment.

[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 03-04-2006).]

jus my .02 cents but if ur getting 17X7 use 215/45/R17 tires and if u are using 18X17.5 use 235/40/R18....

18X17.5 , 235/40/R18 is what i run on mine, i have Kumho Ecstas and they are really good and the speedo is fine

i think the toyo or yoko are the best choices out of those. I hear a lot about the hankooks having soft sidewalls and the kumho 711's are cheap and dont perform quite like the others. Right now i'm running Fuzion ZRi's (225/45/17) , they have very good wet and dry traction they just dont last long. Treadwear of 320 and they're on the wear bars after only 7000 km's. I bought a set of kumho mx's a few weeks ago but haven't put them on yet. i got a screaming deal at 99.95 cdn each. They are only 205/40/17 but they're just as wide as the fuzions and WAY lower profile, like 1.5" less sidewall

ima give a huge NO on the yoko's, worst tire i've ever had, i was so glad when they got a nail in one and tread was too low to repair

the kumhos are nice, as are dunlops (not pictured there, but yeah), and Toyos are real good tires too

Be aware that if you run directional tires and the front and rear are different sizes you won't be able to rotate your tires.

Tress , I had Yoko's on my yellow car , and it ate them up in a real hurry. They are a soft compound for traction , but I couldn't even drive them into town without having black rubber on my car behind the rear tires. I'm running Fuzion tires now , the hold the road goood , were nicely priced , and will last much longer.

Toyo are good tires, I run them on my daily driver and they hold up well in all weather conditions.

quote Originally posted by Ronnie: I'm running Fuzion tires now , the hold the road goood , were nicely priced , and will last much longer.

I am running the same tires, and for the price, and ride, I am very pleased.

I've got Yokohamas on my car as well. They have fantastic traction.

Oh, forgot to mention that my car is not a daily driver. These tires are great, but not sure I'd recommend them for daily driving.

[This message has been edited by Suufmeister (edited 03-04-2006).]

Hankook Ventus HR II H405 on my 17-inch wheels from wheel max, staggered sizes, 215 front and 235 rear.

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jetman
Silver 86 SE 2M6 4-speed, with "check wallet light"

i used the hankook ventus on my f-body and they lasted a long time. They were nice looking tires too, and the price is right

quote Originally posted by PaulJK: i have Yokohama's on one of my cars and Toyo Proxes on the other. I'd say buy the one of these that is cheaper Bcause they are both super tires. Can't comment on wear, though. Kumho's are popular because of their low price but, from my experience, get noisy as they wear. BEAUTIFUL rims, by the way

I agree.

MissTress, I have a question. What is the off-set on the rear again? 40mm? You know that without coil-overs the 40mm will rub, right?

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Archie's Choptop conversion #11, #15, Redux & # 20

Okay. After talking to Madcurl and getting an explanation of the relationship between offset, tire size and rim size, I've decided to get coilovers 'cause I can't bear to choose another set of rims. I've just fallen in love with the Force AC-6 that I have picked out, so I'll need coilovers so that a 40mm offset rim will fit on the rear. So, guess I have no choice and I'm getting coilovers.

So, after doing a quick search online, I found these from JC Whitney:

http://www.jcwhitney.com/aut oparts/Product/tf-Browse/s-10101/Pr-p_Product.CATENTRY_ID:2005877/showCustom-0/p-2005877/N-111+10201+600003419/c-10101

They don't have the Pontiac Fiero listed (of course) but they do have a set available for a 1995-2000 Chevy Cavalier and 1995-2000 Pontiac Sunfire. Can I use either of these sets for my '86 SE? If I can't use any of these, what car sets could I use?

Once I do get coilovers, how do I have them installed? I know I need to have the existing springs removed by a professional so I don't get hurt, but what's the next step?

Sorry about all of the questions, but I'm trying to get new wheels for the car in time for Daytona, so time is of the essence.

Thanks!

