Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Wheels & Tires Tires? And I know ... it's been asked 1,000 times

Originally posted by JohnnyCanuck:

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Please ... I am looking for ideas because of the price of BFG's in Canada.

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Put about 100 mi. on the SP Sport 5000's so far. Super-quiet and stick better than my old KDW's that had 38K mi. on them . Turn-in is slightly mushier than with the KDW's, but since I went from a 215/50 to a 205/55 (not to mention a summer compound to an all-season compound) I expected that.

Hopefully these won't start to get loud & vibey after 20K mi. like the old KDW's.

Two comments:
I drive in the snow with the KDW's on my SVT. It is FUN to drive. Almost zero forward traction from a stop, (compared to the ZOOM on dry roads) but with patience I can get moving. Once rolling they are ok. And the one BIG important factor is the BFG's STOP in snow at least as good as any cheap all season. (I am an old bag, 38 years of Wisconsin hard driving winters)....
Second thing: I had 3 BIG nails in a KDW (on the rear) and never noticed them untill I was doing some brake bleeding!
The nails went all the way in and two of them were 2" long and thick too. That tire never leaked any air, and the nails had to be in there for a long time 'cuz the heads were worn clean off> and I had been driving around at 130MPH + quite a bit that year. (lucky for me The tire was all worn out too, so I didn't feel bad replacing it.)
WHAT A TIRE!!!!
When they took the tire off I got to see the inside of the tire and the nails were sticking up inside the carcass!!!!

Your best options, all 225/50/16, would be (in order):

Dunlop SP Sport5000
Bridgestone Potenza RE950
Dunlop SP Sport A2

The SP 5000s look like they match your criteria pretty well. Decent snow traction and good dry traction as well.

Well ... decision made and tires bought.

First, thanks to everyone who not only replied on this thread but regularly provide advice in all these forums. Am really glad we all chipped in to have this place survive.

Went with the SP5000's (225-50/16) on an E1 SVT. Haven't driven them really hard yet, but in aggressive city driving, I don't really notice that they are less responsive. It could be because I expected to a lot more and I am pleasantly surprised. They are only at 32psi cold pressure and I will probably take them up to 34 for everyday driving so that should help even more. Can't wait for wet weather (this is Vancouver so it rains a lot) to really see how these tires compared to the KDW's.

Thanks again all!

JohnnyCanuck,

Where did you buy them from and how much did you pay, if you don't mind my asking? I am having the same dilemma with tires (although I don't have to buy until spring).

Volco tires is where I usually go, because they're a big Dunlop store.

My dilemma is 225/50/16 in:
- KDWS ($200 CAD even at 1010tires.com)
- SP Sport 5000 ($175 CAD)
- or just go for the gusto SZ50 EP ($235 CAD) -- I have snows anyway


I look forward to hearing more about your impressions when you've had some more experience with your new Dunlops.

Kerry

Hi Kerry,

The three best quotes I found in Vancouver were:

Country Tireland: $185
Volco: $185
OK Tire: $200

These were installed and balanced.

Suprised that Volco in Victoria would be cheaper ... is that installed and balanced (it's a great price).

Country Tireland were $195 installed and balanced on the KDWS.

JohnnyCanuck,

Thanks for that info. Actually there is no Volco in Victoria, I was quoting Vancouver prices. I think it's $10 for mounting and balancing, so we're talking about the same price for the SP Sport 5000.

I think I'll check out Country Tireland at $195 mounted/balanced. I have always recommended/bought Dunlops, but the KDWS promises KDW-like handling with better noise and wear (and snow) characteristics, so that's cool.

Any way you look at it, it's $900+ for tires. Yikes.

Kerry