ZQQM

I need your help.

First off let me say I done few searches and haven't quite found my answer yet, so bear with me here.

I need new tires and i'm probably going to get the Dunlops. I want to get 235/45/17's mounted to the stock wheels. My buddy has 225/50/16's on 7.5 rims ( on a B5 Passat ) and his tires looks so wide when compared to my stock wheel/tire combo. This is why I'd like to just see them mounted before I order.

My questions, does anyone have ( or can anyone take ) a few pictures of the SP5000 235/45/17 ( actually I'll take any photo of a 235/45/17 ) mounted on a stock wheel.

Can you also give me an up to date review if your running this combo. Pro's and con's.

thanks..............................

someguy

235s will go well past the rim. Even 225s extend far past the rim on a 7" wheel. The upside is more curb protection

For tires, I would recommend these for a cheap and excellent tire.

http://tirerack.com/tires/sumitomo/su_htrz_2.jsp

I have heard nothing but good things. The HTRZ II uses the same shell as the Dunlop SP9000; it has a lot more grip.

ZQQM

I need all-seasons, do to the locale.

I looked at Sumitomo, lots of tire for the money.

thanks

JasonT

Here are my Toyo T1's...
http://community.webshots.com/photo/...33964019dfPvcB
http://community.webshots.com/photo/...33964002SIPamD

Scooter

look no further...

dmcconnell

I also had to choose an all season tire, and my choices came down to the Dunlop SP5000 in 215/50X17 and the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S in 225/50X17. I have had many sets of Dunlops and Michelins over the years, and this is my basic read on the diferences between the 2 brands in general:
The Dunlops have always delivered great performance, the steering response was amazing (due to the stiff sidewall), however the price you pay for the performance is in reduced mileage.
The Michelins while usually not as performance-oriented as the Dunlops, they always have a "boulevard ride" (due to a more flexable sidewall) and usually you can get about 35K - 40K miles out of them.
In reference specifically to the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 225/50X17 now on my CL-S: they are a great all around performance, great handling in the wet & dry, no squealing, relatively quiet & the sidewall protrudes out from the wheel providing some protection to the rims. However by the existing treadwear now on the tires (9000 miles), I only expect to get about 20K - 25K miles out of them.

JRock

Those Michelins have the tire going onto the sidewalls... looks like a monster truck tire like that. I can't have THAT!

pgatour1

Like I always say go with the Dunlops, I'm not going to get into all the reasons cause I have done it so many times, to sum it up they area totally different driving experience, what a great tire.

Scrib

Those tires have a tread rating of 400!!! They've worn that badly for you already???

dmcconnell

Thanks to our government for coming up with another bullshit rating scale to cause consumers even more confusion. The problem is this: The tread rating now used for tires is NOT standard among all tire manufacturers, therefore NOT allowing consumers that ability to compare treadwear between manufacturers. The treadwear rating is consistent within the tire manufacturer, so one can only compare treadwear between tires of the same manufacturer.

Scooter

life's full of sacrifices

the Pilot Sport is a superior tire to the Dunlop in real world driving according to TireRack tests for Ultra Performance A/S tires...read the reviews HERE

Scrib

Yes... This is true.

BUT... The stock tires have a rating of 280, and many people have gotten 25K+ miles out of them. Therefore, I'd think the Pilot A/S (rating of 400), should go a lot further than the 20,000 -25,000 you're thinking you're going to get out of them.

Just a thought...

ZQQM

Thanks for the pics, JasonT

dmcconnell

I agree, I should get more than 20K-25K out of the tires.

BUT, when they had 7,000 miles on them, the front tires were down to 6/32", so extrapolating that out (down) to 2/32", I figured 20K - 25K. I hope I am wrong!

Edward'TLS

You'll need that for performance driving, because your car is basically riding on the edges (part of the sidewalls) of the tires during hard cornering, unless the suspension is super stiff. If you don't need performace driving, don't switch tires, stick with the OEM Michelins.