Blindeye_03

So currently on the 04 tsx I have (just purchased) I have Riken Raptors in 215/50/17 and the fronts are nearly bald while the rears have a good bit of tread left. Ive never used these tires before, and I can only assume they didnt get rotated enough.

Also on the highway the car likes to wander around a bit which to me feels like the tires causing that. Its been awhile since I have had a car with tall tires, my last car was an s2000 and before that was a mazdaspeed3.

Im looking at the pirelli pzero nero because I had them on my 2003 civic si. I went through 2 or 3 sets on that car and liked them. What other tire should I consider if I am looking for something thats all season yet I want a high performance tire?

The other thing I am looking at is size. I want to get something with a smaller sidewall for the stock wheels if possible but I also want to stay away from having a speedo error if possible. 215/50/17 or 225/50/17. 225/45/17 seems too small and will have my car showing more wheel gap than it already does. I dont have suspension or another set of wheels in my budget. Im already fixing other things with the car. I wouldnt mind the 50 profile tire, I just am afraid of having something soft that will roll over so much.

I dont know, someone talk sense to me.

Simba91102

I'll leave tire recommendations to others (though you'll more likely get suggestions to do a search, since this question has been asked a thousand times). My suggestion is to study the Tire Rack survey results to find what you're looking for. The tire gap is a fact of life with the TSX, that's why lowering these cars is so popular (relatively). To be blunt, you really can't do what you want to do. You have one big problem with changing the tire size too much, and that is that the OE wheel is only 7" wide. That's really too narrow for either of the other sizes you mention. And the 225/45x17 is even shorter than the OE size tire (hence even more of a gap). To maintain the same tire diameter, you'd have to go to a 235/45x17. Without going to a wider wheel, you're pretty much limited to the OE size tire (unless you move to a higher profile, which will give you even more sidewall).

Your drifting problem on the highway could be caused by a number of things, including bald front tires. First, realize that you're not the first to complain about the tendency of the TSX to have a little trouble with on center stability. I've never really noticed it (and I've done a ton of highway miles in these cars), but others have mentioned it here. I'm of the opinion that some particular tire models are more susceptible to it than others, bald or not. So, since you're planning on replacing the tires anyway, I'd suggest waiting to diagnose that further (the highway wander) until you get new tires and see if that cures it.

When the TSX was introduced, the OE tire size (215/50x17) was not a popular one, so aftermarket choices were few. That's not the case now, and there is a pretty wide variety of tires available. You can't really do anything about the tire gap without lowering the car, so I'd suggest just looking for a tire that will have the features you're looking for.

Blindeye_03

Ill take another look at stock size tires.

My fronts ARE pretty low on tread, I havent had the time to use my depth gauge on them, but the rears have more than the fronts. IIRC the more tread goes on the back on a fwd car, even though it seems like the opposite should be true.

On my s2000 its commonplace to put 225/45/17's on the front wheels and they are 17x7's.

Ill search more on the tire rack website. When it comes to sidewall stiffness am I just looking at the number and speed rating like 91w, etc?

Blindeye_03

Actually the rears are nearly bald while the fronts look brand new. The PO told me he had them rotated recently but that just doesnt add up unless two were replaced together.

The fronts have about 7/32 while the rears are at 3/32.

Simba91102

If you have a pair of tires that have worn so much more than the other two, I also would guess that two with more tread are newer. Sidewall stiffness seems to be a characteristic of some tires more so than others, but this doesn't necessarily make them better handling tires. Some sidewall flex is actually a good thing for a street tire as it allows the tire's contact patch to remain more in . . . contact, with the road as the car turns and weight transfers more to one side. I'm not sure it (a stiff sidewall) should be a priority, and you probably want to limit your choice to a high performance or an ultra high performance all season tire.

Blindeye_03

Im thinking the same thing as to the tire wear. The fact that the fronts have more tread than the rear is bad... It should be the other way around, but if i rotate them again the low tires will get worn even faster.

