Well after the trip @FunCycle lots of rain heavy rain light rain no rain. I am very satisfied with the wet and dry traction of the generals..... even in heavy rains on interstate I still safely ran 60-65 no fear or worry that it was hydoplaning, but that might be because of my excess weight pushing down on the tires... 
Tires...what are you running?
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Flybuddy - you will love those tires I have been running for a while. Great on the track and te street. Bit of warning watch the pressure in the rear you will have to drop lower than recommended. I was running at 30lbs cold and hot they stayed around 32 (recommended) But the tire wore in the center only not evenly. My guess was over inflation. Just ordered a new rear and plan to drop down to 28lbs.
Be SafeI have been running my rear tire at 27 lbs since new and still experienced the tire wearing faster in the center. I just dropped it down to 25lbs. Has anyone found the magic pressure?
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I have been running my rear tire at 27 lbs since new and still experienced the tire wearing faster in the center. I just dropped it down to 25lbs. Has anyone found the magic pressure?
I am running that tire on stock base rims 28psi rear 26psi fronts
Tires are wearing well - except the rear wears out quickly, may have something to do with m driving style "ya think?"They pick up about 2psi once heated up
Check them Hot and Cold to find your best pressure, suspension will change things up a bit as well, I am run the Hahn QA1 duals set to 7 front and 5 rear most of the timeHope it helps
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It is according to the brand of tire. My Kenda wore flat all the way across at the pressure Polaris said to run. The BFG Comp with the 30 something pressure cupped in the center so I dropped to 26 psi and the trip to SSITS16 leveled it all the way across. Now the General g-Max I started at 28 psi and aftr about 6,000 miles everything looks good.
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I put a Nitto NT555 G2 on the back after the stocker wore out (8000 km/5000 mi), and I have to say I'm more than a little disappointed in the traction. It rides MUCH smoother than stock, which is nice, but has even less traction. It definitely squeals more on take off, but I have to be super careful not to light it up at every intersection (stock engine). It will chirp going into 4th now, not third like the stock Kenda.
Running 26 lbs in the front stock tires, and 28 in the rear right now (started at 32), but will play more with the rear pressure to see if I can get it to hook up at all.
Is anyone else not happy with the Nitto on the back? I'm currently looking for a wheel to fit a 335 or so.
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Nitto 555's
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@techguruguy big screen name....you know this group will challenge It. Welcome!
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It is according to the brand of tire. My Kenda wore flat all the way across at the pressure Polaris said to run. The BFG Comp with the 30 something pressure cupped in the center so I dropped to 26 psi and the trip to SSITS16 leveled it all the way across. Now the General g-Max I started at 28 psi and aftr about 6,000 miles everything looks good.
what did you think @FunCycle of the BFG Comp? thats an ultra all season tire right? thinking of going to that on the rear in a 305/R22 wheel in the back. right now started with a 305 TOYO tire ultra all season. but the BFG Comp looks similar performance but cheaper price.
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@techguruguy big screen name....you know this group will challenge It. Welcome!
I make my living being a tech..... bring it hahahaha
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what did you think @FunCycle of the BFG Comp? thats an ultra all season tire right? thinking of going to that on the rear in a 305/R22 wheel in the back. right now started with a 305 TOYO tire ultra all season. but the BFG Comp looks similar performance but cheaper price.
Traction seemed to be good on the dry and the wet, also below wear bar at 10,000 miles. I spin the rear tire very little, so that was not the problem. Good traction in the mountains, 4 trips to the mountains, maybe that was the reason for the excessive wear.
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@FunCycle. I have seen you drive in the mountains. Yes that was the wear problem.
Oh, snap. All the dimes being dropped. Quarters, too.
