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Decent Tire for price

9

97vulcan

CEG'er
Joined
May 22, 2007
Messages
456
Location
Wisconsin
My 98 SVT is going to need 4 new tires before winter snow, however I can't afford 4 tires right now. Maybe I can afford 4 depending on the price. My 98 is suffering from the tire wear on the inside edge. What is a good tire that can hold up to this, while also at a good price, and good quality? I know I am asking a lot, but hopefully there is a tire out there for me. :)

-Adam
 
I noticed that Nitto was advertising that they have a tire that holds up better to too much negative camber (inside edge wear). A better solution is to install camber/caster kits and get the negative camber under better control.

The tires I have on my car now, the second set, are Dayton Daytona ZR 225/50ZR16. Dayton is a Bridgestone brand. I'm extremely happy with the way they have worn, handle, and look. The entire set, mounted and balanced with lifetime tire rotations was about $450. They work for me, but you will probably continue to suffer with inside edge wear until you fix the mechanical problem that contributed to it.
 
Note:

I had inside edge tire wear on my '99 Mystique that turned out to be a wheel bearing on the way out. There was tire noise, but the typical 9-3, 12-6 test for freeplay did not indicate a problem.

Just thought I throw that out there if you're going through tires...
 
I have no experience with the Dayton tires but like Big Jim I recommend fixing the front suspension problem ASAP. No tire will totally resist this wear problem and it is fixable. It is always cheaper in the long run to fix front suspension problems that buy more tires due to excessive wear.

If you have to put replacement tires on right now with a limited budget you may want to check the used tire market in your area. CSVT size is fairly common. In some places I have seen retail stores that specialize in used tires and provide a limited warranty.

erb13

Big Jim said:
I noticed that Nitto was advertising that they have a tire that holds up better to too much negative camber (inside edge wear). A better solution is to install camber/caster kits and get the negative camber under better control.

The tires I have on my car now, the second set, are Dayton Daytona ZR 225/50ZR16. Dayton is a Bridgestone brand. I'm extremely happy with the way they have worn, handle, and look. The entire set, mounted and balanced with lifetime tire rotations was about $450. They work for me, but you will probably continue to suffer with inside edge wear until you fix the mechanical problem that contributed to it.
Click to expand...
 
Why not just get an allignment and fix the inner-edge wear problem, so you don't have this exact same problem in a year with your brand new tires? :idea: $70 for an allignment makes sense.

Mark
 
The usual problem on our cars for inner edge tire wear is from too much negative camber. Without adding camber kits camber is not adjustable as built from the factory. Setting the toe, the only adjustable alignment angle, will not be enough to correct the problem on most of our cars. That would be $70 wasted.
 
Laura's running Dunlop Direzza DZ101s. I've been very happy with them, and didn't have to spend the ranch, either. $492, from memory, for all four, mounted, balanced, and aligned, with road hazard warranty.
 
fornetti14 said:
Kumho ASX or AST's. Tire Rack has them and I really like them on my '98. I'm running 225/50's on stock E1's.
Click to expand...

I have the Kumho ASX's in 225/50/16. Great in rain, but noisy around bends. They squeel much mor ethan my previous set of Falken ZX-512's in same size. Gotta give the nod to the Falken's, which were about $70 @ from discount tire direct. Just my .02
 
I put some 205/50/15 Falken ze-512 on my car about 10,000 miles ago and I love them.. They got great wet traction and do better on dry. I recently took a road trip and i was able to dig my fingernail into the rubber.. They get warm and sticky but they don't loose alot of life. I paid $216 on ebay from discount tire direct's ebay company... That price is without mounting, balancing and the certificates(just tires).
 
I am trying to stay stock, maybe a little wider, not much though. Where can I get my camber fixed? Is there a kit out there?

Thanks,
Adam
 
They are made by Specialty Products and most any of the better alignment shops have access to them. The front struts need to be removed to install them so labor is a bit intensive. BAT sells them. They are often available on eBay. You need two, one for each side.
 
Big Jim said:
They are made by Specialty Products and most any of the better alignment shops have access to them. The front struts need to be removed to install them so labor is a bit intensive. BAT sells them. They are often available on eBay. You need two, one for each side.
Click to expand...


Big Jim,

If I take the car to a shop, what exactly would I ask for? Any chain shops that you can recommend for this fix? If I understand, once I get the fix, and an alignment, the cars tires will wear normally? :shrug:

Thanks,
Adam
 
Big Jim said:
The usual problem on our cars for inner edge tire wear is from too much negative camber. Without adding camber kits camber is not adjustable as built from the factory. Setting the toe, the only adjustable alignment angle, will not be enough to correct the problem on most of our cars. That would be $70 wasted.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, I didn't realize it was that big of a problem from the factory. I went through two sets of tires on my stock suspension, when I had my SVT. I didn't have any camber issues. I'll agree with the Falken ZE-512's. I had 2 sets on my old SVT, and just put a set on my Lincoln LS last weekend. Awesome tires, especially for the money!

Mark
 
Y2KSVT said:
Hmmm, I didn't realize it was that big of a problem from the factory. I went through two sets of tires on my stock suspension, when I had my SVT. I didn't have any camber issues. I'll agree with the Falken ZE-512's. I had 2 sets on my old SVT, and just put a set on my Lincoln LS last weekend. Awesome tires, especially for the money!

Mark
Click to expand...

Some were more severe than others. The factory "setting" was a bit aggressive toward too much negative camber and if it is more near the outer edge of spec the problem is worse. Mine was one of those. Many SVT owners never had the problem. Others didn't until they lowered their cars, which moves the camber more negative. Occasionally non SVTs had the problem, certainly less often than SVTs, leading me to think that the wider tires influence on the problem.
 
I bought 225/50ZR-16 Kumho Ecsta ASX for approx 260 for a set of four. The $40 rebate they were running covered the shipping. Very happy thus far. I'm in Florida so snow/ice is not an issue. We do get very heavy rains and it handles well in the rain. HTH.
 
97vulcan said:
Big Jim,

If I take the car to a shop, what exactly would I ask for? Any chain shops that you can recommend for this fix? If I understand, once I get the fix, and an alignment, the cars tires will wear normally? :shrug:

Thanks,
Adam
Click to expand...

You need to find a shop with above average knowledge and ability about alignment. That might be a shop that does a lot of work for body shops (but I've seen some turkeys there too). It would be less likely to be tire shop. Ask a few body shops in your area about who does their alignments after frame straightening repairs. Then call the alignment shop and explain what you are after and see if they know what you are talking about. A good shop will tell you they need to inspect the car before jumping into a repair. Tell them that if the negative camber is over 1 degree you want camber kits installed so that you can bring it down. See if they understand what you want. Interview as many as needed until you feel comfortable that they understand your needs and can truly perform what you are after.

My opinion is that you want it down to about .5 degree negative camber. That will wear evenly and still provide some handling benefit.

If there are other worn parts found on their inspection, like tie rod ends, ball joints, or control arm bushings, those need to be fixed too, but keep in mind that just doing so may not fully resolve your inner edge tire wear problem.

The camber kits are made by Specialty Products. The part number is 89675. Instructions for the installation as well as the adjustments are included. Last I knew, the MSRP was about $75.00 each. Offer to obtain the kits for them if needed but if they really know what they are doing they probably are familiar with Specialty Products.

Here is a link to Specialty Products.

http://www.specprod.com/
 
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