6.0 VXR Cheap Tyres

[redbarron84]

After my track day on Friday (vids coming soon ) I now need new tyres.
I know the pirelli's are the standard fitted but I really can't shell out 800 quid for a set.

I've heard all about the Falken's which are a cheaper alternative, but what about Kumho KU31's and Dunlop Sport Maxx XL's?

Anyone got a set of these on?

Just want to spend a bit less on the black round things then the super soft Pirelli's.

[Magic919]

The Falken 452 on 19's has been done to death on here. Some consider them quite dangerous. Have a search.

I stick with the Pirellis on mine, so can't comment on the other 2 tyres.

[vxrphantom]

Had Dunlops on my previous RO, Found them brilliant better than the Pirellis.

[kiwifraser]

Good timing, I was about to start a thread with this

Most of my travelling is on back roads to work at sub 60mph. I know most are sick of talking about Falkens (which incidentally I found 'odd' for the first 200 miles, then 'good' for the next 7000 miles or so - 19" 04 VXR).

Time to change all 4 soon, so keen to know about Dunlop/ Kumho/ etc experiences, as an alternative to £800+ for OE.


Edited to add - I have a stock VXR, not driven hard, and definitely not a good 'test' for tyre quality. However, I'm still here despite the falkens reported problems, and not surprisingly with the way I normally drive the tyres have lasted 14k miles on the front and 10k miles on the back. The real point of this post is to find something else

Edited by kiwifraser on Monday 2nd March 20:28

[the muppet]

I'm running Dunlop SportMaxx's on 19s, they're almost worn out and I'll be buying another set as they seem grippy and progressive if you do get on the limit.

My 2p on budget tyres is that the £300 you save on tyres won't cover the insurance excess if you run out of grip....

Edited by the muppet on Monday 2nd March 11:58

[kiwifraser]

I agree with the Muppet about budget tyres, although not sure I would call circa £150 tyres 'budget', albeit they are cheaper than the Pirellis.

I think the least heard of 'Nexen' brand probably fits the budget label though


We all know that a majority on here prefer to stick with the rubber that Holden chose originally, but in order to start some healthy conversation (and provide an 'alternative' tyre reference once and for all), the below prices are representative of the price you would pay based on current quotes from a couple of online tyre companies.

I know some drivers swear by Toyo's for example, and at £300 cheaper for a set than OE choice, they might wish to provide their view on whether they would re-purchase or try something else based on actual experience.


£ Brand Tyre (245/35x19)

70 NEXEN Nexen N3000
100 FALKEN Falken FK-452
140 KUMHO Kumho KU31
140 COOPER Cooper Zeon 2XS
140 TOYO Toyo Proxes T1-R
180 AVON AV ZZ3 93Y XL
180 DUNLOP Dunlop SP Sport Maxx
200 GOODYEAR GY EAG F1 GSD3 93Y XL
200 TOYO TOYO PXT1-R 93Y XL
200 YOKOHAMA YOKO ADV SPORT V103 93Y
225 YOKOHAMA Yokohama AVS SPORT AML (Aston Martin)
225 PIRELLI Pirelli P Zero Rosso
225 PIRELLI PR PZERO NERO 93Y XL
225 PIRELLI PR PZERO ROSSO 93Y XL
225 CONTINENTAL CT SP CONT 2* 93Y XL
225 DUNLOP DU SP MAXX MFS 93Y XL
225 GOODYEAR GY EAG F1 A/S FP 93Y XL
225 MICHELIN Michelin Pilot Sport 2
250 CONTINENTAL CT SP CONT 3 * 93Y XL
250 MICHELIN Michelin CUP

Edited by kiwifraser on Monday 2nd March 12:43

[2blackhats]

I had a set of Nexxen's on my Mitsubishi 3000Gt. Admittedly a 4 wheel drive car, so not entirely similar to the Ro, but I have to say the Nexxen's were absolutely fine. (This also goes for my friends Calibra 4x4) Thrashed hard in dry and wet. No grip issues whatsoever....look, me and the car are still here!
I intend to find out what they're like on the Ro when its time for new tyres....

[BigNige]

Vredesteins get good write ups too

[Gas_Man]

* 70 NEXEN Nexen N3000
* 140 KUMHO Kumho KU31
* 140 TOYO Toyo Proxes T1-R
* 225 PIRELLI PR PZERO NERO 93Y XL
* 225 PIRELLI PR PZERO ROSSO 93Y XL
* 225 DUNLOP DU SP MAXX MFS 93Y XL
* 250 CONTINENTAL CT SP CONT 3 * 93Y XL

I have used all of the above on my 'Ro. I tend to go for value for money (hence my choice of car) and I often find that the premium price does not give a significantly better performance. Marginally so maybe, but IMO not worth pots of cash extra. Given the cheap price, the Nexens fared well. I always rate the Toyo's highly, and the Continentals grip well, but didn't last long at all. I am currently wearing... Hankook Ventus! Very happy so far for grip, longevity report pending.
(2004 CV8 s/c on 19" VXR wheels)

[Wolfracer]

Nexens gripping quite nicely here too, good even wear and quite sticky when hot and dry.
Cold and wet is more fun.....but predictable.
I went for 255's on 18's so get a little sidewall movement (increase PSI to compensate) and alls well.

