+1 on the BFG's, solid performace, great traction, no sidewall issues. Too busy driving to notice the noise!

 

Like Push mentioned, they have a soft sidewall which makes for a lazy turn-in response along with an overall squirmy feeling when driving.

 

The same tires all around is preferred, but I don't think it's that bad to have a mixed set. As long as the new tires are in the rear, you should be okay.

Different tread patterns in the front and back can make the car act funny when you're really pushing it. On a different car, I had PS2s up front and goodyear F1 GSD3s in the back which caused the traction control to act up. As long as I made sure to turn it off, then things were fine.

 

I've always heard that these tires have a lot of road noise, but did it drown out the stereo from the beginning or just after you put a lot of miles on the tires?

 

Mixing tires front to rear is OK as long as you mount tires having closely matched characteristics (tread, composition, sidewall flex, etc.).

Here is an example. I mounted 245/45-18 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's on the rear while running 225/45-18 OEM Bridgestone Potenza RE040's. The Eagle's relatively soft sidewalls teamed with the Bridgestone's "wooden" stiff side walls is not a good combination. The rear feels a little "wiggly" running this combination. Mounting 245/40-18 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's on the front fixes this handling problem since the front and rear have the same sidewall rigidity.

--Spike

 

As long as both tires have the same rating, for example, both tires are "max performance" tires, than you should be okay.

The new tires should be placed in the rear though. If the new tires are mounted in the front, then the vehicle can be prone to oversteering.

 

You are going to love your new tires.

I have stock 18" wheels so I am running Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 sized 245/40-18 front and 245/45-18 rear. The Eagle has a relatively soft sidewall flex. I have a 2003 Performance (so I also have VDC), and must mount tires close to the OEM overall diameter. There is no 225/45-18 size in the Eagle line. This is totally a guess, but I believe the reason Goodyear doesn't offer the Eagle in a 225/45-18 is this size would be too "wiggly" with the softer sidewall.

Actually, the 245/40-18 front with 245/45-18 rear with the Goodyear Eagle's provides a great staggered (width-wise) combination. There is less under-steer (and more like neutral-steer) with this arrangement.

I really like the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3:
1) The relatively softer sidewall flex provides a softer (i.e., more comfortable) ride.
2) This tire sticks like glue to a dry roadway.
3) The Eagle grips very well on wet roads and in the rain.
4) The tire is very quiet. I hear my CE and the Z's great exhaust sound.

--Spike

 

Same question here. I've never owned or run Toyo's on my car, but had the opportunity to drive a Z with these tires. I liked the tire (quiet, good grip, etc.). It certainly has a softer sidewall, but so do my Goodyear Eagles (and I do like that feature for its better ride at least, not to mention its great grip).

I also would like to hear from Forum members with direct experience with this tire.

--Spike

 

I just bought the car about a month and a half ago. The car is an '04 with 30,000 miles on it. I'm just tryin to make a good choice. The road noise is noticeable really only on the interior. If I open the windows, I can still hear that nice Z exhaust just fine....I guess my problem could just be that the radio sucks, but it's the Bose soundsystem and I thought it was supposed to be great.

 

That makes sense. Right now the car has a mixed set anyway...(this is what I inherited from the previous owner so don't judge ) Right now the car has BFG's in the front and Dunlaps in the back. The guy at the tire store said the Dunlaps are pretty low-grade so I might just go ahead and replace the whole set anyway--especially if I put high performance tires on the front

 

That's disappointing to hear because I have been seriously considering these tires because they've been talked up so much here for their price and performance. Now I will reconsider. What's your recommendation? Are you a fan of the BFG's?

 

I've tried several different tires over the years on various applications and the Toyos IMO breaks down like this:

1) Decent dry traction but not the best.

2) Above average wet weather traction.

3) Tread life is very good but this is probably due to the harder compound. That is why the traction suffers.

4) Very quiet. Not a lot of road noise.

5) Less than average laterial grip and movement. Sub par confidence in sidewalls. Very soft compared to other high performance tires in it's price range and class

6) Overall a very good deal for the price if you are looking for the tuner low profile application but do need the performance.

I really like the BFGs in the performance area. They are better than the Comp T/A ZR line that it replaced. In terms of comfort, noise, and tread wear there are better tires out there.

When selecting tires, you need to ask yourself what is it you are looking for and how the tires will achieve those things the way you drive or use your car for.

 

My last three sets of tires on different cars, were Michelin PS2s, Goodyear eagle F1 GSD3s and currently on the 350Z Bridgestone RE050A pole positions. They are all top notch tires, but I feel the RE050A PPs offer the same performance for a little less money so those would be my recommendation.

For my next set of tires, I want to try either the Yokohoma Advan Sports or the Bridgestone RE-01Rs.

What tire you get depends on your needs and driving style. I haven't had the chance to drive on BFGs, but if you're more interested in dry performance/grip, then they would be a good choice if you can deal with the noise. The other tires mentioned might have less dry grip than your current BFGs.

The PS2s and RE050A PPs are really good all around tires, with perhaps the goodyears getting the nod in the wet.

You might also want to consider the Falken 615s.

 

I've ran the Yokohama Advan Sports before. IMO awesome tires!!! Sticky as hell (dry traction)......until half the tread is gone. Then dry and wet traction takes a nose dive the second 50% of the thread. Wet weather traction on this tire is about the same as the BFGs.

 

Sounds like some good advice. I am going to look into the RE050A PPs, which you described earlier as being your best recommendation. Hopefully tonight I don't have to work late like I've been doing every night for the past week so I can get to the tire place and get some quotes.

 

i got 225/45/18 front and 275/40/18 rear....now the Z goes around corners like it's on rails.

 

How's the understeer? Seems like it should get a lot worse with that much difference between f/r.

 

Check out prices online (tirerack.com, etc.) before you go. I was amazed at how much more some tire places charge even after factoring in the cost of mounting and balancing tires purchased online.

 

those 225s will eventually be replaced by 245/40/18s as soon as they wear down a little bit more. They are still good for at least another 8k miles.

 

tirerack is a no brainer.