Need sound advice on TIRE UPGRADE!

[VXNIT]

ok, my 01 VX is in need of some new soles on its shoes, only got 25K on her but need to know widest stance, and tallest tire I can use on my stock OEM 18 inch rims, which I hate by the way ****ing chrome rims suck...I don't off road it except on beach here in Daytona so can use any insight from the masses. Thanks

[Raque Thomas]

275's are the recommended max width on the stock rims, though several people (me included) are using 285's. Max height? depends on your goals - do you want the speedo to be close to accurate? If so, 285/55's are best - a lot of people have also used 60's, which are about 1" taller IIRC, with no problems.

If you don't care about speedo accuracy/gearing, then it comes down to how much cladding trimming you want to do. Someone here with experience in that department will chime in to help, I'm sure.

The 285/60 or 55's look like what should have been on the VX from the factory. They extend out to the edges of the wheel wells, and from the back or front give it a much sportier stance. The ride with these wider tires is rougher, and the VX tends to follow ruts in the road. While those two side effects could be related to my choice of tires (Scorpion Zero's), I've heard others mention the rut problem with other brands. Neither are a big problem IMO, and definately worth the trade-off for the much improved looks.

[VXNIT]

Thanks for input. Don't want to trim any cladding so really want max width, and height without trimming..Thanks

[Child's Play]

I've got 275/55 R18's on and I really like them. They don't "bulge" out to much from the side of the rim and I didn't have to trim any cladding. The tires areToyo Proxes S/T's and you can find them at https://www.tiresavings.com/index.php. Just put the tire size (275/55 R18) and they will come up. Take a look at my gallery, I beleive there are a couple of pics. in there.

Adam

[Beavertractors]

I bought BF Goodrich long trail TA's from Tire rack this week..$58 a piece 265 60 18..( I checked Today they are still on sale) Getting them mounted tomorrow morning.. The shop I had them sent to called today, all upset, asking me if I was sure they were going to fit??I searched thru the site and read that all I have to trim is a small amount..I will try to post photos..Tony B

[tomdietrying]

I just bought some new shoes. It sounds like my driving is a lot like yours. I went with Yokohama AVT 285/60/18. There was no trimming required. It's a forward aggressive looking design that seems to fit the VX perfectly. As a matter of fact, Wormgod, has a picture with them on his VX. It's labeled "Most Viewed Photo" and is 4 boxes down from the upper right corner.

Peace.
Tom

[drdavidr4u]

Just had to chime in...

Love my tire upgrade...went for the more agressive looking tires...nitto grapplers in 285 60 18 I believe....cost about 175/tire and was worth every penny!!!

I love how my VX looks....most agressive thing on the road now!
Handles great, was fine in the snow...no floating noticed....slight road noise not too bad though...WIN WIN deal!!! fills in the wheel well like it was meant to ...why they didnt put these on to begin with I'll never know!

check out the comparison...stock vs nittos!!

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=5639&cat=500&page=1

[SilverBullet75]

I love my 255-70-16 GoodYear Wrangler MT/R's! They are a very agressive tire. The noise level is not bad, and the off-road ability is wonderful! Only complaint: Pavement emergency braking/maneuvers make me a little nervous. Low Traction and easy lock-up are issues. But, I'm hard headed and love the tires anyway! LOL! (Just makes me a more careful/strategic driver).

[VXNIT]

Seeking new shoes, noticed after housrs of searching site threads that Nitto Grapplers are the prederred tire upgrade. QUESTIONs.
1. For my stock 18 inch 01 VX rims, will the Grappler 285/60/18 require any trimming? I do not want to trim anything on cladding.
2. Will 285/55/18 fit with no trimming?
3. Will 285/60/18 change speedo?
Thanks all.....

[Beavertractors]

I had my tires mounted today.You do not have to trim for 265-60-18..2 inches away from front cladding corner.They fill the wheel wells nice.Looks like it should have come with this size,maybe a little more offset on the wheels would look a little bit better. Total price with shipping, mounting,balancing,tire disposal,NY sales tax--$403.24 smooth ride and good looks-- Priceless :rolleyes:Just in case they are still on sale at Tire Rack

[Raque Thomas]

The 285/55's are 2.6% too slow - when the speedo reads 60, you are actually going 61.6mph. The stock tire diameter is 29.6", these are 30.3". The 285/60's are 6.4% too slow - when the speedo reads 60, you are actually going 63.8mph. These tires are 31.5" in diameter. Check this site for more info:
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

[tomdietrying]

Yep, the 285/60/18 changed my speedometer about 4.5 miles at 40 mph. Which means when my speedometer says 40 mph. I'm really traveling about 44-45 mph.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the Nitto 285/60/18s require just a bit of trimming. They are just a hair bigger than the Yokohama AVT 285/60/18s which require no trimming.

Peace.
Tom

[Moncha]

There's the Miata tire calculator and a couple of other ones listed in the Web Links Section

[Triathlete]

I bought BF Goodrich long trail TA's from Tire rack this week..$58
I believe these are the same tires VXCaver is running. They wear really quickly. His are close to 0 tread after only 25000 miles. They also didn't perform to well off road other than dirt roads!