[kiwifraser]

3 positive responses for the Nexens! Not quite what I thought the 3 initial comments would be, but happliy surprised
There is hope for running 2 sets for the price of one yet! All the more fun to be had on the burnout pad at Shakeys at that price

Given the very mixed response that Falkens have had over the past year, I didn't expect anything under £150 would have been given a

[porrohman]

redbarron84 said:

After my track day on Friday (vids coming soon ) I now need new tyres.
I know the pirelli's are the standard fitted but I really can't shell out 800 quid for a set.

I've heard all about the Falken's which are a cheaper alternative, but what about Kumho KU31's and Dunlop Sport Maxx XL's?

Anyone got a set of these on?

Just want to spend a bit less on the black round things then the super soft Pirelli's.

What size tyres are you after I might be able to help you. I have two 245,35,19 khumo's and two nexens which I am taking off my 5.7 vxr in favour of some p zero rosso's. They have only done about 2.5 to 3k and have about 5mm of tread left on them. I'm up at Monkfish in 3 weeks and I will leave them there for you if you want.

[kiwifraser]

porrohman said:

redbarron84 said:

After my track day on Friday (vids coming soon ) I now need new tyres.
I know the pirelli's are the standard fitted but I really can't shell out 800 quid for a set.

I've heard all about the Falken's which are a cheaper alternative, but what about Kumho KU31's and Dunlop Sport Maxx XL's?

Anyone got a set of these on?

Just want to spend a bit less on the black round things then the super soft Pirelli's.

What size tyres are you after I might be able to help you. I have two 245,35,19 khumo's and two nexens which I am taking off my 5.7 vxr in favour of some p zero rosso's. They have only done about 2.5 to 3k and have about 5mm of tread left on them. I'm up at Monkfish in 3 weeks and I will leave them there for you if you want.

I have one thing to say... Nice car porrohman!! Silver 5.7 VXR

[porrohman]

kiwifraser said:

porrohman said:

redbarron84 said:

After my track day on Friday (vids coming soon ) I now need new tyres.
I know the pirelli's are the standard fitted but I really can't shell out 800 quid for a set.

I've heard all about the Falken's which are a cheaper alternative, but what about Kumho KU31's and Dunlop Sport Maxx XL's?

Anyone got a set of these on?

Just want to spend a bit less on the black round things then the super soft Pirelli's.

What size tyres are you after I might be able to help you. I have two 245,35,19 khumo's and two nexens which I am taking off my 5.7 vxr in favour of some p zero rosso's. They have only done about 2.5 to 3k and have about 5mm of tread left on them. I'm up at Monkfish in 3 weeks and I will leave them there for you if you want.

I have one thing to say... Nice car porrohman!! Silver 5.7 VXR

I have to say I'm quite taken with yours too Kiwifraser. You have good taste.

Edited by porrohman on Monday 2nd March 15:56

[redbarron84]

I'm tilting towards the Kumho's at the moment. Are they longer lasting then the Pirelli's?

[porrohman]

No, they are totally crap unless you drive like miss daisy

[kiwifraser]

Gas_Man said:

* 70 NEXEN Nexen N3000

• 140 KUMHO Kumho KU31
• 140 TOYO Toyo Proxes T1-R
• 225 PIRELLI PR PZERO NERO 93Y XL
• 225 PIRELLI PR PZERO ROSSO 93Y XL
• 225 DUNLOP DU SP MAXX MFS 93Y XL
• 250 CONTINENTAL CT SP CONT 3 * 93Y XL

I have used all of the above on my 'Ro. I tend to go for value for money (hence my choice of car) and I often find that the premium price does not give a significantly better performance. Marginally so maybe, but IMO not worth pots of cash extra. Given the cheap price, the Nexens fared well. I always rate the Toyo's highly, and the Continentals grip well, but didn't last long at all. I am currently wearing... Hankook Ventus! Very happy so far for grip, longevity report pending.
(2004 CV8 s/c on 19" VXR wheels)

Given the memory of a photo of your car taken through a tyre smoke haze , I am guessing tyre wear was never too much of a worry. Can you remember how well the Toyo's latest though?

[redbarron84]

hmmm, supprisingly the Nexen's look like the best option. With 3 good reviews and the price of the bloody things it would seem crazy not to go for them. Unless anyone has any really major problems or experiences with them, I shall buy a set tommorrow!

[porrohman]

Take it you don't want my offer of some free tyres then.

[monkfish1]

Lets be clear here, the issue is sidewall strength not grip. If you never drive it hard round a corner then any old floppy tyre will do, but having driven a few types of tyre even at moderate speeds, compromising on your tyres seems a bit crazy to me.

The falkens were positively frightening even at moderate speeds.

I'll never forget the day a customer brought in a monaro complaining that the rear end felt like it let go at high speed (3 figures) whilst cornering. He thought it might be a suspension problem, but in reality it turned out that the tyre was collapsing under load. It was so bad that all the markings on the sidewall of the tyres was worn away upto about 15mm of the wheel rim!!! The tyre had the correct load rating.