What tires are best?

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KuroNekko
Posts: 5170
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

bmw&kizzyownr wrote:
And I don't mean to be a contrarian, to go off track, or to preach from a soapbox but: I was fortunate to have visited several dozen countries during my worklife as did my wife. She was in the Foreign Military Sales (FMS for Weapons Systems) field so we traveled often and found shady salesmen/mechanics/businessmen and/or govt/military reps in almost every country we went to. That includes cities in Japan like Atsugi, Nagasaki, Okinawa, Iwakuni, Tokyo, and a host of others. I'm not an expert in anything but I do know that America doesn't have a patent on poor business practices or shady dealings. Don't get me wrong.... I'm a HUGE fan of the Japanese culture as I am of many, many of the other people, cultures, and countries I've visited and/or done business in. But clearly the grass is not as green on the other side as you would be made to believe. The more one travels, I hope one realizes that people are inherently good regardless of what culture or country they come from...with a few exceptions. If you think people are more honest or that life would be better in Japan....I think that's NUTS (term a famous US warrior once used as in "no way"), but good luck. Just my two cents....
There is no perfect culture, but I'd say standards are much higher in Japan. I say this from living there about 15 years and another 15 in the US for a good comparison. I'm sure it's different in the business realm (which is always dirtier than most other realms) but day to day living, Japan has the US beat in things like customer service, honesty, quality, and reliability of products and services. My entire family agrees and my father is an American who has lived in Japan for 30-some years. He's now in the US and had to make a "cultural re-adjustment" on expectations to adjust from the downgrade from living in Japan.

Not only that, I've personally seen Japan at its worst and would rather be there than the US any day for an equivalent disaster. I was in Kobe, Japan for the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake. It was a 6.8 USGS magnitude earthquake that killed over 6,400 people, mostly in my city. Keep in mind Japan is the most earthquake-prepared nation on the planet. Yet, many buildings, highways, and structures collapsed and every single utility was disrupted. Not only that, fires started from ruptured gas lines burned all over the city and some who were trapped in the rumble were burnt alive. The ruin my city was in was something I'll never forget.

However, something else I'll never forget was the collective calm the Japanese had. I recall going to a convenience store that morning after the earthquake (it occurred at 5:46 AM). Even then, the convenience store workers showed up or stayed to work knowing that people would be counting on them for obtaining supplies. We are talking about the equivalent of 7-Eleven workers. Not only that, customers lined up and paid for supplies like water, batteries, face masks, band aids, etc. in the dark given the lights did not work. Merchandise littered the store's floor and some of the ceiling was coming loose. The place was in a total disarray from the massive quake. Yet, no looting, no stealing, no fighting, no chaos. People worked and customers lined up, just like any other day. I will never forget that having seen it with my own eyes.

In the US, it's a different story. Violence, looting, and crime erupts the moment social order is disrupted by some natural disaster or social unrest. Hurricane Katrina is a prime example. The earthquake I went through was arguably 100x worse, yet the people in Japan acted 100x better. The last massive disaster in Japan in March of 2011 yet again exemplified the collective calm of the Japanese. There were even reports of people who lost everything finding other people's safes and returning them to their rightful owners.

All that being said, Japan does have its massive flaws. The business world is known to be dirty and white collar crime and corruption is common, just like the US. In fact, recently, nearly all Japanese automotive electronics parts makers were busted in a price fixing scheme. This included Denso, NGK, Mitsubishi, and some others. The DOJ even prosecuted given they do business in the US.
Whenever I visit Japan, the news is always reporting on some executive getting caught for embezzlement, fraud, or some other white collar crime.
In relation to the 2011 Tsunami, TEPCO is well known now to have hid the fact that radioactive material from Fukushima Daiichi was leaking profusely and they could not contain it. Had they been honest, forthcoming, and asked for assistance, perhaps the situation would have been better contained and the place not a radioactive wasteland as it is now.

Japan also has major issues with its wartime history and relations with much of Asia and its current right-wing jingoist politicians are making things worse. PM Abe seeks to rearm Japan and even start selling weapons which are currently unconstitutional according to the post-war Japanese constitution. He wants to change Japan from a pacifist nation to a military rival to China and also a global weapons dealer. You can imagine that many Japanese are unhappy, including many like my grandparents who lived through WWII and worked to make Japan what it is today.
Not only that, faltering relations with China and Korea are hurting Japanese businesses there and making them less successful.

