Buying tyres (18")

[coriolis]

Dear bros (& maybe sis),

I was alerted by my car detailer yesterday about my rear tyres being in not good condition, so I might have to look for new ones soon.

Below are my current wheels (I'm running 18", might consider 17" once I get back the stock 17" rims from the prev owner):
Front - yokohama a-drive r1 225/40z/r18 92w Rear - dunlop direzza dz101 245/45/r18 96w
I was using this calculator for some quick checks: Tire Size Calculator - tire & wheel plus sizing

Now the results really got me worried. According to the site, the general rule of thumb is if diameter diff is >3%, there will be risk of brakes failing. Stock tyres for IS300 is given as 215/45/17, so I will go by this as a benchmark.

The results say my front diameter difference is 1.88%, rear is 7.76%(!). I might have to change the rear tyres pronto. I messed a bit with the calculators and somehow the best ones would be 215/40/r18 (0.65%) and 225/40/r18 (1.88%). I would like to keep the tyres width difference at 20mm, but 235/40/r18 (3.12%) is borderline unsafe.

What I need to know from any sifus here is:
1) Can the website and the calculation be trusted?
2) Should I go for same width for front and rear, to keep both at +20 difference or reduce to +10 difference? Or it doesn't matter at all?
3) What width and profile should I look for then?

Appreciate if you can help me out here. Thanks!

p.s: and yes, recommend me a good tyre shop around Klang Valley or Selangor. :P

 

[shawn55]

hi bro...if you trust us...drop by Tom's bangsar workshop .
cheers.....

 

[green]

website calculations normally for general rule of thumb only.

best to change if u feel uncomfortable/or performance out while driving...especially in the wet

lower profiles will enable u to "feel" the roads more...but at the same time noisy a bit. also depends on the tires brands u are getting.

best bet..get the same profiles. eg. 215/45/17 ft and rear

I am using yoko advan neovas ad07 215/45/17 frt n 235/45/17 rear...no problems

performance tires = some sound/road noise

tire sizes will play a part in fuel economy/looks/pricing/performance

if u are the gila type...performance tires 17 " also good enuf...18" will cut out a bit on your fuel consumption..engine has to work harder to drive ur 18 wheels.

performance tires will give u better grip on the roads..but will be expensive...yoko ad07/toyo t1r ~ rm500/piece for 215/45/17..go figure heh

normal road tires non performance will be cheaper
toms bangsar good, sunway sports cars area also good. falken, the yokohama shop near n1 sunway also ok.

my advice...start small 17 with normal tires...215/45/17 all around...this is the standard oem size for altezza.

or get into a gathering with the altezza gang then discuss with them

cheers

 

[shawn55]

Bro Green is correct..see how you focus on your car . i`m using 225/45/18 in front wit toyo and 265/35/18 at rear with Toyo T1R.Cheers.

 

[Greytezza]

The best place to buy tyres will be from tyre dealers...and from what I heard the best price are from Klang.
I agree with green..keep all yr tires aspect ratio the same...meaning if you choose 45...then 45 all round. If you r looking to maintain comfort level..stick to 45 and 17".
Just my 2cents.

 

[ARSSS]

I m wondering if 225x17x50 is a good choice?

i m using that tyre on toyota wish.. quite comfortable & good handling...

 

[coriolis]

Bros,

I'll take your advice and go 215/45/17 all around. Just got back 2 of the oem 17" rims today... gonna get the other 2 tomorrow.. so I'll be able to switch back to 17" by this weekend.

But I just wanted to know, why the different threadwidth and profile at the rear? Better performance? What is the tradeoff from this? Just comfort, or safety also? I am curious why the previous owner did the same for this car also.

shawn55,
I tried looking at tom's bangsar website, but no info about tyres.. mind putting up a quick pricelist of 215/45/17 from brands/models available in your shop? If the price is right I'll definitely drop by this weekend.

Thanks for the info everybody

 

[shawn55]

Bro , i don`t mind to tell yours our workshop selling price Toyo T1R RM460 per ps.Hm...regarding the website,my company not really wanna put some info tyre...ha ha..