[Moncha]

NOW you tell him!! :right:

[Beavertractors]

:confused:My stock Brigstones were worn out at 32,000 and had dry rot. I have been using the BF Long trails for a few years,(good price at Sams club) I have a set on my 97 Wrangler 30 9.50 15 50-60,000 miles and at least another 10,000 left. :) they are real noisy,but thats what the 500 watts and subs are for.. I had a set on my Caddy and Chevy Pu no problems,...I run 3or4 cars I can't spend 700 on tires. Tony B

[LITTLELAURIE]

I just thought I'd add my two cents......I just bought new Yokohama AVS tires, size, 285/70/16's. They fit great,(with a bit of trimming), and fill up the wheel well nicely and they give my VX that desirable bulldog stance! I think the Yoko's are the perfect summer time tire!

[Moncha]

I've had my Yokes for 2 seasons now, they suck in snow but are a major blast on dry pavement! I even ran them in Moab last year and a lot of folks were very impressed at their grip on the rock... I run 255/55/R18 and they do fill up the wells and look perfect with the vehicle.

Hells Gate in Moab with Yokes.
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/561/thumbs/4moncha_hells_gate_eiji.jpg (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/561/4moncha_hells_gate_eiji.jpg) http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/561/thumbs/4moncha_hells_gate_eiji_2.jpg (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/561/4moncha_hells_gate_eiji_2.jpg)

[VXNIT]

Seek new tires for 01 Kaiser, 18's stock rims. Want widest and tallest tire that will NOT require trimming to cladding or any suspension mods, just mount and go. Drive mainly on road but alot on sandy beach. Please advise. Thanks

[Kenny]

I'd recommend not being too dead set against trimming. If you find tires you like and they're border line on size, the amount of trimming is literally insignificant (a tiny 1" triangle in an un-noticeable location). With an angle grinder or dremel with a cutting blade, it will take all of 5 minutes and no one but us would notice, and that would take a very hard look. Good luck.

[Cobrajet]

I ran the Pirelli Scorpion Zero 285/55/18 on the stock rims, and they definitely require NO trimming. I just recently downsized to Kumho Ecsta STX 265/60/18 for two reasons. 265 is in the recommended width range for a 7" rim, and I really didn't like the way the 285 felt. They LOOKED great, but the handling just seemed off. Maybe they ARE too wide for the 7" rim. Maybe it's just the nature of the Scorpions. The Original Bridgestones had 35K miles on them when I replaced them and felt better than the Scorpions, which were garbage at 28K, and most of that was highway miles. I have no complaints with the Kumhos (yet.) I feel more comfortable throwing the VX into a corner with the Khumos than I ever did with the Scorpions. New shoes are nice!

[psychos2]

if you do not want to trim or have the speedo off then go with stock tire size. or go a little wider with stock height.here is a pic with the small amount of trimming. shawn

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/64dsc00066.jpg (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/64dsc00066.jpg)

[videoboy]

hello all,

i seriously need some new tires. i have the '99 stock rims. 33k on the oem tires

are these the ones that require cladding trimming ?

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=AVS+S%2FT&vehicleSearch=true&partnum=47HR6AVSST&fromCompare1=yes

any advice ? aggressive street/hway driving only...no offroad (not on purpose anyway)

want them to look cool, of course, and not cost too much

i value this boards opinion

thanks!

stephen
nashville,tn

[Tone]

Kumho Ecstas are under $100 ea and are H or V speed rated depending on size. Hankook also makes some good but inexpensive tires.

[Ldub]

I agree with Tone, I put Hankook Ventus on mine this spring & like them a lot.
I really have to throw it into a turn HARD to get any tire noise at all...great traction & a pretty smooth ride for twentys.http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/1063tire_hankook_152_whlsl_tire.gif (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/1063tire_hankook_152_whlsl_tire.gif)

[Ron Pfeiffer]

VXNIT,

Just chiming in here with my two cents - don't be put off by the trimming thing. I am running Terragrapplers, and LOVE 'em. Got over 20,000 miles on them, and they still look brand new. So far, haven't failed me in snow, ice, sleet, rain, or mud. Don't have any experience with sand, but they should be fine there too, I would imagine.

The trimming took all of ten minutes, and you can't even see it from outside the wheel well. Even from inside the well, you wouldn't know it had been done without before-n-after pics. I have images in my gallery of the cuts and the piece I cut off if you want to see how easy/minor an operation it was:

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=3926

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=3927

If 'grapplers are appealing to you, don't let the trimming stop you. Good luck!

-Ron

[VXNIT]

tomdietrying, Can I get a pic posted or email me with those tires?? Thanks

[Joe_Black]

I'm running the Kumho Ecsta STX on the Dragon right now in 18" and I'm a full-on Kumho convert now. After being a die-hard tire snob for 20+ years I'm thoroughly impressed! A fantastic street tire at a great price.

[Triathlete]

On the street I am running my beat and worn out BFG AT's (265/75/16's). Offroad (and on-road to the trails) I am now running Goodyear MTR's in the same size. I have to say the MTR's are much better offroad than the AT's. In Moab they performed awesomely...on some obstacles out allowing me to ease up stuff that much better built vehicles had problems doing (either that or I was just a superior driver :bwgy: ) They are a bit louder on the road than the AT's and if driven daily would probably wear faster though. If stock height some slight trimming may be required.