I have no idea what tire sizes and compatibility are all about. All I know is that I'm pretty much settled on the Konig Feather wheels.

What are some decent road tires that will fit these wheels?

I live in SoCal so I'm not worried about rain, winter, or weather in general. I'd like something quite obviously and semi-comfortable. I do like to go around corners pretty quickly so something with decent traction is pretty necessary.

I plan on lowering my R56N about 1.4" in the future and I'd like to add 5-10mm wheel spacers probably on the rear wheels.

I'd like to stick to around $400 if possible.

Thanks for any help!

 

I bought a set of Kumho LE Sport (205-45/17 - stock size for that wheel) and have been very happy with them. They are summer only, no problem here in San Diego. IIRC, $84 ea. at TireRack with a $50 rebate on top of that.

 

Thanks, are these the ones you're talking about?
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....um=045YR7ELEXL

One of the reviews mentions that he lost 5mpg because of them? How is that possible?


What about these ones? The specs say they should last a lot longer and they're only $10 more per tire.
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...5&rd=17&cs=205

 

I have a set of Conti Extreme DW which are a good wet dry mix. I use them on the track for wet days and street driving. I went to 215's. I have the same rims for my track set up. I run 215 Nitto NT01's on them at the track. Sticky and lots of track days as the light MINI can only get them so hot in the Pacific North West. When hot they are only at the low end of there operating temp. If I push them harder I just cook the brakes. Have Carbo Tech X-10's up front and they melt when you stand on them. Barely streetable as it is. They are loud.

 

Personally, I wouldn't put an H rated tire on a car that can reach 140+ MPH. V or better. So the Kumho LE Sports would be better on that alone. As for losing 5 MPG just by changing to them, I have to doubt it, unless the reviewer changed from a much less sticky tire and drove the car much harder as a result.

 

Good catch, I didn't notice the lower speed rating although the fastest I've ever driven the car was 123 out in the desert. Typical peak speed for me is around 105 on the freeways if I'm just messing around and then it doesn't last too long since I'm afraid of getting a huge ticket.

There are so many choices... The Kumho LE Sports do look pretty decent.

 

Ironically, the ASTs were the tires I had before I got the LEs! I think they're good, but I like the LEs better. I'm not too concerned about tread life.

 

Kumho Ecsta LE is one of the best kept secrets in value performance tires. It did surprisingly well, over a very popular tire in our testing.

 

Thanks for the recommendations guys. I know I've been told what tire size to use but I want to know why that size will fit. How do you know the width of the wheel and all of that?

 

The 205 will mount from 6.5 -7.5". The 215 will mount from 7-8". The choice on the size is based on the wheel width, offset, and spacer you will be using.

 

Cool, thanks!

So I could also put 215 on the feathers since they're 7" right?

Does a wheel spacer affect the tire size?

 

I was probably going to get the Sumitomo HTR Z III in a 215/45ZR-17 but my wheel dealer does not sell the brand. I was going to go with them since tirerack suggests them over the Kuhmos.

So now I'm looking at getting some Falken FK 452 in a 215/45R-17. These seem like nice tires and I can get them from the same dealer as the wheels and they seem like they might be quieter and better performing than the Kumhos and Sumitomos. Does anyone have anything bad to say about them? Most customers seem pretty happy and as long as I get around 20k mi out of them I'm not too awfully worried about treadlife.

It looks like I should be able to get the wheels and Falken tires for $1k mounted, balanced, and shipped. Although I'm probably going to have to have them unmounted and have my TPMS switched over to the new wheels.