TIRES: Which Brand?

[biglis31]

Hello All,

I just bought new 20in wheels! I have to decide on tires now... So straight to the point, what tire brands are you guys using besides Hankook's?

I'm looking for tires at the same price or cheaper than a set of Hankook's. I want a decent tire that doesn't make too much noise on the road (well not noticeably too much noise). I have a couple brands in mind, but I need your help for information on some of them.

Hankooks Evo 12:
As already mentioned the majority of people on this forum will vouch for these tires, so no need to go into detail. They are a popular brand and I've found many threads on the Hankooks. Can't go wrong with these.

SumiTomo:
Has anyone used or know about this tire brand? When I called about the Hankooks, I asked what would be the next step below and the guy said SumiTomo's are good. He said they use it on a lot of Lexus IS cars. The upside to the SumiTomo is that they are a couple hundred less than the Hankooks. Downside is they are a little louder on the road from what I was told, but how much louder?...How do they feel? Are they noticeably loud?

Winrun Tires:
Any input on these? They go for really cheap. I know I'll get what I pay for but does anyone have any positive/negative feedback on this brand?


I'm not really concerned about longevity of the tire so much. I got a set of 20's so I know the low pro tires will wear out much faster. Now I can go with the Hankooks, but if I can save a couple hundred bucks with SumiTomo's I will. I'm kind of leaning towards the SumiTomo's if no one has any real negative thing to say about them...I can use that extra money for suspension.

Please advise folks!

[Chihuahua]

I've always had good luck with Sumitomos. I used them a few times on my E30, and just mounted a set a week ago to my E60. So far, so good. I never noticed any excessive noise, they grip well, and I was always very happy with how the performed in the wet.

[biglis31]

Originally Posted by Kyle B

I've always had good luck with Sumitomos. I used them a few times on my E30, and just mounted a set a week ago to my E60. So far, so good. I never noticed any excessive noise, they grip well, and I was always very happy with how the performed in the wet.

Thanks for the reply. Your information on the SumiTomo's is great.

How long did they last you on your E30? How did the ride feel? and how much did your new tires run you on your e60?

[Chihuahua]

Originally Posted by biglis31

Thanks for the reply. Your information on the SumiTomo's is great.

How long did they last you on your E30? How did the ride feel? and how much did your new tires run you on your e60?

I used them on the E30 for about 10K miles, they were great. The only reason I took them off at the time was because I had them mounted to 17" SSR wheels and I had scored a set of 16" Alpinas. I sold the 17s.

Four Sumitomos shipped from Tire Rack were less than $400 for my stock 17" wheels on the E60. Ride is much better than it was, although I did swap out my stock suspension for OEM Sport springs/Bilsteins at the same time, so it's hard to say how much difference the tires made. The ones that came off of the car were Michelins that had about 40K on them, so they were pretty shot.

[MADE]

Hello

Interested in the poll, I just brought my E60 and the first thing I noticed was the road noise. IIRC I'm running new Bridgestone RFT's and Continental or Michelin in back. I ran RS-3 Hankook on the track/Street and loved them in but they were on a smaller Nissan. No personal experience with the EVO12's yet.

[biglis31]

Originally Posted by MADE

Hello

Interested in the poll, I just brought my E60 and the first thing I noticed was the road noise. IIRC I'm running new Bridgestone RFT's and Continental or Michelin in back. I ran RS-3 Hankook on the track/Street and loved them in but they were on a smaller Nissan. No personal experience with the EVO12's yet.

From what I've researched the Hankook Evo12's are great. There's no doubt about it that you can't go wrong with them.

But I'd still like to know any other viable, fairly cheaper tires people are running that are similar to the Hankook's. I've seen Michelin to be have high reviews as well, but is the more expensive option. I'm trying to save a little money if possible... the SumiTomo's so far seem to get positive reviews.

Anyone else?

[bagekko]

None of the above, I would go with Falken FK453