It's time for me to get new tires and I was wondering what everyone thought were the best to buy. I don't want to go crazy and spend $250 a tire, but I want quality tires that ride well, have good traction, and are fairly quiet. I have heard people praising Firehawk SZ50EP's and was wondering if these are the best.
Best Tires????
- Thread starter Carnut16
- Start date
Syclone#892
Member
I love the SZ50 EP's they are a good tire and I doubt they would let you down, I think you would like them alot. I would probably buy them from tirerack, but do research first, check how much they are from local places and see how much they would charge if you bring in tires (i.e. buy them from tirerack). I work at a Firestone dealer (I work on cars not a salesman and I do not condone there actions) and when someone does that they will usually charge a high price like 80-90 to mount them. If you have a friend that can get you a deal it still may not be close to what you could get it from tirerack, I checked on the price for TookyCat and it was around $190-200 a tire, this is discounted normal price was like $250 or so (TookyCat if you see this do you remember the price I told you I don't). Just keep those things in mind, and don't forget shipping from tirerack is costly so you might be better off paying a slightly higher price for the tire local. Hope I have not made you fall asleep with this long post but I would like you to make the right choice the first time, Good luck.
InvisiBill
Active member
I'm actually getting SZ50EP's put on at a Firestone place this weekend. It actually started two weekends ago. I looked at them Saturday and decided Sunday to get them. They had just put the last set on a Camaro, so they said they'd order some during the week so I could have them last weekend. There was some mixup and they didn't get ordered, so now I get free lifetime alignments too since I have to wait until this weekend. I later found out that I just happened to be dealing with the store manager the whole time, and the other girl working said he was talking about the Sy for hours after I left. =)
Buying tires there, I got free "mounting", even though they still charge me for the balancing labor and weights and everything. With shipping from Tirerack, it was about $620 for the tires. With the $80 road hazard warranty, I'm walking out of the Firestone place paying $800. It's basically coming out to exactly the same price for me, but I won't have to deal with internet crap if I have a problem, which is worth it to me.
They quoted me $192.99 each for the tires. They were having a "Buy 3, get the 4th" sale, but high performance tires were excluded. So he just dropped $25 off each tire. $168 compared to the $155 that Tirerack is charging...
A friend of mine said he heard some bad things about the SZ50EP's last spring when he was looking for new tires. Something about the second "EP" layer being crappy, so you get really good tires that wear down to really crappy tires. However, the only bad things I could find about tires was their performance in snow (that's what happens with summer tires) and their cost, which still isn't that bad.
http://syty.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?topic=9922&forum=3
I was also considering the RE730's, but I read quite a few reports that they got quite noisy... I think 892's story in that thread is what finally convinced me.
Buying tires there, I got free "mounting", even though they still charge me for the balancing labor and weights and everything. With shipping from Tirerack, it was about $620 for the tires. With the $80 road hazard warranty, I'm walking out of the Firestone place paying $800. It's basically coming out to exactly the same price for me, but I won't have to deal with internet crap if I have a problem, which is worth it to me.
They quoted me $192.99 each for the tires. They were having a "Buy 3, get the 4th" sale, but high performance tires were excluded. So he just dropped $25 off each tire. $168 compared to the $155 that Tirerack is charging...
A friend of mine said he heard some bad things about the SZ50EP's last spring when he was looking for new tires. Something about the second "EP" layer being crappy, so you get really good tires that wear down to really crappy tires. However, the only bad things I could find about tires was their performance in snow (that's what happens with summer tires) and their cost, which still isn't that bad.
http://syty.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?topic=9922&forum=3
I was also considering the RE730's, but I read quite a few reports that they got quite noisy... I think 892's story in that thread is what finally convinced me.
Syclone#892
Member
InvisiBill hope you like them and I must say you are getting a smokin deal. I put some tires on TookyCats car and I got him the price for the tires for his Sy and I was very shocked that they were going to be that high priced, I am going to check tomorrow to see if I looked it up wrong because if i remember right the stores cost was like $190 for those tires which means your getting them at cost. How much are they making you pay for the mounting package (i.e. everything) if I got them for TookyCat it would be $52 for mount, balance, vlave, and road hazard. Also I must say I can't believe they are givng you free alignments, our salesman screw up all the time on stuff like that and I don't think they ever even give the cust. money off for the wait. Good luck and have fun trying to make them spin.
I just saw your post TookyCat and you might be right, I will check tomorrow. Oh and have you had a chance to take a pic of the center of your rim so I can see why I can't balance them.
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Syclone#892 on 2002-01-29 22:40 ]</font>
I just saw your post TookyCat and you might be right, I will check tomorrow. Oh and have you had a chance to take a pic of the center of your rim so I can see why I can't balance them.
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Syclone#892 on 2002-01-29 22:40 ]</font>
Mephisto
These trucks are cursed
i have the SZ50's on my truck right now... but theyre the old school ones... not the new EP version. but i got em for only 85 a tire from tirerack.com...
i dunno if they changed the new tires any, but i had the same tires on my blazer with no probs, handled well, wore excellent, etc etc etc...
but now after having these on my sy for about 3000 miles... the rear tires break loose... it happens at the track, or if i do a launch with about 0psi, or get on it around a corner... and that never happend with the stock SVX's... go figure... thats really the only complaint i have with the tires... other than that theyre great, quiet, handle good, and wear well too. maybe the reason theyre breaking loose is because i dont have a tonneau cover, and no spare tire. ill post results after i get my tonneau cover tomorrow...
