Recommended Tires for a 94' Q

[airman]

http://www.bytewise.com/Market...w.pdf

It is amazing the variation of standards in perfection owners will accept as a decent tire on a Q.Over a year our tire scrap pile of removal usually sees at least every tire in 215-235/65-60/15 made.

It is very instructional to take an hour and look at all the tires worn, exploded, sidewall failures, tread patterns, etc.

From teeth rattling vibration [or left elbows worn and bleeding] at 70 mph, to side to side waddle at 25 mph, to a wide variation in noise level from frying eggs to whump whump.........all the tires they buy are [were] good [great].............until they spring for a set of Michelins Pilots non directionals.

I can't believe what owners will put up with!

So, what's is the holy grail of the Q tire? Pilots?btw, none of the tires mentioned are 35psi tires

[PalmerWMD]

Most agree the Pilots XGT or the Firehawk SZ50 EP's are the best for Q's.Some having had good experience with others as well (as posted here).If I was starting from scratch with a new set on 15 inch wheels, I would put on Firehawk SZ 50 EP's in 235/60 ZR 15's.

Fred...

[szh]

Most agree the Pilots XGT or the Firehawk SZ50 EP's are the best for Q's.Some having had good experience with others as well (as posted here).If I was starting from scratch with a new set on 15 inch wheels, I would put on Firehawk SZ 50 EP's in 235/60 ZR 15's.

Hi, Fred. I agree with your recommendations - with just a few additional comments. I have found the Pilot XGT's to be terrible in wet weather and will no longer buy them for that reason. The last set I had was because I had no choice - my older tire gave way, and the local dealer only had the XGT as an option. Dry braking and handling is excellent though!

Regardless, I greatly prefer the Firestone SZ50EP's for all the reasons I have mentioned before. Note that the SZ50EP in a 15 inch size is only available in 225/60 not 235/60 as you mentioned (although the XGT is available at 235/60, I believe). Still, this is a step up from the standard 215/65, and it is similar in overall size, circumference, etc. I.e., negligible speedo error!

The only other tire that I have liked on the Q was the now-discontinued Bridgestone RE940. It handled well, but not as good in wet as the SZ50EP's. My only concern about that tire was that it once gave way a bit spectacularly on me - one tire let its belts out through the inside side wall, even though there was plenty of tread left and I do take care about proper balancing, alignments and correct pressure, etc. Fortunately, I was only doing about 30 to 35 mph, so it was not a serious accident. It coulda been worse!

Z

[airman]

Most agree the Pilots XGT or the Firehawk SZ50 EP's are the best for Q's.Some having had good experience with others as well (as posted here).If I was starting from scratch with a new set on 15 inch wheels, I would put on Firehawk SZ 50 EP's in 235/60 ZR 15's.

Fred...

I have 16x7 stock rims with bald Pilots on them. So I have to get new tires pretty soon. I'm looking at plus zeros (oem 215/60R16):

Michelin Pilot XGT H4 225/55HR16 94H SL Firestone Firehawk SZ50 EP 225/55ZR16 SL Bridgestone Turanza LS-Z 225/55ZR16 SL

All of them are from different categories.

[PalmerWMD]

Airman:

With 16's ,you should go to wider sizes ,so many here have had great success with 235,245 and even 255 on 16's.Also be sure to keep your load rating at 95 or above.

Fred...

[Q45denver]

http://www.bytewise.com/Market...w.pdf

It is amazing the variation of standards in perfection owners will accept as a decent tire on a Q.Over a year our tire scrap pile of removal usually sees at least every tire in 215-235/65-60/15 made.

Have you made any obervations regarding the Continental ContiExtremeContact tires specifically in 245/50/16 size?

[AZhitman]

I also have a set of these alloy wheels and wanted to try either the 245 or 255 size. I would prefer the 255 size to keep the speedo accurate but was concerned about tire rubbing and that they might be too wide for the rims. Also wouldn't the stated diameter be greater if fitting on a narrower than measured width rim. I'm currently leaning towards the 245 in a Continental ContiExtremeContact-see below link. These are available from TireRack for $69 each and get good reviews whereas the Korean makes don't seem to and are more expensive. The Conti's are all season and highly rated for snow. The diameter for this size would be 25.8" on 7 " rim vs. 25.9 " on stock 6.5" rim which is probably close enough. My only reservation at this time is the price which seems too low for a high quality tire.

Tory - Actually, these rims are 7.5" wide, so the 255 isn't a stretch at all. Matter of fact, when I replace my rears (under warranty), I'll run 255's in the rear and the 245's in the front (for a while).

