lighter weight tires...

[carbonkid]

Just wondering if anyone has ever looked into this for their MSP? I have 18" Enkei RPF1s (~17lbs) and Rays lightweight lugnuts, so I thought I would continue with this theme while I was at it...

I have heard tirerack, tires.com, etc actually know the tire weights if you ask them. So I am just curious if anyone has ever been interested in this...or is it just me? And if so, is there a drastic range in weight of similiar sized tires? Those that have looked into it...any info on what you found near the lighter end?

[livelyjay]

Tires made to compete in auto-x street touring category will usually be heavier than others. Falken Rt615 and Hankook Z212 having a lot stiffer sidewall therefore weigh a bit more. The handling trade off is well worth it. EdgeRacing.com doesn't sell a wide range of tires, but they do list tire weights for most if not all of the tires they sell.

[moxnix]

If you go to the specs page on tirerack for the tires you are interested in they list the weights there.

Without knowing what type of tires you are looking for besides round and black I can't give you any real options on what tires to look at.

[carbonkid]

thank you both.

I am looking for a z-rated (duh) daily street use tire with a higher treadwear rating. As such, being sticky is not a concern at all.

[livelyjay]

I think the Falken Ziex Ze 512 are W rated and I believe are the lightest you can get in stock size at 19.8 lbs a piece (<- Wrong, General UHP are lighter). Don't forget that Z rated isn't the best anymore. W and Y are the way to go now.

If you live in the eastern part of the US I would suggest visiting vulcantire.com. They specialize in Kumho and Falken tires and they ship out of PA. I usually get my tires in two days.

Tire/Weight in stock size
Kumho Ecsta AST/22
Falken Ziex Ze 512/19.8
General Exclaim UHP/18
Kumho Ecsta ASX/21
Continental ContiExtremeContact/20
Yokohama AVID H4S/23

That will give you a general idea on stock sized tire weights.

[carbonkid]

livejay,
I remember reading about W, but have had Z stuck in my head from years of repetition. haha.

Looks like I will take a close look at the 512s when I get home. Thanks, man!

[xelderx]

I like the 512s as well. They have excellent wet grip and decent dry. The only real downside is the soft sidewall. It does make them ride very smooth though.

[livelyjay]

Too bad they are getting replaced by another tire. The 512s will cease to exist in 2008.

[livelyjay]

The Falken 512 is being replaced by the Falken 912 (http://edgeracing.com/tire/5564/)

[moxnix]

I was not impressed with the Ziex 512. I did not think they lasted nearly as long as they should have given their rating. I also never felt comfortable driving them in the wet.

[livelyjay]

I was not impressed with the Ziex 512. I did not think they lasted nearly as long as they should have given their rating. I also never felt comfortable driving them in the wet.
I remember you .... I miss the CDC events

I beat the crap out of my 512s and I do agree they don't last the 40k miles they are supposed to (tires.com reports these only last 30k, which is about on par with what I have seen). They should be rated around a 300 or 320 instead of a 360. The new 912s are rated to 40k miles. I am tempted to try out the Kumho AST since they are rated at 400. The cool thing is the Kumho AST is $9 cheaper per tire.

[xelderx]

I was not impressed with the Ziex 512. I did not think they lasted nearly as long as they should have given their rating. I also never felt comfortable driving them in the wet.

Really? Could just be very car/setup dependent then. I have them on my older stationwagon and they work great. My friend uses them on his turbo Miata for street tires and they feel fine.