[Surferdude]

I had this report almost ready to go when the site crashed so i held off. It seems to be reasonably stable at present so here goes. Sorry about the length. After all this, if you have a query about a particular tyre, please feel free to send me a pm and I'll do some digging and report back to you.

17” Tyres for Hyundai i30

OK. Here we go. This has proven to be a bit of a minefield and I’ve done my own research, talked to friends and colleagues in the industry and prowled various manufacturers’ websites as well as dug into a range of discussion forums.

It seems the right size tyre is 225/45R17 with at least a 91V load and speed rating. But, be aware the speed rating can be lower but the load index cannot be a lower number than that shown on your tyre placard.

As I’ve said elsewhere, low profile, high performance tyres offer a trade off. The better the tyre performs, the less likely it will be to be quiet or wear well. Obviously a whole host of variables come into play here but generally speaking, the cheaper tyres will give you reasonably good performance with some noise and shorter life. The more expensive (but not the radical treaded) tyres will give you better wear and be “relatively” quiet and you might expect them to perform better in the wet.
I haven’t gone into specifics with pricing as this can vary dependent upon the supplier but you can expect that the dearer tyres will be Bridgestone, Dunlop, Goodyear, Pirelli, Yokohama and Michelin. And include Toyo and Sumitomo in this group.
In the middle will be the Nankangs, Hankooks, and Kumhos etc.
Down in the bottom end will be Nexen, Clear, Triangle, Diamondback, Silverstone and heaven knows what else. And just to complicate things even further, many of the premium brands also own or have an interest in some of the cheaper brands. A added complication comes from the fact that pretty well any supplier of the second and third tier brands above would dispute my positioning them thus.

So, to some specifics.

Nexen has a variety of options but the N6000 comes with good reports. It is silica tread and should be relatively quiet but its featured soft rubber compound might lead to wear issues. The style of tread pattern also leans toward some uneven shoulder wear unless your alignment stays good. Uneven shoulder wear means increased noise as the tyre wears down.
Toyo Teo Plus has silica tread and is non-directional. I like this tread pattern, especially the solid centre rib and tie bars linking the shoulder blocks together which should minimise noise.
Sumitomo HTR Ziii has a high performance pedigree but I imagine it would be very expensive.
Yokohama C Drive AC01 has an asymmetric tread and silica content. I imagine it would be a very quiet tyre but can’t offer any info on tread life.
The Bridgestone Potenza RE 050A is asymmetric and appears to have a pretty good reputation. Bridgestone, like most manufacturers has a wide range of options but the most favourable comments I got were for this particular tyre.
There’s a couple of options in the Goodyear range (obviously I know more about this lot than most of the other brands).
The Goodyear Assurance has silica tread and extra strength sidewalls. Feedback from users is that the tyre is quiet and smooth with reasonable wear. However, the Goodyear Eagle NCT5 eco is worth a look, especially in its 5 rib style.  It is a tyre made primarily for the Original Equipment market and widely used in Europe and Australia. It has a silica tread and spiral overlay (means it’s made to meet the very strict uniformity standards of vehicle manufacturers).
I haven’t made reference to the Hankook and Kumho offerings in this report because a number of members have already commented on them. The general consensus seems to be good wear, reasonable handling, but noisy and harsh.

I summary, for a budget tyre the Nexen seems better than most.
Mid range, stay with the OE Kumho. Or try to get a super deal on the Toyo or Yokohama.
At the premium level, try the Bridgestone or the Goodyear.
For ultra performance I don’t think you could go past the Sumitomo.

[snowcherry]

I had this report almost ready to go when the site crashed so i held off. It seems to be reasonably stable at present so here goes. Sorry about the length. After all this, if you have a query about a particular tyre, please feel free to send me a pm and I'll do some digging and report back to you.

cheers for that - a good deal of info there and will definitely be helpful when i go to buy
appreciate it 

i saved the info to a text file just in case to

[agentr31]

ok ok, ill throw in a towel (used condition), a 6 pack of woodstock, a small african stone carving of an elephant AND a hills hoist to sweeten the deal!!!

hmmm is it a slightly creaky rusty hills hoist with saggy wires?

no.. *paints over rust, oils creaks, and tightens saggy wires* hahaha

[snowcherry]

^heh i smell something fishy (painty?) i think i'll keep my rather lovely 17" alloys thank you   

[Lakes]

talking about low profile tyres, a friend of mine ( youthfull friend ) put 20" low profile ( looks like no profile ) wheels & tyres on his family car. i told him it looked like one of those cartoon dogs runing along on it's toes
cheers

[stkman]

Toyo Teo Plus has silica tread and is non-directional. I like this tread pattern, especially the solid centre rib and tie bars linking the shoulder blocks together which should minimise noise.

Am at around 55000km at the moment and will need new tyres in a couple of months I would say. I have the K415 Hankooks at the moment and have been impressed with them ... actually I don't think they are all that noisy! They ride reasonably well for a 17 inch tyre if at 32psi. Since upgrading the rear antiroll bar to 20mm, 32 psi all round is great and gives very predictable handling.

Have researched a lot of tyres and priced most of them. Am going to go with the Toyo Teo Plus which I can get for $2 more each than the original Hankooks. Am anticipating similar handling to the Hankooks with a quieter ride ... will report back as soon as I have some mileage on them. Was also considering the Toyo Proxes C1S which I suspect would be quiet but better handling but have decided I don't need to spend the extra for the increase in performance they would probably give.

