Tires suggestions for 2002SE?

This is my commuter car. 75% Freeways speeds (80+). I do drive "fun" but not to the limits (this car has pretty nice limits). I'm neither impressed or turned off by the factory tires. I do like occassionally hitting corners hard and want some grip but not at the expense of low mileage tires. Quiet is nice but I above all things I need a safe tire that I run above "normal" that survives not only at the speeds but over the Texas summer temperatures. Any suggestions and experiences would be appreciated. Please, I have no desire to buy new wheels so only those tires that fit the factory rims are of interest.

Go Maxima!

Reply to
qpman1
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Khumo KH11... if you cant get them locally for $100 a piece or so, order them from tirerack.com.

Reply to
Boodeeny

I have seen and heard a lot of people moving to what I would call second tier tire manufacturers like Kumo. In my opinion dont do it. Yes, you will save some $$$ on the tires, but is it worth it? I have tried several of them (Yokohama, Falken). I was always dissapointed with ride and tire life. Stick with the more Name Brand companies. For me I put the best tires (with in reason) and braking equipment on my car because they are a very crucial part of your safety.

I had some of these on my car and they lasted a decent amount of time considering how I drive when I get speed rated tires of H or better.

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Unfortunately it looks like they dont have them at Tire Rack for your car, but maybe give them a call and see what they can do.

I would say that any Bridgestone Tire is gonna be a good one for your car. Very good dry and wet traction and good life span.

Warner

temperatures.

Reply to
Warner Crump

Reply to
Boodeeny

Like I said, just my opinion. I have had bad dealings with second tier tire manufacturers. Thats all.

Reply to
Warner Crump

I've got the same car and have been researching tires. I'm pretty neutral about the RE92s, but will not buy them again. I considered Michelin Pilot Sport A/S, but didn't want a noisy tire and don't need to "busy-up" the ride on the SE any more than it is. Besides, I drive a mix of in town and highway. Here in NJ, you don't get the opportunity to go much above 75 in daily driving so I'm not looking for "ego tires".

I'm pretty certain that I'm going with a set of Bridgestone Turanza LS- Vs. Its a grand touring tire - you sacrifice a little bit of the extreme handling for a quieter, less busy ride. (They do get great handling ratings on Tirerack, though.) Best price I've found is $168 each at Costco, installed with a road hazard warranty (unusual for high performance tires). I've been buying tires from Costco for years without a problem. They will need to special order the tires, but I'm told it only takes about a week. Costco runs a $60 coupon twice a year, so I'll order them when the coupon comes around again.

I don't believe in second-tier tire brands. That couple of hundred dollars saved will seem pretty insignificant at the time of an accident.

Reply to
John Golden

Hmm.. I ended up paying $450 for a set of 4 tires instead of $1000. Thats a significant savings and more than a couple of hundred. And on tirerack.com, thousands of users seem to be satisfied with these Khumo KH11 I put on my SE, with not a mention of defects, accidents etc. If anyone is driving so haphazardly that they are likely to wreck with one tire vs. another, they need to modify their driving habits.

Reply to
Boodeeny

I recently replaced tires. . .the stock tire size for this car 225/50/17 is hard to find . .the OEM Bridgestones RE 92 are a deathwish on wet roads though and have poor ride and traction--with 6 spd manual you are constantly breaking the RF tire loose. . .I saw on other sites that

245/45/17 was the same rolling diameter and I came across new Falken 512 tires with Z rating in this size on sale for less than $100 per tire--unheard of for this car---so I tried it . . .my reactions .. .this tire was top rated by a consumer magazine. . but they tested it on Honda Accord. . .I think the Maxima is too high performance for this tire . . the sidewalls are a bit too soft--only 1 ply instead of 2 ply . . .the handling is good (with the extra tire width) but not great . . at least the ride is decent despite 45 series and the noise is minimal . . I agree with other postings about second tier tires. . .you get what you pay for . another tire in this price range is Yokohama--also too soft for this car. .also tires originally designed in H rating with Z rating versions added are really not that high performance level . ..but have to beware--many truly high performance tires do have bad side effects such as rapid treadwear, noise or poor wet traction . . perusing review on other sites the following will be my tire choice next time around: 1) Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3---most expensive by far but no bad side effects .. Falkens last 30k at most they say and I'll be replacing tires in a little over a year with that . . . . . .anyone else tried different tire sizes with good results? I've seen some that moved to 215/50/17 with good results . . 245/45/17 is a bit wide for 17 in rims, I'm told . .
Reply to
lcbill

"qpman1" wrote in news:FMydc.104968$w54.743655@attbi_s01:

I replaced the originals with the Cooper Lifeliner Touring SLE. I they are not going to be the barn burners that some seem to prefer, but they satisfy my needs fine.

Can't speak to the temperature tolerance, as I am in Wisconsin. They did very nicely in the winter, though.

Good luck, Len

Reply to
Len Rauth

Thanks for the nice discussion.

I got replacement RE92's after my accident on my '98, and they're already running down after a year. I'm thinking of what's next.

I use the Maxima as a daily commuter as well, but here in California. I'd say I drive 80+ MPH on my way to work and 70-ish on my way home. I do this three times a week. It is 41 miles each way.

So far, I've been happy with the Potenza RE92's, but then I don't have the best handling on my generation Maxima (no independent rear suspension).

I noticed on another branch of this thread that Cooper and Bridgstone Turanza tires are mentioned.

Now: Has anybody (without looking at maxima.or) tried changing their rim size? I've got the 16" rims and would love to go to 17" rims.

K
Reply to
filesiteguy

I'm hearing lots of good things about Toyo Proxes 4

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Reply to
audi guy

I've never had much luck with 2nd tier tires either. If you want to keep the same size your choices are limited. I've always had good luck with Michelin but they are high in that size even at Tire Rack. The problem I'm finding as I keep trading my old Maximas for new ones every few years is the horsepower increases are starting to make the car really overpower the front tires. Also the alignment settings are critical or the car is always pulling to the left or right. I'm not changing anything from the way it left the factory. Every 20,000 miles I get 2 new Bridgestones from Tire Rack and put them on the front. After that many miles the ride noise and handling starts deteriorating rapidly and the car gets treacherous in the rain. My rear tires last 60,000 miles.

David

temperatures.

Reply to
David

Reply to
<rgraham4

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