I decided to replace the stock 14's for aftermarket 14's

[Mark]

Funny you'd think I'd even want anywhere near that much for them, lol. And yes I got your point from the out, just made a little light of it is all. IMHO the RE92's aren't very good tires, maybe I'd have the same reaction to any LRR tire, they are too soft and, as I mentioned, squirrelly to be safe enough to inspire any confidence in inclement weather. I live in the North East, and I get pummeled with every type of weather there is from sunny days to 6-10 inch snow storms and I need a tire they can deal with that. The RE92's are not that tire. If the weather is fair and the sailing smooth so to speak where you live, then by all means stick to the LRR choices, they simply aren't for me.

While I really do revere your knowledge on tires on here you do seem to think paying more for a tire is equal to their performance. But there are some exceptional tires at the lower price levels, and the RP18's may be their king. My partner and I have used these on two separate Corolla's, a '98 and a 2000, with great results rolling out over 45,000 miles on 4 different sets over a 5-ish year period. You'll find many, many reviewers stating the same. They are really good tires in all weather and that's so much more important than ultimate gas mileage IMHO. Fat lotta good a tire is if it can't keep you on the road when it rains

And finally, yes I could have stuck with the steelies with these tires, no doubt, but the insane low cost of these rim's was the major contributing factor to me buying them, plus their lower weight might help offset the higher weight of the tires (compared to the stock ones) to at least give me a shot at not destroying my gas mileage...time will tell on that one. At the end of the day, I'm happy and that's all that matters to me

You'll be happy with your new wheels, & they will be sharp looking! Sorry for my sarcasm about it all. I think $45 Federal tires are superior to $125 Dunlop, & I have both on my car presently. I use up whatever I have, but I am cheap.

I value traction over LRR, too! I get where you are coming from. Enjoy your new wheels, & share a pick of them mounted, too!

[dragon2knight]

You'll be happy with your new wheels, & they will be sharp looking! Sorry for my sarcasm about it all. I think $45 Federal tires are superior to $125 Dunlop, & I have both on my car presently. I use up whatever I have, but I am cheap.

I value traction over LRR, too! I get where you are coming from. Enjoy your new wheels, & share a pick of them mounted, too!

Definitely agree with you here! When your current crop of tires are worn out, try out the RP18's, I think you might find what so many of us have, the almost perfect cheap tire

[dragon2knight]

Attachment 19608

I came so close to getting these rims, like I was in check out in Amazon....then happily I decided to see if I could find a set in a different color and stumbled across the Primax's for nearly $20.00 less a rim! That savings paid for nearly 2 RP18 tires, lol.

[Mark]

I came so close to getting these rims, like I was in check out in Amazon....then happily I decided to see if I could find a set in a different color and stumbled across the Primax's for nearly $20.00 less a rim! That savings paid for nearly 2 RP18 tires, lol.

I really appreciate members sharing positive experiences with affordable tires. Walmart has the 175/65r14 Westlake RP18 currently @ $26.48/tire. Any order over $35 is free shipping. Westlake reviews seem very good, too!

When members like Dirk (positive experience with the Barum tires that Discount Tires sell) & you share your opinion, I value that very much.

I currently have 4 different pairs/brands of tires mounted on steel rims with matching cloned sensors. That's sounds pretty nuts. It's like taking Top Fuel's opinion on tires & flipping it. Yet, I totally get Top Fuel's approach to tires & admire that, too.

So how did I end up with 4 different pairs of tires?

Nokian Nordman 7 - By mid-December of 2017, I immediately realized my Mirage was not going to do what I needed it to do with factory Dunlop tires alone. I ordered a pair of steel rims & Nokian Nordman 7 snow tires. A week later, they were mounted up front. In the spring, I pull the Nokian tires off & put the other pair back on. I take care of tire rotations at the same time.

Federal SS657 - At 15,000 miles, I lost a factory Dunlop to a sidewall blow out. Top Fuel shared what does a person do recently when that happens? I didn't replace one tire or all four like he talked about. I bought a pair of Federal SS657 tires ($42/tire with free shipping from simpletire.com). I now have that extra spare tire (Dunlop with 15,000 miles on it) that Top Fuel also mentions in another thread, but I will probably never use it. My local mechanic mounted/balanced the Federal tires for $20 cash. The reason I went with Federal tires was price, & I don't want to use two different size tires on my Mirage at the same time. Thus, I didn't consider 175/65r14 tires at the time.

Dunlop Enasave - I just did my 40,000 mile oil change this past week. The original Dunlop tires & Federal tires are still on my car. I can't say how many miles are on Dunlop exactly, because they haven't been used during the winter months. The Nokian snow tires take their place during the winter. The Federal tires have been on my Mirage year round since the tire blow out. Thus, I know the have about 25,000 miles on them. I plan on using the Dunlop & Federal tires for another summer or two. They still have some good life in them, & they are perfectly fine for that.

