TIRES

Where's the best place to get wheels/tires? I'm looking at Tire Rack (had good feedback on these guys), or Discount Tire Direct.

F...@aol.com)

Tire Rack is very recommended!

What is the widest tyre that can fit on a Sentra SE-R?

Carson Hanrahan (s...@trader.com)

With stock suspension and stock offset wheels, a 205 is about the widest.

Does anybody run 205/55R14 tires on stock 5.5" rims? Is this possible, or are the rims too narrow to accomodate the tires?

Wayne Cox (w...@erinet.com)

I've got BFG R1 autocross tires in 205/55 on the stock rim (5.5 x 14). It's not an optimal fit, but BFG's racing dept recommends this size for the car. These tires have a radical sidewall construction, not really comparable to street tires.

A regular tire in that size will be pulled in severely, the wheel won't be able to "control" the shape of the contact patch as well as it should. the handling would probably be better with a smaller tire that the wheel can keep in better contact with the road.

Also, I'm all for the look of wide rubber, but least on the R1s the sidewall pull-in is so extreme it looks kinda silly.

I was wondering first of all if the 205/50/VR15's would fit on
200SX SE-R with stock wheels.

Searl Tate (s...@expersoft.com)

They will easily fit on the OEM wheels for a 200SX SE-R.

What are the advantages and drawbacks of buying the wider tire
vs. the narrower one.

Searl Tate (s...@expersoft.com)

I think the biggest thing to consider is compound choice over size if you are looking for handling performance gains. If you want to change the width or aspect ratio, just beware that you will probably introduce some speedo error. The 205/50s only have a -1.6% difference in diameter- very acceptable. Most people change the size for aesthetic reasons. If you want to do it right, get bigger wheels _and_ tires. Larger, heavier wheels will slow your car down. :)

Here are some popular tire size choices and their corresponding data based on a stock 200SX SE-R. Notice that the stock Sentra wheel/tire combo is 3% smaller than a stock 200SX SE-R with the same gearing. Ryan, did you notice that your Yok AVS 195/45/15s were 3.5% smaller than stock and 6.5% smaller than a 200SX? ;)

Size Sidewall Rad. Dia. Circ. Revs/mile Diff.

195/55-15 4.2 11.7 23.4 73.7 860 0%

195/50-15 3.8 11.3 22.7 71.2 889 -3.3%

205/50-15 4.0 11.5 23.1 72.5 874 -1.6%

205/45-16 3.6 11.6 23.3 73.1 867 -0.8%

195/45-15 3.5 11.0 21.9 68.8 921 -6.5%

185/60-14 4.4 11.4 22.7 71.4 887 -3.0%

Comments about all-seasons tires...

Robert Rood (R...@glerl.noaa.gov)

After reading several articles on tires, I learned that a snow-filled tire is far more effective than one that removes the snow as it spins. That is, snow-on-snow provides the most grip. Traction on mud is different. A tire that can evacuate the tread easily is more effective on wet or muddy conditions. The little "sipes" on tread blocks serve as biting edges, which cumulatively provide more traction. Unfortunately, these sipes cause more flex and subsequent heat build up. That is the reason you do not see sipes on true performance tires--only blocks.

In addition, all season tires are a different compound than true performance tires. At low temperatures, performance tires become very brittle due to the rubber actually becoming glassine. That is why performance tires are poor in winter even when there is no snow on the ground.

From this, then, it appears there is no tire which can do everything well. That is exactly right. All season tires are a trade-off of good dry adhesion with livable wet and snow traction. If you encounter heavy snow frequently--with a long winter season--I would recommend going to a true winter tire. All-season will not serve your needs.

A synopsis of replies to my question on people's experience with 185/60/14 tires....

Rich Saskal (s...@rintintin.Colorado.EDU)

Sumitomo HTR100 - dry grip good, wet decent, wear excellent, cheap
Yokohama A509 - good dry grip, OK wet grip, 20K on first two sets, heading for 30K on the third.
Pirelli P700Z- very good dry grip, good wet (directional)
Dunlop D60 A2-Good both wet and dry
Yokohama AVS intermediate - very good dry grip, not so much in wet
BF Goodrich Comp TA-H4- Good steering feedback, easy to sense limits of traction, really good on the offramps..

For you notherners: what do you recommend for snow tires?

Ken Pratte (k...@jlc.net)

I'm currently running some Eagle GWs and ran with some Pirelli Winter 190s. I would say they are both good. The Blizzaks are supposed to be the cream of the crop for snows, but it comes at a major price on dry roads and for tread life. The Blizzaks are a multicell compound for the first 55% which wears quickly, then it's like the rest of the tires, an all-season compound.

SteveH (S...@aol.com)

I'm currently running Pirelli Winter 190Ps (same tread pattern as the 210P), and I would rate them okay. Not as good as the Haaks, Continentals, or Nokias that I've run, but not as bad as some of the cheapies I've tried (Firestones). They are a little noisier than the other snows I've used, but they also seem better adapted to running on pavement, snow, ice, and rain than others I've used.

The Blizzaks are outstanding on ice and extremely good in snow, but wear out extremely quickly on dry pavement. I figure I can get 2 winters out of a set of snows, but a buddy of mine didn't get a full winter out of them. The "all-season" part of the tread cost him an Audi Coupe too. I've heard the same short life story from several others. They also make your car feel like its cornering on tires made of jello.

Nokia has a new all-season tire that is suppose to be outstanding in the snow. The auto reviewer in the local paper tested some this winter and said that he would choose these as winter snows over several other dedicated snow tires. I might try these next winter.

Haaks are usually outstanding, but I've always found them to be rather noisy. Excellent snow traction comes at a cost. It has been a few years since I've run them, so maybe they've improved.

Anyone know where I can get some autox tires and wheels for cheap?

Steve Peranteau (peranteau_s@A1.nadepni.navy.mil)

The cheapest wheels are the ones you have, assuming you still have stock rims. Great excuse to go and get something snazzy for the street! I don't recall whether you've got a Classic or 200SX, but for the Classic the only 14x5.5 aftermarket rim I know of is the Revolution @ $149 each (18 months ago). The 200SX drivers have it much better. Used stockers are probably your best bet.

For tires, assuming you want dedicated auto-x treads, it goes like this:

BFG R1 - Expen$ive, kings of the parking lot, wear varies tremendously depending on how well you take care of them and how smooth a driver you are. Yokohama 008RSII - Expen$ive, second rate performance these days, better wear than BFG but so what.
Toyo Proxes RA-1 - Expen$ive, second rate performance, but the wear rate is *outstanding*.
Kumho V700 - Expen$ive (I'm beginning to see a pattern emerging here), can challenge BFGs in the right hands, wear is supposed to be better than BFG. I'm getting these next.
Hoosier - Very Expen$ive, very good, supposedly wear like F1 qualifiers. Good if someone else is paying your tire bill. If you can find a road racer or sponsored autoxer who will give away their used rubber, that's the only cheap way I know.

The SE-R FAQ
Maintained by Ronald S. Chong
(r...@umich.edu)