Need new 20" tires....recommendations wanted!

[1990dtgl98]

So, here' the deal. My dad needs new tires for his car (300SRT) and so do I (R/T R&T).

He's a self employed mechanic and normally only sells Goodyears. However, we had a lot of issues with some customer's cars, as well as ours (he went through 2 sets of F-1's that both got choppy treads and are now loud as hell). I always hated the traction issues with the RS-A's on mine. So here's what we're looking for:

- QUIET! He mainly uses the 300 for a weekend cruiser to his summer house in DE (300 mile round trip weekend) that he goes to almost every weekend. So he wants something quiet, and that's his top priority. I also want something quiet as I do a lot of highway miles also.

- Something that can handle snow. I use my car year round, and don't do a lot of snow driving. However I want to have something that can get me through 1-3" if it starts snowing when I'm at work and have to drive in it. I try to avoid it, but occasionally I will have to drive in a few inches and want something that can handle it. Also just general cold weather, I don't want a tire that gets rock hard and scary to drive when it's 20* out but the roads are dry. A lot of "performance" tires do that, and considering I will be driving in PA in the winter, I will be seeing consistent sub-freezing temps about 2-3 months out of a year.

-Affordable (under $200 a piece).

-Something with good tread wear. It doesn't have to be 50k, but if I can get 35-40k out of them, that'd be great.

So, what would you guys recommend? I was thinking Yokohama Parada Spec-X's or Toyo Proxes4 for myself. Opinions? Also thinking Nitto, Vreds, etc.

What about for the 300SRT? I was thinking Nitto Invo's since they're supposed to be the quietest, however how's the cold weather traction with those? Or, if he goes to DE and it snows that weekend, are they anything more than laughable? I don't want to recommend a tire to him that's gonna do horrible if he gets caught during a snowy weekend, even if it sounds like its the best bet for him the other 95% of the time. Parada Spec-X's for him too

What's the recommendation?

Thanks guys!

[CVP33]

I had the answer until you said snow.

[Cass23VSU4]

Do you really see alot of snow?
Does your city/county actually do a good job clearing the roads?

These are a few things to consider with your purchases. As far as tires go the Yokohama Parada Spec-X are V rated and a very good upgrade for the RS-A's. I've heard above average reviews for the Cooper Zeon Sport A/S which are W rated. The third tire in the mix are the Toyo Proxes 4 which are W XL rated.

These three tires seem to be the bees knees for our heavy LX platforms. Now to be specific, your RT should be fine with any of the three mentioned tires. Your dad's 300SRT however is spec'd for Y rated tires which are normally found in the summer UHP tire selection which is slim to none right now. The Cooper and Toyos should be fine for this vehicle. Most V rated tires won't stand up to the torque most SRT's put to the ground.

I don't know if you have an interest in snow tires, but the Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow is made in 245/45/20 and 255/45/20 sizes and work fantastically well.

I hope this tid bit helps and happy tire shopping.

[novawagonmaster]

Nitto Invo will be awful in 1/2" of snow.

[honu]

I just put on a set of Toyo Proxi 4's and really like them... had Goodyears before, couldn't get them off fast enough.

I live in SoCal, so I don't deal with snow at all...

[1990dtgl98]

Do you really see alot of snow?
Does your city/county actually do a good job clearing the roads?

These are a few things to consider with your purchases. As far as tires go the Yokohama Parada Spec-X are V rated and a very good upgrade for the RS-A's. I've heard above average reviews for the Cooper Zeon Sport A/S which are W rated. The third tire in the mix are the Toyo Proxes 4 which are W XL rated.

These three tires seem to be the bees knees for our heavy LX platforms. Now to be specific, your RT should be fine with any of the three mentioned tires. Your dad's 300SRT however is spec'd for Y rated tires which are normally found in the summer UHP tire selection which is slim to none right now. The Cooper and Toyos should be fine for this vehicle. Most V rated tires won't stand up to the torque most SRT's put to the ground.

I don't know if you have an interest in snow tires, but the Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow is made in 245/45/20 and 255/45/20 sizes and work fantastically well.

I hope this tid bit helps and happy tire shopping.

Not sure what you mean by "Most V rated tires won't stand up to the torque most SRT's put to the ground"? I understand speed ratings, but relates to torque...?

Also, no real interest in snow tires. The townships plow quickly and effectively (usually), and we don't get THAT much snow to really spend all the money on snow shoes.

Nitto Invo will be awful in 1/2" of snow.

I figured that. I pretty much ruled them out, even though they are pretty!

[ydahsmils2001]

Bump for more information.

I hate my goodyear rsa's! I am about on my third set of rears in 25,000miles!!! I need a better allyear tire for my SRT!

[Cass23VSU4]

Not sure what you mean by "Most V rated tires won't stand up to the torque most SRT's put to the ground"? I understand speed ratings, but relates to torque...?

Didn't mean to throw you a curve ball with this explaination, but this was explained to me from a local tire shop. She firmly suggested that we stick as close to possible to our factory ratings for tire warranty reasons. She then told me about a SRT8 Charger that tore up a set of V rated tires and the tire manufacture denied replacement stating that the SRT8's require Y rated tires not V rated because those particular tires weren't designed to stand up to the torque.

Unfortunately, they wouldn't tell me the maufacturer but did say read the fine print on the tire warranty before purchasing and to make sure to pick the correctly rated tires.

Don't know if this is fact or fiction, but food for thought nonetheless.

[novawagonmaster]

Torque!

Many tire dealers will only install replacement tires that carry the same specs as what the car came with. "Y" (186) speed rating is higher than "V" (149). Of course you want tires that will hold up to speeds that the car is capable of reaching. That said, the speed rating has alot to do with the construction of the tire in regards to heat tolerance as well as handling characteristics (speaking very generally, tires tend to be stiffer as you climb the speed rating scale). NOWHERE is there any mention of "torque" and how a tire can withstand it in any tire-related literature I have ever read (both in terms of information available to customers and/or to the tire retailer/installer).

Now...go to www.tirerack.com (these guys are my competition, yet I respect the knowledge they have and information they make available) and search for tires by vehicle. When you do so, a message will pop up that states "WARNING!!! V is the minimum recommended speed rating for non-winter tires."

I guess that kinda blows your girl's theory