Tires, Wheels, & Brakes Discussion about wheels, tires, and brakes for the new MINI.

Anybody running Nitto NeoGen's?

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  #1  
Old 04-15-2009, 01:07 PM
tgs91
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Anybody running Nitto NeoGen's?

These top the charts on the Consumer Reports ratings for UHP All Seasons

Almost afraid to ask as seems everybody has some strong opinions on tires.

So to clairfy-If your running NeoGens I'd like your feedback

Thanks!
 
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Old 04-15-2009, 01:45 PM
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just installed a set of 215/45 17's

I just mounted a set of 215/45 17 a couple of weeks ago and for the price, they were the best deal out there. They were at $90 each at discounttire.com with free shipping, my local tire shop matched that price and recommended them over more expensive ones.

Now, they've been on for about 500 miles, and so far so good. Dry grip and road noise are really improved from the Dunlop runflats. They feel a little bit soft on turn in, but nothing too bad. Maybe the 205's are better in that sense.

My main concern was hydroplaning since we get lot of rain during the summer months. The reviews all said that they are really good, but have not had the chance to try them in rain yet (we are having a dry spell in South Florida). I'm sure they will not be up to the Goodyears GS-D3 on my previous 05, but then again they are almost half the price.
 
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Old 04-15-2009, 07:15 PM
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I have a set that I run as summer tires. I put probably 4000-5000 miles on them last fall before I put the winters on, including a track day and a dragon run.

For daily and regular spirited driving, I like them a lot - they are very quiet, pretty grippy and predictable at the limit. They're not as grippy as some softer compound tires like the Dunlop Z1 Star Specs... the only thing I don't like is that they tend to roll over onto the sidewall under extreme cornering at the limit on the track... sidewalls are not stiff, which probably contributes to their quietness and comfort level,.
 
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Old 04-15-2009, 07:25 PM
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I've got about 25,000 on my set that I use for 3 seasons (all but winter) over the last two years. They are wearing nicely, have been decent and predictable at a track day (Road America) when aired up, still do well in the rain, and have proven to be resilient against the potholes that I encounter. I'm running the 205/50/16 size. I have never driven them in the snow, as the lack of siping makes me doubt their ability to be an "all season" tire that would do well in even light snow. I'd have no hesitation about getting another set when the time comes.
 
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Old 04-15-2009, 08:20 PM
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I've been running Neo Gens; 215/40/18 for about 8 months now. I really like them. Better ride than the 205/45/17 run-flats. They are quite, handle great on wet and dry roads. I'm not a highly spirited driver, but I do get a wild hair every now and then. They hang the curves really well.

Click on my gallery and you can see them.

Saw your post on another thread about the price. $190 to $200 per tire installed is outrageous. You need to shop around some more.

I see you do not have a Discount Tire in your area, but here is an example that I found at Discount Tire in the Nashville, TN area.

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/car...roductId=40217

It may be worth the drive over there to save some money.

Better yet, order them direct from Discount Tire Direct: http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...w=false&cs=215
 

Last edited by wscruiser; 04-15-2009 at 08:45 PM.
  #6  
Old 04-16-2009, 04:02 AM
tgs91
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Thanks Guys. I really appreciate it

wscruiser-I hear ya on the pricing, am finding them much cheaper.

I may have to take a ride cause so far all the St. Louis tire shops don't readily carry Nitto and push other brands. When I bring up using internet tire shop with them doing install they usually will push back that they will not honor any sort of lifetime rotation, which is important to me.

Sounds like I got to play a little hardball with these guys or take that ride you suggest
 
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Old 04-16-2009, 02:08 PM
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Love them so far. Running the 215/45/17s.

I have an all day Rally through Connecticut on Saturday so that will be a great test.

It takes about 400 miles or so to get them up to speed.




 
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Old 04-16-2009, 05:25 PM
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I've been running on a set of Neo Gens for a couple of years now, 205/50/16's. I really like these tires, They've worn very well and I've pushed them pretty hard up in the canyons ! I've also had the chance to experienced them in a wicked rain storm. The tires performed extremely well in really wet conditions ! I found out about them from several club members that run on them as well. 16's, 17's and 18's. They all feel the same as I do, Really a great tire !

Besides my 16's, I also run a set of 18 inch wheels with Pirelli Pzero Nero's mounted on them. It's my intention to get a set of Neo Gens mounted on them when the Pirelli's wear out !
 
  #9  
Old 04-16-2009, 07:59 PM
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Just got 'em on recommendation from Blimey. I'm running 205/50/15 on Konig Rewinds. They are very grippy so far, so much so that I think I need to make some adjustments to my BC coilover dampers up front and maybe put in a little more air. I'm running -1.8 up front an -1.5 in the rear with zero toe all around. 19mm Alta sway set in the middle and M7 USS. The MINI feels a little more darty than normal but it may be due to brand new (one week old) and wider rubber. Cornering is outstanding. I had all four wheels balanced with Hunter Road Force and everything is smooth but when I let the wheel go it drifts to the right a little after about 3 seconds. This may be due to the aggressive tread on the inside edges of the NeoGens. Description from the Nitto site:

The Neo Gen is an all-season ultra high-performance radial specifically engineered for lowered vehicles. Because the inner shoulder is one continuous block, the tread maintains stability on lowered vehicles with higher degrees of negative camber. This stability reduces tread flex and allows the tire to wear evenly. The result is a tire that prolongs performance on lowered vehicles.
 