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Originally posted on the Dark Side -
Background from another thread - After paying twice as much and getting half the miles on my Sumitomo HTR Z III 295/30R18 compared to what I was getting on the stock Kenda 265/35R18 (5000 miles vs 10000 miles, respectively), I'm seriously thinking about trying another low-cost, similarly-rated tire, the Nankang N-20 275/35R18. Slightly larger, but not enough to mess with the speedo and safety systems. At an indicated 65 mph, it should be doing just under 66 mph. Discount Tire Direct is offering them with free shipping for just over $100 each. They're actually rated with a slightly longer tread-life estimate than the Kendas. Getting ready to visit my local Discount Tire.Called my local Discount Tire and was told they didn't know how quickly they would get the Nankang tire. I ordered online from Discount Tire Direct who showed the same store as a local installer and was told the tire should hopefully get here in a couple of days. Tire 275/35R18 tire was priced at $128 w/free shipping, $3 for a new valve, $13 for Road Hazard replacement and Texas sales tax. Guess I'll find out what happens next.
Tire was delivered one day after I received an email that it had shipped and telling me I could get tracking info in 24-48 hrs.
Had it mounted and balanced a couple days later at my local Discount Tire for $16 + disposal fee and tax.I have attached a PDF file with some pics of the Nankang and the old Sumitomo tire (NankangSumitomo.pdf). Overall, I was happy with the Sumitomo tire, except that it cost twice what the Kenda did and only lasted half as long. The Nankang is rated for 20% longer tread-life compared to the Kenda (360AA vs 300AA, respectively) and is an All-Season tire labeled M+S. The Nankang has good looking water evacuation grooves. When I initially had it mounted, the roads were still damp from a rain a few hours earlier and the tire spun easily on the damp pavement. I assume this was due to any chemicals left on the tire from the manufacturing process. Once I got a few hundred miles on the tire, it has offered decent grip during straight-line acceleration on dry pavement. I haven't experienced any wet roads since the initial install. The Nankang is also rated at 40,000 miles, so considering it can't be rotated, it should still be rated for around 20,000 miles.
In most ways, I like the Nankang tire, EXCEPT for the following - Just going down the road, the rear tire feels like it is soft, with routine, minor steering corrections seeming to produce much more leaning compared to what I experienced with the OEM Kendas and the Sumitomo. When I described it to my Daughter, she said it sounded like the tire was made from jelly. The feeling reminds me of driving one of the old Detroit "boats" as if the rear is barely making contact with the road surface or my suspension is just way too soft. This feeling bugs me to the point that it almost makes me uncomfortable. The really odd thing about this is when I try making a quick lane change at 55 - 70 mph the Slingshot seems to do fine with no more lean than I would expect due to such a rapid maneuver. Over the past couple trips, I have tried the rapid lane change (sharply left, sharply right as if dodging debris or an accident) and I feel more confident during the high speed lane changes. I still dislike the squirmy response to minor back and forth steering corrections.
I had read a review where the user was very unhappy with the Nankang's sidewalls, saying they flexed too much, but there were enough more positive reviews that I discounted that review. Now, I'm not so sure about the Nankang tire. While it was priced competitively with the Kenda, and I think the tire looks good and like its straight-line, dry road acceleration, I'm just not sure if I can get used to the way the tire makes the Slingshot's rear end feel. It just seems really odd that the tire feels strange during normal steering corrections, yet feels comfortable during high-speed, abrupt lane changes.
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Display MoreOriginally posted on the Dark Side -
Background from another thread - After paying twice as much and getting half the miles on my Sumitomo HTR Z III 295/30R18 compared to what I was getting on the stock Kenda 265/35R18 (5000 miles vs 10000 miles, respectively), I'm seriously thinking about trying another low-cost, similarly-rated tire, the Nankang N-20 275/35R18. Slightly larger, but not enough to mess with the speedo and safety systems. At an indicated 65 mph, it should be doing just under 66 mph. Discount Tire Direct is offering them with free shipping for just over $100 each. They're actually rated with a slightly longer tread-life estimate than the Kendas. Getting ready to visit my local Discount Tire.Called my local Discount Tire and was told they didn't know how quickly they would get the Nankang tire. I ordered online from Discount Tire Direct who showed the same store as a local installer and was told the tire should hopefully get here in a couple of days. Tire 275/35R18 tire was priced at $128 w/free shipping, $3 for a new valve, $13 for Road Hazard replacement and Texas sales tax. Guess I'll find out what happens next.