Nexen N'Priz AH5 - These are 60,000 mile all-season rated tires. I bought a pair when there were $50/tire with free shipping @ tires-easy.com this past summer. When Dirk put new tires on his wife's Mirage, I bought another pair of steel rims from him. My Dunlop & Federal tires are getting worn down. Having some new threads on the rear of my Mirage during the winter months will be an improvement over either pair. The Nokian snow tires that I use up front are wearing extremely well.

I like to use up tires that I already have on hand, & I value traction during the winter months. I also like taking care of my tire rotations when I change tires in the spring/fall. Steel rims are relatively cheap. Wheel covers make all steel rims look the same. I like cheap & simple!

Top Fuel recently shared his tires with 93,000 miles on them. I would have to park my Mirage during the winter months with those type of tires. Even if they were brand new, the wider LRR tires would not do the job.

I don't buy into the LRR hype totally. I think a 185/55r15 tire would have to be a LRR tire, filled with high psi, & have lightweight rims to compete with a simple 165/65r14 Federal tire inflated to 40 psi on narrow 14" x 4.5" steel rims.

In Top Fuel's case, his tires give him improve handling, better appearance, & are a great value. If you can use tires with worn threads year round, I think that is a good choice for someone. I like to wear my tires out, but I need extra pairs to do that safely. Thus, I prefer steel rims. I could have bought 8 matching alloy rims I guess, but I am way too cheap to do that.

Eventually, my factory Dunlop tires will need to be replaced (after another summer or two). I may try a pair of Vredestein Quatrac 5 by that time. The Nexen will become my summer tires then, & the Vredestein will become a part of my winter set. If my Nokian snow tires are a bit more worn by then, I may use them in the rear during the winter months & test out how the Quatrac 5 will do up front.

Eventually, I may find the Vredestein is good tire to use year round. If so, I would use older ones up during the summer months & newer ones during the winter months. I may reach the point of having 8 Vredestein tires some day, but that might be years down the road (literally). In the meantime, I am experimenting with 165/65r14 tires. Sort of like Top Fuel is going to test 185/60r15 verses his former 185/55r15 tires, but I am doing something totally different.

Thus, my approach to tires is quite the opposite of someone like Top Fuel. I value narrow tires over wider tires. Appearance means very little to me. I also understand why others would value a better appearance & improved handling of wider tires There's room in the world for both of us!

The fact that you pulled a little of something about wheels/tires from both Top Fuel & I is a good thing! Who knows, I may decide to try Westlake tires some day? The only thing preventing that is all my other tires are 165/65r14, & I prefer narrower over wider tires where I live.

Sharing is good, & this forum is awesome about that!

[Eggman]

Back to the original post, I'd consider buying the set except:

1. I already have a spare set and
2. Not at $900 hahaha. Maybe under $200 for the set especially with steel rims. But it's an open market - good luck and I hope you do well with the sale of your wheels.

[Eggman]

What he has already is worth more than what he is buying.

Looks like this is a case of value lies in the eye of the beholder. dragon2knight doesn't value them so out they go.

[Mark]

Back to the original post, I'd consider buying the set except:

1. I already have a spare set and
2. Not at $900 hahaha. Maybe under $200 for the set especially with steel rims. But it's an open market - good luck and I hope you do well with the sale of your wheels.

That was sort of my point without coming out & saying it. LRR Bridgestone tires alone are worth $400 alone brand new.

If I just bought a new Mirage, I would buy his entire set. I would use the extra rims for snow tires & use my factory Dunlop & his Bridgestone tires for years to come during the rest of the year.

I've already gone down that rabbit hole, however. No need for 12 rims. 8 will do. My sharing may inspire someone else to consider buying them, however.

[Eggman]

I would use the extra rims for snow tires & use my factory Dunlop & his Bridgestone tires for years to come during the rest of the year.

That's very close to what I did. I bought a set of Dunlop Wintermaxx mounted along with a set of Enasaves. At this rate, not sure when they'll get used up.

[dragon2knight]

I really appreciate members sharing positive experiences with affordable tires. Walmart has the 175/65r14 Westlake RP18 currently @ $26.48/tire. Any order over $35 is free shipping. Westlake reviews seem very good, too!

When members like Dirk (positive experience with the Barum tires that Discount Tires sell) & you share your opinion, I value that very much.

I currently have 4 different pairs/brands of tires mounted on steel rims with matching cloned sensors. That's sounds pretty nuts. It's like taking Top Fuel's opinion on tires & flipping it. Yet, I totally get Top Fuel's approach to tires & admire that, too.

So how did I end up with 4 different pairs of tires?