~Tress

[This message has been edited by Miss-Tress007 (edited 03-04-2006).]

i have the new Toyo T1-R's and they are awesome...best tires i have ever had, and i have been on plenty.
they are a bit more $$$ that some others, but worth it. they are not as pricey as michelins pilots, or some BFGoodrich's either.
or even some Yoko's

they are the best out of all the ones u have listed in yer original post....mind u most are a "level below" the T1R's there.
it depends on what u want for yer money. by this i mean, the ES100 is a great allround FAIRLY priced tire......but it doesnt compare to the T1R.....you would need to go a 'level up' in Yoko like buy the AVS Sport , which is comparable to the T1R.

the hankooks, kumho, etc etc. are all decent too, but id still get the ES100 over those.
also there is bf goodrich TA's and KD's and KSDW's which are nice. as well as Advan Neova's which are SWEEEET and compare to the T1R exaclty.

Hmm. $199 for those. What's the pros and cons?

Whitneys? What's the correct spring rate? Does it involve buying a new strut?

On the other hand for $28 more, you could purchase WCF for $228. What's the pros and cons?
http://www.westcoastfiero.com/suspension/coilover_kit.html
Correct fit and is "tried and tested" on 84-87. There's no question about getting the correct size vs JC Whitney's.

[This message has been edited by madcurl (edited 03-04-2006).]

Hmm. Pretty close to the ones you want.

17" Devaj Ronin's

Your's
Force AC-6: 17x7, 5x100 (bolt pattern), 40mm offset, silver

[This message has been edited by madcurl (edited 03-04-2006).]

I vote fot the WCF or Held coilevers designed for Fiero. I have plenty of clearance on my 88, but will get coilevers for the ability to adjust ride height and stiffness. And all you need are a set of spring compresers and you can install them yourself. If I can do it, anybody can.

Tress,

I just have to confess I love your "can do" attitude. You went from "what tires?" to coilovers without batting an eyelash.

I've got Yokos and Kumhos on my cars right now. Both seem to stick real but not enough miles to really tell about wear

quote Originally posted by Miss-Tress007: After much calculations, I've decided on 215/45/17 tires in the front and wanted to get 235/40/17 in the back. (From what I understand, these will fit the 40mm offset 7" rims okay.)

Tress, if you check the tire calculator at miata.net you'll find that a 225/40R17 tire is almost identical in outside diameter to your stock 14" tires. If you were to go with that size, your speedometer would be, for the most part, correct. When your speedometer was reading 60MPH, you'd be traveling 59.8MPH. If you go with the 235/40R17's, your speedometer will read slow...not a whole lot different, when the speedometer was reading 60MPH, you'd be going 60.6MPH. I guess, after looking at it, it really doesn't make a whole lot of difference, does it?

Anyway, that's a good site to go to if you're trying to see how much different a tire size you're contemplating is vs. what you already have.

As far as the tires go...I'd vote for either the Yokohamas or the Toyos. I've had Toyos, and they've been GREAT tires. Although I've never had Yokohamas, they have an excellent reputation. I currently run Kumho Ecsta Supra 712's on my car, as does Raydar, and I've been more than pleased with them. I've also heard that they wear fast, but as my car is driven for pleasure only, and not as a daily driver, the wear factor doesn't concern me. If it does you, I'd look at the other two that I mentioned above.

quote Originally posted by madcurl: MissTress, I have a question. What is the off-set on the rear again? 40mm? You know that without coil-overs the 40mm will rub, right?

Curley, I'm running 17X7, 40mm offset wheels on my 86 GT with stock suspension, with 235/45R17 tires on the rear, and I have no rubbing problems. The tires ARE close to the spring perch...close enough that you can't hardly get a finger between them. But I ran it at the Track Event at Wheatstock, and have had NO rubbing problems at all. I'm not able to tell from the miata.net tire calculator how much wider the 40 series tire might be as opposed to the 45 series tire. If it's much wider...then yes, she might have a problem with rubbing.

Good luck, Tress...they're great looking wheels!

When are you going to show us pics of the new Mr. Mikes?

[This message has been edited by litespd (edited 03-04-2006).]