Wheel and Tire Upgrades

Tire Upgrades

The single most effective performance upgrade are your Tires!

I've driven on a few different tires now, and I must say that seasonal tires are the BEST. Dedicated snow tires are unbeatable in winter and performance tires are a serious must for anyone with a sports car in Summer.

Falken Azenis ST-115 - 215/50VR17 91V

My first choice for Summer tires was based on reviews of it's performance and ability to run quietly. A hard to find mix, that I found worked out really well with this tire. After installation I notice that the Falken's were much quieter than the stock RSA's while still changing the car's steering response and grip greatly. So much so that I was really amazed how bad the stock Goodyear RSA's really were.

The down side to a Summer tire though, is that it doesn't do so well off warm pavement. The dirt roads were about as bad as the first snow. The Falkens were NOT safe in those environments. After wearing them out for 35,000 miles, I swapped them out for some more winter friendly tires.

Continental ContiExtremeContacts - 215/50WR17 90W
Colorado's heavy snow is all out in the mountains, and I don't go out there enough to justify a dedicated snow tire. So for Winter duties and trips out on the dirt roads, I looked for a good all season tire.

I first chose the Continental ContiExtremeContacts based on the excellent reviews over on Club3G and Tirerack.

My first impressions of the tire were that they were quieter than the worn out Falkens. Still, they were not as quiet as I'd hoped, nor I think as quiet as the stockers were originally. Now that I could live with, but what I could not live with were the tire's miserable sidewalls! They were so soft that it felt like the car was wallowing around on Jell-O. It was unsettling around the first couple of corners. Still, I have to admit that they are wonderful in snow.

When Discount Tire heard of my dislike for the Conti's I bought from them, they offered to trade them out for me.

Yokahama Avid V4s - 215/50VR17 93V
I decided to give the Yokahama Avid V4s a try. I found them to be much more responsive and firm in the corners. A nice improvement in handling. The down side is that they didn't quite grip the snow as well as the Conti's did. But given that these were a quieter and more responsive all season tire, I have to say that I'm happy to have made the change.

Along with the new tires, I also changed out my wheels for a set of stock 2003 Eclipse GT wheels. The spoke design just seemed to fit the car better. When the tires were removed, the two wheels felt like they were the same weight so there was no weight savings. However, these wheels will fit over the Baer big brake upgrade without spacers.

NOTE:  The Yokahama Avid V4s have long since worn out, but the stock 2003 Eclipse GT wheels are available for sale. (9/23/2009)

Gram Light 57S
17x7.5JJ, +40mm offset, 17.5lbs each!

Rays Engineering makes some great wheels. These should make a huge difference in the car's handling.

Toyo Proxes T1-R - 235/45ZR17 97Y
The perfect compliment to my Gram Light 57S , the Toyo Proxes T1-S.

Toyo's Proxes T1-R's have been touted to be better than the old T1-S in grip and ride noise.   We will have to test that review in the mountain twisties!(You can see the width difference in the pictures, just click on the picture to the left.)
NOTE:  The combination was used for 2800 miles before a flat repair put them in basement storage before for last winter. Wonderful handling characteristics, they are mounted and for sale with the car. (Will also sell separately, make an offer.) (9/23/2009)

Rays Gram Light 57S Grey Silver 17x7.5JJ wheels with Toyo Proxes T1-R 235/45ZR17 tires installed.

The combo was surprisingly grippy and quieter than I would have thought. After about 2000 miles on the commute, however, I did find that my mileage went down about 2mpg.

When I had a flat at about 2700 miles the tire was repaired and the set put into the basement for storage. There they stayed through the winter and they have not been on the car since.

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K r o n d o r

Copyright (c) 2005 Krondor's World. All rights reserved.
All other trademarks shown are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective owners.
Revised: Wednesday, September 23, 2009.

Tire Upgrades

The single most effective performance upgrade are your Tires!

I've driven on a few different tires now, and I must say that seasonal tires are the BEST. Dedicated snow tires are unbeatable in winter and performance tires are a serious must for anyone with a sports car in Summer.

	Falken Azenis ST-115 - 215/50VR17 91V My first choice for Summer tires was based on reviews of it's performance and ability to run quietly. A hard to find mix, that I found worked out really well with this tire. After installation I notice that the Falken's were much quieter than the stock RSA's while still changing the car's steering response and grip greatly. So much so that I was really amazed how bad the stock Goodyear RSA's really were.

The down side to a Summer tire though, is that it doesn't do so well off warm pavement. The dirt roads were about as bad as the first snow. The Falkens were NOT safe in those environments. After wearing them out for 35,000 miles, I swapped them out for some more winter friendly tires.

	Continental ContiExtremeContacts - 215/50WR17 90W Colorado's heavy snow is all out in the mountains, and I don't go out there enough to justify a dedicated snow tire. So for Winter duties and trips out on the dirt roads, I looked for a good all season tire. I first chose the Continental ContiExtremeContacts based on the excellent reviews over on Club3G and Tirerack.

	My first impressions of the tire were that they were quieter than the worn out Falkens. Still, they were not as quiet as I'd hoped, nor I think as quiet as the stockers were originally. Now that I could live with, but what I could not live with were the tire's miserable sidewalls! They were so soft that it felt like the car was wallowing around on Jell-O. It was unsettling around the first couple of corners. Still, I have to admit that they are wonderful in snow.

When Discount Tire heard of my dislike for the Conti's I bought from them, they offered to trade them out for me.

	Yokahama Avid V4s - 215/50VR17 93V I decided to give the Yokahama Avid V4s a try. I found them to be much more responsive and firm in the corners. A nice improvement in handling. The down side is that they didn't quite grip the snow as well as the Conti's did. But given that these were a quieter and more responsive all season tire, I have to say that I'm happy to have made the change.

	Along with the new tires, I also changed out my wheels for a set of stock 2003 Eclipse GT wheels. The spoke design just seemed to fit the car better. When the tires were removed, the two wheels felt like they were the same weight so there was no weight savings. However, these wheels will fit over the Baer big brake upgrade without spacers. NOTE: The Yokahama Avid V4s have long since worn out, but the stock 2003 Eclipse GT wheels are available for sale. (9/23/2009)

	Gram Light 57S 17x7.5JJ, +40mm offset, 17.5lbs each! Rays Engineering makes some great wheels. These should make a huge difference in the car's handling.

	Toyo Proxes T1-R - 235/45ZR17 97Y The perfect compliment to my Gram Light 57S , the Toyo Proxes T1-S. Toyo's Proxes T1-R's have been touted to be better than the old T1-S in grip and ride noise. We will have to test that review in the mountain twisties!(You can see the width difference in the pictures, just click on the picture to the left.) NOTE: The combination was used for 2800 miles before a flat repair put them in basement storage before for last winter. Wonderful handling characteristics, they are mounted and for sale with the car. (Will also sell separately, make an offer.) (9/23/2009)

	Rays Gram Light 57S Grey Silver 17x7.5JJ wheels with Toyo Proxes T1-R 235/45ZR17 tires installed.

	The combo was surprisingly grippy and quieter than I would have thought. After about 2000 miles on the commute, however, I did find that my mileage went down about 2mpg.
	When I had a flat at about 2700 miles the tire was repaired and the set put into the basement for storage. There they stayed through the winter and they have not been on the car since.




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K r o n d o r Copyright (c) 2005 Krondor's World. All rights reserved. All other trademarks shown are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Revised: Wednesday, September 23, 2009.