 

[shawn55]

i join this forum i though can join you all guy any activities about car pratice..coz i think wanna pratice when the car lost control....he he..

 

[coriolis]

Bros,

I've done some scouting around, and I'm considering these choices:
toyo t1-r hankook rs2 falken azenis rt615
yoko advan neovas ad07
-------------------------------------------
falken ziex ze912 -> just a quick question: is the direzza d101 and a.drive (what I'm using now) same class as this ze912?

I'm on a budget actually, so will ze912 do for altezza normal driving + highway (no trackdays)... or I need something to the level of t1-r/rs2/ad07/azenis? let's say an average of 150-180 on highway, from kl to ipoh/penang/jb/kerteh.

shawn55,

for car practice, I suggest getting school of advance motoring principles to organize driving classes. Advance Driving Malaysia - Expert for Advance & Defensive Training School
last time my company contracted them to give the employees a defensive driving course, they are not bad ler. why not give them a call?

 

[JaHaX]

go for michelin pilot preceda 2 ... all weather tyre ... u wont be regretting it

i know one taiko who can give u good price ...

 

[Greytezza]

Here is a forum discussion that u can refer to..http://www.autoworld.com.my/forum/allposts.asp?summary=1&Forum=ap309675587&access=2&status=1&subject=Michelin+PP2+or+Falken+ZE912

The PP2 and the ZE912 are quite similar in performance..
PP2 - Good in Dry and Wet. Good handling in corner due to stiffer sidewall
ZE-912 on the other hand also good in dry and wet, but have very
comfortable ride due to the very soft sidewall, but will not handling so
well in the corner. In the straights, some body roll may be felt.

But price wise ZE912 wins hands down..
You should ask AE111 about the ZE912 becos he have it on his ride.

 

[JaHaX]

PP2 is in my good book

 

[AE111_SEG]

Greytezza,
Thanks for the promotion.ke ke ke ke....

So far quite happy with the tyre. Wet and Dry grip no complaint...
I feel the strengths are it is very comfortable and quite. Also cheap

I heard in Klang the ZE912 is RM 280 for 215/45/17. Cheap ......

 

[coriolis]

Seriously? It's RM360 in puchong and RM330 in glenmarie...

Bro ae111, when you push your car to 190, any feeling of loss of grip or not?

 

[AE111_SEG]

Hi Bernard,
At 190km/h not sure cos not always i drive this speed. The only way to tell the true performance is on track.

Then again if the tyre is comfortable and quite. I dont think you can get hardcore performance out of it.

 

[AE111_SEG]

BTW.... I dont want to seem pro 912.........

I bought the car with the new ZE912. This was installed by car dealer.
So I did not choose this tyre. I think for the price if you looking for low tyre noise and comfort this is a good starting point.

I hope this helps.

 

[coriolis]

hahaha at least the dealer gave you decent tyres to begin with. my direzza + a.drive is noisy and not so grippy in corners. i guess it must be the threads wearing out.

yeah, that helps a lot. I think I'll go with ze912 for the moment, despite jahax kasi promo pp2 kau-kau (sorry la bro, nanti aku kaya sikit aku tukar la michelin hehehe)

why, you looking for more performance from your tyres?

 

[Greytezza]

Coriolis..if u are serious in the ZE912..u should try Hup Shun and another Bridgestone dealer in Sunway..remember they offer me ard RM280 per tyre. But that was before the price increase...but u can still try to bargain with them.
I bought my T1R from Hup Shun for ard RM370.
But for me..I would stick with the Toyo T1R...really nice and comfortable performance tyres.

 

[coriolis]

Just got my tires from LS (same row as hup shun) today, they offered 325 each for ze912, inclusive of everything (balancing alignment etc). i was going to check out hup shun too, but this thread kinda scared me a bit: http://www.zerotohundred.com/newforums/car-talk/7209-hup-soon-falken-sunway.html