Nokian Nordman 7 - By mid-December of 2017, I immediately realized my Mirage was not going to do what I needed it to do with factory Dunlop tires alone. I ordered a pair of steel rims & Nokian Nordman 7 snow tires. A week later, they were mounted up front. In the spring, I pull the Nokian tires off & put the other pair back on. I take care of tire rotations at the same time.

Federal SS657 - At 15,000 miles, I lost a factory Dunlop to a sidewall blow out. Top Fuel shared what does a person do recently when that happens? I didn't replace one tire or all four like he talked about. I bought a pair of Federal SS657 tires ($42/tire with free shipping from simpletire.com). I now have that extra spare tire (Dunlop with 15,000 miles on it) that Top Fuel also mentions in another thread, but I will probably never use it. My local mechanic mounted/balanced the Federal tires for $20 cash. The reason I went with Federal tires was price, & I don't want to use two different size tires on my Mirage at the same time. Thus, I didn't consider 175/65r14 tires at the time.

Dunlop Enasave - I just did my 40,000 mile oil change this past week. The original Dunlop tires & Federal tires are still on my car. I can't say how many miles are on Dunlop exactly, because they haven't been used during the winter months. The Nokian snow tires take their place during the winter. The Federal tires have been on my Mirage year round since the tire blow out. Thus, I know the have about 25,000 miles on them. I plan on using the Dunlop & Federal tires for another summer or two. They still have some good life in them, & they are perfectly fine for that.

Nexen N'Priz AH5 - These are 60,000 mile all-season rated tires. I bought a pair when there were $50/tire with free shipping @ tires-easy.com this past summer. When Dirk put new tires on his wife's Mirage, I bought another pair of steel rims from him. My Dunlop & Federal tires are getting worn down. Having some new threads on the rear of my Mirage during the winter months will be an improvement over either pair. The Nokian snow tires that I use up front are wearing extremely well.

I like to use up tires that I already have on hand, & I value traction during the winter months. I also like taking care of my tire rotations when I change tires in the spring/fall. Steel rims are relatively cheap. Wheel covers make all steel rims look the same. I like cheap & simple!

Top Fuel recently shared his tires with 93,000 miles on them. I would have to park my Mirage during the winter months with those type of tires. Even if they were brand new, the wider LRR tires would not do the job.

I don't buy into the LRR hype totally. I think a 185/55r15 tire would have to be a LRR tire, filled with high psi, & have lightweight rims to compete with a simple 165/65r14 Federal tire inflated to 40 psi on narrow 14" x 4.5" steel rims.

In Top Fuel's case, his tires give him improve handling, better appearance, & are a great value. If you can use tires with worn threads year round, I think that is a good choice for someone. I like to wear my tires out, but I need extra pairs to do that safely. Thus, I prefer steel rims. I could have bought 8 matching alloy rims I guess, but I am way too cheap to do that.

Eventually, my factory Dunlop tires will need to be replaced (after another summer or two). I may try a pair of Vredestein Quatrac 5 by that time. The Nexen will become my summer tires then, & the Vredestein will become a part of my winter set. If my Nokian snow tires are a bit more worn by then, I may use them in the rear during the winter months & test out how the Quatrac 5 will do up front.

Eventually, I may find the Vredestein is good tire to use year round. If so, I would use older ones up during the summer months & newer ones during the winter months. I may reach the point of having 8 Vredestein tires some day, but that might be years down the road (literally). In the meantime, I am experimenting with 165/65r14 tires. Sort of like Top Fuel is going to test 185/60r15 verses his former 185/55r15 tires, but I am doing something totally different.

Thus, my approach to tires is quite the opposite of someone like Top Fuel. I value narrow tires over wider tires. Appearance means very little to me. I also understand why others would value a better appearance & improved handling of wider tires There's room in the world for both of us!

The fact that you pulled a little of something about wheels/tires from both Top Fuel & I is a good thing! Who knows, I may decide to try Westlake tires some day? The only thing preventing that is all my other tires are 165/65r14, & I prefer narrower over wider tires where I live.

Sharing is good, & this forum is awesome about that!

I pulled more than a little from you two gurus I never would have even considered this at all if it wasn't for what you two post on here! Special TPMS valve stems? Look at the weights of tires AND rims?? Hub Centric adapters??? What is this sorcery? I would have went down to my local tire installer and been completely overwhelmed if it weren't for this very important information! Thanks X 1,000,000 guys

[Dirk Diggler]

I pulled more than a little from you two gurus I never would have even considered this at all if it wasn't for what you two post on here! Special TPMS valve stems? Look at the weights of tires AND rims?? Hub Centric adapters??? What is this sorcery? I would have went down to my local tire installer and been completely overwhelmed if it weren't for this very important information! Thanks X 1,000,000 guys

Look up my post about the "Wizards Council" on here!