Well as far as driving I would rather have my suspension move up and down rather than my tire sidewalls flexing. Its been a long while since I have last autocrossed but the tires I used to race with, falken azenis, had no flex at all and they were 205/50/16s. Sidewall flex is something you dont have to worry about having with lower profile tires. Ideally I would get some 18s but maybe that is in my far future.

The pirelli pzero nero falls into ultra high performance all seasons, and from what I see I should just stick with them. OR I could just say screw it and go for the Hankook Ventus V12s again. I went through two sets when I had the s2000.

green_henry

Bridgestone 970AS

Blindeye_03

Just started looking at those and the Continental dws. But after reading reviews I am starting to prefer the 970AS more. I think ill swing for those.

sonny@tirerack

RE970AS is a good choice. More resistant to pot hole damage and better steering response. The DWS is a very good tire as well, but for spirited driving, the Bridgestone is more satisfying.

Pocketman

Not to hijack the thread, but I have a similar question. I love the way my 2008 TSX handles with Yoko Avid tires, but they are noisy. If I go to a quieter and/or smoother Grand Touring tire, is it going to wreck my handling? Had such an experience with an Accord several years ago and do not want to repeat.

green_henry

Yes, your handling will definitely suffer by moving to a GT tire. I started out with Yokos but after 2 sidewall failures, I moved to Bridgestones and have been very satisfied.

Simba91102

Unfortunately, tire (road) noise is a common complaint with the 1st gen TSX. Quieter tires can help, but they're often not the silver bullet that some seek. Some tires are definitely noisier than others though, and some get worse as mileage is added (as they wear), and they're not necessarily the same model tires. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I would suggest studying the Tire Rack's survey results. Choose a few tires that you might feel would be appropriate and check the results, with emphasis on how they score on road noise.

Pocketman

Tire preference, not unlike car preference, is somewhat subjective. As I suspected, I don't want to move away from a performance tire. I perused the Tire Rack site and read several reviews, etc.. The Bridgestones look like a good option. The Continetal DWS also looks favorable. Thanks for the comments.

Blindeye_03

I like the Continental DWS but am going to shy away from them due to the softer sidewalls. While reading tire rack info does help, its also nice to hear what other people have on their cars which is why I was asking here and why others are as well.

The DWS might be a better tire if I lived further up north where there was more ice and snow. This year was a freak event for Atlanta... Im going to be looking at ordering the RE970's today.

Blindeye_03

Ordered the bridgestone re970s today, will report back once I get them installed. I ended up staying with the stock tire size as well.

mrgold35

I had Bridgestone RE960AS on my 06 TSX after the OEM Michelin wore out (actually the road noise from the tires irritated me more). The Bridgestones are a big step up from the OEM tires. When the 960s wore out, I switched to Conti DWS because it rated just as high as the RE960 and RE970 with the added bonus of longer tread life and better wet/slush/snow handling compared to the Bridgestones (also they were cheaper). Another big bonus was the Conti DWS were non-directional tire compared to my old RE960AS. I could only rotate front/back with the RE960AS compared to front/back and side-to-side with the Conti DWS. Cross rotation helps with road noise and even wear. I pretty much got the 50,000 miles out of the Conti DWS and I am on my second set as of 2 weeks ago. The TSX mainly sees just commuter duties now, so the Conti DWS are perfect year round tire for that.

White92

I have the 970's on my 08 right now. They were amazing when newer and ok in light snow. Unfortunately, they wore down really fast. 29k miles and almost exactly 2 years to the date. I drive mostly freeway, watch air pressure like a hawk and rotate at every oil change. I love the tires except for the life. I was expecting 10k more miles.

dontibbetts

Seemed to be some love for the Bridgestone 970s in this thread. Any of you guys still running them? Still liking them? I had some 960s I think on my Integra a couple of years ago and really liked them.