AZQ45 had ther Conti's and was VERY happy with them (except for their lifespan). They're sticky but ride beautifully.

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth - Some companies just don't artificially inflate their prices. I'll definitely try the Kumho or Sumitomo's next.

airman - Fred's right - No reason not to go wider if you have the 16" rims - Especially on your 97 Q. 245 or 255 look incredible and turn the Q into a world-class handler (from the seat-of-the-pants).

[DenverQ]

Hey!!

AZ Im DenverQ

Not Q45Denver

[Highway Q45]

Ditto on Z's Michelin comments.

Quote »" I have found the Pilot XGT's to be terrible in wet weather and will no longer buy them for that reason. The last set I had was because I had no choice - my older tire gave way, and the local dealer only had the XGT as an option. Dry braking and handling is excellent though!"[/quote]

My wife swapped ends twice in the rain this year with the same tires; they only had 10K on them. They are truly scary in the rain. I changed over to 16's with 245-50's Kumho 712's (97 load rating). Once correctly balanced the Kumhos proved to be glass smooth, a bit noisier, firmer, but the wet/dry grip and handling is light years ahead of the old 15's with Michelins. There are better tires than the Kumho's but the price was right. Anyone interested my old lightweight forged HICAS wheels w/ or w/o the old tires let me know.

Steve

[EWT]

I replaced XGTs with some Yokohama AVS ES100s, and like the Yokohamas better. They seem to be considerably stickier, and the car feels a lot less "nervous" at higher speeds. I'm not sure if it is a sidewall stiffness issue, or if the XGTs are more prone to following grooves in the highway, but the car always felt like it was wiggling around a little on the highway until I got the Yokohamas. They are about the same price as Kumho 712s, and I like the Yokos better than them as well (I have Kumhos on my other car). IMO, they are a great tire for the price.

[airman]

airman - Fred's right - No reason not to go wider if you have the 16" rims - Especially on your 97 Q. 245 or 255 look incredible and turn the Q into a world-class handler (from the seat-of-the-pants).

I'd like to try these Sumitomo, heard good things about them:

Sumitomo HTRZ Ultra High Performance summer255/50ZR16 160 AA 99W 1687lbl 44psi

Looks good for $100. The rim range is 7-9 but design rim size is 7.5". Is it going to be ok on 7" rim?

[AZhitman]

Hey!! AZ Im DenverQ Not Q45Denver

DOH! I was WONDERING why you were asking ANOTHER tire question LOL....

Sorry brotha.

When are you coming to Phoenix, dammit?

[Fastlane]

I've been riding on 225/60/15 V rated Toyo Proxies for about 70,0000 miles. For the last year I have also been putting on the miles (about 85 per day) of which about 10 miles are are in the city, the rest are at about 80 to 100 miles an hour. in certain places it's easy to cruise at a higher pace. Last week myself (96Q), a BMW 540 and a Mini Cooper S spent about ten minutes at 125. The combination of this car and those tires at high speed is a most amazing experience (only 7k on this third set), hard to describe, maybe "blissful". And no, the BMW couldn't pull away from me and forget about the Mini, He couldn't believe this old sedan was so fast . I've driven in S.Fla Monsoon rain and very hot roadways in Summer. Never had a flat, they run soft and smooth at all speeds and I change them at 30k with a lot of tread left.Needless to say.....I love these tires.

---------------------------------------------------96Q 103k2000 Q45T Anniversary Edition 42K

[greg_atlanta]

The only size AVS I still available at tirerack is 225/60/15 @$44..........gettem before they're gone.

I agree... the Yokohama AVS Intermediate is the ONLY tire you should consider if you're in a warm climate with no snow or ice or sub-freezing temperatures.

Once you drive on a REAL summer performance tire every other tire is a compromise.

If you like them, order a 2nd set now.

[airman]

Any experience with Sumitomo?

[911/Q45]

I've got Sumitomo on my Q in the 255/45-17 size and am tickled with their overall performance in the first 5K miles.

[airman]

I've got Sumitomo on my Q in the 255/45-17 size and am tickled with their overall performance in the first 5K miles.

Great, thanks! Guess I'm going for Sumitomo as well.

[DenverQ]

When are you coming to Phoenix, dammit?

I was actually going to come here soon but the plans got once again pushed back.

I will eventually make it out!!! I promise someone has to come out there to make Quella jelous

Since I got my new paint and all Ill give her a run for her money

[maxnix]

Quella is pretty sharp without any makeup.

[AZhitman]

LOL - Thanks Brian and Tory.

Looking forward to a weekend of terrorizing the locals with 8400 pounds of angry Nissan engineering.