Both the Teo Plus and the C1S have a treadwear rating of 300 so would give a similar life.

Andrew

[Surferdude]

Look forward to your feedback Andrew.
Your use of the tread wear rating is correct as you are comparing within the Toyo range. Most people use the numbers to compare between brands and that is misleading as the numbers only relate to the range within the brand they are on.

[eye30]

Just a thought for today.............

A good treaded tyre, no matter the brand, will pay you back in an instant in life threatening situations such as having to brake hard or steer the car at speed to miss objects in your path.

My motto is to look after your tyres, whether they be cheap or expensive, as they will look after you.

ps.  Don't forget there is only 4 times 4 to 6 inches square between you and the road............

[Surferdude]

Just a thought for today.............

A good treaded tyre, no matter the brand, will pay you back in an instant in life threatening situations such as having to brake hard or steer the car at speed to miss objects in your path.

My motto is to look after your tyres, whether they be cheap or expensive, as they will look after you.

ps.  Don't forget there is only 4 times 4 to 6 inches square between you and the road............

Too true.The footprint is all important. It's why correct wheel alignment is critical because that will ensure as much tread as possible is in contact with the road under all conditions.
Try this. Put your two hands (with fingers together) beside one another, flat on the desk in front of you. Each tyre footprint is about the area of your two hands (at the very most).
And just four of those are all that carry all the weight of your car, apply the braking force, acceleration and direction changes.
Think about this. If your brakes fail and there's nothing in front of you, you have time to swerve or let the car slow down naturally. If a tyre fails you have instant loss of control.

[agentr31]

so the 2.5 degrees of camber im running on the maxima is doing it no good?

[Surferdude]

so the 2.5 degrees of camber im running on the maxima is doing it no good?

Too true. Well, the tyres anyway.
But, like everything to do with suspension, you compromise to get the result you want. In your case I'm guessing more responsive steering.
Nothing wrong with that. You should have seen what I used to do to the front end of my Datto rally car.

[agentr31]

file out the holes in the strut top 5mm back and in gives you a little caster and camber LOL

[Surferdude]

In the Datto, threaded casor bars, and rebuilt lower control arms. Get 4 arms, cut them in half, but a bit more than half on two of them and weld together, then box section them completely. Much stronger than camber pins which had a tendency to move or bend. Carry one spare lower control arm with the steering stop bump removed (so it could be used on either side if you needed a replacement.
Front springs slightly (Oh so slightly) lowered and stiffened. Most people raised them but this worsened the marque's serious understeer problems. My way barely altered ground clearance (and increased it at full compression, and made the car almost neutral with oversteer available on tap.

[agentr31]

lol you went a bit more crazy than me!!

i just filed the holes!! where as you bloody modified the arms and castor rods!!

*agent tips his hat to surferdude*

[2i30s]

I've seen struts put in a press and bent slightly to gain a little neg camber. 

[Surferdude]

I've seen struts put in a press and bent slightly to gain a little neg camber. 

Yep. I've seen that too. Or bend the stub axle where it comes off the bottom of the strut.

[2i30s]

I've seen struts put in a press and bent slightly to gain a little neg camber. 

Yep. I've seen that too. Or bend the stub axle where it comes off the bottom of the strut.

ive seen that also. 

[Surferdude]

I've seen struts put in a press and bent slightly to gain a little neg camber. 

Yep. I've seen that too. Or bend the stub axle where it comes off the bottom of the strut.

ive seen that also. 

Many years ago, at least one group I had some experience (note "experience" not "dealings")with had a press set up with a jig especially for this.

[2i30s]

I've straightend diff housings and axles with a press,but never steering components.  

[Surferdude]

I've straightend diff housings and (axles ) with a press,but never steering components. 

[2i30s]

 

[agentr31]

LOL that stuff is crazy... worst ive seen is dad straighten motorbike forks with a press...

*agent gets in a car with 2i30's straightened axles and has his eyes vibrated out of his head*

[2i30s]

i can straighten one to within a few thou using a dial indicator. 

[agentr31]

im just gobsmacked that you do it! a very smart and paitent man!!

[rustynutz]

17's!! 18's and up is where its all at man! i personally wouldnt put anything less than a 18'' on an i30 it will look silly and small or have too much sidewall

Personally, I don't go for all these huge diameter rims and low profile tyres......To me (and I'm probably showing my age here), they look like they belong back in the horse & cart days....bloody wagon wheels in other words! 
To me, I reckon the 16's on my SLX are a reasonable compromise between comfort, handling and looks....
 

[2i30s]

your only showing your age when your in a pine box mate.    IMHO

[agentr31]

2nd that statement 2i30s!!!

i guess its each to their own! i personally dont like the look of big rubber! BUT it does make the car a lot smoother! so it has its merrits!

[Dazzler]

To me, I reckon the 16's on my SLX are a reasonable compromise between comfort, handling and looks....
 

I'm with you Rusty.. I liked the look and ride compromise of my SLX..

I do like the look of the SR wheels but haven't actually driven an SR to compare the ride.  

[2i30s]

nice and firm. 

[agentr31]

i wouldnt mind driving an SR to compare!