Need new tires asap

[frosty]

I got a flat on the drive home and I need to find tires asap. In a previous thread, it was recommended I get Kumho MX's. On tire rack they are $92, but at discount tire they are ~$200 and not in my car's size.

Where can I get a set of Kumho MX's in my size (205/55 16) for a reasonable price tomorrow morning? If I can't, does anyone know of other good tires that I should be able to find for around $100 per tire?

Thank you.

[froggy47]

I buy tires at Discount for the national magazine prices (plus tax etc) they have all the brands & sizes same as Tire Rack. Try another Discount Tire.

[frosty]

This was online, so their inventory could be different.

I'll call around tomorrow morning and see which ones have Kumho MXs in my size.

What is this national magazine prices thing? Do they meet other people's prices including tire rack?

[froggy47]

Pick up a Car & Driver, Road & Track, the SCCA pub Sportscar, Grassroots Motorsports (One of my favorites).

There is always a Tire Rack AND a Discount Tire multi page ad for "performance" and dot legal race tires. Prices usually within a few bucks of each other. Occasionally one will have a brand (say Hankook) that the other does not, but not very often.

That's your price you demand at the local tire store. Remember EVERYTHING is negotiable ( you may need to corner the manager - not the kid at the register).

Well except cone penalties :( , I wish they were negotiable.

[nik]

Well except cone penalties :( , I wish they were negotiable.

I hear the guy who audits SCNAX results needs 2 new RA1s in 225/50-14;)

[Roostie]

Bear's New/Used Tires in the Miramar area is fantastic. A little hole-in-the-wall shop with much faster service and lower prices than Discount where I had been going.

They literally change in the tires in 15 or 20 minutes. And I got a Tire Rack price on some Kumhos there when Discount wanted oodles more. They move fast and it's fun watching them work.

Bear's is at 858-453-2999. Mention that you are an autocrosser referred by Derek Punch. That's not me, but he's the swell guy in the silver 328i who has spread the word about Bear's and I think he's got sponsorship from them.

[frosty]

Bear's New/Used Tires in the Miramar area is fantastic. A little hole-in-the-wall shop with much faster service and lower prices than Discount where I had been going.

They literally change in the tires in 15 or 20 minutes. And I got a Tire Rack price on some Kumhos there when Discount wanted oodles more. They move fast and it's fun watching them work.

Bear's is at 858-453-2999. Mention that you are an autocrosser referred by Derek Punch. That's not me, but he's the swell guy in the silver 328i who has spread the word about Bear's and I think he's got sponsorship from them.

I'll look into them.

If I buy from Discount Tires, it looks like I'd be getting Falken Ziex ZE-512s ($72). They are all-season tires, which would be good for taking my car up to the mountains. Has anyone heard anything about them?

[Roostie]

That Falken Ziex should be fine. The Kumho MX is more than you need to match up with the kind of OEM tire that I've seen on WRX's. Bear's might have that tire in stock, too. If not, Kumho ASX or other all-season V-rated tires would probably be O.K.

The Kumho MX is a "summer" (no snow) "Max Performance" street tire. Along with the Continental and the Hankook, it's the best bargain in summer Max Performance.

[Mazda_Gremlyn]

The flat was not repairable? Discount Tire does them for free. I didn't know about the magazine prices... I'll thumb through my road and track and look for it now :)

[frosty]

I don't know if it's repairable or not (it was rather dark and I was more concerned about getting home). The flat was a slow leak and there is a ton of wear on the sidewall (the top half of the writing is completely worn off). Plus, I've been debating when I should get new tires and this is sort of an excuse to do so.

I went out and got a Road and Track, and there are Kumho ASX tires in the TireRack ad for $68-80 and Falken Ziex ZE-512 for $72-82 in the DiscountTire ad. I'm thinking of getting the Kumho ones, but I think it's practically a coin flip. I'm also thinking of getting 225/55 instead of 205/55. They should fit my stock body work, right?

I'm planning on going by this Bear's Tire shop and seeing if it's as good as Roostie says it is.

[cshodges]

If it is repairable, it could buy you some time to get the tires you want, instead of the tires that are available today.

[frosty]

The flat was not repairable? Discount Tire does them for free. I didn't know about the magazine prices... I'll thumb through my road and track and look for it now :)

They repaired it, but it's near the inside corner on the right rear tire. He said I couldn't rotate the tires anymore (gasp!). It was like a crack in a tread block, which might mean that those tires simply are not autox capable.

He recommended against he Kumho ASX because the tread has a rounded corner and wouldn't do well in autox.

He recommended FK-451s, and I'm researching now. He was originally saying tha the tires were fine after the repair until I was telling him I wanted to autox him (and mentioned Derek's name), and then he started to think and say that the tires were not good for autox.

[cshodges]

The Kumho ASX is an all-season high-performance tire. It would probably do okay at autox, but not excel. It's my daily driver tire on my G35, and it's great for that.

[frosty]

I'm not so concerned with excelling in autox, just surviving autox (since obviously these didn't).

[frosty]

I'm thinking of getting the Falken FK-451s. They seem to do well in rain. When they come across a set of WRX wheels, I'll get a set of Azenis and when the 451s wear out I'll get all seasons with longer tread life (since I'd like to take my AWD in the snow).

[awesom-o]

I'm thinking of getting the Falken FK-451s. They seem to do well in rain. When they come across a set of WRX wheels, I'll get a set of Azenis and when the 451s wear out I'll get all seasons with longer tread life (since I'd like to take my AWD in the snow).

I had both the FK-451s and Yokohama ES100s on my WRX. Both were good and cost about the same, but I think I liked the Yokohamas better. The Falkens felt a little squirrelly when cruising on the freeway, although they were fine on the track. Just my .02

[frosty]

I ended up getting the FK-451s. If I don't like them, I figure I'll go through them and get another set in a year or so. So far, I am really liking them over my old RE92s.

Thank you all for your input.

[Mazda_Gremlyn]

Look at the Hankook RS2 Z212's, they aren't that expensive and pretty sticky, quite decent for autox.

[froggy47]

I hear the guy who audits SCNAX results needs 2 new RA1s in 225/50-14;)

Cosider it done.

:)