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Old 04-17-2009, 10:33 AM
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Run in rain almost as good as GS-D3s, last dragon when it rained tire held their grip well, and in Philly rainstorms as well. 215/40-17 paid $98 at some local tire shop. I like that its a bit stiffer sidewalled than GS-D3s.
 

Last edited by howsoonisnow1985; 10-07-2009 at 11:20 PM.
  #11  
Old 04-17-2009, 11:13 AM
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thanks for all the feedback guys

Have a set of 215/35/18's ordered from tires-easy (lowest cost I could find)

Check out the wheels I just ordered as well
http://www.german-wheels.com/produkt...id=54&sdi=true

Now the hard part.... waiting for it to get here!
 
  #12  
Old 09-13-2009, 08:52 AM
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this sure has been helpful been on the fence for weeks now trying to decide what tire to get for the "new" wheels for the MINI and the Neo Gens has been one of the choices. seems they offer exactly that i need
 
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Old 10-01-2009, 11:00 PM
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i've only had the tires for about 200kms (mostly city driving) so here's all i can say about them for now:

* sidewall seems more square compared to GS-D3
* feels softer than GS-D3 on smooth pavement
* almost if not the same feel with GS-D3 on small potholes

want to get at least another 200kms in before i try the tires out on the twisties
 
  #14  
Old 10-01-2009, 11:04 PM
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I'll be running them sometime this afternoon, and I'm taking a trip to Nashvegas with them on. I'm switching from Yoko Paradas. I'll let you know what I think when I get back from Nashville.

Edit: You'll also have to keep in mind that they're stretched, too. (205's on an 8" wide wheel)
 
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Old 10-01-2009, 11:25 PM
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^ looking forward to your review. have a safe drive
 
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Old 10-02-2009, 08:33 AM
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sidewalls??

I'm seriously thinking about pulling the trigger on this tire.How are the sidewalls?I am coming from the star spec(i have milked them of their life 13000 mi).Even with that mileage,I'd drive them over a squishy crap tire.Please tell me the neogens are stiff,stable,no sidewall roll!...thanks
...after reading Blimey's words I have sufficient fears about the sidewall roll....ah crap.
 

Last edited by the platform; 10-02-2009 at 08:43 AM. Reason: revision after reading thread closer
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Old 10-02-2009, 08:55 AM
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I bought a set in the spring and compared to the OEM RunFlats they rock.
Don't have experience with another set of performance (Ultra High or whatever) tires.

Can say that I have driven these tires very hard on twisity backroads and have been very happy. Sidewalls seems stiff, nice traction, etc. Little slide on wet roads but what tires don't. They are predictable. All in all I would recommend em'

Advice-Weigh the price against what ya get. Sure you could find better but these seemed a nice trade off for UHP All Season tires
 
  #18  
Old 10-03-2009, 01:42 AM
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Well, let me start by saying that my expectations for these were high for two reasons: 1. I'm coming from Yoko Paradas, which have by far been the best street performance tire I've used 2. When I actually haptically felt the tread, it felt like a track tire.

Now that you have that preface, here's my review...

Grip is okay. Not as good as the Yoko's, but the Yoko's are also pretty much for summer only (I can attest that they suck below 50 degrees). The sidewalls are pretty beefy. There wasn't much flex on turning, which was a bonus. However, I'm not sure how much of that is due to stretching or not. I haven't used them wet yet, so I'm not sure about they'll perform in the rain, but I expect good things. (Especially given the similar tread pattern to the Paradas.) Road noise and comfort are MUCH better than the Paradas... bonus!

Overall impressions... good tire. Especially for an all season. I'll probably get another set of these for these rims (Yoko's are staying on the TD's for sure).
 
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Old 10-03-2009, 05:50 AM
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Agreed on all points - but I do think some of your sidewall stiffness is due to the stretch.
 

Last edited by BlimeyCabrio; 10-03-2009 at 04:37 PM.
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Old 10-03-2009, 09:57 AM
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Originally Posted by BlimeyCabrio
but I do thing some of your sidewall stiffness is due to the stretch.
Agreed.
 
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Old 10-07-2009, 09:12 PM
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Got to use them in the rain the past couple days... and they're fantastic. Superseded my expectations.
 
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Old 10-08-2009, 04:16 AM
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Yep... I LOVE driving the twisties in the rain on them. Very predictable.
 
  #23  
Old 10-24-2009, 10:41 PM
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Have a set of four of 205-40-18 for 3 years already, they have been good. Now looking for a new set of four, looking @ different brand, but may go back to pick up NeoGen (but for 215-40-18 this time) again due to the low cost.
 
  #24  
Old 10-25-2009, 09:01 AM
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I have a set on my '03 JCW and I have about 1,000 miles on them now and I have mixed feelings so far. When I first put them on I thought they were very squirrelly compared to the Kumo Ecsta ASX I had on before, and they're just a smidge noisey, again compared to the Kumhos. However they track well, turn in is sharp and now with a few miles on them the squirellyness seems greatly reduced.

Overall for the price I think they may turn out to be a good choice, and I think the more agressive tread pattern will work better than the Kumhos which are just OK in the snow. But then we get very little snow here so that's not too big of an issue for me.

I'd love a chance to get them on the track and see how they do, but that season's over for this year, so it may have to wait till spring.

I had Parada Spec II's on this car before the Kumhos and while they were great on the track, they were so noisey that I couldn't stand them on the street.
 
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