Tire was delivered one day after I received an email that it had shipped and telling me I could get tracking info in 24-48 hrs.
Had it mounted and balanced a couple days later at my local Discount Tire for $16 + disposal fee and tax.I have attached a PDF file with some pics of the Nankang and the old Sumitomo tire (NankangSumitomo.pdf). Overall, I was happy with the Sumitomo tire, except that it cost twice what the Kenda did and only lasted half as long. The Nankang is rated for 20% longer tread-life compared to the Kenda (360AA vs 300AA, respectively) and is an All-Season tire labeled M+S. The Nankang has good looking water evacuation grooves. When I initially had it mounted, the roads were still damp from a rain a few hours earlier and the tire spun easily on the damp pavement. I assume this was due to any chemicals left on the tire from the manufacturing process. Once I got a few hundred miles on the tire, it has offered decent grip during straight-line acceleration on dry pavement. I haven't experienced any wet roads since the initial install. The Nankang is also rated at 40,000 miles, so considering it can't be rotated, it should still be rated for around 20,000 miles.
In most ways, I like the Nankang tire, EXCEPT for the following - Just going down the road, the rear tire feels like it is soft, with routine, minor steering corrections seeming to produce much more leaning compared to what I experienced with the OEM Kendas and the Sumitomo. When I described it to my Daughter, she said it sounded like the tire was made from jelly. The feeling reminds me of driving one of the old Detroit "boats" as if the rear is barely making contact with the road surface or my suspension is just way too soft. This feeling bugs me to the point that it almost makes me uncomfortable. The really odd thing about this is when I try making a quick lane change at 55 - 70 mph the Slingshot seems to do fine with no more lean than I would expect due to such a rapid maneuver. Over the past couple trips, I have tried the rapid lane change (sharply left, sharply right as if dodging debris or an accident) and I feel more confident during the high speed lane changes. I still dislike the squirmy response to minor back and forth steering corrections.
I had read a review where the user was very unhappy with the Nankang's sidewalls, saying they flexed too much, but there were enough more positive reviews that I discounted that review. Now, I'm not so sure about the Nankang tire. While it was priced competitively with the Kenda, and I think the tire looks good and like its straight-line, dry road acceleration, I'm just not sure if I can get used to the way the tire makes the Slingshot's rear end feel. It just seems really odd that the tire feels strange during normal steering corrections, yet feels comfortable during high-speed, abrupt lane changes.
Good report!
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@BKL have you checked and/or played with different air pressures? My Nitto 555g2 rear felt weird when I got it back from Discount Tire. I lowered the pressure to SS specs and it felt much better.
I love my new G2 Nitto. It loves to make screeching noises when you turn it over. But it's so much better than the Toyo I had....
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@rabtech Thanks to your suggestions, I've lowered the tire pressure and am finally getting the Nitto 555 GS (stock size) to hook up a little better, but it's still not as good as the stock Kenda. Weird!
I have it at 22 psi cold now (25 when hot). Can I go a little lower without worrying about it unseating the bead, or overheating?
Thanks in advance! -
@rabtech Thanks to your suggestions, I've lowered the tire pressure and am finally getting the Nitto 555 GS (stock size) to hook up a little better, but it's still not as good as the stock Kenda. Weird!
I have it at 22 psi cold now (25 when hot). Can I go a little lower without worrying about it unseating the bead, or overheating?
Thanks in advance!
I wouldn't go any lower on pressure. I don't think you would unseat the bead but it would cause some wear issues. The Nitto 555 that i ran last year was definitely gummier than the Kenda. My stock Kenda actually broke off in pieces it was so hard. The new G2 Nitto 555 I bought a few weeks ago is a bit harder than the older 555... but it can't be as bad as the Kenda. I haven't ran it far enough yet to form an opinion but hopefully it will stick.... -
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I still love my BFG GForce Comp II tires.
I don't get much more that 3-4k out of the rear but I can't blame the tire, for that I have to blame @rabtech for hooking me up with more power than I can use!I only got 10,000 miles out of the BFG Comp and I spin the tire very little, but it did have good traction.