So in essence, there are always good and bad sides to everything and everyone. However, for things like customer service and the quality of work, I'd take Japan any day over the US. I say that from living there half my life. That being said, the place is far from perfect and there are many benefits to living in the US (hence, I'm here).
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
bmw&kizzyownr
Posts: 58
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2014 2:11 am

OK, I'll keep my comments on this post to "What tires are best". I also like the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3s because as one poster already commented about: they fill the 18" rims and actually scuff if you cut corners (as I do) and scrape the curbs. Would rather I scuff my tires than do damage to my rims.

With that said, my opinions relating to Japan/USA will be posted in a new link in the Random/Rant and General Car Talk forum where I should have posted my first 'comments' on the subject. I admonish myself for not following the established rules & protocols. Happy motoring!
bootymac
Posts: 1602
Joined: Fri Jul 19, 2013 1:04 am

I can move the discussion to "Which race is the best" but let me get my popcorn ready ;)
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KuroNekko
Posts: 5170
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bmw&kizzyownr wrote:OK, I'll keep my comments on this post to "What tires are best". I also like the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3s because as one poster already commented about: they fill the 18" rims and actually scuff if you cut corners (as I do) and scrape the curbs. Would rather I scuff my tires than do damage to my rims.

With that said, my opinions relating to Japan/USA will be posted in a new link in the Random/Rant and General Car Talk forum where I should have posted my first 'comments' on the subject. I admonish myself for not following the established rules & protocols. Happy motoring!
Agreed with the sidewall of the Michelins. I like that they are extended out from the wheel to protect it from curb rash. After all, in most cases, you curb the wheel while parking so the car is moving at low speeds. In most cases, it won't damage the rubber of the tire much but if it hits the wheel, it will permanently damage it with scratches. For city drivers like myself who have to often parallel park in tight spaces, I think this tire design is very welcome.

Overall, I've very happy with these Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 tires. Hopefully they grip light snow decently and will last a long time.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
KansasKid
Posts: 428
Joined: Sun Mar 31, 2013 2:19 am
Location: Kansas City, Kansas

Speaking of Michelin Sport A/S 3's, I just put in an order for a set yesterday. I'm a fan of the NTB a couple of miles from my house because they were the only tire place I could find that would plug-n-patch a bizarre puncture in one of my old OEM tires. I went to their website to see if I could find out how much they were going to charge for installation, and on their home page they were promoting a big sale: "Buy 2 Get 2*". I'm drawing attention to the asterisk because in order to take part in the promotion, you have to get NTB's "Value Installation" package with your tires. Includes a really expensive alignment ($124-ish!?!), road hazard stuff, and free flat repair/rotate/balance for the life of the tires. The catch is that the cost of the "value installation" package is about the cost of the other two tires.

For the past two weeks I've been working with the aid of yoshi2012 to try and procure a set of Nokian WR G3's, but after a lot of investigation, I found out that the nearest dealer of Nokians in the KC area is 2 hours away, and that ordering them online was going to be $1000+. Obviously, I was hesitant to spend 5+ hours getting my tires changed, and was trying to be as frugal as possible in my search.

I figured I'd give NTB a shot and the only minor issue was that the NTB website was being f-ing stupid Thursday, and not letting me see which tires were eligible for the "Buy 2 Get 2" promotion. So when I called the store that patched my old tire Thursday, I found out no winter tires were included in the promotion, which really bummed me out. After 24 hours of stoic contemplation, I decided to give NTB another shot, and see what tires were actually part of the promotion. I called the guy back and his first suggestion was the Michelin Sport A/S 3's, but he did announce they were pricey and proceeded to give me a couple of cheaper options.

The thing that surprised me was that the Michelin Sport A/S 3 tires were almost the exact same price as the Nokian tires I was hoping to acquire, somewhere in the neighborhood of $207/tire. I was also surprised at the relative similarity of the tires. The WR G3's and Sport A/S 3's have almost identical UTQG ratings at 500/A/A and 500/AA/A, respectively. So while the Michelins lose some winter performance compared to the WR G3's, they should be getting better dry/wet performance which I'm comfortable with since it doesn't snow all that much in KC, unlike Colorado, where yoshi is from, or Buffalo, which decided to be nature's bitch and get 6 feet of snow apparently.

So I put in the order for the Michelin tires Friday and will be getting them installed Sunday morning. The cost of the 2 tires is going to be approx. $414 and the grand total with the promotion should be $860-ish. While that's basically the cost of just getting 4 tires anyways, the total cost includes tax and installation, and I'm also getting an alignment job that comes with a 1 year warranty included (which Azumi needs). The best value in my mind though is the free tire rotation, balancing, and flat repair for the life of the tires, since I don't have the facilities or equipment to do handle those my self in a safe and efficient manner.