_________________
Syclone #1931
So Cali
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Cold Wind Of Death on 2002-01-29 22:58 ]</font>
i dunno if they changed the new tires any, but i had the same tires on my blazer with no probs, handled well, wore excellent, etc etc etc...
but now after having these on my sy for about 3000 miles... the rear tires break loose... it happens at the track, or if i do a launch with about 0psi, or get on it around a corner... and that never happend with the stock SVX's... go figure... thats really the only complaint i have with the tires... other than that theyre great, quiet, handle good, and wear well too. maybe the reason theyre breaking loose is because i dont have a tonneau cover, and no spare tire. ill post results after i get my tonneau cover tomorrow...
_________________
Syclone #1931
So Cali
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Cold Wind Of Death on 2002-01-29 22:58 ]</font>
Syclonewillie
New member
Has anyone tried the nitto nt450's. that is what I have and I liked them. anyone else use them.
Captain Morgan
Moderated User
i like my stuipid ass Dunlop 8000SPs that came on my wheels from AFS. I mean, they are over a year old, have 25,000 miles on them, well over a dozen runs at the track, and they are still pretty decent. Has anyone else had luck with them?
Considering how much tires cost and how broke I am, I am hoping they will last for my next 3 journeys, Florida, New Hampshire, and possibly Chicago. Wish me luck :grin:
Considering how much tires cost and how broke I am, I am hoping they will last for my next 3 journeys, Florida, New Hampshire, and possibly Chicago. Wish me luck :grin:
Tooky
Serious about performance
David: I don't have the digital camera, it is my brother's, and my truck is in storage at a remote location so I won't be able to take the pic any time soon. But if you ask the group in the Lounge I'm sure someone will have a photo of the stock SyTy rims without center cap installed..
Neal: I think I may know why your SZ50s are spinning. For 245/50/16 size, the SZ50s have a paltry 7.4" tread width!! The stock Firestone SVX has a 9.1" tread width while the cheap but good Sears Viper HX tire has a 9.35" tread width! So anyways with the SZ50 you are losing 1 and a half INCHES of tread width on each tire, that's 3 full inches less traction in the rear. So I think it may be a factor in my opinion.
Neal: I think I may know why your SZ50s are spinning. For 245/50/16 size, the SZ50s have a paltry 7.4" tread width!! The stock Firestone SVX has a 9.1" tread width while the cheap but good Sears Viper HX tire has a 9.35" tread width! So anyways with the SZ50 you are losing 1 and a half INCHES of tread width on each tire, that's 3 full inches less traction in the rear. So I think it may be a factor in my opinion.
ChiTown all use the Viper brand tires. They are only sold at Sears and NTB. They are their generic brand, but they are the widest 245 on the market. They have excellent grip, excellent wear. They are fabulous. For $100/tire you can't beat it. Don't spend money on more expensive tires that perform the same as these.
75Monte
Member
I run Dunlop SP Sport A2's since I see nastier weather than most, I've only had them a few months but they are unbelievable in the rain and great in the dry (and acceptable in snow). If you are looking for all-season performance, you might consider these. $112 at http://www.tirerack.com
InvisiBill
Active member
SZ50EP specs, just FYI...
InvisiBill
Active member
Anyone got any more info on these Viper tires? I'd rather spend less cash (well, put it into a different part of the truck at least) if I can. But something bothers me about paying half the price to get the "same" tire...
Christian Dionne
Member
Nitto NT450's are awesome for daily driving, and rain performance. I average 1.77 60's, 1.74 best with a stock convertor and turbo. The rears have over 35k miles and look almost new. The fronts were replaced when my alignment went out and I had to do the PST kit. I believe they are around $93 each from DiscountTire.com
HTH,
Christian
HTH,
Christian
Tooky
Serious about performance
The Vipers are available at http://www.sears.com in the Auto section or at any Sears AutoCenter. List price is about $105. Only a few times a year, they have them on sale. Last time I saw was on Thanksgiving it was like $89 a piece. Viper HX are the ones you can see on their website. However, the Syclone guy on here with "1.71 60' on Viper tires" in his sig, he says the Viper ZX is the one to get. I have never seen them listed and he says the salesman will deny they exist but if you can get them they are slightly cheaper than the HX and rated to higher top speed!! The HX is rated to 130 MPH or so which is fine for me and my 126mph speed limiter that I've never hit.
I have not heard any drawbacks to the Viper tires, but I have only heard of their use in reference to drag racing. If you want comments on how they behave for daily driver or highway noise, someone will have to post that.
I have not heard any drawbacks to the Viper tires, but I have only heard of their use in reference to drag racing. If you want comments on how they behave for daily driver or highway noise, someone will have to post that.
InvisiBill
Active member
http://www.sears.com/sr/product/details/productdetails.jsp?prod_id=09535074000&bidsite=null
That's the HX. I just found that and noticed they were H-rated too... And also like Tooky, I was wondering how they are for daily driving, especially at highway speeds...
That's the HX. I just found that and noticed they were H-rated too... And also like Tooky, I was wondering how they are for daily driving, especially at highway speeds...