I am tire shopping for my 97 Q and was lookin for some help on choosing. I want to get some performance tires that will grip the road like mad! I was looking at some Yokohama avs's, but i was wondering if any one else had any suggestions.
Also, are there different tire sizes you can put on these wheels without messing up the speedometer? Maybe get some wider tires without changing their height? Well, i'm up for suggestions on tires, tire sizes, and where to buy them! Please help!
Performance Tires on Stock 97 Q45 Wheels?
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Q45tech
- Moderator
- Posts: 14296
- Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2002 3:19 am
- Car: 1990 Q45 342,400 miles 22 years ownership with original engine
1995 G20t 5 speed 334,000 miles 16" 2002 wheels - 205/50/16 Sr20ve vvl
The most important thing is to categorize the tires by which ones are 95V or higher [1521 pound], then worry about speedometer as 1,2,3 even 4% errors can be adapted to.........57.5>62.5 mph by driver and traction ABS systems [as long as all tires are the same].
The higher the load rating the more safety reserve the tire has!
By law the oem car manufacturers must select tires which have only [at least] a 12% safety margin BRAND NEW.......wider wheels mean more weight and weight mean larger brakes which weigh more and this is contrary to the US governments goal of better fuel economy.
Good enough for average non demanding driver is the usual result!
What you will find is most [many some] 17" tires are weak [to weak for a 4,000 pound car that might weight 5,000 pounds fully loaded or one like a Q which can achieve 0.75 G in a turn or 0.87 G in a panic braking situation.You can't just add 1521 x4=6,084 and asume you are safe as in braking 75% of load [5,000 x.75=3.750/2=1,875 pounds] is exterted [shifted] on each front tire........a deceleration rate of 0.87 G yields 1,631 pounds PER TIRE............even the 1521 pound tire is overloaded by 110 pounds but survives because the braking is only for 3 seconds.The more frequent the over loads occur the faster the tire destroys itself internally.
A tire with negative camber does not equalize the forces over the tire and results in 10,20,30% more force being concentrated on the inside edge.........why the inside wear fast and that area gets destroyed faster!
The oem 17" wheels are very narrow for a full strength tire, but there are some that will work ok.......like the Michelin premium versions. Pilot Z4, Pilot Sports, etc.
The higher the load rating the more safety reserve the tire has!
By law the oem car manufacturers must select tires which have only [at least] a 12% safety margin BRAND NEW.......wider wheels mean more weight and weight mean larger brakes which weigh more and this is contrary to the US governments goal of better fuel economy.
Good enough for average non demanding driver is the usual result!
What you will find is most [many some] 17" tires are weak [to weak for a 4,000 pound car that might weight 5,000 pounds fully loaded or one like a Q which can achieve 0.75 G in a turn or 0.87 G in a panic braking situation.You can't just add 1521 x4=6,084 and asume you are safe as in braking 75% of load [5,000 x.75=3.750/2=1,875 pounds] is exterted [shifted] on each front tire........a deceleration rate of 0.87 G yields 1,631 pounds PER TIRE............even the 1521 pound tire is overloaded by 110 pounds but survives because the braking is only for 3 seconds.The more frequent the over loads occur the faster the tire destroys itself internally.
A tire with negative camber does not equalize the forces over the tire and results in 10,20,30% more force being concentrated on the inside edge.........why the inside wear fast and that area gets destroyed faster!
The oem 17" wheels are very narrow for a full strength tire, but there are some that will work ok.......like the Michelin premium versions. Pilot Z4, Pilot Sports, etc.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...1=yes
Has anyone had any experience with these tires? They seem to be really really nice....Have better tread wear than any of the performance tires....and better traction...and they aren't too pricey!! Tell me what you think...and if you have a size recommendation
Has anyone had any experience with these tires? They seem to be really really nice....Have better tread wear than any of the performance tires....and better traction...and they aren't too pricey!! Tell me what you think...and if you have a size recommendation
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AZhitman
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The Conti is a nice tire. I drove AZQ45's car with hem on it, and it was really impressive.
I'd certainly consider a larger (wider) size, and I think you'd be real happy with the 245/50/16. A tiny bit less rolling diameter than stock, but nice and wide. AND a higher load rating.
Yes. However, the treadwear is a "relative" #, which means it doesn't mean much from brand to brand. Anything between 220-360 is a good balance between stickiness and longevity.
I'd certainly consider a larger (wider) size, and I think you'd be real happy with the 245/50/16. A tiny bit less rolling diameter than stock, but nice and wide. AND a higher load rating.
Yes. However, the treadwear is a "relative" #, which means it doesn't mean much from brand to brand. Anything between 220-360 is a good balance between stickiness and longevity.
zinkie13 wrote:http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...1=yes
Has anyone had any experience with these tires? They seem to be really really nice....Have better tread wear than any of the performance tires....and better traction...and they aren't too pricey!! Tell me what you think...and if you have a size recommendation
I'm running the same tire on my 97q45T. I've got 245/50R16 on OEM 16x7 alloy rim. Speedo shows 2% faster speed cause the outer diameter less than OEM. The widest you can get on these rims is 255/50R16, and the speedometer reading will be accurate. But it will most likely rub in front cause now I see only 5mm left between inner sidewall and strut assembly in the closest point. Besides this model is not available in 255/50R16 anyway.
Bottom line, I'm very satisfied with these tires. Dry and wet grip is excellent (I don't do racing though
), noise is low and the look is good. I think it's a very good choice for 2nd gen q45 as a grand touring/performance tire. It has 96V rating and 1576lb capacity. Why I call it grand touring/performance? I think high-performance tire can not be all-season at the same time.I ended up getting a tire called the Fulda Extremo. 245/50-16. Supposedly this is a really good tire. Normally in the 150 dollar range. They are are z rated and the weight rating is 98 i believe. The tire wear is rated for 180 and they are supposed to last 40,000 miles! I'll tell you what i think of them!~ ...
I also finally got my nose guard in for my car! I am very impressed. Stay snug at High speeds!
I also finally got my nose guard in for my car! I am very impressed. Stay snug at High speeds!