TIRES
- Where's the best place to get wheels/tires? I'm looking at Tire
Rack (had good feedback on these guys), or Discount Tire
Direct.
-
F...@aol.com)
Tire Rack is very recommended!
- What is the widest tyre that can fit on a Sentra SE-R?
-
Carson Hanrahan (s...@trader.com)
With stock suspension and stock offset wheels, a 205 is about the
widest.
- Does anybody run 205/55R14 tires on stock 5.5" rims? Is this
possible, or are the rims too narrow to accomodate the tires?
-
Wayne Cox (w...@erinet.com)
I've got BFG R1 autocross tires in 205/55 on the stock rim (5.5 x
14). It's not an optimal fit, but BFG's racing dept recommends
this size for the car. These tires have a radical sidewall
construction, not really comparable to street tires.
A regular tire in that size will be pulled in severely, the wheel
won't be able to "control" the shape of the contact patch as well
as it should. the handling would probably be better with a smaller
tire that the wheel can keep in better contact with the road.
Also, I'm all for the look of wide rubber, but least on the R1s the
sidewall pull-in is so extreme it looks kinda silly.
- I was wondering first of all if the 205/50/VR15's would fit on
200SX SE-R with stock wheels.
-
Searl Tate (s...@expersoft.com)
They will easily fit on the OEM wheels for a 200SX SE-R.
- What are the advantages and drawbacks of buying the wider tire
vs. the narrower one.
-
Searl Tate (s...@expersoft.com)
I think the biggest thing to consider is compound choice over size if
you are looking for handling performance gains. If you want to change
the width or aspect ratio, just beware that you will probably
introduce some speedo error. The 205/50s only have a -1.6% difference
in diameter- very acceptable. Most people change the size for
aesthetic reasons. If you want to do it right, get bigger wheels
_and_ tires. Larger, heavier wheels will slow your car down. :)
Here are some popular tire size choices and their corresponding
data based on a stock 200SX SE-R. Notice that the stock Sentra
wheel/tire combo is 3% smaller than a stock 200SX SE-R with the
same gearing. Ryan, did you notice that your Yok AVS 195/45/15s
were 3.5% smaller than stock and 6.5% smaller than a 200SX? ;)
Size |
Sidewall |
Rad. |
Dia. |
Circ. |
Revs/mile |
Diff. |
195/55-15 |
4.2 |
11.7 |
23.4 |
73.7 |
860 |
0% |
195/50-15 |
3.8 |
11.3 |
22.7 |
71.2 |
889 |
-3.3% |
205/50-15 |
4.0 |
11.5 |
23.1 |
72.5 |
874 |
-1.6% |
205/45-16 |
3.6 |
11.6 |
23.3 |
73.1 |
867 |
-0.8% |
195/45-15 |
3.5 |
11.0 |
21.9 |
68.8 |
921 |
-6.5% |
185/60-14 |
4.4 |
11.4 |
22.7 |
71.4 |
887 |
-3.0% |
- Comments about all-seasons tires...
-
Robert Rood (R...@glerl.noaa.gov)
After reading several articles on tires, I learned that a
snow-filled tire is far more effective than one that removes the
snow as it spins. That is, snow-on-snow provides the most grip.
Traction on mud is different. A tire that can evacuate the tread
easily is more effective on wet or muddy conditions. The little
"sipes" on tread blocks serve as biting edges, which cumulatively
provide more traction. Unfortunately, these sipes cause more flex
and subsequent heat build up. That is the reason you do not see
sipes on true performance tires--only blocks.
In addition, all season tires are a different compound than true
performance tires. At low temperatures, performance tires become
very brittle due to the rubber actually becoming glassine. That is
why performance tires are poor in winter even when there is no snow
on the ground.
From this, then, it appears there is no tire which can do
everything well. That is exactly right. All season tires are a
trade-off of good dry adhesion with livable wet and snow traction.
If you encounter heavy snow frequently--with a long winter
season--I would recommend going to a true winter tire. All-season
will not serve your needs.
- A synopsis of replies to my question on people's experience
with 185/60/14 tires....
-
Rich Saskal (s...@rintintin.Colorado.EDU)
- Sumitomo HTR100 - dry grip good, wet decent, wear excellent, cheap
- Yokohama A509 - good dry grip, OK wet grip, 20K on first
two sets, heading for 30K on the third.
- Pirelli P700Z- very good dry grip, good wet (directional)
- Dunlop D60 A2-Good both wet and dry
- Yokohama AVS intermediate - very good dry grip, not so much
in wet
- BF Goodrich Comp TA-H4- Good steering feedback, easy to
sense limits of traction, really good on the offramps..
- For you notherners: what do you recommend for snow tires?
-
Ken Pratte (k...@jlc.net)
I'm currently running some Eagle GWs and ran with some Pirelli
Winter 190s. I would say they are both good. The Blizzaks are
supposed to be the cream of the crop for snows, but it comes at a
major price on dry roads and for tread life. The Blizzaks are a
multicell compound for the first 55% which wears quickly, then it's
like the rest of the tires, an all-season compound.
SteveH (S...@aol.com)
I'm currently running Pirelli Winter 190Ps (same tread pattern as
the 210P), and I would rate them okay. Not as good as the Haaks,
Continentals, or Nokias that I've run, but not as bad as some of
the cheapies I've tried (Firestones). They are a little noisier
than the other snows I've used, but they also seem better adapted
to running on pavement, snow, ice, and rain than others I've
used.
The Blizzaks are outstanding on ice and extremely good in snow, but
wear out extremely quickly on dry pavement. I figure I can get 2
winters out of a set of snows, but a buddy of mine didn't get a
full winter out of them. The "all-season" part of the tread cost
him an Audi Coupe too. I've heard the same short life story from
several others. They also make your car feel like its cornering on
tires made of jello.
Nokia has a new all-season tire that is suppose to be outstanding
in the snow. The auto reviewer in the local paper tested some this
winter and said that he would choose these as winter snows over
several other dedicated snow tires. I might try these next
winter.
Haaks are usually outstanding, but I've always found them to be
rather noisy. Excellent snow traction comes at a cost. It has
been a few years since I've run them, so maybe they've improved.
- Anyone know where I can get some autox tires and wheels for cheap?
-
Steve Peranteau (peranteau_s@A1.nadepni.navy.mil)
The cheapest wheels are the ones you have, assuming you still have
stock rims. Great excuse to go and get something snazzy for the
street! I don't recall whether you've got a Classic or 200SX, but
for the Classic the only 14x5.5 aftermarket rim I know of is the
Revolution @ $149 each (18 months ago). The 200SX drivers have it
much better. Used stockers are probably your best bet.
For tires, assuming you want dedicated auto-x treads, it goes like this:
- BFG R1 - Expen$ive, kings of the parking lot, wear varies
tremendously depending on how well you take care of them and how
smooth a driver you are. Yokohama 008RSII - Expen$ive, second rate
performance these days, better wear than BFG but so what.
- Toyo Proxes RA-1 - Expen$ive, second rate performance,
but the wear rate is *outstanding*.
- Kumho V700 - Expen$ive (I'm beginning to see a pattern
emerging here), can challenge BFGs in the right hands, wear is
supposed to be better than BFG. I'm getting these next.
- Hoosier - Very Expen$ive, very good, supposedly wear
like F1 qualifiers. Good if someone else is paying your tire bill.
If you can find a road racer or sponsored autoxer who will give
away their used rubber, that's the only cheap way I know.
The SE-R FAQ
Maintained by Ronald S. Chong
(r...@umich.edu)
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