Gentlemen, may I request your advice:

Problem: I am unable to locate a great (or even decent) tire for the stock wheels on my '03 6MT Touring Car.

Research: I have read all of the tire related posts on this site. It seems that many of you are riding on the Milchellin Pilot A/S or Toyo Proxes T1-S. I have called at least a half dozen tire dealers and they are unable to locate these tires in size 225/45 ZR 18, which is the size of the stock front tire. (The tire guys do have the 245/45 18's for the rear). Apparently, the only tire manufacturer that makes a 225/45 ZR 18 (front tire) is Bridgestone (model S-03). Since the OEM Bridgestone tires (Potenza R 040) I have are such dogs, I am reluctant to buy another set of Bridgestones, even if the model has changed.

Question #1: For those riding on Pilots and Proxes, did you have to buy new wheels to get these tires to fit?

Question #2: If you are riding on stock wheels did you opt for the lower profile size (i.e., 225/40 18). If so, did this interfere with the VDC? Also, how much does the /40 profile lower the car and affect the handling? If one goes with 225/40's in the front, should one also use 245/40's in the rear?

Question #3: What tires would you recommend for the stock touring wheels? I am looking for a street tire with good handling characteristics (I track the car twice a year) that is also relatively quite and smooth.

Thanks in advance for your comments and recommendations.

 

the S03s are a ver common tire, and you will not be disappointed, Id say more here have those than pilots for sure, maybe even more than the toyos.

I have toyos and goodyear(front and back) and I did need larger rims, but thats why I got the new tires.

wouldnt change the overall diameter unless you have good reason, though if you go smaller front and back you wont have VDC problems, the stock rims are not forged and could bend without too much trouble.

Id probably go to 245/40 in front and 255/45 in back.

 

My suggestion would be to go with the Kumho Ecsta MX in something like a 235/40 in front and 245/40 in rear (if available - I have 235/45 and 245/45 on my 17" streets). They are cheap, good tires. Otherwise the S03 really is a good tire. Both are trackable for a novice/intermediate driver.

I really don't like the T1-S but a lot of people do. I just hate the squishy feel that they have due to the soft sidewalls.

Don't be afraid to stray outside of the stock tire dimensions - within reasons of course.

Jason

 

another option... Bridgestone SO2 from Tirerack. I use 245/40 up front and 255/50 rear on the Rays Track wheels. The set cost me a little more than $800 from Tirerack. Very good dual-purpose street/track tire.

PeteH

 

Many thanks for the suggestions.

I am encouraged to hear that the S03's should be OK (they are certainly available). With respect to the stock suspension's bounce and crashing effect, would it be reasonable to expect that the S03's will be an improvement over the OEM Bridgestones?

 

not a whole lot. the bounce is in the suspension, and all 18" tires with the same sidewall will be fairly similair, you probably wont tell a difference in the ride.

 

ZZ3.5, the Michelin Pilot Sport (NOT A/S), is available in the EXACT stock OEM sizes for the car. Or you could go with the max performance summer Michelin PS up front while using the PS AS in the rears.

 

Thanks to all that replied to this thread. I think I finally have a handle on the tire issue.

My current thinking is to go with the Bridgestone S-03's (despite my initial misgivings) with 245/45 18's on the front and 255/45 18's on the rear. I am selecting 245 and 255 because the sizes are relatively close, which may reduce the car's tendency to understeer (this is based on info I gleaned from other threads). I chose the S-03's based on various tests and survey's done by tire rack, (plus the comments above). It seems that the S-03's are a little quieter than the Michellins. while offering similar performance. The rationale for the relatively high 45 profile is that the narrow twisties on which I like to rocket around are pretty rough in spots and I would prefer not to bottom out the car any more than I have to. The next step will be to obtain a set of racing wheels with some low profile rubber.

 

ares has the right answer. The 245/40 and 255/45 combo will give you wider tires front and rear. Car will handle better. Understeer will be greatly reduced. Your selection of tires will also open up quite a bit. I like the Dunlop SP9000s. IMO, the price/performance combo can't be beat. In any case, if you use these sizes, your car will handle a lot better.

Lou

 

I switched to S03s, and there's a noticeable improvement in predictability and grip. You won't go wrong with S03s.