Need tire recommendations for VX

[McPatrick]

If you follow the link I posted earlier in this thread you will see that you can still buy the Kumho 795's at tireandwheelchoices.com. 4 of these in size 155/80/13 cost less then $150 including shipping.
Not saying you should get these perse, but just wanted the info to be available for everybody that you can still get these tires if you like.
VX wheels you can buy for around $150 ex shipping. Sometimes cheaper if you are a little patient and just continue looking on Craigslist. Just type in "vx wheels craigslist" in Google and you can see right now for instance that there are sets of wheels ranging from $150 to $200.
I guess the total would then come to about th same as the wheels you are talking about. Personally I would want the original look (which isn't bad at all) and be able to put nice and 'thin' 13" wheels on it, but if you smile more with those other wheels then maybe you should go for them

[ScrambledEgg]

My bad... the Kumho 795's are available as you point out and are worth looking into (I did follow your link, but when I couldn't get any of the car selections to work - menu lists of make and model were "empty" - I assumed it was an issue with the tire selected). I guess their car selection menus just aren't working???

In any event, the 795's at the size you suggest weigh in at just 13.4 lbs, according to Kumho's spec sheet, which I found here:
http://www.kumhousa.com/tires/passen...s/795/specs.do

That, with a 9.3lb wheel, is just 22.7 lbs of total weight with a narrow tread, LRR and they're cheap... definitely worth considering. Thanks for following up.

[GasSavers_RoadWarrior]

IF you poke around on Kumho's website you'll notice they have a kind of diagram thing that is a product postion metric, and their "Powerstar" tires are way the heck down the economy axis.... I dunno though if that's for cheapness of purchase or what though.

I'm getting frustrated trying to find Kumho dealers in my area though. Only way I can get kumhos at the moment is to buy the Walmart branded ones, the Ulysses ST/Marshal. BTW if anyone knows of a table anywhere that relates the Marshal models to the construction or treadpattern of their Kumho branded tires, I'd like to see that to refer to. I guess there's the possibility that now they've dropped the 795 that that will appear as a "new" Marshal/Walmart line as they use the mold for it.

[Darkelf]

I've been watching this thread with interest as I am in the market for new rubber.

ScrambledEgg: Have you made any final decisions on your tires yet? If so, which and why?

This topic seems to be a popular one but I have rarely ever seen definitive first hand experience or other details on these threads -mostly "I hear these or those are good" or "the specs look good". Thought I'd see if I could glean anything more solid.

I am really interested in the Khumo KR21's, Kumho 795's and the Vredestein Quatrac 2's. I am wanting good traction, low weight, decent wear and reasonably high sidewall pressure ratings (ideally 44psi +). [The Sumi T4's get a crummy traction review, so not for me]

I have looked at Tire Rack and Kumho/Vredestein websites(among others) for info but can't seem to get the full picture on spec's for all tires. And I get conflicting info.

The best info I have is thus: [for 155/80/13]
Kumho KR21's UTQG=640AB 13.56 lbs sidewall=44psi 85K mi warr
Good to great reviews on all-season traction
Kumho 795's UTQG=460AB 13.4 lbs sidewall=35psi 70K mi warr
Good reviews on all-season traction
Vresdestein Quatrac 2's UTQG=250 12.45 lbs sidewall=? 60K warr
Great to super reviews on all season traction. Known LLR tire

The problem is that all this info is unconfirmed, often conflicting and missing. (i.e. sidewall pressure for Quatrac 2)

Does anyone here have any of these tires? Or does anyone have any first hand knowledge of the specs? Please be sure to mention tire size. Do you like them?

[GasSavers_topher]

to the OP:

If I were you I would look into Michelins if they make them in your tire size. They are a bit more costly but offer superior tread life, ultra light weight, and a decent rolling resistance.

You should keep the 14's and just throw some winter tires on them for your long trips.

Just my .02,
Chris

[ScrambledEgg]

No, I haven't made a final decision yet, but *hopefully* will soon, and I will gladly post my firsthand experiences when I do.

My original plan was to switch back to the 13" VX rims and go from there... but now I've been leaning towards getting a new set of 14" rims with summer LRR tires (probably the Kumhos) and keeping the existing 14"s for winter driving (as topher suggests in his post above).

My schedule has been wacked the past couple of weeks between work and election campaign stuff (I live in a very hotly contested part of PA with our primary just a week away... on April 23rd I can start to think about my car again).

[GasSavers_topher]

Plus scrambled egg 14's should be eaiser to find tires for. Not much though but some i'm sure.

If you can't find hx wheels if you don't already know miata wheels will bolt right up to you civic. Some of the newer ones need to be bored out to clear the front wheels but you get the idea.

Not to be noisy but are you running for office?

[gork57]

You are correct that 165/70-13 is the standard tire size for the VX. However, tires are very hard to find in that size, severely limiting your choices. I went to 175/70-13 a long time ago (I have the OEM 13" wheels on my car). The slightly larger size has many more brands to choose from. I recommend the Kumho Solus KR21:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....place=0#Survey

Check out the very high survey ratings this tire gets on the Tire Rack website. We installed a set of these on my wife's 1995 Chevy Cavalier (since gotten rid of in favor of a 2002 Civic EX Coupe); after 15,000 miles there was minimal wear, and the tires performed well in all weather conditions (we live in Aurora,Colorado, a suburb of Denver).