New shoes for my Y50 255/45/18

[cablemn]

I know this was a topic of heated debate but i have to give you my somewhat biased review of the new tires i just installed today.When i somewhat innocently mentioned i was thinking of putting on a set of oversized Kumho ASTs on my 2002 Q I was met with some rather strong opinions against such a decision. I was told that they wouldn't be completely round...they would require alot of balancing ...and they were also called balloons. Well, being a loyal customer to kumho due to the infallable service they have afforded me over the years on many cars, I would have to say that they are a huge improvement over the michelin pilots that were on the car when i bought it. True I've only had very limited time on them (50 miles), but the ride is the biggest improvement. Even though the sidewalls on the pilots are softer than the Kumhos the ride is more insulated. These tires are quiet. And even though they still have to shed some oil they gripped the road fairly well even in hard rain giving me a confident feeling. I was also very impressed with how they handled puddles, tracking with no hydroplaning at 55 and above on the highway. All in all I am very pleased with these tires as i kind of knew i would be. When you find something that works you stick with it and these tires work well for $136 a piece. Where are you going to find a 255/45/18 with a Z speed rating for that kind of money that works this well? I fault noone for spending 2 or 3 times the money for those elite tires if thats what floats your boat but I'm not trying to shave seconds off my lap time when i'm driving to work or heading to the grocery store or picking up my kids from a sleepover, I save that excitement for my 2 seater and i even run Kumhos on that too. I hope this information helps the board, I hate typing to myself.

[maxnix]

...these tires work well for $136 a piece. Where are you going to find a 255/45/18 with a Z speed rating for that kind of money that works this well?

Avon Tech M500 are about the same price and I would guess better. Don't know why you would put that size on a Y50. Sure you didn't mean an F50?

In any case, enter the data in the Infiniti General sticky and update it at 5K, 10K 15K, and 20K miles.

In spite of the excessive weight he needed to balance his set on the front set, Q45tech's observations were not much different, until 3K and 6K services, then removed them before 10K they were so far from new specification from internal decomposition.

Any new tire will be better than a worn tire. For a while, anyway. Read the TR tests, keeping in mind that XL models are usually not tested on the lighter 3er series that TR prefers.

[lowreyldjd]

cablemn,

I'll second your testimonial on the Kumhos. I just put a set of 255/45-17 ASX's on my 2001 Q45t and they are fantastic tires for the price -- smooth-riding, directionally stable, good cornering, W-rated, and all-season. No, forum members, 245/45-17's are not the largest tires you can put on these cars. Just be careful and check the section widths -- research the specs at sites like tirerack.com. I got the same story (from Tire Rack and from my tire shop) that the tires were too wide, plus they weren't recommended for the narrower stock wheel. No rubbing and I really like the "bulge" look of the 255's vs. the 245's.

I'd prefer to put Michelin's on all my cars, but can't justify paying twice as much when I put over 50k a year on the Q - 90% high-speed (80 mph) driving and 10% on very curvy mountain roads in and around my house. The Kumho's replaced a set of 245/45-17 Yokohama H4s tires that were very nice, but not quite as quiet and soft-riding as the ASX's. Plus, the Yokohama's were directional and I like being able to cross-rotate the Kumho's.

The Yokohama's replaced a set of junk Goodyear 225/50-17 RS-A's that came on the car, by the way.

[AZhitman]

I ran 275's on my G50 on (Y50 Premium wheels) for a few years.

Guidelines are just that: Guidelines. Slight adjustments are sometimes warranted.