I'll keep the group posted with my thoughts after I get them put on tomorrow, and probably have some pictures as well. But judging by the critical acclaim of some of the other posters, I'm looking forward to the Michelin's. Here's a VERY brief article about some tires that others may want to consider. Michelin Sport A/S 3's won the All Season category. Notice the Nokian WR G3's are listed under "Winter Tires" but they are technically a "Winter-Rated All-Season" tire. You're supposed to be able to drive them in snowy Canada, or sunny Florida, and have excellent traction and handling regardless of which climate you're in.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news ... /index.htm
My Cars (Their Names)
'93 Ford Escort (Jorge - Prior)
'06 Kia Optima EX (Sakuya - Prior)
'11 Suzuki Kizashi SE AWD (Azumi)
'09 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Base 5MT(Akari - Prior)
'11 Chevy Cruze Eco 6MT (Erika - Prior)
'12 Suzuki Kizashi Sport SLS AWD (Kitsune)
TB16
Posts: 35
Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2020 6:57 pm

Hi fellow kizashi owners/experts, has anyone experienced severe tyre wear out only on the rear tyres?

I changed my tyres at 30k KM (18.5k Miles) in Apr'21. Right now at 62k KM (38.5k Miles), both my rear tyres are almost bald whereas my front tyres are good for another 20k KM (12.5k Miles). I have a CNG tank in my boot (75KGs/165 Lbs when full). Could that be the reason for this abnormal behavior or am i missing something?

I'm currently on my 2nd set of tyres which are Goodyear triple max 2 (215/55 R17). The car came with yokohamas from the factory which i changed last year as they were about 10 years old. Although they had a good amount of tread still left but because of the age i changed them.

Very confusing since i dont feel any difference when I'm driving the car. I'm attaching the pictures of the Rear and Front Left tyres. The tyre wear out is absolutely even across the surface of both the Rear tyres.
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old tech
Posts: 705
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2018 1:51 pm
Location: n/w pennsysvania

Both front and rear may both be Goodyear brand but not the same exact model tire. The tread pattern is different. What is the tread wear rating on sidewall on front compared to rear? Are you sure both pairs were purchased at the same time? All tires have a manufacture date on them. A quick internet search will inform you on how to read that code. How old are they respectively? If in good alignment,The rears should outlast by almost half tread if not rotated as they should be.
TB16
Posts: 35
Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2020 6:57 pm

Yes, i also observed that the tread pattern is different although all 4 tyres show the same brand 'goodyear triplemax 2'. Only 1 tyre tread is different, rest 3 are the same. But that doesn't solve the problem as both the rear are of same pattern and are gone (as show in picture). Is there something as rear tyre alignment also which might be wrongly set?
old tech
Posts: 705
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2018 1:51 pm
Location: n/w pennsysvania

As these cars age, the rear alignment tends to become a problem. The vehicle naturally settles with rear toe going out, wearing tire tread on the inside . This is supposed to be handled easily with a 4 wheel alignment although rust prone areas like mine, customers usually get the "you need some expensive parts replace before car can be aligned" message. I have been successful at forcing the adjusters and setting toe. See cheap fix tire wear in technical. your wear appears even across tread . Your may be fine but I would check it. Your one tire may be on backwards making it appear different.
SamirD
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Joined: Thu Dec 05, 2013 4:07 pm
Location: HSV and SFO
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TB16 wrote: Sun Jul 24, 2022 11:38 am Hi fellow kizashi owners/experts, has anyone experienced severe tyre wear out only on the rear tyres?

I changed my tyres at 30k KM (18.5k Miles) in Apr'21. Right now at 62k KM (38.5k Miles), both my rear tyres are almost bald whereas my front tyres are good for another 20k KM (12.5k Miles). I have a CNG tank in my boot (75KGs/165 Lbs when full). Could that be the reason for this abnormal behavior or am i missing something?

I'm currently on my 2nd set of tyres which are Goodyear triple max 2 (215/55 R17). The car came with yokohamas from the factory which i changed last year as they were about 10 years old. Although they had a good amount of tread still left but because of the age i changed them.

Very confusing since i dont feel any difference when I'm driving the car. I'm attaching the pictures of the Rear and Front Left tyres. The tyre wear out is absolutely even across the surface of both the Rear tyres.
Where exactly are you? And why do you have a cng tank in the rear?
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