Budget priced tires?

I'm going to be needing some new tires pretty soon. I am currently running these in 215 50 15

http://www.vulcantire.com/cgi-bin/tiresearch.cgi?stock=3219&f=ecsta711_t.htm&refad=Froogle3219&kw={keyword}

I can't complain as they were brand new on the car when I bought it.

I've been looking at these

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=Direzza+DZ101&partnum=05VR5DZ101&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

My car is a daily driver that see's no track action. I want something that is grippy enough to keep me entertained on my backroad drives. Snow and other bad weather are not a problem as I live on the coast in cal. What do you guys recommend? Cheaper is better, but I don't want to be a complete cheap ass.

also, my car is a st185 all trac. I wouldn't mind having an all season/winter type tire that performs well on dirt and mud.

those Dunlops didn't fare too well in the tirerack test. try some cooper 2XS if they come in your size. I like'd 'em.

Huh, i just posted about dz101s in a thread on turbo-mopar.com a few days ago..

DZ101s are better than the 711s and are pretty much in the same genre as far as the performance/comfort/etc compromise. I think the dz101 is a better tire than the Ecsta AST which is the 711's successor.

I think if you are ok with the 711s and you get dz101s, you'll be upgrading and you'll be happy.

But, let noone deceive you into thinking they are super high performance tires. They are not. I had some.. coming away from Yoko Avid ES100s on the same wheels/car, it was a letdown.. but those were a more aggressive tire. I didnt know that at the time, as some reviewers were comparing the two. Reviewers dont always know what they are talking about.

As an aside, i wish more tires were available in the 215/50r15 and 215/55r15 that you could get those 711s in.. I roll on a LOT of 15 inch wheels on a variety of cars and those two sizes would both be preferable to the 205/50r15 and 215/60r15 i usually end up with.

I have never owned nor heard of anyone else who owned a set of Dunlops that weren't out of round. If you are sensitive to tire vibration at highway speed, pick something else. After multiple attempts at rebalancing, my tire guy found that 3 of 4 Dunlops had excessive runout. Dunlop makes eggs.

Kumho ASX

Look @ the General Exclaim UHP.

I know, General Tire? yeah, General Tire. Tire Rack has had that tire at or near the top of the their performance group for 3 or 4 years now, and in that time many other tires have fallen away while the Generals still hold up.

I love love love my exclaim uhp's. love.

so anyone have any expereince with falken ze-502?

local tire place has them, and they seem pretty good for the price.

In reply to Vigo:

Good lord. They're worse than the ES100?? That is an absolutely horrible tire. I can't imagine anything being worse

I've run the ASX in years past. Not great, but tolerable. I've been running the SP8000 on my DD since they are stupid cheap right now if you're lucky enough they still have some in the size you need.

I had a set of UHP's when they first came out and I loved them.

Hankook Ventus RS-3

Nice grippy tire (at least on my DD Miata, which does several track days per year)

I had the ES-100s. A bit disappointed with them and pulled them off early to try the Hankooks.

Ian F wrote: I've run the ASX in years past. Not great, but tolerable. I've been running the SP8000 on my DD since they are stupid cheap right now if you're lucky enough they still have some in the size you need.

Recently bought a set of ASXs for the Subaru. They're quiet, but man, the sidewall is just ugly.

I got a good deal on DZ101's that I have on my RX8 now. They're good street tires for the price, but don't expect them to be DZ1 Star Specs.

smog7 wrote: so anyone have any expereince with falken ze-502? local tire place has them, and they seem pretty good for the price.

That's probably Ziex 512. I cannot stand those tires, although those and the 912s seem to somehow get good reviews anyways.

smog7 wrote: I've been looking at these http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=Direzza+DZ101&partnum=05VR5DZ101&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

If you're looking at those, for $9 more a pop look at these:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Fuzion&tireModel=ZRi&partnum=05WR5ZRI&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

or at least while they last, on closeout.

Got them with my TR wheels in the spring when I was driving just like you are. They're awesome for a lower end tire. I'm bummed to see them go.

I would definitely pick the Dunlops over the Fuzions...anyday.

Im usually not the one to make a big deal out of this but..

I am being chided for my opinion of a tire that was already almost ancient when i wrote about it here over a year ago?

Drag this thread up again 5 or 10 MORE years and my opinions (taken out of time context) will seem even MORE ridiculous.

Frankly, anyone who has tried ES100s more recently than me probably shouldnt have.. It was already obsolete (in its category) the last time i drove on one, probably close to 5yrs ago now.

Well, I currently have ES100's on my E30. I didn't get them by choice, the car came with them. I can't wait to be rid of them. Maybe they we a decent tire when new, but I'm guessing that was a long time ago.

My only knowledge of the DZ101 is second hand through a friend that has them. She hates them and can't until they wear out. I suppose both tires are of the same era, so I'd imagine performance would be similar.

This thread originally asked about budget DD tires. I'm not sure the RS-3 is a great choice there.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:

smog7 wrote: so anyone have any expereince with falken ze-502? local tire place has them, and they seem pretty good for the price.

That's probably Ziex 512. I cannot stand those tires, although those and the 912s seem to somehow get good reviews anyways.

I didn't like the 512 either, and took them off before I had 2000 miles on them. They felt floaty. But the 912 had been great. Totally different feel.

Joey

maxxis ma-z1.

Kumho's are generally the best buy for the buck. General's are close. A lot depends on what you want in a tire. Every day driver all season, or something that will stick to the wall.

might I also add, that for a summer tire, general exclaims handle nebraska winters better than most all-seasons I've owned.

I have those Dunlops on my Miata and I have no complaints about them.

1988RedT2 wrote: I have never owned nor heard of anyone else who owned a set of Dunlops that weren't out of round. If you are sensitive to tire vibration at highway speed, pick something else. After multiple attempts at rebalancing, my tire guy found that 3 of 4 Dunlops had excessive runout. Dunlop makes eggs.

My starspecs are round.. no issues at all with vibration (from the tyres or rims)