Hello,

I have Rota Slipstream wheels (17"x7.5 +45) and need to replace the Falken Ziex 512 (215/40/17) tires I initially mounted on them. Here's what I'm considering:

Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position (215/50R17)

Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position

Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position (215/45R17)

Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position

General Tire Altimax HP (215/40R17)

General Altimax HP

Continental Tire ContiExtremeContact (215/40ZR17)

Continental ContiExtremeContact

I realize that the sidewall profile of these four selections are all different. That's part of the fun. I want your opinion on relative merits and demerits of higher/lower profile tires.

I did a lot of research on Tire Rack - Your performance experts for tires and wheels and determined that these were the best overall tires of the bunch for their respective sizes, taking into account traction and tread wear characteristics. I don't want to buy tires too often and I'm not a particularly aggressive driver. I am looking for good safe tires which do well in all weather and maintain grip in the wet (and nastier stuff, like snow preferably.)

Having said all that, I would love your opinions about this. Please also add any opinions about tires I didn't mention. I don't know much about this stuff, and if you have real-world experience with these or other tires you love, I'm particularly interested.

Thanks a bundle.

 

Those are some good choices. I dont know really much about all the tires but they are all good brands. Id suggest looking around at the ratings on the car itself and see what everyone else is puting on. And the experience they had with them. I went to discounttiredirect and got a set of nitto neo gens for hella cheap but out of allllll the tires even the expensive ones everyone said in the reviews said that the nittos were the absolute best for everything on the fit.

 

Thanks for the advice. Anyone else? It's a big investment...

 

Now to think about it go with either the bridgestone or the general tire. All the reviews ive seen have been good on those. I have heard much good about continental so i wuld maybe just forget about that one. As far as the size goes its up to you. Either u can get a 50 which is a taller sidewall or a 45 thats a smaller side wall but they both wuld feel nice. Depending on if ur lowered and wanted to see if it wuld hit with a 50 or 45 its up to you. All ive heard is people going for 45 with 17s. I think its the same ratio as the stock tire size so you wont want to go biggetr bec the bigger the tire and wheel the slower it will go. I thought about 17s awhile back but i didnt want to sacrafice the speed ratio so i went with 15s and man do i love it. But ya the decision is up to u.

 

Thanks a bunch for your advice. I'm going to place my order for tires TODAY, so if anyone else has some last minute opinions, please chime in. Thanks a bunch for checking this out.

 

...OH! And one more thing...My current Falken Ziex 512s (215/40/17) actually do rub in the front just a hair...when I'm parking and have the wheel slammed all the way over to one side or the other. Do you guys think that mounting 45s or 50s will rub anytime other than parking? Is it really that much of a difference? Thanks for helping me out.

 

Nobody? Really?

 

Check ebay. They have good prices there.

 

Yes if 40 series rub, 45's and 50's will rub more. Did you tuck your fender lining?

 

Why don't you try 195/40/17 or 205/40/17?